Or is the petrol station owner?

[Cloudstasteofmash]

About four weeks ago I called in to my local PS to put some petrol in my car, I rarely use this PS as it's very expensive. I normally fill up at my local Asda.

I bought £10 worth of petrol - just to see me through till I could get to my normal filling up place. I also bought a packet of crisps.

Came up to £10.39, I paid on my card.

The following day I went in to asda and half filled the tank up.

My Dh used the car and didn't bother to replace the petrol so one week later when I got in the car it was basically running off fumes so I called in local PS and put another £10 in. When I went in to the PS shop the owner went in to the back and came out with a receipt of my last transaction. He said that last time I was in the card machine was broke for one hour and did not register the petrol amount/cost and I only paid for the crisps. The recept he had shown 0.39p he was quite relaxed and said he was just showing me. I offered to pay it back. I only had £10 note on me so said I will Bob in soon and pay it. He never once asked for it. Seemed relaxed about it.

Went home checked my online banking - yep the 39p from the PS was there.

I totally forgot to go to the PS the next day or for the rest of the week. It's not in the direction I normally go and I'd been asda and put petrol in so I didn't need to go local PS.

Anyway - today I went in as me and Dh have been sharing again and not replaced so had to call in local PS to put a little in just to get me out of the village. When I went to the pump it wasn't working. I went in to the PS shop and Bobbed my head in and said ' is the pump not working?'

The owner said 'I turned it off as you owe me £10'

I said ' oh god yes, I'll pay it now'
He said ' yes but you let me down. You said you would pay next day' (I never)

I said ' Ok, I forgot, but will pay now'

He carried on saying "yes but let me down, where was my money'

I said " hang on, I tried paying buy your machine was broke, I never stole it, like I said I'll pay now'

He said ' but you let me down, you said you would pay ...

At which point I walked out of the shop.

There were people in the shop and I felt he was trying to act as if I had purposely stole petrol or tried to get out of paying.

Not sure what to do know tbh.

Should I expect the police to come?

[booklooker]

I confess I have not rtft

But in the OP it is stated that this happened about 4 weeks ago.

Have you still not paid them after nearly a month?

If that is true, you have serious entitlement issues.

[OurBlanche]

If you rtft you will see that you have missed a bit and, regardless of how thoughtless OP was, the PS man forgot all of his customer care training

[booklooker]

OurBlanche
The OP states this happened 'About 4 weeks ago'

And then states yesterday (Saturday) I will pay, I have stated I will

So, up to about a month and she had not paid.

Some people clearly think she got free petrol, but I am thinking that the OP is having second thoughts and wants to do the right thing

[Ameliablue]

The transaction was 4 weeks ago, but the PS owner made no effort to call the police or track her ( unless he tried and police told him to stop eating their time). The only reason the owner told her was cos she happened to return at a later date.

[Ameliablue]

Wasting their time

[booklooker]

But she'd agreed to pay him 'soon'

And then didn't and possibly still hasn't

[OurBlanche]

Four weeks ago she went and he didn't ake the right money/the machine malfunctioned. OP knew nothing about it. A week later she went back with limited cash and was told of the error. PS man was happy for her to 'bob in' later with the cash. She checked and yes, there had been an error.

All good so far, neither party have done anything wrong.

Then OP makes a mistake, she forgets to 'bob in' and when, about 2 weeks later she goes back the PS man makes his error: rather than accepting her payment he chooses to rant at her, neglecting to take payment again so much was his need to make sure she knew that she was wrong.

So they are both wrong. There is some legal issue being discussed here, that may or may not be right. But OP was not wholy unreasonable, nor is she a thief. She has not said she thought she should get free petrol, she has not intended to deprive him of his tenner... but she feels embarrassed and doesn't know how to resolve it without feeling further embarrassment and stress.

If she sends her DH on with a tenner then it will all be over. But, call me silly, I would have thought AIBU is as good a place as any to have a good shout about it.

[booklooker]

But, call me silly, I would have thought AIBU is as good a place as any to have a good shout about it.

Did I suggest it wasn't?

I have no idea if you are silly or not

[OurBlanche]

Oooh! Sorrrreeee!

[but you were still wrong ]

[Turbinaria]

If a shop owner loses £10 due to their mistake and actually has the chance to get it back, as in this case, then why give the OP a hard time?
I'd leave it at that and not use the PS again - why would I want to go back in if they thought/suggested I was on the make - up to OP if she wants to settle the money with him and if it is a small village place where they might bump into the owner.

I've corrected bills before where items have been missed and assistants seem more put out by correcting it plus costing me more time so I very rarely do that now.

[Alibobbob]

OP stated that she will pay him.

If I was the OP I would pay him as you never know when you will need to use this PS. Especially as your partner keeps using the car and not putting any petrol in.

I would also get my partner to agree to fill up the car after he used it. P's me off when my husband leaves the car empty and it beeps at me 5 mins after driving off.

