Pay at pump not charged me

[Pistom]

I was filling up at a supermarket petrol station a couple of weeks ago, using my credit card on pay at pump. I'd just finished filling when the pump went off momentarily and came back on showing zero pounds. I'd put about £80 of fuel in by then.

Concerned that something was wrong, I went into the shop and asked them if my transaction had gone through OK, they said yes, it's not showing anything owed. I told them I'd put about £80 in but they said it doesn't show me owing anything so it must have taken the payment.

I was still uncomfortable about the transaction so I made a mental note to check my credit card statement. A few days after the transaction, I saw that there were 2 x £120 pre-authorisation charges on the same day which disappeared after a day or so.

2 weeks on, no charge has appeared on my online credit card statement for the fuel I'd taken.

Should I contact the store or my credit card company?

I think my first call should be the store as they might be aware of the issue now, even though they didn't seem to be at the time.

[SP_]

Enjoy the free fuel, you did what you could.

[AllyM]

No supermarket employee is going to be interested.

[akirk]

Personally I would go in and have that discussion - there might be nothing they can do and you get it free but I think that morally it is right to try and pay…

[The Gauge]

Either the supermarket won't realise, or they will report a 'drive off' to the police. Some petrol stations use 3rd party agencies such as Forecourt Eye to chase non payments. However even if this is the case, you made efforts to pay, and it sounds like you are willing to pay if chased. I was chased by then last year when using the bP app to pay on my phone, but the signal must have been lost. I returned and paid and that was that.

Petrol stations and police understand that some people simply forget to go inside and pay, though they might still report these to the police, but the police should then tell the petrol station to apply to the DVLA and request the vehicle registered keeper details and then write to them asking for payment. Only then if payment isn't received will the police treat it as a theft. Petrol stations know this but they hope the police will obtain the keeper details for them as they have to pay the DVLA for them. The police are wise to this and tend to only investigate those who intentionally don't pay such as having a false number plate, filling containers on the back seat etc.

Either way you haven't committed theft, and if things got that far a simple visit to the petrol station with your payment should suffice. Petrol stations just want the missing payment and usually aren't bothered about proceeding further, and there doesn't seem to be anything to proceed with anyway.

[Pistom]

Thinking about it further, I'm going to give the store a call to give them one last chance to look into it if they want to.

I'd hate to think of some poor supermarket employee getting into trouble for not taking my details at the time and I'll enjoy the free fuel more knowing I've done as much as I could.

[CammyN]

I had something similar to the OP, filled up at an ASDA garage, no charge made.

Went back a week later. filled up, or tried to, after a couple of seconds the pump switched off. The CCTV had ANPR and that was connected to the pumps. The problem that I had was that the ASDA was one of the few all night garages, this was 4am and I had less than half a gallon in the tank, but my car had been recorded as a 'Drive off'.

I called the manager and explained what had happened, he said that an attendant should have come out to me. In the end he wrote off the payment and reset the system for my reg no.

[Bill]

Pistom said:

Thinking about it further, I'm going to give the store a call to give them one last chance to look into it if they want to.

I'd hate to think of some poor supermarket employee getting into trouble for not taking my details at the time and I'll enjoy the free fuel more knowing I've done as much as I could.

Good of you, but I suspect it'll be a ball ache trying to get someone to help and you're better off waiting for the system to catch up with you.

[Slow.Patrol]

Possibly someone else has paid for your fuel.

We had something similar when a dizzy in front of the queue gave our pump number instead of the one she'd used.

Took ages to sort it out.

[Evanivitch]

CammyN said:

I had something similar to the OP, filled up at an ASDA garage, no charge made.

Went back a week later. filled up, or tried to, after a couple of seconds the pump switched off. The CCTV had ANPR and that was connected to the pumps. The problem that I had was that the ASDA was one of the few all night garages, this was 4am and I had less than half a gallon in the tank, but my car had been recorded as a 'Drive off'.

I called the manager and explained what had happened, he said that an attendant should have come out to me. In the end he wrote off the payment and reset the system for my reg no.

I expect it'll be something like this.

[Hoofy]

akirk said:

Personally I would go in and have that discussion - there might be nothing they can do and you get it free but I think that morally it is right to try and pay…

Wot 'e sed.

[Pistom]

Thanks, really helpful replies here.

Whilst a life on the run seems exciting right now and fugitive from the law on my CV might make interesting reading, I think calling in on them when passing might be quicker than phoning and I doubt they'll take a phone payment anyway.

For £80, I'd prefer to avoid the situation the poster above with the 4.30 issue experienced.

As someone else has said though, it might be a pain to sort out until the system catches up with me.

