|
ive never had it happen to me but what is the precedure if you fill up with petrol and you go to pay for it but realise you forgot to put your wallet in your back pocket? has any one had it happen ? is there a form to fill in? or do you just have a word with the chap at the till and explain your dilemma? i suppose its one way of getting your petrol up front if your waiting for your pay cheque to clear if you know what i mean
|
|
Depends on the garage, many have warning notices about this type of event. The more streetwise will call the cops.....my local filling station know me and no doubt let me sort it out later with them, and there must be every response across the spectrum in-between. I remember a story in the press about a guy filling up and leaving his kid as security whilst he went to get his wallet - but extreme that one, what you supposed to do with the kid if he doesn't come back ?
|
>>what are you supposed to do with the kid if he doesn't come back ?
E-bay?
|
|
I've seen it happen locally a number of times.
You're made to walk home and get some money.
Sometimes, if you can remember your details and it's in banking hours, you can write a cheque out on a piece of paper with sort code and account number - after checking with the bank they may accept it.
A (genuine) rolex watch could be left as a deposit - sometimes a laptop will do.
|
|
I don't think I would walk home, no one can make you walk home. I would explain the circumstances, give my name, address and telephone number, leave some i/d (if it was local) then drive off and ensure money is paid asap. The whole thing revolves around dishonesty, dishonestly making off without payment. If that was not your intention, (and giving all the correct details evidences that lack of dishonesty), you ain't gonna have a problem.
|
|
|
|
Did it once years ago. The garage let me leave my spare wheel as deposit and go home and get my wallet. Must have been trusting people!
|
Going back many years (early 70's) I working in petrol station where we actually served the customers.
We were told not to take anything as it became the garages responsibility and there was a story going around about someone had left a watch that was broken when given back to the customer, which the garage then had to pay to get repaired.
What was pretty common in those days (50p or so per gallon) was for people to ask for, say, £4 of petrol and then swear blind they'd said 4 Gallons and they only had £2 on them. Those people *never* came back.
|
|
One local garage actually leaves pennies in a tray so if your bill comes out as £15.01 you grab a penny, I think that's actually a nice gesture.
|
One local garage actually leaves pennies in a tray so if your bill comes out as £15.01 you grab a penny I think that's actually a nice gesture.
I *think* most Esso garages do that. The motto above the tray is something like 'spend a penny on us'
|
|
|
In the days when we had summers my petrol mower ran out, no fuel in can, (diesel cars) shorts and T shirt, no pockets or cash for my 5 liters. Responce - "ok pay later". I must at least look honest!
My pal filled up and forgot to pay (he was a cop). His work mates took great delight in arriving at his house with blue lights and sirens turned on and requesting he return and pay for his fuel.
|
Old Navy,
They obviously knew someone would "grass" you if you didn't come back :-)
|
|
|
|
|
|
I understood it was specifically an offence to obtain fuel without the means to pay for it.
Presumably garages have to be practical about security because genuine mistakes will always happen and your car is often the only way to go and get the money/card etc.
Years ago I went for a chinese meal with a friend with no money between us, each thinking it was the other's treat. I felt very vulnerable waiting on my own while my friend went to get some cash - the chef kept coming out and had a meat cleaver in his hand!
|
|
Not a specific offence, the Theft Act 68 or 74 may be adapted for use though.
|
I filled up one evening and proffered my card to pay. The till operator said 'We don't accept that card any more' - I pointed out I had used it there three days before and there was no notice to let customers know.. I had to leave daughter (aged 23) and car and walk over to nearest cash point - not amused as it was late at night, had just driven down from London and not the best area of Southampton (Totton for those who know). Next time I went in, guess what, tried the particular card (with credit card available if needed) and no problem.
Son recently left his mobile phone as deposit and note of car registration and drove to nearest cashpoint but this was in a nearby village where they tend to be more trusting - and he had only put £10 worth in.
Our Tescos will allow you to sign an IOU form according to son, who used to work there - presumably they see your club card first?
