What would Jesus do?

[Troll]

Feel a tad bad about this...

Supermarket Petrol pumps @ 22:00 - no night cashier so pay at pump only
Was happily filling up when a people carrier pulled up on opposite side of pump full of black people
Driver approached me saying he didn't have a card that would work the pumps, so could he give me cash and use my card to dispense fuel to get him home

I replied it was a company card and they monitor fuel use (blatant lie) so therefore couldn't take the cash as it would cost me my job which he seemed a bit taken aback by but accepted and moved on to another

I started to feel bad about this as I have been caught in the past in a similar situation in France - without fuel late on a Sunday & in the days before our cards had chip n Pin which meant I couldn't dispense fuel, but was saved by a French man who took cash for sufficient fuel for us to reach the next 24hour services

Obviously the colour of the occupants was a factor (which it shouldn't be) and my thoughts were how could I check at that time that the cash offered was not counterfeit as part of a scam, but if a white family had asked the same question and they appeared chavvy I would have declined as well

What would others have done in this situation?

[Spacecadet]

A people carrier full of black people is a bit vague! Weere they old, young, middle aged> church goers, middle class, east londoners, welsh, nigerian?

Assuming they seemed like alright people I would have done it. I've generally found that scam artists don't take a people carrier full of people everywhere to help with their scams!

[Mich the Tester]

I suppose you could suggest you do the card payment yourself and let him fill up to the cash amount.

[Mich the Tester]

A bit strange though that nobody in the full people carrier had a card to make the payment.

[original PM]

you did the right thing

unfortunately in this day and age you cannot trust anyone regardless of whether they look white and chavvy, black and professional or anywhere in between.

[DimPrawn]

[NotAllThere]

...

What would others have done in this situation?

I would have asked how far they were trying to get, then put that amount of fuel in their tank and paid for it myself. As a random act of kindness.

[vetran]

its difficult, but its odd no one had a card in the people carrier.

[Troll]

I suppose you could suggest you do the card payment yourself and let him fill up to the cash amount.

My concern was that the cash offered would not be legit

[Troll]

I would have asked how far they were trying to get, then put that amount of fuel in their tank and paid for it myself. As a random act of kindness.

In retrospect I wish I'd have let them have £20 worth - enough to get to a manned station (and a cash amount I could have lost)