A man has been left 'gobsmacked' after filling up his car with £15 worth of petrol at a Tesco fuel station - and seeing £120 come out of his bank account.
Scott had paid a visit to an Esso Tesco in Manchester earlier this week, paying for his fuel at the pump and thinking he'd only been charged for the amount he put in.
But after checking his bank account a short while later, he was shocked to discover he'd actually been charged eight times that amount instead.
Manchester Evening News reports that this comes after another driver was charged the same amount of money for her petrol just last week, leaving her "absolutely fuming".
After noticing the extra charge and trying to contact his bank, Scott returned to the Manchester petrol station thinking there had been some kind of mistake.
But when he went back he spotted a sign at the cash desk that warned drivers of the extra charge.
A notice at the tills said: "Please note, paying at pump with your card will automatically charge £120 then refund the difference back to your account from your fuel total."
The policy is being rolled out at petrol stations across the UK thanks to the rising cost of fuel, and is intended to stop people driving off without paying for fuel, or filling their car with more than they can afford.
The move hasn't received a warm welcome from drivers though, who have accused the supermarket giant of "robbery." Speaking to the M.E.N, Scott said law-abiding customers shouldn't be punished.
"I was gobsmacked, the financial implications of this are huge," he said. "They shouldn’t be putting this in in the first place. Have more security at pumps if that is the issue.
"What if there was a family filling up on their way to Tesco and only had £120 left in their bank and then went to try and do a food shop and couldn't pay?
"It is crazy. The sign is inside the shop so how is someone supposed to know about it if they pay at the pump? I’m lucky that I have access to funds until the money comes back into my account but it’s the principal."
Scott said it was the first time he had used that particular petrol station, and only topped up £15 as his petrol light had come on, and he didn't have time to find somewhere cheaper.
"I went to the pump where it’s pay at the pump only. I did the normal stuff and didn’t see any signs. I just put £15 of petrol in the car," he said.
"Around an hour later I was checking something on my internet banking and I saw that £120 had been taken out by pay at pump Ardwick. I couldn’t get through to my bank so I went back to the store and asked to speak to a manager. I spoke to a security guard who asked me if the amount was £120.
"When I said yes he said it was normal and that it should go back into my account shortly. I had a look around and that’s when I saw the sign inside the shop. I spoke to a manager who was brilliant but there wasn’t a lot he could do.
"He said it could take up to three days for the money to go back into my account but most people need that money now, it’s not a couple of quid it’s £120."
Scott said that it took over 12 hours for the money to land back in his account. Some Tesco petrol garages still only take £1 from accounts, but the new £120-checking system will be rolled out to all of them by the end of the year.
Tesco explained that the fee is in line with with Mastercard and Visa requirements. The company added that the money should be released back to the account immediately but if this does not happen, customers are advised to speak to their bank.
A Tesco spokesman said: “We’re really sorry to hear about this. The funds that are reserved whilst a customer refuels at Pay at Pump should be immediately released back into the customer’s account. If this has not happened, we would recommend that the customer contacts their card issuer to resolve the issue.”
The system only affects pay at pump transactions, so if you pay in the kiosk, you'll still be charged for what you have bought.
Mastercard told The Sun: "Although customers may notice in their banking apps an initial transaction for a higher ‘pre-authorised’ amount than the fuel they bought, this is very temporary, as almost immediately after the sale is made the exact value of fuel dispensed is withdrawn from their account, and any remainder of the pre-authorised amount is released for use.
"Should cardholders experience any issues or have any questions regarding this new process they should contact their bank."
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