Is a minimum delivery of petrol legal?

Blitzkrieger · 10-03-2011 06:34PM #1

I filled up in my local petrol station a few days ago and went in to pay. There was a woman in front of me arguing with the owner, who took my money while saying wearily : "There's a minimum delivery of 10 Euro for cars". I heard herself saying : "I don't have to pay." while I was on my way out the door, and it was clearly an argument the owner has had before.

My question is - does she have to pay? I mean I can't imagine putting less than 10 Euro's worth of petrol into my car, but is it legal to enforce a minimum delivery? And is 10 Euro normal? I can only remember seeing "Minimum delivery 2 litres" on petrol pumps.

irish_goat · 10-03-2011 06:37PM

If it's clearly stated at the pumps then there's no problem.

If it's only stated once you've already put some petrol into your car and gone to pay there's nothing they can do about it.

It seems like a strange rule, it's not like it costs the petrol station anything more if someone only chooses to say buy €5 of petrol, unless it's a particularly busy station. I can't imagine they'll take you to court if you do pump €5 and just leave the money in front of the cashier in a take it or leave it kind of way.

-Corkie- · 10-03-2011 06:37PM

I dont think so unless its in certain filling stations. Min delivery is normally 2 litres. My tank for the lawnmower takes 5 litres and I never have a bother paying..

Guy:Incognito · 10-03-2011 06:38PM

They own the petrol so they set the rules. Complications in law arise with the petrol already beign in the car and the person not being informed of minimums beforehand though.

But they can enforce a rule where you have to fill your tank if they want. No one is forced to use that petrol station.

biko · 10-03-2011 07:09PM

Which garage is it? Just curious, I usually fill to brim every time.
It doesn't make sense to me to have a €10 rule. What if I'm running dry and only have €6 on me? That's still many litres of fuel.
Perhaps I'm filling a jerry car that only holds five litres?

slimjimmc · 10-03-2011 07:52PM

Was she paying cash or by credit card? Many retailers have a minimum spend for credit cards otherwise bank charges outweigh any profit. Since cards are not legal tender the retailer doesn't have to accept them as payment for the debt.

The Bishop Basher · 10-03-2011 08:05PM

I often stick a fiver in at the local station just to get me into one of the cheaper stations near work so i can fill up there. It's a matter of principal. He's the only one in the area and knows it so reflects it in his prices.

Bandara · 10-03-2011 08:05PM

Only a complete and utter gob****e refuses customers because they are not spending enough money for his liking

The worlds gone mad.

robinph · 10-03-2011 08:11PM

I'd say it's a "not less than €10 charged to a card" and nothing to do with if you drove in the the petrol station in a car, bike or lawnmower and how much petrol they will sell you. She just needed to have a different method of paying for her items, or buy a bar of chocolate or something to take the price over a tenner.

Minimum delivery of 2 litres is usual, but they have never said anything about the minimum cost at the pump.

Lord Nikon · 10-03-2011 08:11PM

If all I have to 2euro to put in the tank, then 2euro it is. Your not happy, you can cyphon it yourself.

dlofnep · 10-03-2011 08:13PM

I normally see minimum delivery 2 litres - but never 10 euro.

PeakOutput · 10-03-2011 08:16PM

i imagine the reasoning behind it is they make a loss serving you and taking your 5 euro.

something like 85 cent out of every euro you spend on petrol in this country is tax so on that 5 euro the station gets 75 cent, that has to cover the electircity the pump used, and the salary of the person serving you amongst other things i imagine. it is a petty rule but they probably are genuinely making a loss if you only fill up 5 euro

a solution would be to make the price of gas decrease the more you fill up so say 2 euro a litre for the first 10/15 euro 1.75 for the next 5euro then 1.50 and progessively down so that if you fill your tank it costs you the same if not slightly less then it costs you to fill it now

andyseadog · 10-03-2011 08:20PM

PeakOutput wrote: »

something like 85 cent out of every euro you spend on petrol in this country is tax so on that 5 euro the station gets 75 cent, that has to cover the electircity the pump used, and the salary of the person serving you amongst other things i imagine. it is a petty rule but they probably are genuinely making a loss if you only fill up 5 euro

careful now talking logically like that or we could end up with another "why wont the empty garage fit 4 tyres for 40 euro" thread!

Terrontress · 10-03-2011 08:41PM

slimjimmc wrote: »

Was she paying cash or by credit card? Many retailers have a minimum spend for credit cards otherwise bank charges outweigh any profit. Since cards are not legal tender the retailer doesn't have to accept them as payment for the debt.

Credit cards are charged on a percentage basis. If they are charged 1.5%, the fee will be 1.5c on a euro and 15c on ten.

One time in Spain a garage refused to take a credit card off me as I didn't have my passport with me. This was in spite of me having supplied my PIN and signing the docket. I told them that they were welcome to take the petrol back if they had a problem. I would do the same in this instance.

robinph · 10-03-2011 08:44PM

Terrontress wrote: »

Credit cards are charged on a percentage basis. If they are charged 1.5%, the fee will be 1.5c on a euro and 15c on ten.

the %'age is only charged once the transaction is over a tenner, below that it is a fixed rate.

mikemac · 10-03-2011 08:51PM

I owned a scooter and often spent around €5 on fuel, never once was that an issue.
Not possible for me to fit €10 of fuel in the tank.....though with the way prices are going maybe one day soon lol

I think this might have been an issue with paying by credit card, some places have a €10 minimum spend

bennyx_o · 10-03-2011 09:13PM

Terrontress wrote: »

Credit cards are charged on a percentage basis. If they are charged 1.5%, the fee will be 1.5c on a euro and 15c on ten.

