customer unable to pay for petrol

DEFTLEFTHAND

I got done about 10 yrs ago in the same job.

The store was very busy. A fella in line came to the counter purchased cigs and didn't declare the €40 worth of diesel he had just filled.

I was on my own and the pump activation computer was beeping constantly. About 5 mins later it calmed down and I went to discharge all the fuel amounts. I noticed then the outstanding 40 quid from the cigarette guy.

Boss came in that evening and told that it would be coming out of my cheque that week.

Got screwed, but that's life, sh1t happens sometimes unfortunately.

Mikenesson

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Call the guards when he leaves without paying or make a citizen's arrest when he walks out the door.

They filled out the form

Shop would prob get sued for wrongful detainment

DEFTLEFTHAND

Store was understaffed and the guy had me on peanuts even though if was 18 at the time.

In the end though I didn't cop it in time, I was frazzled with the big crowd and forget to ask him.

I was relying on people to be honest.

I still harbour ill will towards the cigarette guy. I'd like to meet him again.

forgodssake

However, I got in trouble for doing this, as it "wasn't a charity, if you don't have the money don't give him the product." Ended up paying for the petrol (said I'll get it back if he comes back in to pay it and if I didn't I'd lose my job). I can't see what else I could've done.

What did your manager expect you to do siphon the petrol out of the car ? Seriously I've worked in petrol stations where this occurred numerous times . Not once did I have to pay for it. The comment about don't give him the product is also useless considering the fact the customer has already filled up ! . What I always did was wait til next day ,most people are decent and will come back , if they don't ring the guards and give them the rest of the car and let them deal with it . 9times out of 10 I got paid for the fuel so try not to worry .

BENDYBINN

Just ask is iit ok to take his photo on your phone.....his reaction will tell you everything !

Glass fused light

CeilingFly wrote: »

They didn't deduct it. OP was given option to pay voluntarily or the other option was that the job was finished.

The op was not give an option to pay voluntarily they were forced to pay to protect their continued and future employment. That the manager is not likely to record the deduction from the OP's wage would be viewed as a failure to comply with its statutory obligation.

drunkmonkey wrote: »

It's ok as long as you tell them.

The employer must have a preexisting term in the employment contract which explains why and how the deduction can be made, just telling an employee is not ok.

drunkmonkey wrote: »

If they have a problem fire them, feck all the wrc can do then.

Yes a wrc inspection where they can invite the department of social welfare and revenue along for company is always fun.

damianch

Same happened to me when I worked in a petrol station. Made the guy go home and bring the money back and I kept his Iphone as security. Simples! He was back in a flash

c.p.w.g.w

Something similar happened my brother before, he left the job soon after, but seemed to have come into a lot of cigarettes and spirits...Just happened the CCTV wasn't working on my brother's last day 😂😂😂

Karma is a b!tch

FaganJr

Mickeroo wrote:

Drive off/no means to pay are pretty standard procedures on forecourts,if it's not the shop's policy to do them then the tills shouldn't have the functionality configured.

What this guy said
What kind of forecourt does not have
1) A modern card payment system, contactless. Non contactless systems these days are deemed obsolete and a security risk
2) A POS system that is configured specifically for forecourts. i.e pre pay or a drive off system, where all info about the sale and CCTV are recorded on the till
3) a manager who knows employment law

Must be some **** hole!!!

Some of the responses are crazy.

I empathize with the OP, but what was the manager to say, it’s cool don’t worry about it?

If the driver couldn’t pay, then it’s up to them to sort out the problem, not the OP, and not the OPs boss.

But letting the customer just drive off with free fuel? Were they even a regular?

The OP made a mistake, we all do, and the boss made it clear that it was a mistake.
A bad day at the office, no need to look for a new job. These are mistakes to learn from that’s all.

I don’t think you’ll make this mistake again, so move on
, but don’t move jobs because of it

Glass fused light

Deleted User wrote: »

Some of the responses are crazy.

I empathize with the OP, but what was the manager to say, it’s cool don’t worry about it?

If the driver couldn’t pay, then it’s up to them to sort out the problem, not the OP, and not the OPs boss.

But letting the customer just drive off with free fuel? Were they even a regular?

