Held Hostage in Filling station for 25 Euro!

finnegan2010 · 28-01-2011 12:05PM #1

Ok Tongue in cheek with the hostage part;) but let me explain

The bank recently WITHOUT advising me cancelled my old ATM card, To replace it with a new style one. I was low on Petrol so popped into my regular filling station.
25 Euro worth filled all good, went to Atm, No joy.. strange... tried it again and again.. nothing. (Getting panicked now)
Went to the till, explained situation (I was extremely nice and pleasent and apologised PROFUSELY "felt like a right ass") asked could he put Laser through without using the pin. He tried wouldnt work.
So i said "Sure can i leave my driving licence & passport with you and you can take my car reg, ill drive home and have the 25 back within the hour. (happened to have passport that day also for other reason)
"Sorry sir we cant do that" I was told. Then gave him my business card which was located around the corner from his station. Again "No Sorry Sir nothing i can do here, you cant leave without paying you will need to get someone to come with the money"
By this stage his colleague was present with a dumb founded look on him.
(were holding up a till in this petrol station at 5.45 rush hour)
The third employee at till 2, who is dealing with the other rubber necking customers who were curious to see what the fuss was about was just smiling looking at us having a right giggle.
I had NO bloody credit either on the phone AGHH so had to ask to use station phone to contact the bro who would of been the only person able to help. Took him ages to answer as he doesnt answer calls he doesnt recognise. After 15 mins of relentless calling he finally answers.
(He thought it was his work asking him to do an extra shift was reluctant to answer)
In fairness they let me use the phone and call my brother who arrived an hour later with the money. Rant over Gurrrrrrrrr, Can people just hold you like this if you have no money. It was a genuine mistake cock up. I wasnt going to give my away my passport and driving licence 25 quid!

whiskeyman · 28-01-2011 12:07PM

Talk to Joe

Jonybgud · 28-01-2011 12:09PM

They saw through you....:D

hondasam · 28-01-2011 12:10PM

The were a bit unreasonable but probably have a lot of drive offs. moral of the story always carry cash. :pac:

cackhanded · 28-01-2011 12:11PM

He sounds like a right jobsworth to me. Happened to me before where I filled up and then realised I had left my wallet at home, left my driving licence and car details with them while I went home and got it, they had no problem at all with that.

I suppose they are within the law to insist you pay before leaving. Only way for you to get them back for the treatment you got is to never go in there again.

super_furry · 28-01-2011 12:12PM

Why would you put petrol in your car without making sure you could pay for it? It's like going to a restaurant and eating dinner without knowing if you had your wallet with you.

What if, as often happens, the ATM was out of cash?

JohnathanM · 28-01-2011 12:14PM

They can't hold you, unless they were intending to call the Gardai and make things more fun. You made a reasonable offer so they should have accepted it, or just let you leave. Myself, I would have walked out and called the Gardai to report the incident when I got to a phone. Then, after that, I would have returned to pay when I knew the manager would be around. These things happen; no need for people to be arses about it.

AnonoBoy · 28-01-2011 12:14PM

super_furry wrote: »

What if, as often happens, the ATM was out of cash?

Pretty much what he described in the first post I'd say.

seamus · 28-01-2011 12:15PM

finnegan2010 wrote: »

Can people just hold you like this if you have no money.

They didn't. You voluntarily stayed in the petrol station.

In reality no crime is committed if you give them your details and head off to get the cash. Theft requires the intent to deprive the business of goods or cash. Since no such intent exists, there is no crime.

What you should do is ring the local Garda station, explain the situation to them and give them your name, address and reg. Then you can go home and get the cash, safe in the knowledge that you won't be pulled over on your journey.

mikemac · 28-01-2011 12:17PM

cackhanded wrote: »

He sounds like a right jobsworth to me.

People on minimum wage don't get to make these decisions. The boss has a policy and if let you off he'd probably get sacked.

Why do a favour for someone, they won't pay your wages

In my time in retail I'd enforced some pretty ridiculous procedures that me and the customer could have avoided with some common sense.
But I know who pays me

Kintarō Hattori · 28-01-2011 12:17PM

super_furry wrote: »

Why would you put petrol in your car without making sure you could pay for it? It's like going to a restaurant and eating dinner without knowing if you had your wallet with you.

What if, as often happens, the ATM was out of cash?

The OP was unaware the bank had cancelled their card. It's not as if the OP was aware they had no cash topay- they had in their mind two different payment options open to them. If there was no cash in the ATM they could have just paid for it by Laser.

Kimono-Girl · 28-01-2011 12:18PM

super_furry wrote: »

Why would you put petrol in your car without making sure you could pay for it? It's like going to a restaurant and eating dinner without knowing if you had your wallet with you.

