Gas stations use CCTV to track down non-payers

Mandeep Singh. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Tracking down vehicle owners by using security cameras and sending debt collection letters with images of the offenders are among the aggressive measures petrol stations are taking in their battle against drivers who flee without paying after filling their tanks.

At BP stations, it is now a "nightly duty" for the manager to go through CCTV footage to look for images of those who pump and run, note vehicle licence plates to identify owners and send the details to debt collectors.

"We know anecdotally that drive-offs can increase when fuel prices are under pressure," said BP spokeswoman Di Papadopoulos.

"We have good systems in place to combat this, including good-quality CCTV around our stores, number plate recognition software which shuts down pumps if a known offender is on the forecourt, and pre-pay systems in some areas."

She said including the photo in debt collection letters was not a new practice or a way to frighten people, but to help with their memory.

"It can be helpful for the customer to jog their memory, sometimes help identify who was driving if it wasn't them, and to demonstrate which pump was left unpaid," she said.

"We do have customers drive away without paying for the fuel from time to time. Sometimes it's simply that they genuinely forgot to pay."

Asked whether higher petrol prices were the reason for increased theft, Ms Papadopoulos declined to comment. Petrol is now $2.03 for a litre of 91 unleaded, up from $1.44 in August 2005.

But security manager Mandeep Singh said he was in a "total state of shock" when he received a letter from the company's debt collection agent Cunningham Lindsay with his picture at the pump.

The letter said Mr Singh failed to pay $45.58 for 22.03 litres of petrol from BP Connect Dairy Flat station, and demanded payment of $85.58 which includes a $40 collection fee.

The company has backed down and apologised after Mr Singh found his receipt four days later, but he said the experience left him traumatised.

"I couldn't eat, sleep or even work, and had to see the doctor for medication because I was so worried that they will release my picture to the media or put it on the internet," Mr Singh said.

"I cannot believe BP will stoop so low as to use such tactics to scare customers into paying without even first verifying they have the correct information."

The BP Connect Dairy Flat manager, who wanted to be known only as Jennifer, said it was "all part ofthe procedure" for station managers to go through security footage every night.

Ms Papadopoulos said the information was forwarded to debt collection agents to follow up the process and try to recover payment.

"If any customer thinks the letter is in error, they can call a freephone number and discuss the matter," she added.

Z Energy, formerly known as Shell, said it was adopting a softer approach by first contacting customers directly to ask if they had forgotten to pay.