The OP made a mistake, we all do, and the boss made it clear that it was a mistake.
A bad day at the office, no need to look for a new job. These are mistakes to learn from that’s all.

I don’t think you’ll make this mistake again, so move on
, but don’t move jobs because of it

The manager shoud have done a proper job and trained the OP in the correct way of dealing with an inability of a customer to pay for dispensed fuel. It's not like this is something which is rare or unusual in the trade.
The manager made it the OP's problem by their subsequent behaviour.
What was the OP to do when the driver decided to leave, tackle the driver to the ground or lock them into the shop until payment was made? Somehow I don't think that the manager would be funding the solicitor or doing prison visits.
The boss forced the OP to pay for the 'mistake' while other employees just fill out a form.
Life is too short to work for people like that, the best lesson the OP can learn is to move on to a new job and try pick a better boss.

Mikenesson

Ya it's laughable that people are blaming the op

Glass fused light

Glass fused light wrote: »

The manager shoud have done a proper job and trained the OP in the correct way of dealing with an inability of a customer to pay for dispensed fuel. It's not like this is something which is rare or unusual in the trade.
The manager made it the OP's problem by their subsequent behaviour.
What was the OP to do when the driver decided to leave, tackle the driver to the ground or lock them into the shop until payment was made? Somehow I don't think that the manager would be funding the solicitor or doing prison visits.
The boss forced the OP to pay for the 'mistake' while other employees just fill out a form.
Life is too short to work for people like that, the best lesson the OP can learn is to move on to a new job and try pick a better boss.

You are correct, life is too short to leave a job every time you are reprimanded for making a mistake.

Dave147

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote:

Most stores at present don't cater for this app.

Wrong, most stores do.

Dave147

Dave147 wrote: »

Wrong, most stores do.

It’s pretty crazy of the person buying fuel not to check, when it was their only available method of payment.

Dave147

Deleted User wrote:

It’s pretty crazy of the person buying fuel not to check, when it was their only available method of payment.

Not really, there's other things going on in people's heads, I use contactless all the time, normally have my wallet in the car as back up.

I got diesel a few months ago and went in to tap to realise they were on an old system, I also had no wallet, the guy behind the counter was actually more embarrassed than me that their newly renovated amazing store didn't have contactless, I apologised and said I'd pop back in after work to pay, no big deal.

Glass fused light

Deleted User wrote: »

You are correct, life is too short to leave a job every time you are reprimanded for making a mistake.

if the OP had been trained correctly and not followed the training it would have been a mistake. If the OP had just been reprimanded for that mistake then it would be an overreaction to leave.
In this instance the OP was bullied into making a payment without having the ability to prevent the driver from dispensing fuel and could not stopping the driver from leaving.

damianch

TBH if I was the OP I'd go bat **** crazy at a Petrol Station Manager who threatened that crap.

If the manager was so put out, check the CCTV and get the reg and report the driver. Don't blame the poor guy who seems to have done as much as he could with taking details etc in the situation.

The OP should defintely stand up to a bully petrol station manager who is managing a station with no contactless payment in this day and age. It's clear the manager is just looking to keep his till receipts balanced for the day.

Drive offs and stuff like this happens all the time in petrol stations, and it sounds like this manager hasn't informed the staff of the policy in such instances.

If he tries to take a penny out of your wage go over his head and stand your ground.

The manager is just going for the easiest solution when it's not your fault. Take a note of all conversations with the manager and let him know you will take it further. As it sounds you ain't long for this job either, so let the manager squirm.

If you start out working letting people like that treat you in that way, they will in every job you have in the future. I'm sure the OP will be driving up in a car a lot better than the managers in years to come and he will still be their trying to bully staff in order to make himself feel important.

Put the foot down OP , you won't regret it. It's not your fault.

If worst comes to worst- NAME SHAME AND BLAME

Glass fused light

Glass fused light wrote: »

if the OP had been trained correctly and not followed the training it would have been a mistake. If the OP had just been reprimanded for that mistake then it would be an overreaction to leave.
In this instance the OP was bullied into making a payment without having the ability to prevent the driver from dispensing fuel and could not stopping the driver from leaving.

