10 problems that can arise at a gas station and how to solve them
Tips / / January 02, 2021
The money was debited from the card, but the fuel did not enter the tank
Sergey Tsykunov, Head of Operations, Gazpromneft filling station network:
- First of all, inform the filling staff about it. At an automatic gas station where there are no personnel, contact the dispatcher using the call button on the terminal. If it is not possible to clarify the matter on the spot, contact the bank for an extract and ask to cancel the operation. Automatic columns record information about technical errors and record the status of the payment, so it will not be difficult for the bank to remove the block from the amount for which the service was not provided. But only you yourself can make a request - this is a requirement of financial security.
Similarly, if you paid for gasoline in cash, and the terminal accepted the bill, but did not perform the operation. Call the support service and explain the situation by providing the payment number, account number, amount, date, time, place. Payment terminals are usually equipped with cameras - they will confirm the fact of accepting a banknote, and collection will reveal an extra banknote in the terminal. After verification, you will be refunded. To avoid such situations, deposit cash accurately and individually.
And the main advice: regardless of the form of payment, be sure to keep all receipts left after refueling. By the way, the sensor may not respond to small volumes of fuel (about 5 liters). This sensor error is within the normal range. For example, if you refuel for 200 rubles and the arrow does not move, you should not worry.
Gasoline has already been filled, but there is not enough money to pay for all fuel
Dimil Daminov, chairman of the public organization "Committee for the Protection of Consumer Rights":
- Any other product taken in excess of the financial limit can be returned at the checkout. This will not work with gasoline, and this must be understood. If the consumer ordered more fuel than he can pay, it is his mistake.
The way out of this situation is regulated not so much by law as by relations between people. Either a person will find acquaintances who will transfer money to his card, or he can leave his data in order to pay for fuel later. If the second option suits the seller, then why not.
If a conflict arises, the cashier has the right to call the police. You definitely shouldn't just leave the gas station. In this case, either administrative or criminal liability will arise. Everything will depend on the amount at which the taken away gasoline is estimated.
When paying with a card, the money for gas was debited twice
Press service of Sberbank PJSC:
- Three financial organizations are involved in cashless payments:
- an acquirer bank, which organizes automated acceptance of non-cash payments at a point of sale;
- payment system, for example MasterCard, Visa, Mir;
- the issuing bank that issued your card.
The request from the outlet goes to the acquiring bank, and from there it is sent to the payment system. If purchase information is accidentally shared twice, a second write-off may occur.
The same problem can be caused by a failure in the payment system or processing center, failure of technical means, random interference in signal transmission, terminal malfunction or human factor.
Most often, the system itself recognizes the error and the bank automatically returns the money. If this does not happen, contact the contact center: the number can be found on the back of the card and on the bank's website. During the call, you will need to inform the operator:
- passport data;
- the name of the outlet (or site);
- the date and time of the purchase;
- the exact amount of the purchase;
- operation number.
You can find purchase information in your Internet Bank.
To quickly resolve the issue of double debit, you need to keep track of all payments. To do this, we recommend connecting the service of informing about the transactions performed and installing the bank's mobile application.
If a call to the contact center does not solve the problem, you can go to the bank branch or send a request by registered mail. It will take some time for its consideration, it is regulated by the internal rules of the credit institution.
If a technical error is found, the funds will be returned to the client's account within a few days. If the bank employees have the opinion that two purchases were made in a row, the analysis of the situation can last from two weeks to three months.
Forgot to pull the gun out of the tank and tore it out along with the hose
Alexey Nosov, executive secretary of the "Automotoassociation":
- In such a situation, the most important thing is not to panic and in no case leave the gas station. Firstly, there are cameras at the gas station and you will still be charged for damage, but through the search with all the ensuing consequences. Secondly, it is an accident. And for leaving the scene, liability is provided in the form of deprivation of rights for up to 1.5 years or up to 15 days of arrest.
It is also not worth counting on compensation for compulsory motor third party liability insurance, some insurance companies interpret such cases as accidents on the departmental territory and refuse to pay. This, of course, is illegal, but you have to look for the truth in court.
I would recommend calling the traffic police and registering a traffic accident, and then getting a certificate of the accident and a refusal to initiate administrative proceedings. You didn't break the traffic rules, you just caused damage. The easiest and most affordable way is to agree with the administrator of the gas station on compensation and sign the corresponding agreement, which must be confirmed by the signature of the official and the seal. This will save you further difficulties. Once again: there is no traffic violation, you will not be held liable, but the damage will have to be compensated.
Sergey Tsykunov, Head of Operations, Gazpromneft filling station network:
- In the event of minor damage (rupture of the clutch, breakage of the fuel dispensing valve), if the driver did not hide and admitted his guilt, we usually go forward. We take the costs on ourselves and do not even contact the insurance company. My advice to drivers who find themselves in such an awkward situation: stop and contact the gas station employees. But if you hide from the scene, you ruin your insurance history.
After refueling, the car started to work strangely
Oksana Borodina, Deputy Head of the State Supervision and Control Department of Rosstandart:
- For compensation for harm, you can apply directly to the gas station or send a claim to Rosstandart or MTU Rosstandart in writing or in electronic form (through ESIA).
Be sure to attach to the letter a receipt confirming the purchase of fuel and identifying a legal entity or individual the entrepreneur, the name and address of the gas station where the fuel was purchased, other documents and information confirming the facts of harm or threat causing harm.
Based on your request, Rosstandart may conduct an unscheduled inspection of the gas station. Always keep your receipt and keep in mind that the remaining fuel in the car's tank is not evidence when deciding whether to pay damages.
