By JOSIE CLARKE
A petrol station owner says the company refused to sell him cheaper petrol but suggested a compensation deal.
Body1: The independent operator of a Shell petrol station says the company offered him a deal similar to one that has left BP under investigation by the Commerce Commission.
Stephen Tuck, owner-operator of the Shell station at Te Kawa, south of Te Awamutu, said Shell offered to compensate him if he dropped his prices to match another Shell station 11km down the road.
On Tuesday, the commission confirmed that it was investigating BP after Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton produced documents showing that the oil company had offered financial incentives to independent retailers in return for setting prices at the pump.
Mr Anderton said he had received advice questioning the lawfulness of BP's scheme, called the "temporary price support system."
Mr Tuck said Shell offered him compensation when he approached the company for a better deal on his wholesale petrol prices.
As an independent operator, Mr Tuck said, he bought petrol at just 2c a litre less than the Shell-owned Te Awamutu station sold it at the pump. As a result, Mr Tuck's prices were usually 4c more expensive.
Shell refused to sell him petrol at a cheaper price, but said it would compensate him if he dropped his prices to match those at the Te Awamutu station.
Shell spokesman Antonius Papaspiropoulos said the company did not discuss pricing issues publicly.
"It's a confidential matter between us and our retailer and we prefer to keep it that way.
"BP have their own particular pricing issues and we have ours. If they want to discuss theirs in public that's fine, but we just don't go there."
Mr Tuck decided against signing the deal with Shell because he was not allowed to discuss the details of the agreement with anyone.
He is selling 91-octane unleaded petrol for $1.19, compared with $1.14 in Te Awamutu.
"I'm still here, but I would be doing better if I could sell it at $1.14. A lot of the locals just don't buy it here, full stop."
Commerce Commission spokesman Vince Cholewa said it had not received complaints about any other oil companies.
"But if information did come to light, then we would look at that."
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