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Petrol pump shenanigans from the Co-op

Hello, I have just returned from a month in France. I filled my car up there a couple of times with no issues. On my way home, I stopped at a supermarket petrol pump to fill up. I was nearing my overdraft limit so was only allowed 16 euros. I got £500 from my brother into my account then tried again. This time I took out 49 euros and I remember seeing a message saying I was authorised to take out 600 euros worth. I thought, who needs 600 euros of petrol, a tank? But I was just happy to be able to get fuel to get home, or so I thought. I set off, stopped for a coffee and my card payment for 2 euros was declined. Weird, I thought, it must be some kind of delay from the earlier issue. Two hours later I stopped in a layby and saw a message from the Co-op's fraud team. I phoned them: they said they had declined one payment of £500 or so but authorised another one. I couldn't understand what on earth had happened, then realised that they had put through the entire holding payment.
Not us, said the Co-op, you need to call the supermarket. I phoned the supermarket. Not us, madame, you need to phone your bank, this has happened before. I phoned the bank again (sitting in a layby surrounded by HGV drivers wondering why this woman kept banging her head against the steering wheel). I was distressed enough that the Co-op woman put me on hold for ten minutes then came back and said, oh yes, it's a holding payment. I asked why of all the occasions I have paid for petrol they decided to put through the whole amount for this one 49 euros and she didn't know. I asked when it would be refunded. She didn't know. Meanwhile that payment had pushed me into the red and they said, oh it will damage your credit rating. I said, it better not because it's your fault. The payment still hasn't been refunded although it happened on Saturday.

Has this happened to anyone else? Why was it only that transaction? What recourse do I have to repair my credit rating?
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Comments

  • rhvg
    rhvg Posts: 5 Forumite
    First Post
    Update: on phoning the bank again they say it is the supermarket that has put through the whole payment. But the supermarket denied it. So who is at fault?
  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 33,506 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 22 April 2024 at 12:52PM
    Has the payment actually cleared or is it still pending ?  Most of the process is completely outside the control of your bank, they only do what the system asks.  Unlikely a cleared transaction from Saturday.  And front line call centre handlers cannot see much more than you can with these transactions.
  • penners324
    penners324 Posts: 3,362 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    We're you using pay at pump or the French equivalent?

    It's standard for these to put a holding payment on the card and then amend this to the actual value a few days later.


  • fatbelly
    fatbelly Posts: 22,139 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Cashback Cashier
    We've seen this issue before with 'pay at pump'. It doesn't seem to happen with 'pay at kiosk'
  • Think the problem here is travelling overseas with only one maxed-out card. 


  • badmemory
    badmemory Posts: 9,075 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Were you paying at pump?
  • rhvg
    rhvg Posts: 5 Forumite
    First Post
    molerat said:
    Has the payment actually cleared or is it still pending ?  Most of the process is completely outside the control of your bank, they only do what the system asks.  Unlikely a cleared transaction from Saturday.  And front line call centre handlers cannot see much more than you can with these transactions.

    It's still pending. They've now said 7-10 days.
  • rhvg
    rhvg Posts: 5 Forumite
    First Post
    badmemory said:
    Were you paying at pump?

    Yes. But I've paid at pump thousands of times, including in France, and this has never happened before.
  • rhvg
    rhvg Posts: 5 Forumite
    First Post
    fatbelly said:
    We've seen this issue before with 'pay at pump'. It doesn't seem to happen with 'pay at kiosk'

    It's never happened to me before even with paying at pumps overseas.
  • badmemory
    badmemory Posts: 9,075 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    There have been several threads on here about pay at pump leaving people without funds because of the amount held
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