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Wake-up call to Shell India from a disgruntled retailer

Screen Shot 2013-12-30 at 10.44.02This is to get it to your notice what’s happening in Shell India. One of the worst management I have seen. Shell please wake-up and do save our retailer community in India. Some one please do exit-interviews of the retailers who have left and do justice to people who serve you. In India bribes are being taken and are being paid by the management in name of consultancy fees and incidental charges.

Introduction by John Donovan

Printed below is a comment received.  Given the length and content it seems appropriate to publish it as an article. Full contact information and related email correspondence with Shell has been supplied. The allegations suggest that Shell is continuing to ruthlessly exploit Shell petrol retailers/franchisees as it has done in other countries.

*Many years ago we conducted a series of ethical surveys involving up to 1500 Shell UK retailers and published the findings in whole page announcements in trade magazines such as “Forecourt News”. All of the sealed responses were opened and authenticated by an independent solicitor who supplied an affidavit testifying to the findings. If the allegations below have foundation, it appears that not much has changed.

Shell is still apparently engaged in predatory practices against individuals striving to do their best for themselves and Shell.

THE ALLEGATIONS RECEIVED TODAY

Dear Sirs,

This is to get it to your notice what’s happening in Shell India. One of the worst management I have seen.

Mr Ravi Sundarajan telling lies and cheating the retailers and the top management. All cheaters and liars.

I am Sabir, been as retailer from May 2006-Jun 2012. I regret joining Shell, spoiled my career. Almost 7 months now, I am being held on ransom,” give no dues certificate then Shell will release my bank guarantee”. Why should I give no-due certificate with following amounts due?

1. I have not been paid part of my TE in Q1 & Q2 2011 as per business plan.
2. Cash pick-up charges have been deducted from my bank account for July’12, Aug’12 & Sept’12.
3. I have been given 15 days notice by Mr Thoman(DM) & Ms Deepti(TM).
4. Rs 31471 have been deducted from Q2 2012, as I have shown as savings.
5. Rs 55,000 have been deducted as lubes differential, I picked it up from fellow retailer. I have Mr Thomans mail appealing to the retailers to help Mr Pradeep ex Retailer Davangere.
6. Rs 27000 is being paid for cancelling the licenses, the actual amount is Rs 36000.
7. Have never been paid full disruption allowance after every quarter & no explanation given for the short payment.
8. Income Tax scrutiny money not paid to us. Scrutiny happened because the sale dropped drastically from 2008 onwards.

When wrote to Mr Ravi Sundarajan, he is telling lies. I am ashamed that Shell market leader is a liar and a cheat, what can I expect from his sub-ordinates.

No wonder the following retailers left without final settlement. Mr Arun, Mr Dominic, Mr Azeem,Mr Stefen,Mr Gopi, etc.

Other unhappy retailers who fought and left Shell are Mr Bharat, Mr Anthony, Mr Pradeep, Mr Deviah, Mr Madukar, Mr Sajith, Mr Mahadevan, Mr Satish, Mrs Sujimani etc,all these retailers are branded as non-performers. (this is only Karnataka retailers, list will be bigger if I collect full India). Calculate the % of the retailers……Please name one guy who has left satisfied??????

If you think I am non-performer type i would like to highlight
1. I was selected to represent Shell for petrosafe quiz in 2007 because of my job-knowledge
2. I have trained TM’s, DM’s & different teams in my RO because of my good hands-on operations.
3. Pilot batch of oil change started in my RO for case study.
4. Have been recognised as best retailer when Mrs Deepanjali Sengupta was my TM.
5. Retailer who recruited and successfully managed with Mentally Challenged Staff.
6. Have achieved consistently good MMP from last 2 years 2010 & 2011.

For top management what matters are the numbers, not how it’s done. My then TM Mr Giri Prasad Nair himself have suggested me to close a ULP post-mix pump to sell Super in Gudahalli. I did not do it as I know customer service, so I am a non-performer. When Mr Giri Prasad Nair was TM of white filed RO, there were about 48 cross-fuellings in a quarter, all the retailers and the TM know about it. So the TM and that retailer is a good performer. All this is happening under Mr Ravi’s nose, he is in deep slumber. I am copying this mail to all my fellow retailers, who knows about it, who can authenticate. Please study your people, then brand me as non-performer.

Mr Giri Prasad Nair used to do TMSR from home and mark me down while for his favourites he used to give 98% sitting at home. Retailers had complained about this to Mr Thoman, the result is TMSR with vengeance – fail the retailers NOW. So much for fair management…….read for further details about manipulation.

I took over from Mr Satish i was league table topper.
Mr Srinivas Reddy gets tranferred to this region, he was the league table topper.
Mr Rajnikath took over from Mr Madhukaren, Mr Rajnikath was league table topper.
Mr Saravanan took over from Mr Dominic, Mr Saravanan was league table topper.
Mr Suresh took over from Mr Stefan, Mr Suresh was league table topper.

