Gas station charges $1 a gallon for using credit card – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale
(WSVN) – If you get gas and pay with a credit card, sometimes the gas station charges 10 cents a gallon to cover the credit card fee. But can the station charge $1 a gallon? One South Florida woman called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Money. You make it, you spend it and you got to be careful when you do.
Tina Medardi: “Yes, absolutely. I think everybody is at this point in time.”
One place people try to cut costs is at the pump.
The other day, Tina needed gas.
Tina Medardi: “I was literally on E. I saw $2.99, so I was like, ‘Oh, That’s a good price’.”
It was on the sign out front that said regular cash: $2.99.
Tina pulled in.
Tina Medardi: “So when I was pumping my gas, I noticed that it said $2.99 for cash and $3.99 for credit.”
Sure enough, it was on the pump: a dollar more a gallon for regular if you paid with a credit card.
Tina Medardi: “Some places have $0.10 more, which I don’t mind paying $0.10 more for a credit card fee, but a dollar? No.”
By that time, Tina had pumped $20 worth of gas and quickly did the math.
Tina Medardi: “So technically, they charge me a $5 credit card fee because if it’s a dollar more a gallon.”
Tina spoke to a fellow at the next pump about the dollar-a-gallon fee for a credit card.
Tina Medardi: “And he looked, and he goes, ‘You know what? I didn’t even know that.’ And he got up and he left; he got in his car and he left the gas station.”
And they weren’t the only ones surprised by the charge.
On Google Reviews, people use words like “price gouging” and “tricked” at the federal highway station.
Tina went in to talk to the clerk.
Tina Medardi: “And I asked her why they were charging a dollar more. And she said, ‘If you don’t like it, you can go to another gas station’.”
The Shell station is privately owned. Tina called their number, but no one got back to her.
Tina Medardi: “And for a gas station, a private owner, to take advantage of people, it’s wrong.”
Tina thinks a dollar a gallon for using a credit card is too much, but is it legal, Howard?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “It depends. In this case, the sign is deceptive because state law requires the word ‘cash’ to be at least half the size of the price being advertised. Look at this sign. It complies with the law. In the Shell sign, it’s not half the size of the price. Making it illegal to charge any extra for using a credit card. But once they make the sign legal, they can charge as much extra as they want.”
We contacted the owner of the Shell station and got a no comment.
Shell Oil’s corporate office wrote, ‘The station is owned by an independent dealer who operates under the Shell brand, and they make their own operating decisions.’
We then contacted Broward County.
They went to the station on Federal Highway and handed them a notice of violation for displaying a sign that “fails to comply with county and state law.” If they don’t fix things, they will be fined $250 a day for violating the laws
Tina Medard: “How much, how many thousands of dollars have they gotten from people as long as they’ve been doing this?”
Tina believed the dollar a gallon charge was wrong. She was right.
Tina Medard: “Yes. I told them when I walked in there that I was calling the news, and I followed through with my complaint to them. I don’t think they believe me.”
Tina didn’t call us to help herself, but to help other people avoid paying extra at the pump when they use a credit card.
Nice of her to do.
Plus, it’s a reminder: before you start pumping, check the price when you pay with a credit card. Now, if you see a gas station not following the law and you want to file a complaint, check out the links at the bottom of this story.
A problem left you gassed? Feel like you are running on fumes? Let us pump up your spirits, ’cause we have the fuel to drive the problem away.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
More Information:
State of Florida Fuel Complaint
Miami-Dade & Broward Complaints
Monroe County
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
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