If the op didn’t know what to do in this situation they should have asked their supervisor/manager

Sometimes common sense overrides the use of a training manual

damianch

Deleted User wrote: »

If the op didn’t know what to do in this situation they should have asked their supervisor/manager

Sometimes common sense overrides the use of a training manual

What else should he have done? He filled out the form with details of the customer, the fact they have the form is evident of the shops procedure I'd imagine. Should he have clocked off shift and drove home with the guy to get the cash? Or demanded his shoes? I'd also love to know what else the manager would have done ? Call the Gardai? He has the reg so he still could..

damianch

damianch wrote: »

What else should he have done? He filled out the form with details of the customer, the fact they have the form is evident of the shops procedure I'd imagine. Should he have clocked off shift and drove home with the guy to get the cash? Or demanded his shoes? I'd also love to know what else the manager would have done ? Call the Gardai? He has the reg so he still could..

As I said, should have spoken to supervisor/manager

Glass fused light

Deleted User wrote: »

If the op didn’t know what to do in this situation they should have asked their supervisor/manager

Sometimes common sense overrides the use of a training manual

The manager was apparently not on the shop floor, and the driver was not waiting around.

Common sense should not override the use of a training manual as the manual is how the shop owner has decided that the situation should be managed.

The OP did use common sense and got the customer to fill out a form which other employees use, but was still blamed for doing the wrong thing. Even after this incident the OP has not been informed of the correct proceedure for dealing with customers who can't pay. So unless the OP is expected to walk away from the till when the manager unavailable, the manager should explain what is expected.

damianch

Deleted User wrote: »

As I said, should have spoken to supervisor/manager

That's a jobsworth answer

An Ri rua

Deleted User wrote:

As I said, should have spoken to supervisor/manager

What, while he stood blocking the doorway until his manager came to apply HIS magic solution??
Go away outta that, ye ejits. A new employee should not be held to task for something that even the manager can't stop. Paying for something is an honour-based system, in the main. In most shops you can just walk out. Its called shoplifting. Are you seriously saying that employees should prevent someone from leaving??
Op, don't listen to such tomfoolery. Its hard to stand up to nonsense, whether keyboard warriors or forecourt isme warriors. But that is all they are. Playground bullies with serious guns stacked against them if you so choose to pull the trigger.
If you do leave this job, name and shame the employer. Your manager is acting unlawfully and is an asshat.

An Ri rua

An Ri rua wrote: »

What, while he stood blocking the doorway until his manager came to apply HIS magic solution??
Go away outta that, ye ejits. A new employee should not be held to task for something that even the manager can't stop. Paying for something is an honour-based system, in the main. In most shops you can just walk out. Its called shoplifting. Are you seriously saying that employees should prevent someone from leaving??
Op, don't listen to such tomfoolery. Its hard to stand up to nonsense, whether keyboard warriors or forecourt isme warriors. But that is all they are. Playground bullies with serious guns stacked against them if you so choose to pull the trigger.
If you do leave this job, name and shame the employer. Your manager is acting unlawfully and is an asshat.

The boss sounds like a tool
I completely empathize with the OP
But they should have contacted their manager (it does not matter that the manager may not have been able to resolve the issue, but it would have taken the onus off the OP)
I never said stop the customer from leaving

The op should have realized they did not know what to do,
Should have said to the customer “I’ll have to call my boss”
If the customer was genuine, this should have been a perfectly reasonable request, as they are the cause of the problem
Then the boss would take responsibility and advise the OP of what to do

jim salter

Soooo, OP, did the guy come back and pay?

damianch

damianch wrote: »

That's a jobsworth answer

In this scenario yes - he was threatened with firing - €30 was literally more than his jobs worth.

ebbsy

Next time call the guards.

fawltyBas

There is so much bad advice on this thread it's unbelievable. No crime took place here so why would you call the Guards. It's not theft unless the customer could be proved to have planned to permanently deprive the petrol station of the goods and had no intention to pay. The very fact that they offered payment shows there was no such intent.

The boss can not make the employee pay for the loss, this is just not allowed. The only way the boss could obtain payment from the employee is by proving in court that the employee was somehow involved in a conspiracy with the customer. And then take civil recovery measures to recover the money. Some employers think they can do whatever they like when so many people are ignorant of the law.

margo321

ask for writen policy on what should be done in such circumstances. also contact work relation commission as i dont think that's a lawful deduction from your wage.