Page 5 | Undercharged petrol - now being fined

ToPaytheFine · 2023-04-11T08:52:18+00:00

Hi - I was undercharged for fuel and didnt notice, just tapped and left. I have received a letter and cctv footage which shows me paying. On checking bank statement it turns out I only paid 1p. I didnt check the amount and am 100% OK with paying the full amount, but don't see why I should pay the debt collectors "admin fee" which stood at £30. I have rung them and they've offered to drop the fine to £10. But should I even pay that? Anyone know consumer law and if it's different for garages as they have told me? Before I get told, yes I will certainly be more careful checking amounts in future!

saraclara · 12/04/2023 21:41

splilt · 11/04/2023 12:32

I can't think of a single time I've filled up any of my vehicles over the last 40 years and not taken notice of how much I'd spent. I

I never look. I don't think I have checked since the kids were small and we lived payday to payday. Now I just authorise my card at pay at pump and fill it up, or fill it then go in to pay; then leave.

Sane here. I couldn't tell you what I've paid to fill up my car at any point during the last few months.

And yes, I count myself very fortunate that I don't need to look any more. But I wouldn't have a clue whether my card was debited for the right amount.

Bewilderedandhurt · 12/04/2023 21:47

You correctly paid for the amount that was inputed into the sales register by their staff. It is wholly their error. Of course you are willing to pay but it should not be at your expense.
Have they tried to ask for the fuel balance without a fine?
Personally I would settle only the amount for the fuel. It is not right that you were not given the opportunity to pay without debt collectors being involved.
I would make calls to citizens advice and trading standards and then correctly assert your position.

Original poster

ToPaytheFine · 12/04/2023 22:09

Update- I emailed them with all the details and they have said I just need to pay the fuel, no fine.

They said they did have notification it was due to faulty tills.
Interesting they would still choose to pursue it knowing that, a way to make a quick £10 which is what they lowered the fine to on the initial call. Cf.

OP posts:

Elfandwellbeing · 12/04/2023 22:17

You are responsible for checking! What if you paid more than the fuel you dispensed by mistake?
In 26 years of driving I have never ever not checked … just pay it and check in future

Noneyerbuisness11234 · 12/04/2023 22:34

They're fault where I am it would have came out of staff members wages as stupidity of the way it was put through till

Ktime · 12/04/2023 22:43

Elfandwellbeing · 12/04/2023 22:17

You are responsible for checking! What if you paid more than the fuel you dispensed by mistake?
In 26 years of driving I have never ever not checked … just pay it and check in future

It would still be the fault of the garage.

Don’t be so free and loose with Op’s money.

OP, I hope you didn’t pay it.

Ukrainebaby23 · 13/04/2023 03:11

I think we'll all get checking more after your thread. Thanks for posting.

I often don't hear how much they are charging, as I'm quite deaf and the anti covid/safety screens make it difficult. Also I rarely can see a display with the amount, often I can barely reach the tap and pay never mind see what it says, but I will ask for a receipt now and check.

Think the garage are CF though, wonder how many admin fines they've had paid ......

LemonTreeSkies · 13/04/2023 04:34

ChickenDhansak82 · 11/04/2023 10:43

It's their mistake!

Phone the garage up and pay the remaining balance over the phone. Make it clear that THEY undercharged YOU.

I would also record the phone call and make it clear in the phone call you are paying £X amount, so that they don't try and add the £30 charge on!!

Don’t pay over the phone. You have no control over the amount they charge you

Stopsnowing · 13/04/2023 05:01

I don’t understand how you can pay for the previous persons petrol. Surely the person at the till should be able to see what has been used/paid for? Or if it is pay at the pump doesn’t it reset?

sashh · 13/04/2023 06:24

You might have legal cover on your home insurance, this is what you pay that premium for.

A quick google says go back to the petrol station and make the payment.

The police can only get involved if it was deliberate, and the CCTV shows you tapping your card so it isn't.

https://www.wilsons.co.uk/blog/what-happens-when-you-drive-off-without-paying-for-fuel

What Happens When You Drive Off Without Paying For Fuel?, Blog | Wilsons Group

What Happens When You Drive Off Without Paying For Fuel?, Wilsons Group, New & Used Car Dealer, Epsom Surrey

https://www.wilsons.co.uk/blog/what-happens-when-you-drive-off-without-paying-for-fuel

ElleDee46 · 13/04/2023 08:27

I have been a manager at a petrol station, a supermarket and another retail superstore - and never again would I work in a petrol station again. The mindlessness of (some) customers in petrol stations is something else, it's like they leave their brain in the car.

