I am now a criminal!

Thanks for the warning Georgesgran - must have been quite a shock... I rarely keep receipts as I end up with loads of them, but must start after reading this!

Same happened to my son recently. He’d paid by contactless and it hadn’t registered properly. He went back to the garage within the timeframe specified and didn’t have to pay the fine.

I’ve noticed lately that my bank cards are not always registering properly when I use them in shops and I sometimes have to physically put them in the machine along with the PIN. Maybe it’s to do with the contactless amount going up to £100 but whatever, I always try and check that it’s gone through now and/or get a receipt.

Poor you.. how ghastly and not your fault.. best wishes

My ACs think it’s hilarious - I’ve never had more than a parking ticket and that was cancelled!

Georgesgran, just a thought, but will there be cctv inside the garage shop as well as the one recording you filling up? If so, that should show you at the till, paying. Worth asking them to check.

We paid for a lunch recently £17. When I checked my bank they had only taken 17p.

What a nuisance. It’s not as if you filled up and immediately drove away from the forecourt which those who avoid payment do. Surely common sense can prevail, that the assistant can vouch for you.

It really could be open to abuse isn’t it? There are so many family feuds etc that a lower amount could be entered through the till to deliberately entrap someone?

I’m sure the assistant made an honest mistake in my case - because she wouldn’t benefit from the fine - perhaps our ‘chatting’ had affected her concentration
There’s lots of info on Martin Lewis’s website, but basically, it’s pay up even if there’s CC proof inside the garage - it’s the customer’s responsibility to ensure they’ve paid for everything.

There’s one thing for certain - I’m never going back there!

That’s why I always try and get a receipt when I pay by credit card, and tick the items off when I get my monthly bill.

i always keep receipts. how can you prove payment otherwise. even paying by card in a shop, if stopped on leaving, it's much quicker and easier to produce the receipt than trying to ask them to check back on their tills.
also i like to monitor the prices of things.

I always ask for a receipt even for the most trivial of amounts.

A few years back as I filled up with petrol I noticed that after a while although the price gauge was whirring the pump had stopped putting petrol in the tank. I checked my fuel gauge to see how much it had put in my tank, went to the kiosk, explained the problem and offered to pay for the fuel I had received. I was told if I didn’t pay the full amount I would be classified as a drive off! I left the money on the counter, drove away, and let the fuel company know what had happened. A few day’s later Trading Standards found there was a fault with the pump. Someone else must have complained. I never heard any more.

Georgesgran I'm sure there's usually a minium limit of about £5 that you have to spend on debit/credit cards.
I know in the past I've had buy another item to spend the minimum to pay by card when I've not had cash on me.

I think Covid cancelled that out Cameleon007 as I’ve bought a newspaper for less than that by card in Smiths at the self service till and my local car park accepts 30p by card.
Caveat Emptor with knobs on from now. 😁

As a trader you can set what minimum limits you like, but not a good idea to turn away business however small, and a lot of card providers insist a trader does not have a minimum limit or risk being dropped. What you can no longer do in law is to charge a customer for using their card.

It's a myth that supermarket fuel is inferior to that sold at branded petrol stations. The exception might be if you are filling up with a premium fuel. Otherwise, it's all the same.

The reason supermarket prices are generally cheaper than branded is more to do with economy of scale, bulk buying capability and that supermarkets are competing to undercut one another on price.

More information here.

allstarcard.co.uk/resources/news-and-insights/supermarket-fuel/

Bonuses and special offers aside, Nectar points are only worth a half a penny. 200 points earns £1.

I believe the offer is one Nectar point for every litre of Esso fuel.

The AA report that the average gap between supermarket and branded pump prices is currently 1.9p per litre.

The tank of my small hatchback holds 40 litres. Were I to fill up at Esso, I would earn 40 Nectar points worth 20p but I would have paid an extra 76p for the fuel. The offer would have had to be for quadruple Nectar points to break even.

Have you got an attractive ankle tag and a curfew now Georgesgran 🤣?

Thank you for the warning. I am often ill at ease paying for petrol if I can't pay at the pump as I can hear my dog howling in the car. That makes me think less clearly so this could happen to me so easily.

I no longer bother with Nectar points. Most of my shopping is done at the Co-op. Two rather good shops near me here, one of which has a petrol station.

I did this in Waitrose about 15 years ago - no glasses, didn't see payment had failed. They knew I was a regular and told me the next time I went in. Still feel sorry for Richard Madeley who got done for forgetting to get all his shopping scanned properly. Easy to do, very careful these days.

Jess20

I did this in Waitrose about 15 years ago - no glasses, didn't see payment had failed. They knew I was a regular and told me the next time I went in. Still feel sorry for Richard Madeley who got done for forgetting to get all his shopping scanned properly. Easy to do, very careful these days.

You don't know the full facts of the Richard madeley episode,I do. I can only say .......you know not of what you speak..... allegedly....

Happened to my daughter but she didn’t get a fine she just had to pay for the fuel.

Gabrielle56 I think you need to explain your comment.

I always take a receipt, as you never know when it might be useful, and indeed it has been at times. I think that shops should encourage it as it could protect them in certain circumstances.

I remember a female celebrity arrested many years ago for shoplifting. Can't remember her name, but I felt so sorry for her. She claimed it was a mistake, and I believe it was.