LPG refills can only be booked 15 days after delivery

Oil companies have put in place a mechanism to prevent panic booking

31/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTCHENNAI

The IVRS system has been programmed to tell consumers that they will have to wait for their turn. K. V. Srinivasan

In an effort to prevent panic bookings of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) refills, oil companies have put in place temporary measures that will be in force till the lifting of COVID-19 lockdown.

Now, if a consumer books and gets a 14.2kg domestic refill, he can make the next booking only after 15 days. The IVRS system that makes the bookings has been programmed to tell consumers that they will have to wait for their turn.

Distributors said that this would help prevent unnecessary cancellations. “Consumers book even if they have a spare cylinder on hand as they are fully dependent on cooking at home. Families at home means more cooking and snacks too, thereby additional LPG usage,” explained a distributor. Cancellation is also being allowed on the respective oil company's app after only one try.

Earlier, if the customer was not available or door was locked, the delivery person had to make three tries and the cancellation of the booking could be done only at the distributorship.

Oil industry sources explained that in place of say 85,000 bookings a day in Chennai region, they were getting 1.15 lakh bookings. This has also led to increase in backlog in supplies of about 3-5 days.

“We are unable to serve genuine customers,” said another distributor.