Petrol charge not recorded

[Deleted User]

Hi

I went to my local supermarket petrol station on Sunday night to fill up. I spent £30 or so and in line picked up a chocolate bar. When I got to the counter I said pump 10 and handed him the chocolate and my debit and nectar card. Now weirdly enough at the same time I noticed they do congestion charge and are open 24/7 so I asked the cashier (the only one working) if they do CC payments all night - long story but previously people have asked about shops near me doing CC just before the 12pm deadline - so he says yeah they take payment all night. By then I've put in my card and entered the pin. The chip and pin machine doesn't flash the price up and I don't remember ever actually seeing the displays in that petrol station that tell you your total. Anyway I take the receipt the cards and shove them in my handbag.

Today I go on my online banking and see that I spent 85p in the supermarket, obviously I was confused because I'd have used cash, then I remembered the petrol!!!

Now question is what am I sposed to do? Obviously legally I stole the petrol, but I'm sure the cashier said "mumble-85" and not just 85p, and because we were also talking about the CC I'm not sure we were both paying due attention. At any rate I was on the forecourt a long time before I went into the shop to pay so you'd think he'd notice :S

One friend says my number plate will be on the window or something but I didn't even know it had happened until today. eek!

Advice pleeeease.

Thank you

NeverAgain_2

I think the chances of prosecution are low, but as an honest person there is no question as to what you should do.

Some filling stations deduct fuel that's not paid for from the cashier's wages, even though it is supposedly illegal to do so.

Will you be able to sleep at night knowing you've caused trouble for some poor fella on minimum wage?

spiro

[Deleted User] wrote:

One friend says my number plate will be on the window or something but I didn't even know it had happened until today. eek!

They normally only post the numbers of 'drive off' cars i.e. those that deliberately drive off without paying.

This being a money saving forum the answer could well be doing nothing until they contact you.

If it worries you I would go into the store and ask the speak to the manager/duty manager. Explain you bought about £30 of petrol but when checking your online banking that only 85p has been deducted. If you are lucky they may say thank you for telling us and charge you part of whats due or they may charge the full amount. If I was the manager I would admire your honesty and left you off between 50-100% of the cost or charge you the full amount but give you a 'store gift card' equivalent to 50-100%.

KierNet

I would pop down and explain what happened, much better than them looking at CCTV and passing it on to the Police.

Lum

Well the fact that you have a documented charge on your card from the garage that is time & date stamped proves that you went in to pay and that the cashier cocked up. Was the garage busy at the time?

Up to you if you decide to go back and pay it, but do note most of these places have a "mistakes cannot be rectified later" sign and would hold you to it if you got short changed while paying cash.

reduceditem

Yeah, I reckon you are best to pop back there and explain, offering to pay.

It'll be fine.


Bizarrely, I walked out of an outdoors shop the other day without paying for a pair of laces! I'd put them straight on my boots (with the assistant's help), then had wandered around the shop looking at other things on my way to the till, but by the time I got there I must have forgot and just wandered out.

Next day I found the bit of the laces package in my pocket and went back in to pay. The security guard was impressed with my honesty for just £2.99.

[Deleted User]

Hey

I went back last night cos I was worried that they'd pass on the info to the police and then I'd be away on holiday and I'm come back and have 5 warrants for my arrest (over active imagination lol). When I got there the 2 night clerks said they dont keep records of those things. If I'd just driven off they'd check the cctv and number plates but if it was likely a cashier mistake they just write it off as that, they dont go burrowing through transactions. They said to just leave it, if that cashier who made the mistake decided to report it then perhaps the police will be on contact and in that case I should go back there with the letter they send out and pay.

So I did attempt to be honest, but it seems they just wrote it off. Apparently at this petrol station they get a lot of drive aways because they don't have barriers etc so I think they're more focused on that.

[Deleted User]

oh and Lum, no it wasn't busy, it was in a lull, so there was a big queue in front of me but no one after me until I walked out the shop. I think it was just the Congestion Charge talk that messed him up and he was the only one there so he couldn't get up or anything. Altho I'm sure they have tannoy systems...

Anyway, it seems to be sorted... for now lol

reduceditem

My dear old dad has started getting a bit forgetfull.


He's THREE TIMES driven off without paying from his local garage. They know him, so just phone him up to remind him....but the last time it happened there was a new cashier, the next thing, the police (who also know him) turned up at the house.

How we laughed.

Lum

[Deleted User] wrote:

oh and Lum, no it wasn't busy, it was in a lull, so there was a big queue in front of me but no one after me until I walked out the shop. I think it was just the Congestion Charge talk that messed him up and he was the only one there so he couldn't get up or anything. Altho I'm sure they have tannoy systems...

Anyway, it seems to be sorted... for now lol

Good result

If this ever does come back though. They have CCTV everywhere and it will show that yours was the only unpaid pump at the time you paid.

spiro

reduceditem wrote: »

My dear old dad has started getting a bit forgetfull.


He's THREE TIMES driven off without paying from his local garage. They know him, so just phone him up to remind him....but the last time it happened there was a new cashier, the next thing, the police (who also know him) turned up at the house.

How we laughed.

Hope he remembers how to drive.