One time in Spain a garage refused to take a credit card off me as I didn't have my passport with me. This was in spite of me having supplied my PIN and signing the docket. I told them that they were welcome to take the petrol back if they had a problem. I would do the same in this instance.

Slightly OT, but when I lived in Madrid, every shop I used a Visa card in asked for ID. It's a requirement to have ID on you at all times there, the police have the power to ask to see your ID anywhere

PeakOutput · 10-03-2011 09:32PM

if you read the op it is specifically mentioned that he said the minimum for cars is 10euro

zuroph · 10-03-2011 09:35PM

PeakOutput wrote: »

if you read the op it is specifically mentioned that he said the minimum for cars is 10euro

possibly misoverheard "the minimum for CARDS is ten euro", which would be a fairly standard rule.

dr.fuzzenstein · 10-03-2011 09:37PM

zuroph wrote: »

possibly misoverheard "the minimum for CARDS is ten euro", which would be a fairly standard rule.

Actually in that case I'd have to agree, I do not expect my card to be accepted for anything under a tenner.
Minimum fuel purchase of E10?
Never heard of it, cannot be, my money is on cards, not cars.

zuroph · 10-03-2011 09:40PM

Gov should reduce the dependancy on cash by forcing banks to scrap charges for card transactions, Ireland has a ridiculously high dependency on cash, once Laser dies later this year and visa debit becomes the standard, all shops should be encouraged to upgrade hardware and allow any value transactions through on card.

testicle · 10-03-2011 09:42PM

Blitzkrieger wrote: »

I filled up in my local petrol station a few days ago and went in to pay. There was a woman in front of me arguing with the owner, who took my money while saying wearily : "There's a minimum delivery of 10 Euro for cars".

Are you sure you didn't mishear a minimum of 10 euro for cards?

CiniO · 10-03-2011 10:21PM

On my nearest petrol station it says "minimum delivery 2 litres".
But I remember once I went there, and bought 0.5 litre of petrol (I needed some to clean the paints after painting and couldn't get white spirit anywhere). There was no problem. I paid something like 70 cents without any hassle.
.

bailey99 · 14-03-2011 10:30PM

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Thanks

Stinicker · 14-03-2011 11:34PM

In my Local Tesco filling station they have a sign up in store informing customers that the minimum transaction on Laser or Credit Cards is €10, I am sure they will sell you a small amount of petrol just have the cash ready and not a Credit Card.

How do scooter drivers fare where the most they take is about a gallon of petrol? Or do they just buy a big container and fill up at home?

In Thailand on every street corner you have stores selling litre whiskey bottles of Petrol for scooters and the more enterprising have it in an oil barrel complete with glass measure and pump, just how it was about 85 years ago!

Stealthirl · 15-03-2011 03:07AM

zuroph wrote: »

Gov should reduce the dependancy on cash by forcing banks to scrap charges for card transactions, Ireland has a ridiculously high dependency on cash, once Laser dies later this year and visa debit becomes the standard, all shops should be encouraged to upgrade hardware and allow any value transactions through on card.

sorry to go OT but what ?

Senna · 15-03-2011 03:16AM

Stealthirl wrote: »

sorry to go OT but what ?

PTSB have already replaced Lazer with Visa Debit, i assume that other banks are following.

Our man in Havana · 15-03-2011 11:09AM

All the banks apart from the 2 dinosaurs (AIB and BOI) have abandoned Laser for Visa Debit.

Tea 1000 · 15-03-2011 12:00PM

zuroph wrote: »

Gov should reduce the dependancy on cash by forcing banks to scrap charges for card transactions, Ireland has a ridiculously high dependency on cash, once Laser dies later this year and visa debit becomes the standard, all shops should be encouraged to upgrade hardware and allow any value transactions through on card.

Nothing rediculous about cash.

15-03-2011 12:10PM

PeakOutput wrote: »

i imagine the reasoning behind it is they make a loss serving you and taking your 5 euro.

something like 85 cent out of every euro you spend on petrol in this country is tax so on that 5 euro the station gets 75 cent, that has to cover the electircity the pump used, and the salary of the person serving you amongst other things i imagine. it is a petty rule but they probably are genuinely making a loss if you only fill up 5 euro

That doesn't make any sense. The salary is being paid regardless. The difference between the electricity used to power the pump for 10 x 5 litres or 1 x 50 litres is negligible, if it exists at all. The only cost difference between 10 cars filling up 5 litres and 1 car filling up 50 litres would be in a busy station, where a queue of 10 cars might put off any other people, but even that would be a very rare situation

Blitzkrieger · 15-03-2011 01:36PM

testicle wrote: »

Are you sure you didn't mishear a minimum of 10 euro for cards?

Definitely said cars. I can remember two occaisions where I got less that 10 Euro worth of petrol there (once on a motorbike and once in a can) but he had to repeat himself so I'm sure.

Is a minimum delivery of petrol legal?

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