Daily News picks up on the story of Beverley Shell trouble, and sheds a bit more light:
Business plummeted in July when Shell officials forced New York-area Shell stations to buy from Wholesale Fuel Distributors.
"My station is a ghost town," said Erdal, 70 a Turkish immigrant who lives in Sheepshead Bay. "I don't have any gas customers, because I'm getting squeezed."
Gasoline sales fell by almost 50% and his profitable business is sinking deeper into the red.
Lui became a loyal customer 10 years ago when a mechanic at Erdal's Shell told him that a troubling noise was gravel lodged in a wheel well and didn't require repairs.
"He could have ripped me off and said I needed work, but he did it for free," said Lui.
Almost 200 customers signed the petition that will be sent to Shell officials in support of Erdal.
Many Shell station managers feel trapped, but Long Island Gas Retailers Association Executive Director Kathryn Odessa said only Erdal has been backed by his customers.
"I'm getting inundated with phone calls from these dealers who believe they're getting overcharged by Wholesale," she said. "They unfortunately have to pass on these costs to their customers."
Wholesale officials didn't return calls for comment. A Shell spokesman said the company preferred using a distributor to doing direct gas sales with each station.
Because customers bypass Erdal's shop to fill up their tanks elsewhere, he's borrowed $30,000 from his bank to keep the business afloat.
He thinks Wholesale officials want him to go under so they can take over his station.
"I've never had a problem like this," Erdal said, "These people are ruining the business."
Full story here.
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