Warning!!!

targaid

Just having been out to refuel I noticed that my VAT receipt showed that BP have already increased their VAT rate, which I'm pretty sure must be illegal.

I intend getting on to their head office, as the station manager was utterly uninterested in being helpful and was bordering on rude that I'd dared to question it, to demand a refund. It may be a small amount, but they already get far too much money from me.

How much will they scalp from motorists tonight?

mark5

Was the price per litre advertised on the sign outside the garage correct?

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

targaid wrote: »

Just having been out to refuel I noticed that my VAT receipt showed that BP have already increased their VAT rate, which I'm pretty sure must be illegal.

I intend getting on to their head office, as the station manager was utterly uninterested in being helpful and was bordering on rude that I'd dared to question it, to demand a refund. It may be a small amount, but they already get far too much money from me.

How much will they scalp from motorists tonight?

If the VAT on the receipt is displayed as 17.5%, and they have actually charged you 17.5% before 1/1/10, then yes that's pretty damn illegal.

Trading standards.

vikingaero

I thought that the 15% VAT rate was voluntary. Businesses could either choose to pass on the VAT reduction or keep their prices the same but just put 15% VAT through the accounting books.

pitkin2020

if the budget staes VAT is 15% then businesses can have to charge that amount legally.
I'd say they were very cheeky changing it before the 1st

hothothot_3

ive never liked BP stations. Just boycott them and I will do the same. Hit them where it hurts, theres so many other petrol stations out there - just make sure you never let the car run low that you are forced to use them.

DreamerV

If they sold you fuel at the price advertised, but apportioned more of the money to VAT than they should have, is it not them losing out, and the taxpayer gaining?

But yes, I think it might be illegal, and if not, it might just be wrong.

pitkin2020

DreamerV wrote: »

If they sold you fuel at the price advertised, but apportioned more of the money to VAT than they should have, is it not them losing out, and the taxpayer gaining?

But yes, I think it might be illegal, and if not, it might just be wrong.

the TAxpayer (or more the government coffers ) increase over BPs profit margin but the person who is paying for the fuel is paying more than he should of, another 2.5% be accurate, not a great deal of money on a few litres, but if you were haulage company taking your trucks in to get the benefit of the 15% tax before it rised it would be rather a lot more money

targaid

Forgot to come back onto this after I got it sorted. What with the holiday and the following run-around by the time I'd done it then updating here went out of my head. However....

Yes, it was a piddling amount of money for me personally, but it was the principle. Not only that it was how much was being charged over that night with many folk going out to fill up before the rate changed?

The first stage of the runaround came from BP. It's not actually their garage it's a franchise. It's a large franchise, though, and is nationwide. So they gave me another number for the franchise holder.

They at first refused to acknowledge the problem until I pointed out my next step was to take it to the press. Then I was given another number that I could call to deal with someone who knew 'about that sort of thing.'

It took three attempts to get that call returned. The bloke I spoke to then proceeded to blame yet another company who are responsible for progrmming their tills and he'd need to get on to them to find out what happened. Actually, he 1st said "If this was true." When I pointed out that I had the time-stamped till receipt he changed his tune.

Then didn't call back for a month.

I had to explain it all over to someone else when I next called. This chap, though, was much more open about it and called back within an hour having gone off to speak to the programmers. Essentially, someone had just decided to make the change so he could knock off early (it was Hogmanay, after all). Sounds a bit weak as I'm sure any competent programmer could encode a time shift into the change.

I got a refund, a free car-wash and a tank of petrol out of it :T