Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordinator

Have you ever had a flat tyre or a slow leak and desperately went in search of a service station for an air pump with hose attached and can't find one? Well, you are not alone. It is a situation that has left a number of motorists annoyed.

"As a customer, I feel cheated out of a service that I deserve," argued Opal Brooks, who has had that experience on more than one occasion."Disappointed and angry was how I felt," said Ricko Hall.

Hall relates driving around the Corporate Area one night searching for a service station with an air pump that has a hose attached and could not find any.

President of Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association (JGRA), Trevor Barnes, said he had received a significant number of complaints about the absence of hoses on air pumps at service stations.

"It's the marketing companies that are responsible for repairing these air pumps. I have written to them about the situation for quite some time but nothing seems to be happening," the JGRA president said.

Replacements

A spokesperson in the marketing department for Total service stations explained that several operators had to be replacing air hoses at least five times per month."My advice to motorists is, if you don't see the hose ask the gas station attendants for it," said Andrea Morgan.

Dwight Moore, general manager of a St Andrew-based service station, was quick to point out that his operation was 24/7 and, therefore, the air hose is never disconnected. He, however, believes that hoses are being stolen and sold.

"I suspect they are being sold to garage operators," Moore told Automotives.

A Montego Bay-based service station operator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he instructed his attendants to remove the hose every day after closing time at 6:00 p.m., and replace it the next day for opening hours at 8 a.m.

"I believe this is a better way to monitor the air pump," the service station operator said.

In the meantime, Deputy Superintendent of Police assigned to Traffic Department, Wayne Cameron, offered motorists advice who find themselves in this predicament, especially in the night.

"Call the police for assistance," said DSP Cameron. "Then try to make it to a well-lit area and wait for assistance," he cautioned.