If a person is able to afford a BMW car, an automatic thought would be that they have deep pockets and are more willing to spend, especially on their cars. However, a recent issue of a BMW driver who refused to pay for pumping a full tank of petrol has gone viral.
In a post written by a Singaporean netizen, the incident happened on April 14 at around 2pm at Caltex Tampines Avenue and it irked her so badly that she had to make a public post. She was near the cashier counter when she overheard a conversation between the BMW driver and the staff there.
Source: Street Directory
When the cashier asked him to pay S$135 (RM400) for a full tank of petrol for his BMW 5 Series, the owner claims that he had only instructed the pump attendant, that he wanted S$10 (RM29) of fuel. Why pump so little? The BMW owner refused to pay up and insisted that he should only pay S$10 as per his request.
Apparently, the man had allegedly said, “Pump fuel ten,” but the pump attendant, who looked like he was in his 60s, had heard “Pump full tank” when he was called to the counter to verify.
She wrote, “He explained that he had heard that it was a full tank refill but the customer immediately rebutted it. What happened next astonished me. Instead of creating a scene by engaging in an argument with the customer, the elderly pump attendant calmly informed the Cashier to let the customer pay S$10 (RM29) and he would personally absorb the rest of the cost. As a result, the customer walked away smugly paying a mere S$10 (RM29) payment for a full tank of petrol for his BMW Series 5 vehicle.”
Source: Facebook
“Whilst I was impressed with the collected composure and professional customer service that both your cashier and pump attendant had displayed throughout the incident, I am deeply disturbed that the customer had capitalised on the opportunity to make the elderly pump attendant pay for the supposed oversight. The customer could have responded gentlemanly and be gracious by paying for the petrol since his vehicle would need to consume it anyway. Alternatively, he could have paid for a partial amount instead of making the elderly pump attendant bear the full S$125 (RM370). Unfortunately, this was not so,” she added.
Netizens were shocked that a man who could afford an expensive car would rather choose to let another older man, who possibly earned an average of S$1,600 (approx. RM4,700) a month, to pay for the petrol. Others commented that he should be more gentlemanly as his car would eventually use the fuel. Some of them condemned him saying that he drives a luxurious car but could not afford to pay for fuel.
Source: Mothership
The original poster also said, “I am concerned that if no effective standard operating systems are defined, such practices of having pump attendants to bear the price discrepancies can lead to abuse. Imagine if one uses this approach on each petrol station in Singapore every few days, it is tantamount to one walking away striking the lottery frequently and the accumulated value will be very substantial!”
In light of this incident, Caltex Singapore has posted a statement on their Facebook page addressing the incident. They clarified that the pump attendant in question did not suffer any financial losses from the event and that they are investigating the incident.
Source: Mothership
However, Mothership reported that someone had went back to pay off the bill but it was unclear who the person is.
It’s important to make yourself clear when giving instructions to avoid any misunderstanding from happening!
Also read: Over 20 Ferraris From Singapore Abused the Emergency Lane in Johor Just to Avoid Jam
