Asda Fuel Stations - Watch out!

Yesterday we did our shopping as usual at the Asda Wheatley Store in Oxfordshire.

On the way out I used the fuel station to top up with diesel, but as I approached the pump and in the glaring sunshine I didn't see the six inch post painted brilliant white standing about three feet high. They have been positioned there to further protect the pumps, which are already standing on an island about eight inches high.

If you like it was my fault because I hit the post, but when I complained to the manager at the store that the posts need to be painted something other than brilliant white (I suggested yellow and black stripes) all I got was an amount of abuse and I had to remind him (Connor) by shouting over him that I was the customer and I am always right. Ha, not in this case it! They want your money, but will not accept liability for anything it seems.

The manager called a colleague to the fuel station who would look at the cctv footage to see if I was telling the truth. Colleague Dave (sorry it was Josh actually, who said he was wearing a name badge of Dave because he had lost his that morning) duly recalled the video footage and sure enough all was as I stated.Connor said "All of our stations have been refurbished and I can't do anything about it". I say a telephone call to Head Office, and/or some sympathy with the situation would have been a start, but no the heels firmly dug in and I'm not going to budge an inch posture hasn't helped and so I will do what I have to do to alert others. 

The damage to my vehicle is on the nearside rear wheel arch as the post and the car exchanged paint. The area on my vehicle damaged in this incident is about eighteen inches by ten I would guess and had it not been for the fact that Citroen have 'flexible' body panels the damage would have been a lot worse.

Not to be outdone I telephoned Asda Head Office and explained the situation with a member of staff in customer relations. Customer relations, they don't know what the words mean! I was told "we are not a legal concern, report it to your insurance company". I said I don't want to do that to lose my no claims bonus whilst costing me £250 (my excess) just because you haven't made the public aware of the posts by painting them in a colour that can be seen in all weathers. Again I was told "report it to your insurance company and they will contact our legal team". I asked why can't I contact the legal team and was told "I don't know who they are".

So can somebody explain to me why I can't deal with the legal team direct? Why do I need to go through my insurance company that will cost me £250 plus my ncb, when all I am saying is paint the posts something other than brilliant white and by the way, I would appreciate some compensation if once you accept that the posts are painted wrongly and you paint them a different colour, but no that is too easy. I will be writing to Asda's legal team shortly and they will be told that this post exists and that POE gets some 80 million visitors per year. Now that's what I call customer relations, explaining to your visitors what Asda won't do!

I photographed all of the posts at the fuel station and every one of them has paint of various colours on them. In other words this has happened to many other customers, not just me and therefore it is something that needs dealing with.

All Asda want is your money and frankly I don't think they care about anything else whatsoever!

Shame on you Asda but fear not, many people will now be made aware of the offending brilliant white posts and your lack of consideration thus far.

SHAME ON YOU ASDA! You will be added to the POE thread for good or bad service and guess which one applies to you?

I wonder if any of the other drivers who have left paint on the posts have complained and been greeted with the same brick wall as you Ron. Sounds a bit stupid painting things brilliant white so you can't see them in the sun. 

I don't use ASDA anymore as we have a Tesco nearer now and I get points on my club card for up to 20 pence a litre off when filling up with fuel. When I did go to ASDA a few years ago I always found there customer relations to be first class. They must have let standards slip. 

I emailed the CEO at Asda yesterday and as yet he has not replied. Neither have I received a resonse from anybody else who may have been instructed to deal with it on his behalf. Maybe he is investigating the matter? Lets hope so.

I also made the point in the letter that many other Asda customers have been affected similarly and so we shall see if the CEO cares about customer relations won't we?

Hi Ron I have been following this post and come up with this site if you wish to trawl through the pages covering the health and safety issues on petrol stations.

 http://regulations.completepicture.co.uk/pdf/Health%20and%20Safety/Petrol%20filling%20stations-%20Construction%20and%20operation.pdf

I would obtain a price for the work and issue a writ through the small claims Court  with a full transcript and photographs indicating the poles / posts in question.

Can you imagine how much it would cost ASDA to defend a small claims court writ. 

Any obstacle constructed as a warning should be painted black and yellow or red and white which are internationaly reconized colour markings to indicate hazards

In the case of a vehicle coming into contact with with any hazard point adjacent to a petrol distribution point then the post or pole should manufactured of a material that will not create a spark when abrasion occurs between the two metals

For example Plastic, Aluminium Brass or Copper 

Good luck with this one 

Thanks Neil thats very useful to have and I will pursue it make no mistake.

Watch this space!

Another emailed letter to the CEO of Asda and still totally ignored!

If he thinks that will stop complaining he is sadly and greatly mistaken. It merely makes me dig deeper...

Disgraceful indeed Vince but like you say (unless he has a good excuse when he does write of course) he is going to get an appropriate response.

I will of course keep you updated, because it's the biggest and best way to let millions of vistors know how Asda react to complaints. If needs be I will add it to other social media sites.