Effing ASDA 24hour petrol pumps!!!

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Fri Jul 09, 2004 6:35 am

Anyone else had trouble with these M****F****rs?! I got peed off enough tonight to put a formal complaint in their customer comments book (wow, first the police, now asda, i think i've finally become a teenager, at 22). The bloody things simply don't work reliably with credit or debit cards, least not from Lloyds....... surely that's the whole thing behind their operation? If that doesn't work, turn the lights off and cone the entire forecourt off rather than just the non-card pumps.

If anyone else has had trouble by this, been inconvenienced, humiliated, stranded, robbed of card etc, mebbe we can get a group complaint going against them...

Apparently, as the nice lady (not her fault, bless 'er) who provided me with the book eventually remembered, you have to preregister your card with them during the hours that the kiosks are manned! Fat lot of good that does you if you're passing thru and they are the only place open! Nor either that there were NOT any signs at the actual station telling you of this, or any more infomative replies on the high-rez (but HUGE FONT) card-pump displays other than "REFER TO KIOSK" or "CARD NOT ACCEPTED". Grrrrr.

I went over there because I already knew i was low, and the car started to choke a little on the way across the car park (after buying some wee-hours groceries). Most pissed off that I couldn't fuel up there. Put in another couple of pints from the spare can (or what i thought was that much.... took bloody long enough - 2 pints surely enough to get to the next station, 3 or 4 miles away?), and stuttered back to the supermarket to make my complaint.

After all, how screwed would I have been if I didn't have that spare can, going there in preference to somewhere else because I knew it was 24 hours with low prices? Most unhappy.
Especially, as she confided, considering they didn't have any security staff on duty, and therefore no-one with the keys to make the kiosks operable anyway. (no security at 4am?! with all that booze/home electronics about, unlocked doors, and maybe 15 shelf-stackers/etc total throughout a MASSIVE store, who didn't even challenge me when i absent-mindedly took a shortcut thru the alcopops aisle? I smell a great opportunity for removing my numberplates, putting on a balaclava, grabbing a trolley, and making a massive haul)

Worse still, that the last time I went there, 6 whole weeks ago, they were having similar problems - which culminated with the bloody machine eating my card and having to be given the electronic equivalent of a smacked bottom to eject it. But, still no fix, no warning signs or stickers even.

So, I decided to switch allegiance to the similarly-cheap and only slightly out of the way Tesco garage instead. Properly 24 hours, always someone on duty, never any trouble with using my cards there.
Except that the 2 pints either weren't, or my tank is leaking worse than I thought. PROPERLY conked out most the way up a slight hill (propped the throttle all the way down to 1st, like an idiot i thought i could make it to the level ground at the top)... after spending a while putting more than half the 5 litre can in, had to get it back to level halfway down (long, slow roll...) and crank the engine over for what could have been a whole minute before it even caught slightly (sooooooo glad of the new fanbelt - feels almost like i've got a new battery) - and another minute til it ran continuously.

Therefore, having that unneccessary escapade, and ended up home 30 mins later than expected, am very hacked off at asda. At myself also, for letting it get that low, not being a good judge of volume, and trusting them again, but mainly at asda for allowing something so stupid in the first place. Wont be back there for a good long time.

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Fri Jul 09, 2004 7:29 pm

I have the same problem at the local tesco filling station. I just assumed it didn't like solo or electron cards (despite them being shown on the 'accepted cards' sign..), so I gave up and I just go into the kiosk now. Must ask next time why I can't use the automatic card readers..

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 4:44 am

interesting, p'raps its different round your way

tesco here i never have a problem (though, they didnt used to accept electron when thats all i had, driving mums punto

... maybe they still dont take 'mickey mouse' cards

).... just whack the 'pay at pump' button, insert card, and away.

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 8:16 pm

I asked about it today. The pumps don't take solo or electron, despite having a sign on them saying that they do... nice and logical, that. Just have to remember never to buy petrol before checking there's someone in the kiosk, I guess... luckily I never let it get far into the reserve tank, so I shouldn't run out (hopefully

)

toXXin · Post by **toXXin** » Wed Jul 14, 2004 2:47 pm

The Tesco pumps round here say they don't accept Solo or Electron...you 17 year olds will just have to get cash!

No Tesco pumps will read my Clubcard so I have to go in...it's always a right pain as there's some doddery idiot with a basket full of shopping in front of me.

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Wed Jul 14, 2004 5:59 pm

Only a couple of months until the natwest and halifax will give me debit cards useful as anything other than picking my teeth with... I do look forward to that day.