We're getting of not getting through to, or not getting answers, from the BP customer service line as residents of northwest Indiana are wondering if they got some bad gas... gas that BP America is recalling from area fuel distributors, gas they say was shipped from the Whiting fuel storage terminal between August 13^th and August 17^th.   Ruth Matson of Valparaiso says her two sons' vehicles are having difficulties, her own vehicle, so far so good, but she's concerned.  She says she waited for 25 minutes on hold, listening to a message that said they were having experiencing problems with the phone system, and that some representatives will not be skilled to assist and that the company would call back. 

A statement from the company said they are going through their shipping records and contacting Northwest Indiana customers who may have loaded tanker trucks at the storage terminal during this period and replacing contaminated fuel with fresh product. 

We do not have a list of affected gas stations, but Matson said a customer service representative told her that Shell stations, because they're an entity of their own, would be one of the gas stations that would not buy BP gas.  We have not yet independently confirmed that through Shell.

This afternoon, BP sent out this update:

BP Update on Northwest Indiana Fuel Issue
Release Date: 21 August 2012
BP continues to take action to recall off-specification gasoline shipped to Northwest Indiana distributors last week and has established a process to work with customers whose cars have required repairs associated with the fuel.

BP believes a 50,000 barrel batch of regular grade gasoline blended at BP’s Whiting, Indiana gasoline storage terminal between August 13th and 17th contained a higher than normal level of polymeric residue and this residue can cause hard starting and other drivability issues. The fuel may have been purchased by motorists patronizing BP and other retail outlets in Northwest Indiana during the past seven days.

BP is committed to fuel quality and guarantees every gallon of gasoline we sell.  Any customer whose vehicle has experienced these symptoms during this period should contact BP’s customer hotline at 1-800-333-3991 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The company is going through its shipping records and contacting Northwest Indiana customers who may have loaded tanker trucks at the storage terminal during this period and is replacing the contaminated fuel with fresh product.

We would like to apologize for the inconvenience this has caused some of our customers.

http://mybpstation.com/fuels/bp-fuels-guarantee/

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Here is the statement sent out earlier:

BP STATEMENT

BP is alerting Northwest Indiana fuel distributors that the company is recalling unleaded regular gasoline that was shipped from the company’s Whiting, Indiana fuel storage terminal between August 13th and 17th.

The company believes that fuel stored in a tank at the storage depot could cause hard starting, stalling and other drivability issues. The fuel may have been purchased by motorists patronizing BP and other retail outlets in Northwest Indiana during the past seven days.

BP is committed to fuel quality and guarantees every gallon of gasoline we sell.  Any customer who’s vehicle has experienced these symptoms during this period should contact BP’s customer hotline at 1-800-333-3991.

The company is going through its shipping records and contacting Northwest Indiana customers who may have loaded tanker trucks at the storage terminal during this period and is replacing the contaminated fuel with fresh product.

We would like to apologize for the inconvenience this has caused some of our customers.

http://mybpstation.com/fuels/bp-fuels-guarantee/

###