Your gas pump ate my credit card

[Captain Kidd]

This happened about 10 years ago so I might be forgetting some stuff, might be embellishing it too . . .

Anywho. I was working at a gas station over the summer break. I don't remember where, I'd follow my favorite manager around for summer/winter breaks as she moved between company stores. This little old lady comes into the store complaining that the gas pump wouldn't return her credit card. Thinking she meant she got it stuck I went to help her. Granted, if you put the card in backwards and upside down, the clearance inside was such that the raised numbers could kinda get it jammed, and I was guessing she did so and that maybe arthritis made it hard for her to get a good grip on it.

So we get to the pump and, no card. She had filled up, so obviously she had indeed used it at some point. I ask if maybe she had put it back in her purse. Oh heaven forbid. She clearly remembered putting it into the pump and the pump not discharging it. Right, I've never seen a pump that keeps the card until your done. ATMs yes, pumps, never. Heck I don't think it reads the card until the withdrawal stroke.

She's getting upset that our pump ate her card and that I wasn't doing anything about it, so my manager comes out. The lady repeats her claims and then she starts to get really upset that we're not helping. Any request to check her purse or pockets was met with, "I'm not going to, it's in the pump!" I had the keys on me at the time, the readers were on the receipt paper replacement door, so we opened it up to show her that the machine could physically not "eat her card."

Well that did nothing to improve the situation. She still claimed our machine had it and started hinting that she thinks we're doing this on purpose to get her card. Finally she drops the "calling the cops card" and my manager tells her to go right ahead. She reaches into her jacket pocket for her cell phone and, you guessed it, pulls out the credit card.

[Gabrielle Proctor]

That's crazy!

[GolfCart34]

I think I just lost a few brain cells I read this. I'm assuming that your pumps had the card swiper similar to what they have at most gas pumps today so I can see how it's impossible for the card to get eaten by the pump. Not only that, but the card can only go to a certain point before stopping! Most gas pumps aren't like the ATM which will suck in your card if you leave it there too long/have too many failed pin attempts/etc.

[Slow-Jo]

ugh. old people and technology just do not mix! to them its like some magical object created by pixies!

[bainsidhe]

When I check people out, I try to make sure money or credit cards remain clearly visible at all times. This makes it easier for the customer to trust things are as they should be and also because everything is recorded on the above video camera.

Woman comes through my line, pulls out a 3" stack of rubber-banded credit/gift/store cards from a huge bag, and starts sifting through them to find a gift card and pays part of the total. This takes a few minutes, because she is rummaging, rummaging, rummaging through her purse and can't seem to find anything. She asks me what I did with the cash. I tell her she hadn't paid that part yet, so she rummages more and pays. Then she asks, where did you put my cards? I was busy tendering and bagging and didn't see her actually put the cards in her purse/bag. But they were right in front of her when she gave me the cash, so I assumed she put them right in her bag.

Of course, my word alone was not good enough. While other people waited in line and gave quizzical, irritated looks, the woman rummaged through her bag for about 5 minutes, asking me the entire time if I was sure I didn't take her cards. I told her I didn't even touch them. Although she stopped short of calling me an outright liar, she was clearly thinking it.

And 5 minutes later, she pulls them out of her bag. "Oh", she says. And leaves.

[TravisRB69]

My gas pump ate your credit card? It's better than Mike Tyson eating your children.