After the incident of skyrocketing gas prices in Chongqing drew widespread attention online, more and more residents in provinces and cities such as Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Guangdong, and Shenzhen have reported astonishing increases in gas fees despite no apparent changes in their daily habits.
In other words, the surge in gas prices is not limited to Chongqing but has become a common phenomenon across various regions.
According to a report by mainland media, since April 14th, many netizens on the “Questioning Sichuan” platform have posted comments regarding gas fee collections and gas meter readings, complaining about issues in cities like Chengdu, Nanchong, Deyang, Neijiang, and Yibin. Some netizens have even uploaded screenshots of their gas bills as proof.
Peng Pai News mentioned that the Chengdu 12345 hotline received a total of 1996 complaints related to gas issues in the first 19 days of this month.
On April 17th, well-known Chengdu playwright Li Yaling stated that during her two-month stay in Hainan, her Chengdu residence accumulated a gas usage of over 500 cubic meters, prompting her and neighbors facing similar situations to seek third-party inspection of their gas meters.
Li Yaling highlighted that such cases are not isolated incidents in her community. One neighbor who returned from a three-month stay in the US found a gas bill of over 2000 yuan. Another neighbor, who rarely cooks, discovered a gas bill of 360 yuan for March. Additionally, a neighbor compared gas bills from this year and last year, noting a 50% increase this year compared to the same month last year.
On April 19th, a gas investigation press conference was held in Chongqing, attributing the local gas price surge to chaotic management of gas companies leading to overcharging and billing errors.
While mismanagement can result in increased costs for users, it does not account for issues like unusually high gas meter readings or meters spinning without gas consumption, indicating that mismanagement is not the primary reason for the sudden price hikes.
Many believe that gas price surges are due to tampering with gas meters; however, recent revelations suggest otherwise. Some netizens exposed that gas companies can accelerate gas meters through four strategies without directly altering the meters, potentially increasing revenue.
The methods include adjusting the gas meter’s way of measurement by increasing gas pressure inside the pipes to speed up gear rotations, diluting the gas to lower its heating value, installing a special bypass tube on the intake pipe to automatically increase pressure, and adjusting the intake size to boost internal pressure and gear speed.
These tactics have been commonly adopted by gas companies, with past incidents like the Fushun Gas Company’s illegal profiteering by mixing air into gas in 1999 being exposed by local industrial departments and the media. Such incidents have persisted over the years but have now received unprecedented attention with the recent issues in Chongqing.
Therefore, the surge in gas fees is not merely a result of management chaos or billing errors but a deliberate act by gas companies aiming to deceive consumers.
This blatant act of legal robbery prompts questions regarding the companies’ awareness of their actions constituting a crime. The answer is clear – they are fully aware of their actions.
Similarly, concerns about user complaints following discovery of such malpractices are also addressed – they are aware of the potential complaints but confident in their monopoly over gas supply, knowing complaints will likely be unresolved.
The monopolistic control of gas companies over supply and inspection, allowing them to designate official platforms for checks leading to predetermined results, showcases their audacity in openly exploiting consumers.
Moreover, such clandestine practices are not exclusive to gas companies but are prevalent in other essential services like electricity, water, and fuel supply, reflecting a common trend described by netizens as “the three blades of water, electricity, and gas, all deadly weapons.”
It can be asserted that as the financial crisis of the Chinese Communist Party exacerbates, such flagrant acts of exploitation are bound to intensify and become more rampant.