Beware of Using Speed Pass at Esso Mobil

[civicblade]

Dear fellow Forumers,

 

This is an incident that occurred to me when using Speed pass at an Esso-Mobil Station. This is my letter to ST forum requesting that the letter be published to highlight the plight of small time consumers like us who had to endure below-average service from big-time retailers.

 

Make up your own decision to see if the convenience of speed pass if worth it or not.

 

 

Shock at Esso-Mobil’s Reaction to Failed Speed Pass Transaction

 

I was using Speed Pass for my petrol refill on the 10th August 2006 at an Esso-Mobil petrol station in Tampines avenue 9. After making sure that the “ready-to-pump” light was on, I proceeded to fill up my tank.

 

Using speed pass at the kiosk allows customers like me to enjoy the convenience of not having to go to the counter to pay for petrol purchase. The billed amount will be automatically debited from my credit card account.

 

Imagine the shock I received when a police officer came to my place and told me that that the petrol station staff had made a police report against me on the amount that I have spent on the 10th August ($27.60). When I first spoke to the police officer in charge, he demanded that I made payment at the petrol station immediately which is on the 15th August. As I was overseas on for work from 10th August to 23 August 2006, I had to trouble a co-worker of mine to make a trip to the station to make payment on the same day. Furthermore, I am required to make a trip to the police station for a statement in order for the police to drop the case against me.

 

Never did it cross my mind that electronic glitches at a retailer’s side over a purely business exchange base transaction could have cause so much inconvenience to a customer. Not to mention the mental stress induced because of fear of possible police prosecution.

 

The matter could have been handled in a more pleasant and efficient way by Esso-Mobil. Esso-Mobil could have contacted me (via my family members or snail mail) straightaway after getting my particulars from the police and LTA. They could have sent me a bill stating the reason and amount. I would have made immediate payment via cheque after I have confirmed that the pending amount was not deducted from my credit card account linked to the speedpass. This way of working would have saved me from much duress and Esso-Mobil would have kept a loyal customer. By launching a case with the police and not taking any actions to contact me for payment, Esso-Mobil is making use of the resources of a public institution for their business means without first putting any effort to ask for payment.

 

I have made payment promptly on the very day that the police officer contacted me. It has been more than 2 weeks since Esso-Mobil lodge a police report against me and I have yet to receive any responds from Esso-Mobil regarding any apology for the inconvenience that they have caused me.

 

This incident goes to show that big time retailers in Singapore like Esso-Mobil can still be a long way from world class customer and service oriented retail practise. Promoting good face-to-face interpersonal service is one aspect of achieving world class service standards, treating customers with respect and going out of the way to make customer feel good is another important aspect. Clearly, Esso-Mobil had failed in the second aspect.

 

I have since signed up for a loyalty program under another petrol retailer and Esso-Mobil can consider me as an ex-customer with no intention of ever patronizing their chain of petrol station again. >

[E.V.ilyn]

SpeedPass? Read this and decide for yourself. Old news but probably shocking to those not in the security industry.

 

http://rfidanalysis.org/

[RageMyDream]

I think i will avoid this kind of transaction. Better queue up at the counter to pay

[Guest aiya4]

The uncles working as pump attendant are also talking about the glitches and inconvenience caused by the SpeedPass thingy when I filled up my petrol a couple of days ago.

 

So this was it!

[anric79]

so dangerous better avoid speedpass payment..

[Aie]

All the more why I prefer to pay with cash or get the receipt should I pay with NETS or credit cards...

[fantom]

hi civiblade,

i am also a speedpass user for more than a year. i also have shell card too. i am not going to side any parties here. just want to find out what had been done and end up policeman came to knock ur door.

 

1. did u confirm the speedpass device read ur tag properly?

2. did u print out the receipt after pumping the fuel?

3. if the device read ur tag and transaction was confirmed at the pump, how come the credit card company did not honour this transaction?

 

 

there were times whereby i dint tag proper and the device dint read my speedpass, end up uncle has to remind me to pay at the counter. well, fair enough. those were when i just got my speedpass, and uncle actuclly demo to me how to make sure the tag does read my speedpass..

 

:>

[retro]

can cancel the speedpass anot??? anyone did that??

[BlackHonda]

i was an ex speed pass user

 

back in 2003 i was using it at mobil bukit timah road

 

as usual when “ready-to-pump” light was on, I proceeded to fill up my tank too

 

after toppin up i wipe off the tank and was about to move off

 

when the cashier shouted on top of her voice

 

oi dun run!!!! havent pay, mai ciao mai ciao creating a fuss

 

i stopped and parked and asked her WTF is da problem?

 

she claim i havent pay..... and i shoved the receipt to her face

 

she ask me to wait........... i waited at the roadside to smoke

 

after smoking 3 sticks ......... she call me to come in

 

she say just now system error.... so never reflect

 

i tell her to go and **** SPIDER and immediately i cancel my mobilcard and speedpass

 

she embarassed me in public as if im a thief and no apologies was given............

