Police on trail of 14c a litre petrol buyers

[Postie]

18.11.05 2.00pm

Motueka police have begun gathering information in an effort to recover about $1600 after a petrol pricing mistake at the Challenge Riwaka service station last month.

An amnesty for payment by 39 eftpos cardholders, whose accounts were used to buy petrol at just 14.4 cents a litre, expired last week. The case was passed to the police on Tuesday.
"At the moment, they are obtaining the information they need. It will probably be later this week or early next week when they will be in a position to contact card holders," Jan Cramond from the service station said yesterday.

Two more card holders have approached Challenge Riwaka since the amnesty ended, bringing the total recovered to about $1220.

Some had made arrangements to pay off the outstanding amounts over time, Mrs Cramond said.

[ktulu]

Thanks for the update mate.

I am sure there is a few lawyers around wanting to sink their teeth in to this one!

[Marmoot]

I think if a shop puts out the wrong price and charge the wrong amount, then the blame is with the shop.

That's my policy for my shop anyway. :mellow:

[SimJen]

I reckon the servo should absorb the loss.....
Lawyers would have a fielday with it for sure, wasn't exactly stealing.......although it was obviously wrong and good honest people wouldn't abuse the situation.
Cops are pushing shit uphill as usual. Should concentrate on a real crime, but it will keep them off speeding bikers backs ;)

[bugjuice]

"Some had made arrangements to pay off the outstanding amounts over time." Mrs Cramond said.

how much did they fuckin put in?!?!
And going from the mighty thread this first kicked off, can't they just say 'oh, didn't know I did it, and didn't notice the price thing...' and they get off it?

[Marmoot]

and whoever gets sued for theft should be able to sue the petrol station back for defamation.

[Lou Girardin]

Cops as debt collectors eh?
All the Nelson burglars must have been caught.

[sanchez]

I wonder how many car/bike theft cases are sitting around while they're chasing up this crap.

[WINJA]

FUCK THE PIGS ,ANYTHING BUT SOLVING CRIME I SPOSE

[Coyote]

As I said the last time around, the government own the police and the government like big buisness such as gas stations so they'll do whatever they can to help it. They've changed/made/broke laws to help them in the past

[Karma]

At the end of the day wouldn't you just pay up. Is it really worth all this fucking around for the sake of $40 worth of gas.

Anyone who brought the gas there would have been well aware of the price they were charged, and therefore I'd class it not as stealing perhaps, but immoral anyways.

Do unto others as you would have done unto you.

[aff-man]

For those that don't have $40....

I'm all for honesty but IMHO If the shop f**ked up they should bare the losses. hell duck the employee who messed up's pay for a few months :bash:

[Marmoot]

I'm all for honesty but IMHO If the shop f**ked up they should bare the losses. hell duck the employee who messed up's pay for a few months :bash:
exactly my point

[SimJen]

When it was first on the news, there were bills of a couple of hundred+. Looks like people filled up some big vehicles :) probably the first time they've been able to afford to.
I reckon the servo got off pretty lightly really, if only $1600 worth was bought.
I can imagine if it happened in AK or Hams it would be at least 10X that.

[Karma]

When it was first on the news, there were bills of a couple of hundred+. Looks like people filled up some big vehicles :) probably the first time they've been able to afford to.
I reckon the servo got off pretty lightly really, if only $1600 worth was bought.
I can imagine if it happened in AK or Hams it would be at least 10X that.


This is what I'm talking about.

An honest mistake where you only got $20 or something isn't much. But if you're filling up $200 then you're taking advantage of someone elses mistake, and at this point you realise you're entering into a fraudulent agreement.

Opinions are gonna be divided on this one... guess it's just a question of morality. It's like those people that'll give you 20c for a comic or something, knowing full well it's worth $3000.

[Marmoot]

This is what I'm talking about.

An honest mistake where you only got $20 or something isn't much. But if you're filling up $200 then you're taking advantage of someone elses mistake, and at this point you realise you're entering into a fraudulent agreement.

Opinions are gonna be divided on this one... guess it's just a question of morality. It's like those people that'll give you 20c for a comic or something, knowing full well it's worth $3000.

Surely the clerks should have picked the errors up when everybody is paying under $20. The fault is still on the servo.

[boomer]

I agree

20 chars

[SimJen]

Surely the clerks should have picked the errors up when everybody is paying under $20. The fault is still on the servo.

It was after hours via eftpos.

[Marmoot]

It was after hours via eftpos.

then the 'thieves' can always argue that they thought it was a special offer.

[inlinefour]

Someone clearly makes a feck up and now others are going to be in the shit because of it? Whats NZ coming to? As long as the individuals payed the price displayed, why all the drama? They did not "steal" anything, goto the supermarket and if they stuff up then the supermarket pays for it. Sometimes the supermarket actually pays twice these days. All I see is a segregation of the rules/law to suit the person(s) who stuffed up in the first place. Sounds like you can get away for crimes these days, as they need to be priororatised? However if a petrol company makes an error at the pump, we can send the Police after the purchasers????
Does anyone else think this is wrong, or is it just me?:bash:

[kro]

By law if you quote a price, you are obligated to honour it. This still applies in this case. Someone stuffed up, thats obvious, and as others have said, they got off bloody lightly, because had that have been a large city servo, the loss would have been huge, with people texting their mates/family etc.

The price on the pump is "quoted", its irrelevant that its an un-manned station after hours. I'm real keen to see what the outcome is, and this is definitely one for the lawyers.

From what I understand, they can attempt to recover it, but can't do anything if the customers dont want to pay it back.

[Damon]

The petrol companies/stations have been charging what they like for ages, eg fuel in Thames is 5c more than anywhere than almost everywhere else on the coromandel, can anyone say price fixing?? now some one has made a cock up that favours the customer and their off to the cops, harden up and bite the bullet fucktards :bash:

[metric]

By law if you quote a price, you are obligated to honour it. This still applies in this case. Someone stuffed up, thats obvious, and as others have said, they got off bloody lightly, because had that have been a large city servo, the loss would have been huge, with people texting their mates/family etc.

The price on the pump is "quoted", its irrelevant that its an un-manned station after hours. I'm real keen to see what the outcome is, and this is definitely one for the lawyers.

From what I understand, they can attempt to recover it, but can't do anything if the customers dont want to pay it back.


agreed with ya... contract law, fair trading act and sale of goods act all kinda come into it I think... offer, acceptance, consideration etc.

if I walk into a store, and I want to buy something that's priced incorrectly, I will argue that the advertised price is the price that I'm going to pay (provided it's cheaper).

[NordieBoy]

The cops are looking at "using a document" as the charge.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.
This is a civil/contractual case, not criminal.
If they hadn't paid or had broken something to get that price then criminal but not this.

[Pathos]

The cops won't be spending too much time on this as everyone left their details at the petrol station, you'd have to be an idiot if you think you'll still get away with it.

[spudchucka]

The cops are looking at "using a document" as the charge.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.
This is a civil/contractual case, not criminal.
If they hadn't paid or had broken something to get that price then criminal but not this.
I can't see it sticking. As you say, it is a civil / contractual matter that the servo will have to chase up through the civil courts.

[pyrocam]

they will never find me and my hoard of barrells. im going to build a fort too. just like in mad max, just in case they do.


but i paid cash and didnt take my lid off.