Pump price discrepancy

[Anil]

I filled up using BP Ultimate Diesel at BP on the A322 coming our of Bracknell this evening. The price on the pump next to the nozzle was 106.9. I filled up until the pump cut out when I noticed the LCD price in the display was a penny more than advertised next to the nozzle.
I pointed this out to the guy behind the counter when I paid, but he just shrugged his shoulders and thanked me for pointing this out.
I know I’m only talking about 55p difference on a filling the tank, but it is the principal of it!

Anyone ever been in this situation before? What happened?

The manager of the station wasn't there so I’ll be calling in the morning, to see what he has to say.

I tried calling BP customer care line, but it was 5:01pm and the lines shut at 5:00pm.

 

[Dieselman]

Let trading Standards know, it may only be 55p per fill but they sell thousands of litres per day.

 

[robert.saunders]

Do trading standards get involved with trifling matters over price or are they more concerned with flow inaccuracies eg weights and measures? Worth a complaint though

 

[ckember]

it is illegal I believe to sell at one price, whilst displaying another. The retailer can refuse to see at the lower price if they so wish. But as you had filled the car they would have to pay to remove the fuel.


I would contact the retailer direct with a picture of the price displayed and the receipt showing what you paid. also copy trading standards as the last post said.

 

[Anil]

it is illegal I believe to sell at one price, whilst displaying another. The retailer can refuse to see at the lower price if they so wish. But as you had filled the car they would have to pay to remove the fuel.


I would contact the retailer direct with a picture of the price displayed and the receipt showing what you paid. also copy trading standards as the last post said.

I took a photo of the nozzle price with the receipt next to it with the phone camera

 

[Dieselman]

I took a photo of the nozzle price with the receipt next to it with the phone camera

Quick, contact a No Win, No Fee legal firm and say it's given you a night of stress and anguish....

Nightmare, mate, nightmare..!!

 

[Anil]

Quick, contact a No Win, No Fee legal firm and say it's given you a night of stress and anguish....

Nightmare, mate, nightmare..!!

LOL!

 

[neilrr]

They were probably changing the price & you filled up in the middle of the changeover.

 

[Will]

They were probably changing the price & you filled up in the middle of the changeover.

Although I can see the scenario, wouldn't it make more sense for them to do this the other way round - do the pump prices first. Ie, worst case scenario they charge 1p less a litre on the LCD than the pump says, at least they wouldn't be breaking the law?

Will

 

[amwebby]

Oops, you are supposed to switch your mobile off whilst on the forecourt!

 

[fyonn]

Oops, you are supposed to switch your mobile off whilst on the forecourt!

I've never understood why they want you to switch off your mobile on the forecourt though. I can't believe the old tale of electricity in the phone sparking petrol fumes. I'd imagine static discharges would be orders of magnitude higher, not to mention various bits of the cars electrical system.

someone else said they thought that the pumps were wireless, btu why would they be? it's not like they move...

anyone know?

dave

 

[nickcc101]

Can't remember exactly but it's all to do with the phone transmitting and not whether the phone is intrinsically safe. As you know phones transmit whilst switched on and not only when calls are made.

 

[jaymanek]

you dont have to switch it off, just not use it... tiny electrical pulses can blow the place to bits you know...

H&S fools..

Ive been using my phone on our petrol station for 15 odd years and i havent blown to bits yet.

As for the price, technically you could be a PITA and ask for a refund of the difference but as said, the spotty teenager proably forgot to do the digits next to the pump at time of price change.

The prices on the pump is changed from a back office computer. Any other prices such as pole signs etc is usually a manual affair.

 

[GRAV888]

I've never understood why they want you to switch off your mobile on the forecourt though.

Link

 

[jaymanek]

muppet opened the pressurised vent at the same time as using his phone... that IS silly now..

 

[amwebby]

Legally the vendor does have an obligation to charge the price displayed. However, if confronted with your evidence taken with a mobile phone, whilst they might refund the 55p, I'm sure they would have a counter-claim against you for endangering their property...

 

[fyonn]

Legally the vendor does have an obligation to charge the price displayed. However, if confronted with your evidence taken with a mobile phone, whilst they might refund the 55p, I'm sure they would have a counter-claim against you for endangering their property...

the photo could always have been taken with a camera (for which there are no proscriptions) and then transferred to the phone for ease of showing...

 

[fyonn]

Link

okay, I'll have to wait until I get home to see that (work don't allow youtube, funnily enough), but surely the electrical impulses from a phone are trivial compared to the impulses of starting a car, the aircon coming on, static discharge etc.

it's not like I haven't seen people jumpstart a car at a petrol station either, and there the conductors aren't even insulated!

dave

 

[Stratman]

The real reason that you're asked to switch off your phone dates from the days of Children's Band radio. Afficionados of the fad put (illegal) power amplifiers on their transmitters to boost the range at which they could have deep and meaningful conversations with like-minded enthusiasts. One of them discovered that while he was filling up and his passenger was using the CB 'rig' at the same time, it caused the pump to go haywire, in effect it became a random number generator. They merely stopped transmitting at a suitably low amount owing and had a good laugh. Word got out, hence the ban.

Like sell-by dates on food, it's not to protect you it's to protect the seller.

 

[jaymanek]

The real reason that you're asked to switch off your phone dates from the days of Children's Band radio. Afficionados of the fad put (illegal) power amplifiers on their transmitters to boost the range at which they could have deep and meaningful conversations with like-minded enthusiasts. One of them discovered that while he was filling up and his passenger was using the CB 'rig' at the same time, it caused the pump to go haywire, in effect it became a random number generator. They merely stopped transmitting at a suitably low amount owing and had a good laugh. Word got out, hence the ban.

Like sell-by dates on food, it's not to protect you it's to protect the seller.

Whilst that may be true historically, i dont think thats the reason today!

makes a good story though