 

 

and after some time they send me letter invite me to join again

 

even the Citibank fella called me............. ask me y i cancel in the pass

 

i say nvm thanks but no thanks

[shaunz]

i got a friend who sued BP many many years ago as the staff there claimed that he was stealing.

in the end.... he got almost 20k compensation

[G_S_J]

best to transact in cash terms....i use cash card or cash ... nev liek it...having problems with it whenever i pump my car ..... bike no problem as i dn use speed pass for bike.....

[civicblade]

It was the absence of any follow-up action by EM that annoyed me. Basically an absence of any customer service at all. EM conveniently shoved the job of requesting for payment entirely to our Police Force without sparing any thought for their customer.

 

Anyone who had viewed the CCTV footage (if there is any) of me at the petrol kiosk would have came to a conclusion that the incident was purely due technical glitch of the kiosk machine or genuine human error on my part for failing to spot the light going off before the pump trigger was activited. What exactly happened, I wasn't sure. But I am certain that the light was still on when the pump nozzle was lifted off the cradle.

 

1) The ready to pump light was on before I lifted the pump nozzle from its cradle.

 

2) There was no receipt this time because i do not have the habit of retrieving receipt from the kiosk if I am riding to pump.

 

3) The transaction according to the police, was not registered. I pumped on the 9th August 06, National Day. Upon receiving the police call on the 15th August 06, I checked my credit card statement and there was no Esso Mobil transaction on the 09th August 06. This imply , according to the my telebanking officer's experience, there was no transaction at all. Conclusion, speedpass system did not register my tag during payment.

[omnislash]

can we op to pay via cash at the counter even if we have a speedpass?

[Danthearcher]

hmm.. i think with the glitch and technical vulerablites.. it all still boils down to customer service.. taken from these 2 sg bro's accounts of what they been through.. i guess Esso need to retrain their staffs.. from civicblade, 2 weeks without a proper n sincere apology? and no initiative to check properly and throughly before calling the police to give a nice knock and call to civicblade, i think there's has been a serious problem in the management and staff handling.. and from blackhonda, its totally rude, shock and again without initiative to embarass a customer without checking the system.. even so, i believe there's a better way in dealing with that situation if the auntie have approached him with a more friendly and not hostile stance.. which results in a misunderstanding and a loss of a long time customer.. as again, no apologies.. Customer service, is the most important thing in any service industry.

[retro]

Originally posted by omnislash@Sep 3 2006, 07:53 AM

can we op to pay via cash at the counter even if we have a speedpass?

Of course!! you dun use your speedpass at the pump lor... pump as per normal then go cashier to pay... but then... if you doing that... why get speedpass???

[cyr]

dude i had the same problem at esso at woodlands.. for me i used the ez-pay.. had to explain myself to the police n go down to the station n make payment its their machines which are faulty

[omnislash]

Originally posted by cyr@Sep 4 2006, 09:23 AM

dude i had the same problem at esso at woodlands.. for me i used the ez-pay.. had to explain myself to the police n go down to the station n make payment its their machines which are faulty

wats the diff b/w easi-pay and speedpass?

 

Does easi-pay allow you to pay at the counter?

[william_liu]

 

Funny thing is the last 2 times I've pumped at Esso, the Speedpass reader at their pump cannot register.... in the end I have to go in to pay.

 

[ericgoh79]

i'm also a user for the speed pass and encounter the listed problem also ..

as there;s and old saying( pay cash for paper )

 

cheers:thumb:

[retro]

got so many problems??? so far i used only once... i got the speedpass as a backup... jus in case i go out, lose my wallet... no petrol.. still have speedpass.. but if cannot register... wats the use for it!!!

[zelot]

i did apply for e card, comes with free speedpass.. so far haven use e speedpass b4.. cos prev when topping up.. keep on error n error until dulan..

 

so just pump.. then walk-in use e EM card to pay instead.

[spin37]

i use speed pass too..didnt know abt this issue..anyway i always print out the receipt b4 i go in case they accused me not paying..this way i oso got proof cos if u nvr pay how to get the receipt rite.. ?

[william_liu]

Yesterday when I pumped using SpeedPass I encountered another problem. After filling up till the pump auto-stopped, the pump "hanged" and I had to re-flash the speedpass device to continue pumping...

 

 

Think their system c0cking up big time!

[retro]

Originally posted by william_liu@Sep 7 2006, 08:02 PM

Yesterday when I pumped using SpeedPass I encountered another problem. After filling up till the pump auto-stopped, the pump "hanged" and I had to re-flash the speedpass device to continue pumping...

 

 

Think their system c0cking up big time!

think they really need to do something about.. if not it will be jus another white elephant...

[civicblade]

I have since switched to another petrol retailer. No point sticking to Esso Mobil.