What if, as often happens, the ATM was out of cash?

^ this,

ATM's in petrol stations are faulty or empty at the best of times, so you should have had a back up...

also if you had your laser card on you then

a:why didn't you have your pin?

and

b: why were you still using the old bankcards which people were warned would be useless after 2010?

alwaysadub · 28-01-2011 12:18PM

Must depend on the petrol station. I know of people who've had the same type of situation and are allowed off to post the money in to them or come back with it.
At least you were lucky OP that it was your local station-would've been a lot worse if you were on the other side of the country!

Ali Babba · 28-01-2011 12:21PM

You get people trying to pull scams everyday especially in filling stations, you wouldn't believe the stories, I worked in one many years ago and it opened my eyes to how devious people can be so sorry OP, i'm with the guy behind the counter, i've seen the kind of carry on and if the guy behind the till lets you off he or she has to make up the monies owed. (Can't believe you wouldn't carry twenty or thirty euros with you though.)

prinz · 28-01-2011 12:22PM

finnegan2010 wrote: »

The bank recently WITHOUT advising me cancelled my old ATM card, To replace it with a new style one.

Common knowledge tbf it's been widely publicised.

You would have gotten your new card and pin long before the old card ceased to be accepted. If the bank had the wrong address for you and you didn't get it, that's your fault.

As above, not the guy at the till's fault, he's probably been scammed by similar stories before. Staff in some places have to cover the shortfall if people leave without paying, and people pull such scams all the time.

phasers · 28-01-2011 12:23PM

Don't put petrol in your car if you don't have the cash to pay for it on you (in cash or card form )

Petrol station ATMs suck.

listermint · 28-01-2011 12:25PM

Kimono-Girl wrote: »

^ this,

ATM's in petrol stations are faulty or empty at the best of times, so you should have had a back up...

also if you had your laser card on you then

a:why didn't you have your pin?

and

b: why were you still using the old bankcards which people were warned would be useless after 2010?

Jump down of that horse there, must be superb up there at your lofty heights. Not everyone can be as clean and crisp as you.

Normal people pay by lazer everyday, or withdraw cash from the machines in the station.

The Staff here were unreasonable to the point of being stupid. Frankly if a guard was called im sure they would have laughed too.

Do you comprehend how much an irish passport is worth on the blackmarket. Why the hell would anyone willingly leave it in a fuel station for 25 quid of petrol unless they intend to come back :rolleyes:

JohnathanM · 28-01-2011 12:25PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY_oKve-bH0

Lot of fans in this thread already.

user1842 · 28-01-2011 12:27PM

hondasam wrote: »

The were a bit unreasonable but probably have a lot of drive offs. moral of the story always carry cash. :pac:

I never carry cash, if a service provider accepts a Laser card but for some reason (apart from no balance on your account and you not having your pin) it does not work that's not your problem, its there's. Usually they would just take back the goods but that's a bit hard with petrol.

I can see prepay really coming into its own in the future

28-01-2011 12:29PM

I make a point of not carrying cash on me if I haven't a specific use for it. I'm a terrible impulse buyer, and depriving myself of cash is how I deal with it.

Unrelated to the above, it's happened to me that an insurance payment came out of my card 2 days early, leaving me in a petrol station with my poverbial pants down. Apologised & gave over my driving licence to them no bother. Returned with the money on my next payday.

You should have asked for a manager. They expect you to go ringing about, least they could do is the same to get the manager.

mikemac · 28-01-2011 12:30PM

finnegan2010 wrote: »

"Sorry sir we cant do that" I was told. Then gave him my business card which was located around the corner from his station. Again "No Sorry Sir nothing i can do here, you cant leave without paying you will need to get someone to come with the money"

We have an account with our petrol station, small business.

If this is your local station and you're often there you can do the same. Just pay up at the end of the month.
Not every station will go for this but if you're a local and known they might

But the point is the staff there didn't even know you

prinz · 28-01-2011 12:30PM

dmclean1842 wrote: »

if a service provider accepts a Laser card but for some reason (apart from no balance on your account and you not having your pin) it does not work that's not your problem, its there's.

Except of course in this instance when the OP was trying to use a card that had been cancelled. Which he should have known about for months.

listermint · 28-01-2011 12:32PM

prinz wrote: »

Except of course in this instance when the OP was trying to use a card that had been cancelled. Which he should have known about for months.

Ah yes, everyones perfect. OP was connected right up the the banks servers telepathically.

Your poop smells like perfume.