OP should also buy the biscuits - chocolate hobnobs is my recommendation, so after he is paid she can sit back and enjoy.... Job done X

[CaptainAnkles]

You just need to go in at a quiet moment, hand him it and say 'I tried to give you this repeatedly this morning but you seemed to be more concerned with embarrassing me in front of people over YOUR mistake. I hope you'll accept it this time and that's an end to it.'

[readytorage]

Agree with the £10 in pennies

[WineOrSleep]

I just want to know if the op has actually gone back yet to pay the £10 she still owes..

[whois]

You just need to go in at a quiet moment, hand him it and say 'I tried to give you this repeatedly this morning but you seemed to be more concerned with embarrassing me in front of people over YOUR mistake. I hope you'll accept it this time and that's an end to it.

Like that. And get a receipt!

[Gabilan]

Far more effort to find £10 in pennies than to just give him a tenner.

[1FabulousLady]

I don't think it was reasonable to expect you to make a special journey to pay him when his machine was broken, and he has been rude to you now, so I don't think it is reasonable to expect your custom in future. So if it was me he wouldn't be getting his money.

[SurroMummy13]

Honestly you're in the wrong

He was relaxed to begin with and you said you'd bring it in the following day.

He trusted you to bring it back to him. And you let him down, then expected to be able to get fuel

Keep your word in future.

[Daffolill]

I've had a proper shit day and this thread has made me laugh

Op yanbu he charged you the wrong amount and then tried lying about the machine being broken.

Why should you go out of your way or as a pp suggested go straight home and get the money to take straight back. Who has time for that!?

He should have been greatful that you offered to pay.

I'm awful for not checking receipts so this could easily happen to me.

[fascicle]

Daffolill
Op yanbu he charged you the wrong amount and then tried lying about the machine being broken.

What evidence is there that the man lied? Isn't an electronic glitch a more likely explanation than somebody, whose business involves selling fuel, forgetting to charge for the fuel?

[Daffolill]

Nope card machines don't randomly knock £10 off the bill. His mistake and he should have either written it off or mentioned it to the op once and left it at that. And I say that as a small business owner so I know how annoying it is having to write money off.

[memyselfandaye]

OP seems to have fucked or should I say bobbed off.

She thinks she's right and she probably won't pay, the boyfriend or husband will no doubt get the job of going back in, cos surely she won't have the brass neck to return for a fourth time?

Paying in pennies will just make whoever pays it look like a fool while they stand there for 15 minutes as petrol station man counts them out.

[SuperFlyHigh]

facsicle I don't think the man lied either, either human error (or machine) with the amount, or the machine broke... I still don't see how it took 39p not the £10 unless OPs bank didn't authorise that payment! Could be that!

Daffodil it was not out of her way it's her nearest petrol station therefore assumption would be quite near (eg nearer than the ASDA one she also uses which is cheaper petrol) - she did say it's not the direction she usually goes in.

It's been a month, a bloody month and he's a small business compared to ASDA, you would think she'd just "Bob in" and pay the money but she didn't. She on her second visit could have quite easily offered to pay him for the first visit by card or cash (she said on second visit she only had £10 on her for that transaction) but because he didn't ask about payment for previous transaction there (which would cover previous bill too) she assumed he was ok with leaving it.

Of course he would not be ok, he probably thinks that's the last I'll see of the first £10.

Then she makes excuses about being busy, pregnancy brain but if you owe money (like I do sometimes) I make it a priority to pay it back not wait a bloody month!

As others have said best thing to do now is "Bob in" pay the cash (no coppers!) and leave it there, I would not even bother to go on about mistakes.

He may or may not serve her again who knows?! But as it's convenient here for her to use this petrol station on occasion they may as well both be business like about it and bear no grudges on either side.

[SuperFlyHigh]

memyself

Basically of course she thinks she's right. I doubt if anyone has paid the bill.

However they'll be laughing on the other side of their faces if they do ever need to use that PS again and if the owner as he's quite justified to do refuses to serve them.

Daffodil if you're a small business owner you will appreciate how hard it is financially and also good customer relations. It seems to me as if PS owner didn't like to bring up the topic of "you owe me money" and OP has obviously darted in and out and taken it for granted that if she is the customer then she can decide when to pay. Small business doesn't work like that generally as I'm sure you'll appreciate!

I still am flummoxed as to if it was his error keying in wrong amount for crisps or if there was another error on card machine which generally (and I've worked in an office where we have had a card machine for payment) doesn't go wrong but if it does go wrong it's down to card machine or card machine supplier so could totally not be petrol station owners fault at all!

Anyway off to bed now.... I do hope the poor guy got paid tho .

[fascicle]

Daffolill
Nope card machines don't randomly knock £10 off the bill.

The £10 wasn't random, it was the total for the fuel. What's the process then for fuel pump totals being transferred to tills (i.e. how manual/automated is it), and how is the system free from technical error?