Customers fill up on diesel instead of regular gas after mix-up at Saskatoon station

After filling up with gas, you'd expect your vehicle to run for a while — but that wasn't the case for some customers who filled up at a Saskatoon gas station this week, only to discover a pump they thought had regular gasoline actually had diesel.

People may be affected if they filled up after 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Flying J on Idylwyld Drive, just off Marquis Drive, Flying J said in a statement.

It said the company is trying to restore services after a cross-drop of fuel occurred at the gas station.

Christian Zepeda was among those affected by the mix-up. He pumped diesel into his truck around 4 p.m. Thursday. He had barely left the area when his truck started acting up. 

"I [was] driving for three blocks and my truck stopped working," Zepeda said. "I called my mechanic, he told me to return my truck to the garage. He was checking the truck and found diesel in [it]."

Zepeda said he and his mechanic went back to the gas station with a jerry can and bought gas from the same pump, to make sure it wasn't a mistake on Zepeda's end. Workers at the station told him a problem had occurred on their end.

Zepeda had to pay for a rental vehicle while he waited for a fix on his truck, which he uses to tow heavy equipment for work, he said. He also had to delay a scheduled trip to Edmonton because of the repairs.

After getting in touch with the gas station, Zepeda said Flying J agreed to cover some of his costs.

"They say they'll cover the damages for my truck, for the rental and maybe a little bit extra," Zepeda said. "I asked for a little extra for the compensation to pay my mechanic, to pay the tow company."

Flying J offering compensation

Flying J gave Zepeda the option to pay him a set amount directly or wait until his truck is fixed and then send the invoice to the gas station.

Zepeda estimates it could cost up to $500 to fix.

"I can afford it, but why do I need to pay for that?"

Flying J said in its statement it has temporarily closed the affected pumps until the issue can be resolved.

Several other people took to a Saskatoon Facebook group reporting similar issues after filling up at the station.

One user, Clint Janzen, said that Flying J "admitted fault and seemed helpful."

The gas station said if anyone who filled up after 2:30 p.m. Thursday has had problems with their vehicle, that they can contact the location directly for help.