Anger as fuel bill higher than advertised on sign
AT TOWN STORE’S
A driver from Hinckley was angered after he paid for his petrol, only to find he had been charged more than the advertised price.
David Lord pulled in at the petrol station at Morrisons in Clover Field and filled up on Wednesday, March 9.
At 9.20am, he paid £68.60 for 43.5 litres of diesel, charged at £1.577 per litre. But all the while the totem pole sign at the entrance to the forecourt was beaming out a cheaper price of £1.557 per litre.
He claims he questioned the discrepancy with the cashier and they said they had not had time to update the sign.
The frustrated motorist took to Facebook minutes later to post pictures of his receipt and the sign.
He warned his fellow residents: “Be careful, don’t be fooled by the prices they’re advertising as they charge you more at the till.”
Mr Lord gets through a tank of diesel every couple of days as he transports children to and from school, and says he spends about £200 and rising a week on fuel.
A spokesman for Morrisons said “We can confirm it was an isolated incident that should not have happened.
“We are reaching out to the customer to apologise.
“Our prices fluctuate daily, there is no scheduled pattern, but the pole signs in most instances automatically update to the same price as the pumps. At some locations this automatic update isn’t possible due to the distance from the pole sign to the kiosk or interference from buildings / trees as it is transmitted by radio signal.
“The store teams are aware of their obligation to update the pole sign by the appropriate means for their store.
“I have passed the feedback on to the store manager for investigation, and can assure you this is not a common occurrence, and steps have been taken to make sure this does not happen again.”
Petrol prices are continuing to rise across the country, with warnings that the Ukraine conflict is likely to lead to even higher charges.
Experts at consumer rights group Which? advised to stick to supermarkets for the best prices, and to avoid premium versions of unleaded.
Adam French, from the group, said: “Millions of motorists will be worried by these record-high fuel prices but there are steps all drivers can take to minimise their bills.
“Ways to keep fuel consumption low include driving smoothly, changing gears early to avoid revving the engine, sticking to a lower speed, turning off fuel-sapping equipment and emptying your boot before a journey.”