A single mum has been left panicking about how she was going to pay for food and electricity after £120 came out of her account when she filled up with £10 of petrol.
Mum of four Tina Harding called at the Esso Tesco petrol station, in Ardwick, at about 11.20 am, Friday, March 10 to top up her car. It was only afterwards, when she got to the till at Home Bargains, that she discovered that the modest £10 she planned to spend on fuel had actually cost her a lot more.
After her card was declined three times and she was forced to put her shopping back on the shelves, Tina returned to the petrol station but was told that she may have to wait 48 hours for the £120 ‘pre-authorisation fee’ to be returned to her bank account. She tearfully told a newspaper outlet that this had left her in hardship and that she couldn’t even do her shopping for her children, that she had no gas or electricity and that she wouldn’t get paid till Tuesday, and that she couldn’t wait till then.
She said that she was absolutely fuming, and that as a single mother with four children, she would have no money over the weekend, and that she’d promised her children that she would take them to the cinema, but that now they couldn’t do anything.
She said that her anxiety levels had gone through the roof and that she was panicking, and what was she supposed to do, and that it was really unfair and not right.
Tina claimed that a member of staff at the petrol station told her that there were notices inside explaining the pre-authorisation policy, but she added that it might be inside but if she was paying at the pump, she wasn’t going to see the notice.
Tesco explained that the fee was in line with Mastercard and Visa requirements. The company also added that the money should be released back to the account immediately but if this didn’t happen, customers were advised to speak to their bank.
A Tesco spokesman said that they were really sorry to hear about what had happened, and that the funds that were reserved whilst a customer refuels at Pay at Pump should be immediately released back into the customer’s account, and that if this has not happened, they would recommend that the customer contacts their card issuer to resolve the issue.
One should always pay by cash at filling stations, but unfortunately, we are at risk of sleepwalking into a cashless society before it’s ready, and sadly alternative payment methods may make cash obsolete by 2026, but still, millions of people remain reliant on cash for everyday payments, especially the elderly.
It’s all about taking back control and it seems that nobody is being held accountable for big companies doing whatever they like and fleecing people.
Always go inside and pay cash, then there’s no chance of being ripped off, apart from the price, of course! And I actually can’t fathom how a transaction costing £10 which might fail is backed up by £120 being removed temporarily from one’s account, and this is highly questionable.
If they’re worried about drive-throughs, then perhaps they should have pumps where you put the amount in first, it takes the money and then you can put the petrol in afterwards. Would be much easier and far less worrying for the customer putting in the petrol.
The pre-authorisation is money that’s held and the cardholder can’t spend it, but it’s your money! But while it’s in your bank account the bank owns your money, you actually have no control over it, and it’s all about control, it’s also theft as well, and a person paying in cash gives them no control, and they don’t like that.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 