Santo Domingo.– The National Association of Gasoline Retailers (Anadegas) reaffirmed that next Friday, September 25, starting at 6:00 a.m., it will proceed to disconnect the Verifone service at the 780 stations that make up the sector, considering the deadlines granted to find a solution to their claim to be exhausted.
The president of Anadegas, Juan Elías Pérez, stated that during the last few weeks the organization has participated in various meetings convened to seek a resolution to the conflict, but assured that these have not produced concrete results.
“We have attended unproductive meetings every time we have been invited, with no concrete results in favor of our claim. It is simple: these merchants will not be able to keep 27 percent of the gross profits for the use of electronic payment services,” declared Pérez.
The leader maintained that the Dominican Republic is among the countries in the region where fuel retailers assume the highest costs for the use of cards and payment terminals, stating that, according to comparisons made by the sector, “out of 34 countries, we are the nation that pays the most for the use of cards and Verifones.”
“We are simply not going to accept it,” he emphasized.
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Pérez reported that the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM) has called for a final meeting this Tuesday, which a commission from Anadegas will attend.
However, he warned that participation in that meeting does not mean the suspension of the decision announced for Friday.
“If this meeting turns out to be more of the same, we will not suspend our call,” stated the president of Anadegas.
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The organization recognized the mediation efforts made by Pro Consumidor and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs, describing them as an important intervention to seek an understanding between the parties.
However, Pérez maintained that the definitive solution requires a decision at the highest level.
“President Luis Abinader knows where this must be resolved, just as it has been proposed to him,” he stated.
Anadegas reported that the regional fuel retailer organizations remain activated and coordinated ahead of the deadline.
Pérez indicated that all provinces are duly coordinated, while San Francisco de Macorís remains under attention as the center of the sector’s mobilization in the Cibao region.
The president of Anadegas also highlighted the organization’s trajectory, which reaches 67 years since its founding, noting that during that period, retailers have sought to maintain business activity based on clear rules and transparency.
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“At Anadegas, we have worked hard for 67 years, being an example of clear and very clean rules,” he expressed.
The entity reiterated that its claim is aimed at reviewing the costs associated with the use of electronic payment services at fuel stations and that, if a satisfactory agreement is not reached before Friday, September 25, it will maintain the decision to disconnect the Verifone at its affiliated stations.
