Is Your Word Worth £1.75?

[Quoi]

well mine isnt.
I went for petrol because desperately low to find the pumps with 'cash only' signs.
I only had 5.00 in cash but accidentally put in 5 litres.
The counter staff went through all the rigmarole of making me fill a form in / checking my mobile number etc etc for 1.75!!
I dread to think what the rest of the queue thought.
I know they dont know that I am going to come back and pay but was it worth it all for 1.75?

[mrs_overall]

I guess if they had 20 customers who did the same thing then yes, it is worth it.

I once went to fill up with petrol and had forgotten my purse. I had to leave a child with them while I nipped home.

[Zacs-Master]

The staff won't have the authority to just let you off. It would probably cost them their jobs. Sad, but true.

[Prudie]

rules is rules I expect

[daftgrandad]

Considering it was probably more than the profit,made on a small amount,
I think it was most definitely worth it.

[whiskeryron]

quoi, come on mate they are running a business, would you have gone in for fuel if you had no money at all & expected to fill up ?. Would you go into a store for groceries & expect to be served with no cash ?. Join the real world.

WR.

[Quoi]

I agree with procedures and rules - its just a shame that is where we have ended up with for a paltry sum like that and the message is just acceptance - crikey.

Apparently I have 24 hours to cough up - or else what? will i never be able to go there again? that might be a pity.
Mrs O - that made me laugh - gave me visions of leaving a 6 month child there which would get hungry after about 5 mins - that would teach them - I guess your child was older - still chuckling though.

[Quoi]

Whiskeyron - my mistake and all that and obviously I take your point about the real world but it still came as a surprise to feel like that over 1.75.

[Prudie]

I admit I would take affront at not being trusted to return with £1.75 but I expect they deal with this kind of thing many times a day and have got hardened by the dishonest.

[chrisgel]

I don't know if it is still common practice but years ago most cashiers at petrol stations had to make up any shortfall in takings out of their own pocket.

[sara3]

what else can they do? you can't leave with supermarket goods without paying for them, so they have to do something.

[Baldric]

There are not many people whose word I would take for a lot of things nowadays, so why would I expect them to take mine?

[jno]

did you reclaim it, mrs_o?

[FredPuli43]

If there's any mismatch of receipts to volume sold, you can guess who'll be accused of incompetence or dishonesty. The staff have to be able to account for any discrepancy.

[EDDIE51]

Sad but true, if word got round everyone would be doing it . I know a fuel station attendant and she does have to make up any short fall out of her wages of the legal minimum £6.30 an hour.

[Quoi]

so, slaughtered 10 to 1 then, gosh - I am genuinely shocked at the general acceptance of honesty having so little value just because of 'rules'.

I have actually paid a fuel bill (£20) when i was behind someone who had forgotten their purse - i fully expected to get my money back and did. If i hadnt got it back then i knew the risk i was taking.

[jno]

did you know the counter staff? If not, you're asking them to trust a total stranger and pay for it themselves if they get it wrong.

[Quoi]

sara3 - i wouldnt expect to walk out with goods i hadnt paid for but unlike petrol i could have just put them back on the shelf in the same situation.

If they could have recovered the fuel I would have been perfectly happy to let them under the circumstances.

[EDDIE51]

There is one petrol station near us where you have to go to the cashier first if you are paying cash and hand over the money, only then do they authorise the pump to dispense the fuel and only the amount you have paid for in advance. They also only have 'pay at pump' for card payments, if your card is not accepted, tough no fuel !

[sara3]

I appreciate that, and obviously it can't be done. I don't see what else they can do in the circumstances.

[Quoi]

sara3 - As the question says - they could have trusted me to bring the difference back later that day (which I naively though could happen).

i am just suffering from acute embarrassment for a minor breach of the rules - i will get over it.