Petrol stations docking staff pay for drive offs

[mada]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/bett...driveoffs.html

Maybe these good employers should look at extending their great policy to cover robberies too. Pretty sure most low paid workers are able to prevent them from happening 99% of the time.

[98tls]

Hardly news they have been doing it for at least 2 years that i know of,supermarket owners no doubt will follow suit.

[scumdog]

Next thing the electrical companies will charge the meter-reader for electricity being stolen by people 'jumping' the meter...

Ass-wipes.

[caspernz]

Simple problem and it has a simple solution. Pay at pump, end of story.

As for workers being silly enough to sign such a draconian employment contract...join a union and get a real employment contract maybe?

[mossy1200]

My wife works at a bank. Good news is if there is a bank robbery we cant afford to pay the money back. Bankruptcy is the only option.

[mada]

Simple problem and it has a simple solution. Pay at pump, end of story.

As for workers being silly enough to sign such a draconian employment contract...join a union and get a real employment contract maybe?

I think the issue with number 1 is that a lot of petrol stations don't operate that way because they make most of their money from customers who fill up then come in to pay and buy extra stuff inside. If everything is pre-pay the businesses may not make profits.

If this has been happening as long as suggested, the unions must have been aware of it and have done SFA to do anything about it eg. raising media attention. Most of the people affected will be youngens who don't join unions because with their experience and youth are naïve in thinking employer wont try to rip me off and fuck me over. Some have said it's not even in the employment agreements - which then would be illegal.

[pete376403]

BP stations have multiple cameras on the forecourt (almost as many as they have watching their employees). Footage of drive offs is recorded and sent to a collections agency. They have no reason or right to deduct from the employees pay. Other brands are more than likely to have similar setups but I do know this to be a fact wrt BP.

[R650R]

BP stations have multiple cameras on the forecourt (almost as many as they have watching their employees). Footage of drive offs is recorded and sent to a collections agency. They have no reason or right to deduct from the employees pay. Other brands are more than likely to have similar setups but I do know this to be a fact wrt BP.

Whether or not the collection agency gets anything is another story.
This is a civil matter as no theft can be proved (unless repeat offender) and there is nothing to force the registered owner (if the details are correct) to say who was driving.
There is no contract in place therefore the debt agency has no power to collect. They can only be used when people 'forget' their wallet and sign the form to pay later.
Our local police FB page is filled with blurry pictures of people not paying for gas...

I'm against the attendants being deducted as that is not right, some good lawyer will sort these places out.

I used to work in a servo awhile back when petrol was a lot cheaper. We had a few drive offs but mostly ferals would feign surprise that their eftpos card was declined.
Once they 'promise' to come back and pay there is no legal avenue to collect on them and the cost outweighs the gas anyway.
We would go straight out to their car and take a jack or spare wheel. Both of which would sell for around $30-$40.
Best one wa slady that didn't pay for $30 of gas, we sold her wheel for $40 six months later, the day before she came in wanting it for her WOF.
She went septic when she found out, but tough bikkies she had six months to pay, too late.

One day we seized half a car load of artwork, a toaster and a jug that turned out to be burglary goods. The guy said he was moving house, yeah someone elses house!
The boss came in and looked at it, you numbskull a person who cant pay for their gas doesn't own artwork like this!!!

[Scuba_Steve]

This is a civil matter as no theft can be proved (unless repeat offender) and there is nothing to force the registered owner (if the details are correct) to say who was driving.

Why can't theft be proved? the fuel is moved offsite without paying isn't it? is it just you can't see the transfer, but then the accounting on the pumps (and computer systems controlling it) should be proof enough shouldn't it?
Also if the courts can illegally steal money from people for "speeding" (which I'm told is a civil case), why cant they do the same for fuel theft... something that actually affects NZers

[bogan]

Next thing the electrical companies will charge the meter-reader for electricity being stolen by people 'jumping' the meter...

Ass-wipes.

Next thing after that they might task some members of society with preventing such people taking such things that do not belong to them...

Nah, that'll never work though

[AllanB]

Not legal to do that. Wait for the public outcry and fuel station PR machine kicking into gear.

WANKERS to the thieves and WANKERS to the thieving employers.

[haydes55]

BP stations have multiple cameras on the forecourt (almost as many as they have watching their employees). Footage of drive offs is recorded and sent to a collections agency. They have no reason or right to deduct from the employees pay. Other brands are more than likely to have similar setups but I do know this to be a fact wrt BP.

I was told by an ex BP employee, the camera systems are minutes by a computer system which monitors most gas stations. If a vehicle has stolen gas, been reported stolen or the plates can't be read/scanned, an alarm goes off so the attendant knows to not activate the pump unless pre paid.

As for not being able to prove the theft, the vehicle contains stolen goods. Petrol is a good (good English). If a vehicle owner claims innocence, they could still be done for receiving stolen goods.

It's illegal for a company to pay less than minimum wage, which after the pay is docked, many employees are effectively under paid. That's illegal. If pay docking is in your contract, then they can dock your pay with your consent.

The thing I don't get though, is the guy on the news was saying if$100 gas was stolen, he would be docked $100. But gas stations have insurance, and they have accountants. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if a shop writes off goods as stolen, they don't have to pay tax's on the goods, so $100 at the pump, only costs the station $50, so they still make a profit when docking pay.

[Big Dog]

When I worked managing gas stations it was not legal. Did not stop competitors doing it. The brand I have in mind did not dock wages but they put pressure on employees to stump up if they wanted shifts. If the employees could show they did everything according to policy, such as writing down plates on all cars before unlocking pumps etc they would be told not to worry about it.

I once ha to stand someone down while an investigation was carried out.

Because I identified a pattern. Drive offs were 200% higher when he was on shift. Didn't matter what shift. Compare to the same shift on the same day different week with different attendant so I went through the records. The same license plate was represented only on days the attendant was on.

Near as I could tell he was writing the bogus plate down for someone who did pay. Then later on someone would come in and pump the same amount but not come in or pay. Which of course was now what the cash payment earlier was rung off against.

Gave the tapes to the experts. Handed it over to HR.

I reckon he was bilking about $500 a week. Never underestimate the cunning of a minimum wage employee. Not even those paid fairly above the minimum wage.

I left before that was resolved but I believe he as terminated.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[scumdog]

and there is nothing to force the registered owner (if the details are correct) to say who was driving.
!

Maybe they can't be 'forced'.
But if they didn't say who was driving it might cost them court time and dollars, lots at times.

[willytheekid]

Just Bullshit aint it

The lowest pay pack = The most work, responciblity and personal repercussions

...funny, when I did my management studys many many years ago...I was taught to accept FULL responcibility for my staff's actions...not pass the fucking buck! (Its why I got paid more!)

Ive been in absolute fucking AWE at the current "standards" of management and Corporate operations within NZ...it USED to be that if you knew your shit, where good with organisation & time management and had great people skills, you where management material

....But now days??, it seems if your blatantly incompetant!...never actually done the job before, have no morals or ethical standards "holding you back" and are willing to screw the fuck out fo your workers for more "profit"...and your mate could get you into the job....your fucking management material!?!


...glad my boss knows not to try this shit...he sits within striking distance! (Oh I'd be getting MY money back!...and he'd be getting an "attitude adjustment", its what your meant to do to arseholes!)