Looking forward to the days we realise that these electronic methods are so unreliable and prone to hacking that we're back to paying with gold coins, bartering with livestock and writing down long hand anything we want to keep secure.

[Tango13]

Slow.Patrol said:

Possibly someone else has paid for your fuel.

We had something similar when a dizzy in front of the queue gave our pump number instead of the one she'd used.

Took ages to sort it out.

I had that once, bloke a couple of places in front of me in the queue paid for my petrol by mistake, by the the time I got to the front of the queue he had driven off. As it happens I'd put more fuel in my car than he had in his so I just paid for his and was about £10~15 up on the deal.

[RGG]

Pistom said:

Thanks, really helpful replies here.

Whilst a life on the run seems exciting right now and fugitive from the law on my CV might make interesting reading, I think calling in on them when passing might be quicker than phoning and I doubt they'll take a phone payment anyway.

For £80, I'd prefer to avoid the situation the poster above with the 4.30 issue experienced.

As someone else has said though, it might be a pain to sort out until the system catches up with me.

Looking forward to the days we realise that these electronic methods are so unreliable and prone to hacking that we're back to paying with gold coins, bartering with livestock and writing down long hand anything we want to keep secure.

Best you can do - my suggestion

1) telephone your card company and let them know what happens - that means there's a record.

2) email, on line chat - keep a record or telephone supermarket and say what happened. So there's a second record

Then you'll have done as much as you can.

[CammyN]

My concern for the OP would be on whether he has committed an offence under the Theft Act 1978, Making off without payment.

On a side issue.

I was once clamped in London for having no parking ticket, even though I had paid my money, the machine was faulty, but you wouldn't have known, and didn't issue a ticket.

I couldn't prove I had paid and I was told that I should have left the parking bay.

If you fill your car and dont pay for the fuel because the machine was faulty I think some smart alec would argue that you have made off without paying. Possibly a criminal offence

[Spare tyre]

I’d see if I could find an email address of customer services and give them all the detail, that way you have a written effort of being a good bloke

[Evanivitch]

CammyN said:

My concern for the OP would be on whether he has committed an offence under the Theft Act 1978, Making off without payment.

On a side issue.

I was once clamped in London for having no parking ticket, even though I had paid my money, the machine was faulty, but you wouldn't have known, and didn't issue a ticket.

I couldn't prove I had paid and I was told that I should have left the parking bay.

If you fill your car and dont pay for the fuel because the machine was faulty I think some smart alec would argue that you have made off without paying. Possibly a criminal offence

Theft is a deliberate act. OP tried to pay, system hasn't worked. Not theft. Civil loss to the petrol station, yes.

[Pistom]

I really appreciate the comments here. Thank you everyone. It just helps in sounding things out with other car minded people.

Just to update everyone, I've called in to the petrol station and they said they have no record of my vehicle being recorded as a drive off. They were very thanking that I called in and took my details today and said they would refer them to their supervisor.

I'm comfortable now that I've done as much as I can.

Thanks again for all the responses.

[CammyN]

Evanivitch said:

CammyN said:

My concern for the OP would be on whether he has committed an offence under the Theft Act 1978, Making off without payment.

On a side issue.

I was once clamped in London for having no parking ticket, even though I had paid my money, the machine was faulty, but you wouldn't have known, and didn't issue a ticket.

I couldn't prove I had paid and I was told that I should have left the parking bay.

If you fill your car and dont pay for the fuel because the machine was faulty I think some smart alec would argue that you have made off without paying. Possibly a criminal offence

Theft is a deliberate act. OP tried to pay, system hasn't worked. Not theft. Civil loss to the petrol station, yes.

I am no lawyer but I think that the fact that he left without paying for fuel, whether down to a system fault or not would amount to theft.

[mac96]

CammyN said:

Evanivitch said:

CammyN said:

My concern for the OP would be on whether he has committed an offence under the Theft Act 1978, Making off without payment.

On a side issue.

I was once clamped in London for having no parking ticket, even though I had paid my money, the machine was faulty, but you wouldn't have known, and didn't issue a ticket.

I couldn't prove I had paid and I was told that I should have left the parking bay.

If you fill your car and dont pay for the fuel because the machine was faulty I think some smart alec would argue that you have made off without paying. Possibly a criminal offence

Theft is a deliberate act. OP tried to pay, system hasn't worked. Not theft. Civil loss to the petrol station, yes.

I am no lawyer but I think that the fact that he left without paying for fuel, whether down to a system fault or not would amount to theft.

It was a card payment and he thought it had gone through- he even checked with the cashier. You only know a card payment has not gone through later when you check online or get statement. I don't see how this could be theft.