PETALING JAYA: A smartphone app that lists the prices of petrol and diesel at various petrol stations in Malaysia, fuelling rumours of a “price war” is providing inaccurate information, warns the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry.
“The app’s inaccurate listing of diesel and petrol prices has caused confusion among consumers. Petrol stations are only allowed to sell fuel at the retail prices set by the Government,” it said in a statement Thursday night.
The ministry added that they would not hesitate to take action if inaccurate reporting of fuel prices gets out of hand.
However, Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin had previously said that petrol station operators would be allowed to run promotions and give discounts on fuel prices but only if they received prior approval from the ministry.
A check with three petrol stations in the Klang Valley also revealed that the prices listed in the app are incorrect.
The app, launched on March 27, uses crowdsourced information for the price listings, providing a platform for users to update the latest prices from petrol stations in their vicinity.
However, following the ministry’s statement, the app has been taken down from Google’s Play Store for Android devices.
Keyword: App fuelling rumours of petrol price war is wrong, says ministry