FreudianSlippers · 28-01-2011 12:33PM

dmclean1842 wrote: »

I never carry cash, if a service provider accepts a Laser card but for some reason (apart from no balance on your account and you not having your pin) it does not work that's not your problem, its there's.

Wha? Am I the only one who has no idea what this means?

yupyup7up · 28-01-2011 12:36PM

the moral of the story is to go to the ATM first to make sure you can get the money out.

I always do this in case the ATM is out of order or whatever, prepay for the fuel, then go back out and fill up!

seanybiker · 28-01-2011 12:36PM

Tis not the end of the world and at least you got to freak your brother out for 15 minutes.

prinz · 28-01-2011 12:37PM

listermint wrote: »

Ah yes, everyones perfect. OP was connected right up the the banks servers telepathically.Your poop smells like perfume.

Get a grip. Firstly, the changeover by most of the major banks from Laser to Visa Debit (only logical explanation for the OP's info) has been public knowledge for years now. If the OP owns a small business he should have known that little nugget. It was widely publicised.

Secondly the bank would have sent the OP his new replacement Visa Debit card to replace the Laser, along with a time table of when his old card is going to stop working. If they got the wrong address that's the OP's fault. No need to be telepathically linked. After receiving the new Visa Debit cards the old Laser cards still worked for a period of a few months IIRC, so it's not as if it just stopped working one day with no advance warning.

mikemac · 28-01-2011 12:37PM

Your passport is worth a lot more then €25

finnegan2010 · 28-01-2011 12:39PM

prinz wrote: »

Except of course in this instance when the OP was trying to use a card that had been cancelled. Which he should have known about for months.

I didnt know about it months ! It had worked a few days prior it was still valid.! I rang the bank and they told me they had upgraded cards and one was in the post. I was not made aware at all. No letters nothing.
In future I will check the ATM first OR have a few bob in the wallet.
My point was they were being really awkward, it seemed it was a bit of crack allmost. But im ok it just bugged me. thats all :cool:
I have been going to that station for near 10 years now and i would be SHOCKED if he didnt at least recognise my face as i fill up there quite frequently with 20 25 and 30 amounts. so at least once a week im in!
I worked in a bar before and after a while you do recognise a frequent face no matter how busy you are

Kimono-Girl · 28-01-2011 12:40PM

listermint wrote: »

Jump down of that horse there, must be superb up there at your lofty heights. Not everyone can be as clean and crisp as you.

Normal people pay by lazer everyday, or withdraw cash from the machines in the station.

The Staff here were unreasonable to the point of being stupid. Frankly if a guard was called im sure they would have laughed too.

Do you comprehend how much an irish passport is worth on the blackmarket. Why the hell would anyone willingly leave it in a fuel station for 25 quid of petrol unless they intend to come back :rolleyes:

*jumps off horse*

i wasn't referring to the actions of the staff,

i was refering to the fact the op said in his post he tried to use a card which the banks have issued many warnings and publications of, that stopped working last year,

he also didn't know his laser pin, i havent worked in retail for over 2 years and before i left we were issued with a warning from our bank that if a card has a chip you HAVE to use the pin, no more signing for things,

the op was a fault for these reasons,

finnegan2010 wrote: »

I didnt know about it months ! It had worked a few days prior it was still valid.! I rang the bank and they told me they had upgraded cards and one was in the post. I was not made aware at all. No letters nothing.
In future I will check the ATM first OR have a few bob in the wallet.
My point was they were being really awkward, it seemed it was a bit of crack allmost. But im ok it just bugged me. thats all
I have been going to that station for near 10 years now and i would be SHOCKED if he didnt at least recognise my face as i fill up there quite frequently with 20 25 and 30 amounts. so at least once a week im in!
I worked in a bar before and after a while you do recognise a frequent face no matter how busy you are

sorry op i thought you were using a regular bank card pre-chip, and had your new laser on you.

but yeah its always a good idea to check the atm first, and remember your pin!

FreudianSlippers · 28-01-2011 12:40PM

finnegan2010 wrote: »

I didnt know about it months ! It had worked a few days prior it was still valid.! I rang the bank and they told me they had upgraded cards and one was in the post. I was not made aware at all. No letters nothing.
In future I will check the ATM first OR have a few bob in the wallet.
My point was they were being really awkward, it seemed it was a bit of crack allmost. But im ok it just bugged me. thats all :cool:
I have been going to that station for near 10 years now and i would be SHOCKED if he didnt at least recognise my face as i fill up there quite frequently with 20 25 and 30 amounts. so at least once a week im in!
I worked in a bar before and after a while you do recognise a frequent face no matter how busy you are

ok, seriously: 1850 715 815

Held Hostage in Filling station for 25 Euro!

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