As a matter of interest, Tesco also have blanket RAC membership if you break down on their carpark or forecourt! Useful if you don't want the call out to affect next years membership.
|
"Our Tescos will allow you to sign an IOU form according to son"
I actually saw this happen whilst waiting in a queue, plain clothes bobby in a plain car had filled up with a tankful. The card he offered didn't compute (fuel payment thing) and they made him sign a bar coded IOU....embarrassed or what !
|
Nothing to do with motoring, more the leaving of security for goods bought without paying - for all I know this might be an old joke, but my barber assures me that it happened to him.
Gent walks into the shop with a young boy in tow. Gent has haircut first and says to the barber "give the lad a trim, I'm just going to the papershop, be back in a minute". The lad is trimmed and then makes for the door, barber tells him to sit down wait for his dad, bemused lad says "he ain't my dad, he asked me if I wanted a free haircut"
|
|
|
This happened to me near my home but at a garage I had never used before. I was in a courtesy car which had to be returned empty and I had put £5 worth in and no wallet or even coins. I told the man where I worked (1/2 a mile away) gave him the car number, my mobile and work numbers and left him a £1500 watch as 'security'! As I went to drive away I found my wallet down the side of the seat and went back in and unwound the whole deal, including getting my own watch back! I planned to borrow £5 from a work colleague and clear the whole thing up within 30 minutes anyway and that would have been acceptable to them.
|
|
This sort of incident shows the value of buying petrol from the same garage whenever possible,then the staff will get to know you and probably be more trusting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Not a specific offence the Theft Act 68 or 74 may be adapted for use though.
Wouldn't you have to prove intent?
|
|
Yes, Dishonesty and an intention to permanently deprive (well I guess the second element is easily proved !) or Deceiving or attempting to deceive to obtain property or services. The signs on forecourts are almost paper tigers, but a good investigating bobby investigating a "drive off" (which is not a specific offence just a slang term for theft/deception - same as "shoplifitng" is theft pure and simple) might include its presence as an element in the evidence.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It happened to me about 15 years ago at a very busy local filling station. Unbeknown to me my credit card had expired a couple of days earlier. As a regular customer I suggested they take a note of my registration and other forms of identity and I would immediately drive the five miles or so to my home and return with cash.
However, the supervisor didn?t recognise me (I felt quite deflated - must have bought at least 8 gallons a fortnight from them!) and informed me that I would have to wait until a member of staff was free to accompany me home, and if I attempted to drive my car away in the meantime she would call the police.
Not that unreasonable really, I suppose, but not wanting to hang around too long I took myself a few yards away to a phone box and called the local police, who duly noted my predicament and suggested there wouldn?t be a problem in my driving my car home as long as I left suitable ID and returned with the appropriate funds ASAP.
This I did.
Clk Sec
|
Both Safeway and Sainsburys who I have worked for have a standard form that you complete, called Inability to Pay.
This is completed with details of car reg number etc etc and they are also asked for further proof of name / address.
Form is then kept and if payment is not received within a set time period, contact is made with the person. If still no payment, then the form and the CCTV is passed to the police who DO pursue it as theft.
At no point is the person asked to leave any form of "deposit".
--
2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
|
Theft Act 1978, s. 3 states:
(1) Subject to subsection (3) below, a person who, knowing that payment on the spot for any goods supplied or service done is required or expected of him, DISHONESTLY makes off without having paid as required or expected and with INTENT to avoid payment due shall be guilty of an offence.
(2) For purposes of this section 'payment on the spot' includes payment at the time of collecting goods on which work has been done or in respect of which service has been provided.
(3) Subsection (1) above shall not apply where the supply of the goods or the doing of the service is contrary to law, or where the service done is such that payment is not legally enforceable.
|
|
Won't stop the bailiffs coming round though !
|
Won't stop the bailiffs coming round though !
water bailiffs or the petrol bailiffs they aint coming thru my door nor the tv detector numpties...aaahhhh
|
|
What's your Post Code ? (see Sat nav thread !) Joke again BTW !
|
|
Happened to someone I used to work with - the service station staff told her that moving her car off the premises would result in the Police being called. She was however given plenty of time to phone a relative to come down with some cash, and it was all sorted amicably. Ironically the garage had a cash machine outside - not much use if you've not got your debit card either!
|
It says by the pump to make sure you have the means to pay, emphasis on the MAKE SURE.
I always look through my wallet and check how much cash I have before I fill up. Hardly rocket science is it?
|
Happened to us in Sainsburys recently - each thought the other had picked up their wallet.
