MGL stops prepaid card facilities; customers fume over no refund of balance

According to citizens, the MGL gas station staff does not accept the card and when they approach the office, there are no clear instructions on the refund or submission of the card. This has led to citizens getting angry after their money is stuck in the card.

Mumbai: Citizens, who have been using the prepaid fuel cards of Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL), have found themselves in a fix after the cards were discontinued, and the MGL gas stations have been refusing to accept them and refund the balance on the card.

When informed about MGL staff’s unwillingness to accept the cards for refunds, the representative said, “They have been informed to accept the cards for refund. They (customers) can submit their cards at MGL branded CNG stations and their refund for the balance amount will be processed.” (Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

According to citizens, the MGL gas station staff does not accept the card and when they approach the office, there are no clear instructions on the refund or submission of the card. This has led to citizens getting angry after their money is stuck in the card.

Subhash Chheda, one of the users of the MGL card, said, “The fuel stations suddenly stopped accepting these cards. We have a ₹3,000 to ₹4,000 balance on the card. When we approached the MGL offices at the stations, they had no idea about refunds or taking back the card.”

Chheda added that when they contacted the helpline number mentioned on the card, it went unanswered and the website stated that the card is discontinued.

For the convenience of CNG customers, MGL had introduced prepaid fuel cards in association with IndusInd Bank, a representative from MGL said, adding, “However, as IndusInd Bank discontinued the arrangement with their back-end vendor, they informed MGL to stop the transactions from March 31, 2023. Accordingly, MGL informed all the CNG outlets to stop accepting the cards. Simultaneously, MGL is working on a more user-friendly and convenient digital payment solution for its customers.”

When informed about MGL staff’s unwillingness to accept the cards for refunds, the representative said, “They have been informed to accept the cards for refund. They (customers) can submit their cards at MGL branded CNG stations and their refund for the balance amount will be processed.”

Sandip Sakat, a cab driver from Mumbai said that these cards were convenient to use to avoid cash transactions while refuelling, however, there were multiple issues with the card.

“Sometimes the machines would not work and sometimes the fuel stations didn’t have the facility to accept the cards. Now, they have discontinued these cards without even informing the customers. I have around ₹3,000 in my card’s balance, but the onus now is on the drivers to navigate through the bureaucracy to get a refund for the card.”