Tesco fuel mix-up leaves customers with big bills

The 55-year-old baggage handler said he faced a large bill to repair his car

An airport baggage handler who spent his last £50 filling up his car said he ended up £800 out-of-pocket after a petrol station pump supplied the wrong fuel.

The Walsall man, who asked not to be named, said the pump at Tesco Extra on Littleton Street West had deposited diesel instead of petrol on Friday morning.

Donna Keenan, a second motorist affected by the mix-up, said the damage to her car had been "an absolute nightmare" and had cost her £370 to fix.

Tesco apologised for the inconvenience and said a fuel storage tank had been isolated and the cause of the incident was being investigated.

James Price, owner of James Price's Garage in Walsall, said he was working on two vehicles affected by the issue at Tesco Extra

The 55-year-old motorist said he noticed a "flutter" in his car after he filled up.

He called the RAC on Saturday, who told him it was caused by diesel in his petrol tank, despite his receipt stating the fuel had been unleaded.

He said he had missed two shifts at Birmingham Airport on Sunday and Monday, because he was to drive his car and a taxi would have cost £39 each way.

At Tesco, he found the petrol station had been closed and two other women with the same problem, one of whom told him she had filled up more than three hours before he did.

"How many people have been affected?" he asked.

The driver said he had been disappointed by Tesco's response so far, both in store and on a customer services number, after he asked for help to get to work.

He said he tried repeatedly to phone the firm over the weekend and held for hours, but did not get through. He was told on Monday the Tesco insurance company would be in touch with him shortly.

Overall, he said he lost £50 on fuel, £240 on having the car washed out, £200 in wages, and faces a £300 service bill to fix the car properly, because it is still shaking.

"It was my last £50," the married father-of-one said, adding his bills were not covered by his car insurance and the insurance company could not provide a hire car until Wednesday.

He said he borrowed cash from his cousin but could not pay it back, and called on Tesco to reimburse his wages and car repairs, adding: "We are on the breadline."

'An absolute nightmare'

Ms Keenan said she used the Tesco Extra petrol station on Friday morning.

"I got half a mile up the road when [my car] started to judder and make all sorts of noises, but I just dismissed it as not changing the gears well enough," she said.

On her way to work, the vehicle "felt like it was going to cut out", and later would not restart.

Ms Keenan said she made contact with Tesco, and was told they believed "diesel had been put in with the unleaded".

She has sent the company her receipt, but said she had received "limited communication" and "no reassurance" over claiming her money back.

"The whole thing has been an absolute nightmare," she added.

Tesco asked customers who believed they had been affected by the fuel issue to get in touch

James Price, owner of James Price's Garage in Walsall, said he was working on two vehicles that had been affected by the issue at Tesco Extra.

After pumping fuel out of the first car, he noted "it didn't feel like petrol".

"Petrol, generally, if you put your hand in it it's really cold and when you take your hand out it's really dry," he said.

"But when I took my hand out of this, it felt oily and I knew that was contaminated."

Mr Price said signs for affected motorists to look out for could include finding it hard to start the engine or a lack of power, as well as the car being "smoky", and reassured them that nine times out of 10 their car could be fixed.

A Tesco spokesman said the petrol station had reopened following a temporary closure on Friday after the issue was identified.

"We ask any customers who have concerns after refuelling at this site on Friday morning to contact our customer services team who will be able to help," they added.

The firm said there had been no issues with fuel from other tanks.