Please see this email I sent to 76 customer service:
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My father was at the 76 station at 551 N Sunset Ave in La Puente on Thursday, April 21st around 10:30. Our dog was in the backseat with the window on the driver side partly down. When my father removed the nozzle from the pump, gasoline immediately forcefully spewed out of the nozzle, spilling onto the ground, car, through the car window into the car itself. My dog who had her face at the window was hit by the gasoline and subsequently ingested an undetermined amount.
There was no pressure placed on the lever to cause this outflow of gasoline. This occurred by simply removing the nozzle from the pump. There was a witness to the situation who also verbalized that the nozzle malfunctioned and there was no reason why this should have occurred. My father removed the dog from the car and with the assistance of a 76 auto employee tried to remove gasoline from my dog's mouth and body utilizing a hose. My dog was foaming at the mouth.
My dog was hospitalized and the interior of the car completely soaked with gasoline. My father was also drenched with gasoline as he rushed my dog to the hospital.
I later returned with my father to speak with the 76 employee who was aware of the situation. I asked to speak to the owner/manager of the station, only to be met with resistance as the employee stated that he could not be contacted but would be made aware of the situation, despite our insistence to discuss the event.
The unfolding of this event, coupled with dismissive attitude of the employee who refused to escalate the event up the chain of command at the point in time is appalling.
Our car interior is saturated with gasoline, as well my dog is injured and the life of my father was threatened.
In the event that there was a source of fire, or even a spark, my father and dog could have died. Your entire gas station would have gone up in flames.
I called the customer service number to provide this account of the events. Someone from Seattle, WA contacted me several hours later to discuss the event, however, she was not familiar with the area or store and was only covering for another employee. She assured me that someone would return my call the next day. No one has contacted me since.
I have a $1600 veterinary bill, a damaged car interior, and my father and dog could have been killed. I initially decided to pursue this matter legally, however, a former 76 station owner had encouraged me to call the customer service number instead because he said this situation that occurred was unacceptable and that there is a process in place to escalate this within the company structure that would provide a resolution.
I had expected some urgency in addressing this matter, however, it has been 4 days since I have heard from anyone at 76. I plan to educate anyone I can about the dangers of what my father and dog experienced and the jeopardy they were placed in at this 76 station, through word of mouth, social (Facebook and ask others to share, YouTube, Yelp) and conventional media, as well as the BBB and any other platform appropriate.
Please contact me for follow up. read more