Mr TM and Mr DM decides who is the toppers in the league table to justify their transfer of the retailers. (just take the league table details and the RBA contract dates to cross verify these facts)

It’s 7 months now, have you guys doubled the sale in my RO’s??? You are able to sell better number of lubes because of 4-wheeler oil change, which as per HSSE we are not supposed to do it (have mail from Mr Sangeet Tandon from lubes). But how are you guys bothered about HSSE, you are getting the numbers you are happy to be blind.

Mr Thoman gave a negative feedback to a job referral to make sure that I will not have a good break. He would have forgotten about my work before the metro construction started. Good job Mr Thoman. (you only recruited me, invited me again & again when I was not joining you).

Why did you recruit me and kept me for 6 years, if I was not performing? What pinched him was me using SUV for 4wheeler, racer bike for 2wheeler, iPhone and apple laptop. He was vocal about the same in our group meetings..

I am also non-performer because of my unfair targets. Will forward you the mail about the targets I have written earlier to Mr Ravi, Mr Tanmoy, Mr Thoman and Mr Giri, for your reference. Result – throw me out of job by proving I am a non-performer.

If not possible to work fairly, why pretend ? Change your SGBP for India, You have good leaders who can cheat openly. Almost all of them are cheaters..

I am sure Shell is being kept in dark about the happenings in India.

Shell please wake-up and do save our retailer community in India. Some one please do exit-interviews of the retailers who have left and do justice to people who serve you.

In India bribes are being taken and are being paid by the management in name of consultancy fees and incidental charges. I am sure like wise the top management in HO is being fooled by the Indian management into believing the well being of the retailers.

Shell pays bribe to get licences through Mr Jagadish, to get stamping of pumps & 5 ltr jars through Oilco, to labour authorities through Mr Uday etc etc.. This comes under which clause of Shell rules Mr Ravi Sundarajan?? Mr Giri Prasad Nair was himself directly involved in paying bribe to sales tax dept when our tanker was seized by the authorities(for stock transfer from MR1 without form 39) during opening of Lalbagh outlet, about Rs 40,000 was paid and claimed in business plan also.

I am going to take legal action to recover my dues. I will fight for all the dues and CR margins, which was changed without my consent in writing. My legal consultant is going through the RBA

Advise to fellow retailers, please don’t be fool like me, I gave resignation as they wanted and they are holding it against me. Thoman, deepti & KAR retailers are aware of the facts. I was advised to take 2-3 days of fuel sale cash and settle with Shell, did not do so,  my mistake. Now I am doing this from past 7 months for my final settlement. I have a legal consultant who is going through RBA. Will take it up legally. Thanks Guys.

It’s no more PEOPLE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE REAL. “NUMBERS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE REAL-NO MATTER HOW YOU DO IT.

Regards.

ENDS

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SHELL BUSINESS PRACTICES IN THE UK (AND THE USA)

We received many letters from Shell stations complaining bitterly about the business practices of Shell UK.

Here is a selection of quotes from some of the letters: –

“Extremely bad company”

“I believe the current regime is totally immoral

“We have serious concerns about Shell’s ethical conduct”.

“The fickle nature and lack of honour within our negotiations were a shock to ourselves coming from a large company…  We would hope this letter may help you and serve as a warning to others contemplating any form of activity with this company”.

“You are not alone in being steamrollered by this company”.

“Letter dated 13 January 1999 from Patrick Bradshaw to his local MP: “Management that can falsify the truth without a moments hesitation”: Shell’s ruthlessness and cheating practices”

“THE UNETHICAL CLEANSING OF SHELL UK AGENT OPERATORS” (Letter received from Shell Station operator Sheila Gee, published and distributed as a leaflet in 1999)

Affidavit supplied by an independent solicitor (Gross & Co) verifying the survey results. Includes self-explanatory exhibit and written communications received from Shell dealers: April 1995

The results of one survey are shown below.

SHELL ALSO TRIED TO DRIVE U.S. GAS STATION OPERATORS OUT OF BUSINESS

In the USA, “a federal jury awarded more than $3 million to eight Massachusetts gas station operators after finding Shell Oil Co. used unfair tactics that were effectively intended to drive them out of business.The jury voted yes to the question of whether Shell ”in bad faith” set wholesale gasoline prices ”that were not commercially reasonable,” court documents said.”: “We’ve been vindicated,” said Mike Corbett, owner of City Square Shell in Charlestown, a member of a group of area dealers who’ve been battling Shell for more than four years over control of their stations. “This is big for us. They beat us up for so many years. It was terrible what they did,” he said. (Extracts from a Boston Globe article published in December 2004)

After a three-week trial, the jury found that Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies violated state and federal regulations by raising the price of wholesale gasoline to the dealers and ending a long-standing rent subsidy program. The franchisees sued four years ago, claiming Shell was attempting to drive them out of business so it could operate the stations itself.”; “The jury’s $3.3 million award is likely to grow by millions when interest and attorneys fees are factored in, said the franchisees’ lawyer, Gary Greenburg, who called the verdict a “total victory” for his clients.”(Extract from Telegraph.com article published December 2004)

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE US litigation: Shell tried to drive Shell gas station operators out of business

 

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This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

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