FORECOURT EYE / LACK OF EVIDENCE

just_a_guy

Afternoon,

After a few google searches of what to do, I have ended up here for some advice / chew the fat.

On 12th May, it is alleged that I made off without paying for fuel.  Forecourt Eye have written to me on 11th July (2months later), asking that I pay £82.93 for fuel, plus £35.00 admin fee.

Their online portal clearly shows a video image of me getting in or out of my car.  Note that the video image, is a photo from I guess the cashiers mobile phone & it does not show the date or time.  There is also a picture of a receipt relating the the alleged fuelling incident.

Here is the part that troubles me & need further advice / debate please:

I am not in the habit of making off without paying, but it is certainly not impossible.
The photo from the video taken by the cashier that has been provided is very simply of me getting into my car.  It does not show me holding the nozzle and putting fuel in my car.

I was about to pay, but suddenly thought what if I never put fuel in my car and this was not related to me.    I called Forecourt eye to discuss as they have no appeals procedure, & they told me that they have no further evidence other than the photo & the receipt.   I explained that the photo does not show me drawing fuel and how do I know for certain that this relates to me.   Forecourt eye said, it is me that did not pay for the fuel because there is a photo of me.  To which I responded that the photo alone is not proof.   Forecourt eye said that if I wanted further evidence I would have to contact the petrol station, but I should be aware that I only have 2 days to pay before they apply an additional £60 admin fee & pursue me in the county court!

So, do I just pay up along with the admin fee, or am I within my rights to request more damning evidence that I am in the wrong here ?

Answers on a postcard please ;-)

la531983

What do you think happened?

- You went to a petrol station, filled up, paid, and left

Or

- You went to a petrol station, but for some reason you didnt put any fuel in (changed your mind, an emergency came up etc) and therefore left without drawing fuel?

Or something else?

If the former dont you have a bank statement showing payment made?

Car1980

There was a similar case at our Tesco according to a Facebook group.
She found the transaction on her statement and went back to the petrol station. They were very apologetic and even sent some flowers to her house. So they're not infallible by any means.

There have also been cases at our Morrisons (although they have sold it and just franchise out the name) of theft by dodgy cashiers 

should be aware that I only have 2 days to pay before they apply an additional £60 admin fee & pursue me in the county court!

Empty threat. But you could with sorting it as they can blacklist your vehicle.

Umkomaas

Forecourteye share the same MD (owner?) as UKCPS. I wonder whether they have used the UKCPS KADOE access to collect your personal details from the DVLA?

Please do the following:

Email the DVLA and ask which organisations (when and for what reason) accessed the registered keeper's data from them between a range of dates which includes the date of the forecourt incident. You need to provide the registered keeper's full name and address, the address on the V5C logbook and the Vehicle Registration Mark of the vehicle involved in the forecourt incident. 

SubjectAccess.Requests@dvla.gov.uk

This service is free of charge. 

Even though you email your request, the DVLA will respond via Royal Mail.

just_a_guy

la531983 said:

What do you think happened?

- You went to a petrol station, filled up, paid, and left

Or

- You went to a petrol station, but for some reason you didn't put any fuel in (changed your mind, an emergency came up etc) and therefore left without drawing fuel?

Or something else?

If the former don't you have a bank statement showing payment made?

I believe it is one of 2 scenarios.   I filled up and drove off, or I left without putting any fuel in.

I regularly pull up at the pump to look at the price of E5, and drive off if its too high.

just_a_guy

Umkomaas said:

Forecourteye share the same MD (owner?) as UKCPS. I wonder whether they have used the UKCPS KADOE access to collect your personal details from the DVLA?

Please do the following:

Email the DVLA and ask which organisations (when and for what reason) accessed the registered keeper's data from them between a range of dates which includes the date of the forecourt incident. You need to provide the registered keeper's full name and address, the address on the V5C logbook and the Vehicle Registration Mark of the vehicle involved in the forecourt incident. 

SubjectAccess.Requests@dvla.gov.uk

This service is free of charge. 

Even though you email your request, the DVLA will respond via Royal Mail.

thank you & done.   If Forecourteye have looked me up using UKCPS is that an issue ?

la531983

just_a_guy said:

la531983 said:

What do you think happened?

- You went to a petrol station, filled up, paid, and left

Or

- You went to a petrol station, but for some reason you didn't put any fuel in (changed your mind, an emergency came up etc) and therefore left without drawing fuel?

