Come collect ‘bad gas’ compensation

Almost four years after the Government accepted a recommendation that a total of $24.5 million in compensation be paid to hundreds of motorists whose vehicles were damaged during the 2015 bad gas saga, the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) has reached out to the remaining 35 motorists who are yet to be reimbursed for the losses they suffered, and invited them to collect what is owed to them.

A notice in last Friday’s Gleaner advised, under Final Notice, that, ‘The following persons (or next of kin) regarding ‘BAD GAS’ claims are being asked to contact the Consumer Affairs Commission before Friday, December 29, 2023.’ Of the 35 names listed, three are deceased, the advertisement further advises.

Communication specialist at the CAC, Dorothy Campbell, told The Gleaner that this is the residual list from the verified claims submitted by 381 motorists. The CAC had received 478 complaints in the aftermath of the situation which drove fear into the motoring public, but 55 were ignored because they did not have all the requisite information such as proof of purchase and mechanical reports.

“These persons have not yet responded and what we are doing is giving them an opportunity to do so because we know that people migrate, move around. So we want to give them an opportunity to make contact with us. That’s why we have next of kin, just in case they are not here.

“So we want to give them enough time so that if somebody is abroad, family members can make contact with them. If they are ill, somebody may be able to say this name is my uncle, father, whatever but he is not available to claim the money because he is in the hospital. And then all the legal verifications that come along with that will have to take place in order to ensure that we pay over to the right people.”

Asked what happens to the money if it is not claimed by December 29, Campbell admitted to being unsure of what would happen to the remaining cash.

“I am making an assumption that it goes back to the source. It’s not our money, it was paid to us for the opportunity to offer an ex gratia payment to each claimant. So there was no finding in terms of fault of the gas or anything like that. The committee that was set up had the technical experts who made a determination. You had engineers who looked at the claims to say whether or not they were justified; examined the parts to make sure that what they claimed impacted the vehicle,” she said.

The Petroleum Trade Reform Committee, established by former Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell in 2016 to conduct a thorough investigation into alleged contaminated petrol, found that there was “no definitive conclusion” about a “specific contaminant” in the petrol sold to the public between November 2015 and March 2016.

Claimants are asked to contact the CAC by calling 876-619-4222, make contact by email at info@cac.gov.jm or visit the office at 14 Trafalgar Road, Kingston 10.

christopher.serju@gleanerjm.com