Deborah Rock and her 1989 Corvette have always been inseparable.
But for the last three weeks, she’s been stuck at home and her car is stuck in the shop.
She says she got bad gas from a BP Gas Station on Laskin Road and First Colonial in Virginia Beach.
After filling up her tank, Rock says her car died.
Rock had it towed to her dealership where they confirmed her suspicion. She was told she had a tank full of contaminated gas.
And to get her car running again, mechanics had to flush it out and replace several parts.
And it wasn’t cheap. The repairs cost more than $700.
It's money Rock doesn’t have because she’s on a fixed income.
Rock adds, “You just can’t go to people and ask for loans or handouts.”
Rock says she contacted BP’s corporate office for help, but didn’t get very far.
She says, “I’m like a penny in a bucket to them. You know what is $708 to BP?”
And that’s when she contacted NewsChannel 3 to take action and get her some answers.
We contacted BP directly and they promised they’d look into her complaint.
But NewsChannel 3 went a step further and contacted the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, whose job it is to regulate gas pumps.
Though there haven’t been any complaints about contaminated gas from that BP Gas Station within the last two years. A spokesperson says all Rock has to do is file a formal complaint and an inspection will be done.
Today, Rock did just that and is now waiting for a response back.
Rock adds, “I was thinking about all those people who were filling up when I was getting gas. And I was thinking how many people got the same type of gas.”
Rock says she’s hopeful, by bringing attention to this, gas stations will be better regulated and she’ll get her money.
Even if that means her Corvette will have to stay in a dealership parking lot for a little longer.