What Bobby says is exactly what happens - I was surprised how relaxed about it they were!
|
What Bobby says is exactly what happens - I was surprised how relaxed about it they were!
Probably happens several times a week, and they know that 99% of the time they'll get the money before the deadline. Real theft usually occurs as a "drive-off", whereby the car is filled up and driven off with no attempt to pay.
|
|
It's an awful feeling though, reaching for your wallet only to find it's not 'there'. When this happened to me the kind lady let me go and I returned and payed within 10 minutes.
|
|
I always look through my wallet and check how much cash I have before I fill up. Hardly rocket science is it?
>>
All part of the traditional check list.
Spectacles, T*****les, Wallet and Watch ( that you have got the correct pump)
and nowadays I guess is added Keep the car keys in hand. :-)
|
my dad has done this a few times, just went in said sorry, left his licence with them and they let him go home and return with cash later
i used to live next door to a garage that told me more than once to come back later and pay when the queue was getting long, i always did
|
The key is "INTENT to avoid payment".
If it happens, stick to your guns. Offer them your full details and write on that note that you do indeed intend to pay. If it is impractical to return with the cash, as soon as you get home, send them a cheque by recorded delivery.
In the unlikely event that the Police do turn up, tell them what's happened; quite clearly you are not intending to avoid payment. Through an error on your behalf you are delaying payment and have done all you can to mitigate that delay.
I leaned all this after an incident when a motorway service station refused to let me off their forecourt without leaving my spare wheel. Their attitude - "you HAVE to do it or you'll be arrested" - led me to a conversation with my solicitor about the legal position. I was a lot more malleable in those days.
V
|
Happened once when I was 18, left wallet and chequebook (remember those!) in my desk at work.
Filled up and after a frantic look round my very old rusty car discovered the above.
The girl at the independant petrol garage (remember those as well!) was very kind and just took down my registration number and told me to pop in next time I was passing......
Must have an honest face as I'd never been there before and only went back again to pay her. As it was she wasn't working and no one could find her notes so I just told them what I'd taken and paid up! As I was mortified by the experience I can still remember the price now, £14.98!!!
Cheers
Benjurs
|
|
"I always look through my wallet and check how much cash I have before I fill up. Hardly rocket science is it?"
Ever made a mistake in your whole life, Stu? :-)
V
|
I did it at Safeway a few years ago. I had checked my wallet, but forgot that I had left the card at home by the computer.
In trepidation I went to the checkout to explain, and was simply given the standard form. I returned and paid the next day.
If you haven't removed the petrol from their premises, but have gone inside to explain, they couldn't possibly prove "intention" anyway.
|
I once drove off without paying from Tescos. Having been in the habit of using the pay at pump, I couldn't make the card work in the pump one day. Completely forgot I hadn't paid and drove off. Fifteen minutes later... realisation struck, I went back apologised, they made no comment, swiped my card and crossed my name off the list of 'drove off without paying' customers.
On another occasion, I popped round the corner to Tescos for petrol with my wallet. When I came to pay... no card - it had been used to buy something on the 'net so was sitting by my computer. No problem they said, just write down your reg number and come back with your card.
A third occasion at a motorway service station in the middle of the night, filled up with petrol. Went to pay and their card machine was not working. Ended up having to use credit card (£1.50 charge) to take money out of their LINK cash machine (£1.50 charge). Not amused, but no other solution.
|
|
A couple of years ago I filled up at a busy Stockport filling station then realised the wallet was at home. I explained the situation, and said I would return within 20 minutes. They said I would have to leave a watch or something. I refused, pointing out that they had my car number and name and address and left to retrieve the wallet. The average attendant would not be able to physically stop you leaving, and if they call the police - so what? I returned with payment within the 20 minutes, which was probably quicker than the police would have responded. And someone would have had to prove dishonest attempt.
|
|
done this twice so far - once as an 18 year old in Liverpool and was asked to leave everything I had in my pockets and my watch as security, it included my work ID so they were fairly safe. Second time in my thirties in Dunfermline, I didn't recognise the cashier but she just said ' if you promise to be back with the money within the hour off you go' - I guess I must have an honest face.....
|
|
|
|
|
|
