BP's new pumps that seem to cheat you out of the first 30 to 35 p per refuelling...

Mountstetten

I thought I would let you all know of a problem with BP's new garages's new pupms.

BP have introduced some new quiet pumps in their new garages. We have one fairly near us just off the A21, near the Paddock Wood roundabout, called the Blue Boys Connect, which has been open for about 4 months, maybe a tad longer.

I have complained a couple of times and have now managed to elicit from them BP's Head Office address.

The problem with these new pumps is that the meter starts counting, to between 30 or 40 pence before the fuel starts flowing. This may be different for petrol as my cars are diesel.

When I complained the last two times, I was told by staff that is was working fine but that I just could not hear it because they have new quiet pumps. I knew this was wrong from the first time as you can feel the fuel going through, regardless of pump noise.

Today when I used the pump, I held the nozzle out far enough so that I could see if anything was coming out and my wife stood there with me to watch and lo and behold, nothing started coming out until we had 35p on the meter.

When I complained again, I was given the same excuse. I said I wanted a complaint form to send to BP. I was told there wasn't one, but they gave me the address and the phone number of the head office and I am about to write to them. Frankly, I care less about the quiet pump (which has never bothered me in the past) than I do about paying for 35 - 40p more per tank than I am getting in fuel. It makes one wonder for whose convenience these new pumps were introduced... It may not be a lot to me as an individual, but I bet it adds up to one hell of a lot for BP!! It works out at about £17 per year from me, so depending what BP's UK market share is, if available, one could work out how much they would be earning if they move all the stations to the new style pumps. I also do not buy the argument that this is accidental as this would have been (or should, if it was not) tested before they installed it.

Amusingly, when the manager went in to get the address, one of the other staff members muttered that it was about time that someone was complaining to BP. I took the conversation up with her and it seems that this is rather an open secret among BP staff. On the way out of the shop door, I asked someone else who I had noticed was looking rather oddly at the pump when he began to fill up whether he had experienced the same problem and he confirmed that he had.

Anybody else had this experience?

ukpotters

Contact you local Traiding Standards as it is their duty to check them.

plane_boy2000

I though fuel pumps were calibrated at set periods to ensure that this did not happen? SOund slike one for trading standards to me

saintjanet

This is interesting,i will look out for it myself when filling up.As already said trading standards are the people to talk to.

nej

I also hate the "1p tickover" as I call it. For example the other day I put exactly £15 in the tank. I carefully removed my hand from the lever and as I was in the process of moving it from the tank back to the pump, it went to £15.01, despite the fact that I had not pressed the lever at all.

Multiply that by millions and it's a good racket.