FEBRUARY 25, 2015: I KNOW people in the region are upset over hikes in fuel prices of up to 20 per cent in the wake of Cyclone Marcia, and rightly so.However we need to remember that the fault lies with the big fuel companies rather than local service station operators.Our local service station operators are not the culprits here.As I stated on Monday, it is not the service station owner, manager or the person behind the counter who sets the price of fuel.The price at the bowser is dictated by the major fuel companies, and service station operators might be making as little as three cents a litre, and at times they are even operating at a loss.[box style="1 or 2"]If you believe you were a victim of fuel price gouging, call the fuel companies directly.They can be contacted on the following numbers:BP Australia: 1300 130 027Caltex: 1800 240 398Puma Energy: 1300 723 706Shell: (08) 9338 6600Mobil: 1800 105 961[/box] You can also provide details of dates, times and price variations to me via fuel@georgechristensen.com.auThis hard evidence can then be directed to the ACCC for further investigation.