Dimil Daminov, chairman of the public organization "Committee for the Protection of Consumer Rights":
- There can be many reasons for changing the behavior of a car, fuel is not the main one. In order to prove that the malfunction has arisen, for example, due to low-quality gasoline, it is necessary to conduct research on exactly the type of fuel that was purchased at the gas station. A sample taken from the tank will not be suitable for examination, since it will almost certainly be a mixture with the remains of the previous gasoline, it may also contain foreign deposits, condensate.
If you suspect that low-quality fuel has caused engine malfunctions, I recommend immediately contacting a service center for diagnostics. And at the same time, initiate sampling at the gas station for verification in a certified laboratory. It is better to immediately drive up to the same dispenser and purchase fuel again, but this time in a canister. This should be done in the presence of witnesses, or even better - by recording the process with a video camera of a smartphone, tablet or video recorder.
Naturally, you need to draw up a claim in two copies, one of which is handed over to the administration of the gas station. According to the law, if a consumer has questions about the quality of a product, he makes a complaint to the seller, and he is obliged to conduct research at his own expense. If the seller refuses to carry out an examination, the consumer can oblige him to do it through a court. As a result, the seller will pay both the expertise and legal costs. But keep in mind that in the event of a loss, the plaintiff will have to pay the costs.
Accidentally filled the car to a full tank
Dimil Daminov, chairman of the public organization "Committee for the Protection of Consumer Rights":
- This can happen if the terminals are set by default to fill to full and start dispensing as soon as the gun is in the tank. But no service can be imposed, which means that the consumer is not obliged to pay for a full tank if he did not order such a volume of fuel. If we speak strictly according to the law, then the order is made directly at the checkout, and not in the process of talking with the refueller.
Sergey Tsykunov, Head of Operations, Gazpromneft filling station network:
- If the refueling rules are not posted in a conspicuous place and the client is not notified about the specifics of the provision of services, you do not need to pay for the fuel that you did not order. We adhere to this policy at the filling stations of our network. If the rules are posted, and you ignored them, then the error was made due to your inattention. When refueling on his own, the customer must control the fuel filling process himself.
The tanker mixed up the pistols and filled in diesel instead of gasoline
Dimil Daminov, chairman of the public organization "Committee for the Protection of Consumer Rights":
- It is difficult to imagine how one can technically make such a mistake. If, nevertheless, the stars converged and this happened, then this is definitely the fault of the gas station. It is necessary to draw up an appropriate act at the gas station immediately, and all costs associated with draining fuel, flushing the fuel system will be borne by the company.
From the category of incredible: no one, neither the tanker, nor the cashier, nor the car owner himself noticed the error, and the car stalled outside the gas station. In this case, again, it is necessary to draw up an act and ask witnesses - passengers or other drivers - to sign the document. One copy must be kept for yourself, the other delivered to the gas station. Refueling workers must also be invited to the service station, where they will check the causes of technical malfunctions in the car. It is better to send a written request by mail.
It happens that the driver arrives for a gas station in his spouse's car, car-sharing or company car. In this case, he can, out of habit, tell the refueller or the operator at the checkout the fuel with which he usually fills his car - and he will be filled with it. To prevent this from happening, I recommend that you check the recommendations for choosing fuel on the car flap before making an order.
I'm not sure if the exact amount of fuel was poured.
Oksana Borodina, Deputy Head of the State Supervision and Control Department of Rosstandart:
- All fuel dispensers are subject to mandatory verification, which is carried out every 3 years at the Rosstandart CSM, after which they are sealed by a verifier. Interfering with the work of the shopping mall is illegal. Rosstandart checks the quality and accuracy of the fuel filling at the filling station on a planned basis, having previously notified the organization about the visit. There are also unscheduled checks on the facts of "underfilling" - they are carried out if citizens apply to us with a complaint about a particular gas station.
Sergey Tsykunov, Head of Operations, Gazpromneft filling station network:
- The staff of the gas station is obliged to monitor the exact supply of fuel. For this we use a metrological device - an exemplary attorney measure - at least once a week. In addition, a mobile control group operates at the filling stations of our network; it examines the dispensers for the dispensing dose, including in the mode of sudden checks. You can always contact the petrol station employees to check in your presence.
The tanker poured me more gas than I asked for
Sergey Tsykunov, Head of Operations, Gazpromneft filling station network:
- Before filling gasoline, the refueller must repeat your order aloud, and you must confirm it. The same should be done by the operator-cashier when you pay for the fuel. This means that you agree to the order. These rules are established for all gas stations in Russia.
If this did not happen and you were poured more gasoline than you ordered, you will not be able to return it to the column. You will need to write an application for a check at a gas station.
I was not told about the promotion, and I missed the profit
Dimil Daminov, chairman of the public organization "Committee for the Protection of Consumer Rights":
- You should not count on compensation in such cases. This sounds like consumer extremism. All the conditions of the action are posted on the websites of the companies, and it makes no sense to say that the consumer was deprived of the opportunity to participate. The organizers will always prove that the information was posted in the public domain and anyone could get acquainted with it.
Sergey Tsykunov, Head of Operations, Gazpromneft filling station network:
- Of course, the staff is always ready to suggest or explain the rules of participation in the action you are interested in. However, the operator is not responsible for informing about all the promotions taking place at the gas station - otherwise it would take much more time to service one client. To keep abreast of current promotions and draws, I advise you to follow the news on the official website, on the official pages on social networks or in the mobile application of the gas station network.