Or something else?

If the former don't you have a bank statement showing payment made?

I believe it is one of 2 scenarios.   I filled up and drove off, or I left without putting any fuel in.

I regularly pull up at the pump to look at the price of E5, and drive off if its too high.

Have you got a transaction from the day in question?

As an aside if you are 100% sure you are innocent why are you worried about them adding another £60 on?

No judge in the land will accept one single picture as proof. Going that far will force them to show their hand, and would get discontinued well before then if they had nothing.

If its scenario 1 you need to start checking your bank transactions.

Umkomaas

just_a_guy said:

Umkomaas said:

Forecourteye share the same MD (owner?) as UKCPS. I wonder whether they have used the UKCPS KADOE access to collect your personal details from the DVLA?

Please do the following:

Email the DVLA and ask which organisations (when and for what reason) accessed the registered keeper's data from them between a range of dates which includes the date of the forecourt incident. You need to provide the registered keeper's full name and address, the address on the V5C logbook and the Vehicle Registration Mark of the vehicle involved in the forecourt incident. 

SubjectAccess.Requests@dvla.gov.uk

This service is free of charge. 

Even though you email your request, the DVLA will respond via Royal Mail.

thank you & done.   If Forecourteye have looked me up using UKCPS is that an issue ?

They are two different companies, they can't pass personal data between each other. UKCPS KADOE access is for parking issues. The DVLA reply will potentially be very interesting!

Just looking at the Forecourteye website showing a flash image of a high tech ANPR camera, yet are relying on a petrol attendant's iPhone pic.  The website is nothing more than a payment portal. Looks very shoestring which heightened my suspicion that your data might have been accessed by UKCPS. Let's see what the DVLA say!

just_a_guy

Car1980 said:

There was a similar case at our Tesco according to a Facebook group.
She found the transaction on her statement and went back to the petrol station. They were very apologetic and even sent some flowers to her house. So they're not infallible by any means.

There have also been cases at our Morrisons (although they have sold it and just franchise out the name) of theft by dodgy cashiers 

should be aware that I only have 2 days to pay before they apply an additional £60 admin fee & pursue me in the county court!

Empty threat. But you could with sorting it as they can blacklist your vehicle.

Like the Tesco situation, just because there is a photo of me getting in or out my car, it does not prove that I filled up with fuel.  I asked Forecourteye if they had a photo of me pushing the nozzle in the car or picking it up, and they said no.   To which I said, well how does the picture prove I put fuel in my car!  The chap from Forecourteye said, but you have already said that no payments were taken from your bank so you must be responsible.  I replied and asked him to confirm that a photo of me getting out of my car proves that I put fuel in my car.   He said ''I cannot comment on that'' lol..   

just_a_guy

la531983 said:

just_a_guy said:

la531983 said:

What do you think happened?

- You went to a petrol station, filled up, paid, and left

Or

- You went to a petrol station, but for some reason you didn't put any fuel in (changed your mind, an emergency came up etc) and therefore left without drawing fuel?

Or something else?

If the former don't you have a bank statement showing payment made?

I believe it is one of 2 scenarios.   I filled up and drove off, or I left without putting any fuel in.

I regularly pull up at the pump to look at the price of E5, and drive off if its too high.

Have you got a transaction from the day in question?

As an aside if you are 100% sure you are innocent why are you worried about them adding another £60 on?

No judge in the land will accept one single picture as proof. Going that far will force them to show their hand, and would get discontinued well before then if they had nothing.

I do not have any transactions for that day or 48hrs either side for the garage in question.

I'm 100% sure until they produce a picture of me stood with the nozzle in the tank.  (I work on the fact that I could also be wrong, but just want to see the proof before I handover my money).

I thought the same about the judge / pic comment.   Currently I am considered guilty of not paying for fuel because I drive onto a forecourt and got out of my car.

Castle

just_a_guy said:

Afternoon,

After a few google searches of what to do, I have ended up here for some advice / chew the fat.

On 12th May, it is alleged that I made off without paying for fuel.  Forecourt Eye have written to me on 11th July (2months later), asking that I pay £82.93 for fuel, plus £35.00 admin fee.

 

Can your vehicle actually take £82.93 of fuel. (At £1.33/litre, (average May 2025 price), that's 62 litres).