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AIBU?

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Original poster

Or is the petrol station owner?

279 replies

Cloudstasteofmash · 23/04/2016 14:21

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? Blush

OP posts:
Orda1 · 23/04/2016 19:31

What if OP was not local, should she drive 20 miles to pay him a tenner?

roundaboutthetown · 23/04/2016 19:31

Sorry. I don't mean to be nasty, but it is stupid not to check what you are paying for things. End of.

Orda1 · 23/04/2016 19:32

Debt? Fucking hell. She did pay. Most people don't check their receipts that religiously for small purchases. She offered to pay, he was a twat.

Sparklingbrook · 23/04/2016 19:33

The only reason she used the PS was because it's local Orda.

LovingSummer · 23/04/2016 19:34

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Orda1 · 23/04/2016 19:34

Yes, but what if it wasn't OP, it was some random from 20 miles away.

roundaboutthetown · 23/04/2016 19:35

Yes, he was a twat, but if you are paying with a card, not cash, you only know your purchase actually IS for a small amount if you look at the number on the card swiped - otherwise, you could find that you accidentally paid an alarmingly large amount (or, in this case, a ludicrously small amount). That's why I always check the amount.

Sparklingbrook · 23/04/2016 19:37

if it was some random from 20 miles away they would never have returned to the garage to be told they owed £10.

roundaboutthetown · 23/04/2016 19:37

(Card machine, not card...)

Original poster
Cloudstasteofmash · 23/04/2016 19:37

Legally or morally emotion ?

Because I didn't steal anything.

There was no contract saying I had to race in and recify a mistake he made. There was no contract of a time frame. I only agreed in the shop as I didn't really have any proof apart from some random receipt, that's why I checked my online banking at home.

I seen it was true. And had every intention of paying but it wasn't TOP priority. Why would it? I hadn't stolen anything. It was his mistake if the owner had not been an arse and accepted my very first offer of oh god, I forgot I'll pay for it now he would have that £10 in his pocket. Instead he chose to be a knob

OP posts:
LovingSummer · 23/04/2016 19:37

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Orda1 · 23/04/2016 19:37

Realistically most people don't do that though, so she can hardly be held o account for doing the same thing millions of others do every day.

Falling270 · 23/04/2016 19:43

YANBU. His machine was broke and you thought you had paid, he should waive the £10 as it was his issue but you offered to pay. He was a complete dick.

roundaboutthetown · 23/04/2016 19:48

But she wasn't held to account for that, was she? She was held to account for agreeing she owed him money which she then didn't pay. He just didn't trust her any more and treated her accordingly. I'm not saying the OP is to blame, here, just that she could have made a lot more effort to do the right thing (and he should have accepted her offer to pay when she actually had the cash rather than effectively humiliating her so that no-one would blame her for not wanting ever to go back).

SuperFlyHigh · 23/04/2016 19:52

Exactly roundabout she didn't make an effort to go back even after 2nd time (I did get my chronology right!) and also she is local.

Does she think he's a mug to be waiting around even if only for a tenner?

I do agree though both of them were at fault for not having spoken but both should not have assumed anything.

You could as a final point Op (if you want to salvage this and use his services again) pop in with the cash and just say "no hard feelings" then that clears the air, you don't even have to apologise. Explain say it was genuine mistake even use your pregnancy fog as an excuse. sure he won't mind

AugustaFinkNottle · 23/04/2016 19:54

Yes it was his error in the first place, but I doubt bigger businesses would show any flexibility in the matter.

On the contrary, big businesses would simply write something like this off on the basis that it was their mistake.

emotionsecho · 23/04/2016 19:57

Both legally and morally, OP, once you'd accepted that you still owed £10 for the petrol and agreed to pay it. I'm not saying you stole the petrol because as far as you were concerned when you originally purchased it you believed you had paid. Once you were made aware that you hadn't actually paid and then agreed to pay it becomes a bit murky as you are now fully aware that you have had something you haven't paid for.

Just bob in and give him the £10 and if you use the PS in future make sure you check your receipts carefullyGrin.

CocktailQueen · 23/04/2016 19:58

How could the machine have taken the crisp money but not the petrol money if it was done in one transaction? Hmmmmm.

roundaboutthetown · 23/04/2016 20:01

More like on the basis that £10 means very little to a huge petrol station chain, but an hour's worth of card machine reading error to a small, independent petrol station in a village near ASDA could be exceptionally bad news for its status as a going concern...

AugustaFinkNottle · 23/04/2016 20:02

But, roundabout, why should she make any effort at all? Legally she doesn't have any liability because she offered to pay, did everything she needed to do in order to pay, and he didn't take the money from her. She has no duty whatsoever to go out of her way to rectify his mistake. Despite that, she was fully prepared to pay, but even then he wouldn't take the money when she offered it because he was more interested in trying to humiliate her.

If I were OP I would send the money by cheque with a letter pointing out that he would have received the money today had he not decided to lie about me and try to humiliate me publicly, and I would point out that this is poor business because he has lost me and my DH as customers. And I would make damn sure that I never run out of petrol again so I never have to use his garage.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 23/04/2016 20:03

Ynbu. It's not your fault. The machine decided to kick off.
He seemed a bit threatening to me. Where's my money. Well if hed have shut up and let you give him the money, like you were trying to do. He'd have had his money.

Worra. Why will op bd the loser. There are I'm sure plenty more ps she can go to.

Original poster
Cloudstasteofmash · 23/04/2016 20:04

Tbh I don't care if he trusted me anymore. I didnt steal the petrol - he messed up. He should have just been greatful I tried to pay for it when i went in. I could have just never gone in the shop again if I was that way inclined.

No I didn't think he was a mug - some of you are just gagging to make your nasty assumptions. I just genuinly forgot.

super I don't need an excuse. An excuse implies I'm covering something up, I'm not.

I'm not bobbing on this thread any more. Have a good evening Wine

OP posts:
AugustaFinkNottle · 23/04/2016 20:04

No, emotionsecho, OP didn't have a legal obligation to pay the money. Defence of tender.

roundaboutthetown · 23/04/2016 20:06

But I don't believe she has no liability - it was not an advertising error, she knew the petrol was not on sale for only 39p. Thus, whilst it was not initially theft, because she did not have the mens rea, it could technically become theft once she became aware that she had obtained free fuel and agreed that this was not the intention of either party to the transaction.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 23/04/2016 20:07

"You let him down". A bit dramatic isn't it. Christ in a bucket. You'd think you'd jilted the lunar-fuckin-tic at the alter, or something. Hmm