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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that the petrol station should bear this loss

46 replies

PizzaSlut · 01/10/2012 12:28

And not contact the police getting me to pay for petrol that they forgot to add to my bill.

On Friday night, I filled my car up, bought some groceries from the shop.

Placed the basket down and said number 2 as wel please. Put groceries through, put card in and paid. Didn't notice the amount as was packing shoppping at that point.

Cut to this morning and the police have rung me asking to pay for the petrol, surely this is a waste of poilce time and that as it was the operators fault the petrol station should bear the loss.

OP posts:
MamaGeekChic · 01/10/2012 12:32

Ii would pay as you did get the petrol, but I wouldn't go back to the station to do so, they'd have to call me and take payment over the 'phone.

Spatsky · 01/10/2012 12:33

You should pay for the petrol you drive off with I your tank. They had no open but to call the police to identify you to get payment.

Till operator made a mistake, but doesn't mean you should get a freebie.

HmmThinkingAboutIt · 01/10/2012 12:34

Erm, but you got the petrol and are using it.

Why should they pay for a mistake that is in part their fault but also in part yours for not checking the amount you paid?

WorraLiberty · 01/10/2012 12:34

No, you should pay for your petrol.

How can you blame the garage when as a customer you didn't even check how much they'd taken from your card?

A transaction works both ways.

geegee888 · 01/10/2012 12:34

YANBU. They are simply chasing up an unpaid amount by the most efficient way possible. Its up to you to notice you have got away without paying, otherwise its reasonable to expect it might be chased up. Otherwise, it would be quite an effective mechanism for getting out of paying for fuel, add in a bit of shopping instead of driving off.

SoupDragon · 01/10/2012 12:35

Of course you should pay for it.

TakeMyEyesButNotTheGoat · 01/10/2012 12:35

Umm why would you expect the garage to pay for your petrol?

Maybe the operator didn't hear you.

It's not a waste of police time at all. Driving off without paying for petrol is classed as theft, wether or not you thought you paid for it. It's your responsibility to check your receipts isn't it?

This happened to my DM, she paid for it when the police told her. No big deal!

Mintyy · 01/10/2012 12:35

Yabu - you are just after a freebie.

Original poster
PizzaSlut · 01/10/2012 12:35

Luckily I'm going past there in a bit.

Sorry but the freebie is the same as if an operator forgets to scan an item of shopping in a supermarket. Would you expect to get a call from the police asking you to return to pay for a joint of beef or a top becaue it was only £10 worth of petrol.

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 01/10/2012 12:36

Had they put through the fuel for the large van at pump 4, would you have just thought you should bear the loss because you didn't check the amount you were being charged?

WorraLiberty · 01/10/2012 12:36

And the Police only have your word that you told the attendant you'd put petrol in your car.

Imagine how many people conveniently forget to mention it?

Of course the Police should chase them up as it's theft.

StaceymReadyForNumber3 · 01/10/2012 12:36

This is why they usually say 'check the amount and enter your pin' it's not just their responsibility.

And how else could they chase the payment than through the police?

Yabu

ZacharyQuack · 01/10/2012 12:37

Using your logic, if they had made a mistake and charged you too much for the petrol and you didn't check the amount when paying but noticed that you had been overcharged, you would have no chance of getting your money back?

WorraLiberty · 01/10/2012 12:37

Good point Soup

I'm quite sure the OP would be willing to get the Police involved if they'd taken money from her card for petrol she didn't have.

HmmThinkingAboutIt · 01/10/2012 12:40

I don't think its freebies if an operator forgets to scan an item, if you notice. You know its not been paid for and have deliberately ignored it.

Its also not free as it gets added to lost revenue from stolen/damaged/out of date items which is passed on to ALL customers.

It does infuriate me when people get these strange ideas of 'free' stuff into their heads - someone pays for it, and generally its not coming out the profit line but from other people's pockets.

Shakey1500 · 01/10/2012 12:41

Of course you should pay. The amount is irrelevant.

Floggingmolly · 01/10/2012 12:46

the freebie is the same as if an operator forgets to scan an item of shopping in a supermarket
Confused. No, actually, that's also theft.

WorraLiberty · 01/10/2012 12:48

There's also a chance it might come out of the garage assistants wages.

FreddieMercurysBolero · 01/10/2012 12:52

they obviously though you 'forgot' to pay for it. I used to work in a petrol station and people regularly did this. Some did genuinely forget, if they were regulars we'd leave them off for a few days as we knew they'd be back, otherwise we'd call the police. The number of people fogetting to pay always rose towards the end of the month too!

expatinscotland · 01/10/2012 12:53

YABU. Pay up.

EnjoyGOLDResponsibly · 01/10/2012 12:54

Didn't they ask you what pump you were on? That's the first question I always get asked.

You can bet that the sales assistant has got at least a verbal warning. The only way the petrol station can trace non-payers is by their number plate, hence they've enquirer via that route.

You've been found, you've been told there was a mistake, you agree that a mistake was made, now pay up.

Sparklingbrook · 01/10/2012 12:55

Just go and pay.

DilysPrice · 01/10/2012 12:55

If you noticed it, it's theft, whether it's too much change, or an unscanned item. Obviously if you genuinely didn't notice it it's not theft, but you still owe them the money so you need to pay.

EnjoyGOLDResponsibly · 01/10/2012 12:56

Sorry, just saw you told them the pump number.

bumperella · 01/10/2012 12:58

So if you're at the shop and a mistake is made with the bill or change you wouldn't point it out, and pay the amount you rightfully owe?

The police are involved because you took something without paying for it, in error or not. It might make you feel uncomfortable/guilty/whatever but that's not the garages' responsibility.

You really enter your PIN in a machine without even glancing at the amount.... what if they charged more by mistake- you'd know only when you got your bank statement (assuming you'd even remember the date, amount etc etc)???

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