Reported drive off, but thought payment had processed.

sazandy25

Hi, after some advice,

On Saturday 23rd May, I put fuel in at a local garage.

I went into the shop to pay for the fuel using my personal fuel card.

I made payment & left.

The following week we were away on holiday.

My husband regularly uses the garage & when he next went in one of the cashiers, mentioned that she believed the payment never went through & to call in later in the day to see the person who was on shift on the morning in question.

I called in to be told that the manager (who was subsequently now on holiday) had put the transaction down as a drive off & my only option was to contact VARS technology.

I believed the transaction HAD gone through & at no point did the cashier query lack of payment, call me back while exiting the store or via the forecourt PA system.

I contacted VARS via their contact us page on 2nd June, but haven't heard anything.

Have emailed them directly to a an email address i found online today, as I realised I had no record of the first email being delivered. I have now received acknowledgement.

All I want to do is pay for the fuel, which I believed, I had already paid for. No way of contacting VARS technology by phone & the garage isn't able to process the payment.

Any advice as what to do next?

Having looked in more detail online, VARS technology seem to a nightmare to deal with. I want to try and be as proactive as possible.

Thanks

paul_c123

Do you have a receipt or a transaction on the credit/debit card to prove the payment went through?

sazandy25

No, the transaction didn't go through.

The fuel card doesn't show immediately, so didn't realise payment failed until returning from holiday. Being away for a week, hasn't helped, as husband uses garage almost daily for work vehicle.

Just want to pay, but can't find a way to do it 😕

facade

I'm afraid that I can't help, but for others reading this thread, you should always, always, always get a receipt when paying for petrol, and keep it safe for at least 6 months.

Then

if there is fuel contamination you have proof that you bought it there, how much and which pump you used

if you are later accused of non-payment you have timestamped proof that you did pay, which pump etc.

(I always pay for fuel in cash too, but I am suspicious of using cards at garages)

Frozen_up_north

I always pay using contactless with my iPhone, and ask for a receipt. The payment terminal at the kiosk/desk will indicate if the payment is accepted and the receipt is good proof in case you get contaminated fuel, which you should know about fairly quickly. I’ve only come across 2 cases in half a century of driving, one was while on holiday in Portugal and the other a local supermarket.

Good luck with any dodgy payment terminals as Apple Pay and, I guess, Google Pay, show a different “card” to your bank card and are claimed to have better security than using your debit or credit card.

TooManyPoints

Write to the manager of the service station. Say that you’re sorry they did not receive payment due to their faulty equipment and/or its faulty operation by the cashier.

Offer to make payment by whichever method suits them when you are next passing.

Finish by saying that if you hear nothing from them within 14 days you will consider the matter closed.

Keep a copy of your letter, hand it in personally at the service station and get the name of the person to whom you hand it.

Do not get involved with VARS. They will only accept payment of the amount you owe together with their fee. From your description of the event, you did nothing wrong, believed you had made payment and their fee is unjustified.

paul_c123

The problem is, the car (registration plate) will have been blacklisted from all VARS sites now. To undo this, it needs to be settled through them.

Mildly_Miffed

You have no choice but to go through VARS.

You filled your car but did not pay. The precise details are irrelevant.
The filling station will have sold the debt on to VARS.

https://payments.varsanpr.com
You can pay online, using their reference number. I would presume that is sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle, because - of course - that is the only detail they can obtain. Who is the RK?

We are still only two weeks after the fuelling, which was the day after a bank holiday.

TooManyPoints

If that happens you should contact VAR and tell them you believe they are holding your personal data without your consent and without lawful reason. Ask for its deletion.

Mildly_Miffed

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82030368#Comment_82030368

Don't be ridiculous.

They aren't holding personal data - they only have the car reg.
From that, they have the registered keeper, which DVLA provided in full compliance with the law.

They do have lawful reason - to process and chase a debt incurred by the OP's failure to pay.

Apart from that, they may have the information the OP provided when they attempted to get in contact.

TooManyPoints

They aren't holding personal data - they only have the car reg.

From that, they have the registered keeper, which DVLA provided in full compliance with the law.

That is personal data. The VRM alone is considered as such even without the accompanying keeper details and they must comply with GDPR so long as they hold it, ICO clarification here:

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/advice-and-services/innovation-advice/previously-asked-questions/#personal

Q. Is a number plate - also known as a vehicle registration mark (VRM)- considered personal data?

Answer: Yes - a VRM is personal data if it can be combined with other information that then distinguishes and allows for the identification of an individual.

They do have lawful reason - to process and chase a debt incurred by the OP's failure to pay.

But that’s not what happened. He went through the payment process and was given no indication that it had failed. From his description I would say it's more a case that the trader failed to collect. In any case it makes no difference. As soon as it was brought to his attention he made every effort to make good the debt with the trader.

This was not a "drive off" and there is no reason why he should pay any fees demanded by VAR. There's even less justification for them to blacklist his car.