Bowser Alert!

[girl with a stick]

Caution - Rant Mode ON

I don't know if any of you have encountered this, but on my recent trip across Oz, I had an issue with one of those credit card bowsers. I inserted my c/c and it was declined. I inserted by back-up c/c and it was also declined. I whipped out the iphone, checked my balances and noted that I had around $200 - $400 dollars space on the cards, respectively. I was anticipating purchasing around 80 litres of avgas.

I called the number on the machine, and spoke to a fella who said the banks take a FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR holding deposit on the c/c as well as the fuel amount. When I asked for how long this deposit is held, he replied "depends on the bank". When I asked him what I was to do, as both cards had been declined, he said "you'll have to transfer more money, or go somewhere else. However, our company do have most of the bowsers in this area."

I had no choice BUT to transfer the money, as the nearest non c/c bowser was actually at my destination.

Can anyone shed any light on why the banks should need such a mighty deposit? It's not been returned to my account yet, and this was on Monday.

Is it too early for a gin and tonic?

GWaS

[Jetjr]

Yep, thats how they work. I thought it was only on credit cards though.
Usually you get to choose the pre approved amount, ie 100, 200, 500,1000, then you take the fuel, and they credit you the remainder. Can take a week or so.
Seems the credit card system can accept approval for open amount, that is you dont know how much to bill you for until AFTER the card is processed, so they charge extra and then refund
Beats the call out fee, and means more regional strips can still have bowsers.

[Old Akro]

Never too early for a G&T.

Can't have too much runway, height, or credit limit.

[VH-XXX]

Don't confuse an AUTHORISATION with a DEBIT. They are different. His words "holding deposit" were not overly descriptive.

Your money wasn't gone from your account, it had a hold on it. They disappear after a few days, the same as when you hire a car or check into certain hotels. By the time you get your statement it should have no mention of any money being touched for that transaction.

That being said, you still need a credit limit that can handle a number of these holds simultaneously.

[eocvictim]

Yes the old c/c petrol bowser systems at mobil did the same thing, except when I was working at a servo it was only $60 :O Back then you never needed more than $50 to fill up :P. The new ones allow you to pre select the value and this is all that is required in the account. :ok: Remember its aviation so its at least 10 years behind.

[morno]

Seems the credit card system can accept approval for open amount

That's a load of crap. Holidaying in the US a couple of years ago, and to fill up at the bowser at any servo in the US you have to swipe your card prior. No stupid amount is held, they just charge the amount you owe.

I think it's just our banks being lazy again, just like the chip's on credit cards etc.

morno

[Ixixly]

Are you sure Girl With A Stick? I've used a couple of these and all it did was ask me for an Auth Amount, which I put in (decided how much I needed, times that by the price and then rounded up) and it worked just fine.

As XXX said its an Auth Amount, basically they hold the amount in your account, its a simple way of making sure you can pay before you take the fuel and the difference between what your Auth Amount is and what you spend on the fuel is left in your account and only the money for the fuel is taken out in the end, usually takes a week depending on the bank to release the funds properly!!

I've worked in a Hotel where we did the same thing, took an Auth amount for the full stay before they checked in, some people got cranky at this. As I explained to them though we only take the amount your stay is going to cost anyways + $100 to cover any incidentals (Phones, Mini-Bar etc...) So its not like your out of pocket that much more than you were going to spend anyways unless you were planning on skipping out and not paying!!

Never heard of them requiring the Amount + $500 on top of the fuel amount though, that seems completely absurd, the way he seems to have described it is incorrect. I'd say the twit didn't know what he was on about!!

[VH-XXX]

If you weren't a "girl" with a stick and you were on an across OZ trip I would suggest that you spent the money on strippers, but not so... So that is a bit rich yes.

[PyroTek]

XXX, there is still such thing as male strippers (firefighters and the like), I bet GWAS would enjoy the sight. :p

[Worrals in the wilds]

I'd have thought $500 would buy a lot of outback stripper time...:E I knew a bloke who used to run a mobile strip show through the mining towns who made a tidy sum, but he used an awful lot of 'mood' lighting and factored in a fairly high rum to patron ratio.

XXX, there is still such thing as male strippers (firefighters and the like),

My young female cousin is still scarred for life after going to a male strip revue in Brisbane. Middle age and beer guts were mentioned. It was on one of the more notorious party boats and she said they ended up hiding in a lifeboat with a bottle of vodka for most of the trip.

Seriously, the fuel issue would be a scary experience, lucky you had the five hundred to transfer, otherwise what else would you do? :eek:

[girl with a stick]

Oh boys! A chick pilot doesn't need to pay MONEY to see a man strip!

Ixxily after I transferred the shoe money, ummm $500, the bower let me get fuel, so I think the twit was right. Formerly I had $268 in the account, which is more than the preselected amount of $200.

Worrals I would have had to divert to Temora.

Pyro you know too much, dammit!

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

Oh boys! A chick pilot doesn't need to pay MONEY to see a man strip!

Now that has got to be one of the best lines ever posted on Pprune! :D

Dr :8

[Jabawocky]

Oh boys! A chick pilot doesn't need to pay MONEY to see a man strip!


Ahhhhhh is that what this trip is all about :E.......your hubby is a liberal minded man......:ooh:

So I see you made it back in one pice, and by the look of that last photo the shoe shopping budget was hammered by fuel, not many boxes of shoes in the "freight".

Seems like you had a great time, well done! :ok:

J

PS...I saw that GPS free time.......you will send Forkie into an unstable mental state if he ever see's that :}