Heather and Brian Ahern were refused service at Sainsbury’s petrol stations in Plymouth and Hampshire after a computer glitch mistakenly blacklisted them for unpaid fuel
A couple were left stunned after being unknowingly barred from a major supermarket chain’s petrol stations.
Heather and Brian Ahern, from Plymouth, were turned away when attempting to purchase fuel at Sainsbury’s locations in Plymouth and Hampshire because the retailer mistakenly believed they had an outstanding bill.
The ordeal dragged on for several weeks, with the pair being refused service the moment they arrived at forecourts. They were even sent letters from solicitors threatening bailiff action.
Sainsbury’s ultimately resolved the issue, issued an apology to Mr and Mrs Ahern and offered them £150 worth of vouchers as a goodwill gesture – only for one voucher to fail when Mrs Ahern attempted to use it at Sainsbury’s Marsh Mills branch. Whilst the saga now appears to have concluded, it left the couple feeling “livid”.
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Mrs Ahern, 71, from Hartley, explained the trouble began whilst she and her husband were spending several weeks in Fareham, Hampshire, last year.
“We went to a Sainsbury’s filling station on November 5 and filled up with fuel, but their system had crashed and we couldn’t pay,” she recalled. The petrol station could only accept cash transactions, and Mr and Mrs Ahern didn’t have sufficient money with them. They gave us a ticket and said we had three days to pay,” Mrs Ahern explained. “We came in the next day and paid.”
However, a fortnight later when they attempted to refuel, once more in Fareham, they found themselves barred from filling their vehicle with petrol. Mrs Ahern explained their car had been flagged on a database of vehicles linked to drive-offs without payment.
“The man said we hadn’t paid for the fuel previously,” Mrs Ahern recalled. “We showed him the receipt and they said we’d be removed from their system. But then Brian came back to Plymouth and went to Sainsbury’s Marsh Mills and they refused to serve him and said he hadn’t paid for fuel.”
The issue persisted right through until last month, with Mr and Mrs Ahern repeatedly telephoning and corresponding with Sainsbury’s management to clarify matters, only to be assured it would be resolved. In the meantime, they were forced to purchase petrol from alternative forecourts.
“It went on and on,” Mrs Ahern recalled. “We were distraught. We even had a letter from a solicitor threatening legal action. We contacted the solicitor and were told the police had our details and we could be pulled over. We sent an email to the chief executive of Sainsbury’s in London logging everything and saying how distressing it was.”
Following an investigation, Sainsbury’s wrote to Mrs Ahern confirming the matter had been resolved and provided her with a £100 voucher. “But the following Sunday we went to Sainsbury’s Marsh Mills and they said we couldn’t fill up,” she recounted.
“We’d been twice to the filling station and not been stopped and then we were stopped again. That took the biscuit. This has stressed me out, it’s terrible. It really upset me – we aren’t thieves. Surely we are not the only people this has happened to.
“They offered me another voucher, for £50 this time, but I just want some confidence that they have removed us from their system. We have not done anything wrong and went in the next day and paid for the fuel. This should not have happened.”
Sainsbury’s confirmed it has sent Mrs Ahern a total of £150 in vouchers as a gesture of goodwill, reports Plymouth Live. But Mrs Ahern stated: “When I went to spend the £100 voucher it was not activated and I was told I couldn’t use it.
“I couldn’t believe it. They said they will reimburse me £125. They said they were very sorry but it’s not about that, or the vouchers, it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson commented: “We’re very sorry for Mrs Ahern’s experience, which fell below our usual standards and we’ve taken steps to help ensure this does not happen again. We’ve sent Mrs Ahern a gesture of goodwill to help put things right and we’re pleased she has since been able to use our petrol filling station without issue.”