I never worked in a pay at pump station so cannot comment on the 1p situation but it is very alarming how many posters here are stating they never check the card machine amount when they're inside paying at kiosk. YOU are the one deciding what pump you are on, YOU are the one deciding the amount you put in, YOU are the one authorising the payment so why wouldn't you double check at the machine that it was all correct? If you buy a jacket from a store marked £50 and got to the till and showed a different amount on the card machine you'd point it out, why is it not the same at a petrol station? Mind boggling.

As for debt collection, the fault was the cashiers when customers didn't end up paying for the fuel/correct amount etc then we would suck it up as a loss and never pursue through the debt collectors - so if anyone got a letter through from VARS it is generally because they have been at fault.

The rudest people I have ever met were from my time in forecourt management. Cashiers would ask customers if they had any fuel, they'd say no when they did have. Customers would never check the numbers of the pump they're at and just expect the cashiers to be psychic, our forecourt was extremely busy and although they monitored the forecourt religiously they can only charge for what they'll have been told is the customers fuel. It's not helpful when you just say 'the diesel' or 'the fuel' when there are 15 cars on a forecourt, it takes a mere second to check how much you've put in and state that to the cashier.
My favourites were the customers would completely blank the cashier or ignore anything they said, we could have asked for a million pounds off of some people and they'd never even notice! Honestly I could go on all day, never again.

Brefugee · 13/04/2023 08:30

Pay the fine, then tell all your friends what happened and leave it up to them if they want to use that petrol station?

But - i always check my pumps are set at zero, and the price/litre when i lift up the handle. If not (only ever happened once) i tell the staff. But if i pay by card i always make sure what is on the receipt is what i think i should have paid.

Brefugee · 13/04/2023 08:31

that will teach me to check how many pages there are before i post!!

good result, OP. I'd still be telling all my friends about the shoddy service. (and always check what the pump and your receipt says)

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 13/04/2023 09:46

Update- I emailed them with all the details and they have said I just need to pay the fuel, no fine.

They said they did have notification it was due to faulty tills.
Interesting they would still choose to pursue it knowing that, a way to make a quick £10 which is what they lowered the fine to on the initial call. Cf.

At least they've (sort of) admitted it's their fault. Considering that they were going to fine you when they thought it was your fault, I presume they also offered you some compensation now that they know it was their fault? Maybe, say, £30 - or a minimum of £10....? They've wasted a lot of your time unnecessarily, so you have made a loss because of their incompetence/error.

My favourites were the customers would completely blank the cashier or ignore anything they said, we could have asked for a million pounds off of some people and they'd never even notice!

I agree that this is extremely rude when customers do this; but we also have it the other way in some of our local petrol stations, where the cashier is on the phone (hands-free) the whole time and barely acknowledges the customer at all; they make you feel like you're an irritation, when you're actually the reason for them having a job in the first place.

They speak in a language(s) that I don't know at all, so I've no idea if they're on talking to the manager about a critical business-related emergency that's just arisen or just filling time chatting to their mates about the football. Their tone usually suggests the latter. I know it's not the most exciting job, but considering that everybody now has unlimited minutes on their mobiles, I really don't see why they couldn't just say "Hold on, I've got a customer" and break off for 20 seconds whilst keeping the call open - even a bit of quick eye contact wouldn't go amiss.

CrazyLadie · 13/04/2023 10:24

ToPaytheFine · 11/04/2023 10:38

@CalpolDependant maybe I should just take their offer of a £10 fine then for a quiet life

Contact citizens advice and find out where you stand. If their machine was not working properly I can't see hwo they can fine you, and all that carry on over 1p that could easily be written off

Daverl1980 · 13/04/2023 12:53

Just further to this I would make a complaint about the debt collection agency to the financial ombudsman as they are going against their policies own guidelines by threatening the police for what is clearly a civil debt. Also complain about them to their regulator and the financial conduct agency.

MereDintofPandiculation · 13/04/2023 13:23

ToPaytheFine · 11/04/2023 10:04

I am really happy to pay what I owe, not a problem, just really don't see why I should pay the fine.
Debt collector mentioned the police on the phone, I said I'd take legal advice. As I don't actually know any solicitors thought I'd ask on here 😊

He said he understood forecourt law was different from consumer law and it was 50/50 my fault for not checking the amount.

