- Contaminated fuel at Mega Saver — Customers who purchased premium fuel at the Mega Saver gas station at 168th & Cornhusker Road report their fuel was contaminated with water, causing vehicles to stall or shut down entirely.
- Mega Saver is responding — but inconsistently — While some customers, like Eric Bathen, say they received strong communication and a full reimbursement commitment from Mega Saver, others say they were left covering hundreds of dollars in repair costs out of pocket.
- This isn't an isolated incident — A similar contaminated fuel situation occurred at a BP station in Bellevue in April, raising broader questions about fuel quality control and third-party delivery standards in the area.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
GRETNA OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Customers at the Mega Saver gas station at 168th and Cornhusker Road in Sarpy County are sharing their experiences on social media after they say premium fuel at the location was found to be contaminated with water.
Gretna resident Eric Bathen says it took 10 minutes just to get 11 gallons into his tank on Sunday night. He did not make it far before his car broke down.
"I made it no more than highway 370 and my car went into limp mode, I took a right on 370 headed east and I got maybe a block and it just shut down," Bathen said.
Mechanics found Bathen's fuel had been tainted with water. He took to Facebook to share his experience and says he was shocked by the response.
"The responses and the private messages I got were overwhelming, it was a lot of people," Bathen said.
Mega Saver's corporate office provided a statement saying the company takes these concerns very seriously, and is working directly with affected customers to make things right, thoroughly addressing the issue, and ensuring the quality of the fuel before the system is returned to service.
Statement from Mega Saver:
"Mega Saver is aware of reports involving premium fuel purchased at our 168th & Cornhusker location. The premium fuel system has been taken out of service while we investigate the issue and ensure the system meets our fuel-quality standards.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this situation has caused our customers. We take these concerns very seriously, and our priority is working directly with affected customers to make things right, thoroughly addressing the issue, and ensuring the quality of the fuel before the system is returned to service.
Customers who purchased premium fuel at this location and believe their vehicles may have been affected are encouraged to contact Mega Saver directly at alyssa@megasaver.com or (402) 399-5377 ext. 111.
Mega Saver will not return the premium fuel system to service until the issue has been addressed and fuel quality has been verified."
The company also says it is investigating whether the issue could have stemmed from a third party that delivers their fuel.
Bathen says he has received strong communication from Mega Saver, which agreed to reimburse him for any costs. However, Tanya Nelson says she was not as fortunate after experiencing the same problem at a different gas station.
"The only thing that they paid for was the work that Jensen Tire did, which was the flushing of it, the diagnosis and then the refill of that gas, which my total was $1,009 and they only gave me back $679," Nelson said.
This is not the first time local customers have dealt with this issue. In April, customers at a BP in Bellevue went through the same problem.
Nelson says the experience caused mental, emotional and financial stress.
"Why am I stuck with that mental stress of finding a car and getting myself to work and the car to and from... it was stressful because I need my car to work, if I don't work who is going to pay my bills," Nelson said.
Nelson also had a message for gas stations.
"Monitor their product a little better, especially fuel prices these days you should be getting what you're paying for and not water," Nelson said.
Mega Saver says it is investigating the issue and hopes to have the premium pumps back up and running in a few days.