Have you any legal insurance included on your house insurance or your car insurance?

MasterBeth · 13/04/2023 13:28

ZirihePevzig · 11/04/2023 12:03

I think their offer to drop the fine to £10 seems reasonable - you do share some basic responsibility here as you are the one best-placed to make a mental note of what the pump says when you finish and what the till says when you pay. Someone not capable of noticing their surroundings and actions to that extent may not be a very safe driver.

What a stupid thing to say.

You don’t need to hold a price in your head to be a good driver.

IrregularChoiceFan · 13/04/2023 13:32

Pluvia · 11/04/2023 10:47

I've presumed you paid at the pump: inserted your card before filling up, then tapped when you'd finished. Obviously if you went into the shop to pay and someone there wrongly entered the amount of petrol then that wasn't your fault — but you didn't spell that out in your OP.

You can't really really that at pay@pump, you have to put your card in before getting the petrol, it will charge a holding fee of £100 then only take the amount the petrol comes to. You don't just tap it like you do in the shop.

ZirihePevzig · 13/04/2023 13:40

MasterBeth · 13/04/2023 13:28

What a stupid thing to say.

You don’t need to hold a price in your head to be a good driver.

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You are at liberty to think so. I wouldn't want to be the passenger in the car of someone without basic observation skills. Of course anyone can make a mistake, and making such a mistake doesn't define someone as being incapable. But fighting the fine and expecting to have the right to not care or notice, rather than acknowledging and owning the mistake and paying the fine, would be a declaration of having no intention of trying to be more on-the-ball in future and thinking it's OK to not pay attention. Calling me stupid for thinking adults should be capable of noticing basic information about the world about them doesn't shame me, it makes the person who says such a thing look rather worse.

MasterBeth · 13/04/2023 14:23

ZirihePevzig · 13/04/2023 13:40

You are at liberty to think so. I wouldn't want to be the passenger in the car of someone without basic observation skills. Of course anyone can make a mistake, and making such a mistake doesn't define someone as being incapable. But fighting the fine and expecting to have the right to not care or notice, rather than acknowledging and owning the mistake and paying the fine, would be a declaration of having no intention of trying to be more on-the-ball in future and thinking it's OK to not pay attention. Calling me stupid for thinking adults should be capable of noticing basic information about the world about them doesn't shame me, it makes the person who says such a thing look rather worse.

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You haven’t paid much attention to my post. I’ve not called you stupid, I’ve called the thing you said stupid. I don’t imagine it affects how good a driver you are, though.

mustgetoffmn · 14/04/2023 02:11

GoodChat · 12/04/2023 19:18

@mustgetoffmn did you read the post at all? He went into the kiosk and said he was at number 1.

I was responding to your post which was inviting reactions. Why are people so tetchy on MN? No I didn’t see you describe that the driver gave your pump number. Apologies but so what? Sorry for not absolutely paying minute attention to every word you stated fgs

mustgetoffmn · 14/04/2023 02:40

GoodChat · 12/04/2023 19:18

@mustgetoffmn did you read the post at all? He went into the kiosk and said he was at number 1.

It says the husband told the cashier that he was on pump number 1. Which he was . The van was parked at No7 . Nowhere does it say that the van driver told cashier he was parked at number 1. Therefore paying pump 1 petrol. Reading post again I can see that it’s inferred that the van told cashier they were pump 1 but only by the statement that the cashier made about pump 1 already being paid. It’s not obvious.

mustgetoffmn · 14/04/2023 02:42

mustgetoffmn · 14/04/2023 02:40

It says the husband told the cashier that he was on pump number 1. Which he was . The van was parked at No7 . Nowhere does it say that the van driver told cashier he was parked at number 1. Therefore paying pump 1 petrol. Reading post again I can see that it’s inferred that the van told cashier they were pump 1 but only by the statement that the cashier made about pump 1 already being paid. It’s not obvious.

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No need to use the insulting tone. In the literal sense your statement is wrong. Maybe you should read the post more precisely

StoppinBy · 14/04/2023 03:16

Pseudonamed · 11/04/2023 15:15

I also always know how much it is mainly cos I have 'issues' and need to try and round it up to the nearest cent.

But do you cross-check that against the amount that comes off your card?

OP likely knew how much she should have been charged but didn't notice the card was debited fir a different amount.