Gas tank not yet empty, though it would be when I return from dropping my departing daughter at the airport. Gas stations are plentiful. The pumps work on Sundays. All fully self-service.
On my way home from a small outing, I pulled into my usual station. Following what I've done every few weeks forever, I inserted the Bank of America card and removed my gas cap. When the pump screen asked me to lift the nozzle and select an octane grade, I pushed 87. Instead of allowing BP gasoline to flow, the screen thanked me for shopping there and wished me a pleasant day. Maybe a pump problem. I pulled one pump ahead, where a motorcycle had just refueled. Same cheery good wishes by the dispensing algorithm, but not gas for me. Maybe the station had some snafu. I drove to another station a mile away, inserted my card, waited for approval on the screen, and pushed the octane grade appropriate to my Toyota. Thanked again on the screen, wished a pleasant day, but no gas.
Then I drove home and called the Bank of America card's customer service number. Irritating automated menu, but eventually I got to an agent, told my tale, waited patiently on hold while she investigated, until the triplet buzz of a disconnected signal arrived. I called back, told my story to the next agent who had to investigate. He transferred my call to a Merchant Service desk, which asked for a number. I typed my card number, receiving a response that my information was invalid. I retyped it. Still invalid. They transferred me to a place that could not proceed.
Maybe my card's chip had a malfunction. I drove to a much larger station, tapped the card, and this time did not get as far as an approval. While the other two stations were small neighborhood operations not manned on Sundays, this enterprise probably made higher profit margins from the convenience store than the pumps. I went inside, handed a twenty-dollar bill to the cashier, and a one-dollar bill to a hungry panhandler. 6.5 gallons later, I had my gas gauge reading enough fuel to last me the week. I do not know if the panhandler got himself a snack or would hold out for enough donations to get himself a more substantial meal.
Back to Bank of America's helpline. Despite being a conglomerate with every expertise on staff, the agent really had no interest in investigating the glitch. I've gotten tampered OTC medicine in the past. Their helpline took great interest in their customer's plight, sending me a mailer to return the damaged pills and a coupon to replace them. Bank of America has had some adverse publicity for disinterest in the needs of customers. Though I've had this card going on forty years, my offer to send it back to them for investigation was rejected in about one minute. They are not perfectionists.
While traveling a month ago, I had a similar encounter in a rural area of another state. That time, the pumps just rejected my card. Two pumps at the first station, one at a larger place anchored by the regional convenience chain. The cashier could not get the card to work at her desk, at least for filling my tank. Twenty-dollar bill enabled enough gas to proceed to my next destination. At the hotel, I called the card's carrier who assured me that my card was still valid. At the restaurant for dinner, I used it, as I did for gasoline the remainder of my road trip and beyond.
While the professionalism of the agents, their willingness to explain and explore a problem, let alone show any curiosity about it or experience with it, fell below what I had come to expect in my medical world, I am not harmed. A new card will come in a week. I have a debit card from my bank which I use only for ATM withdrawals and a second card which has a premium-for-use feature that I use only for charges in the thousands like air travel or major home repair. And I can keep a little extra cash in my wallet. It is tempting to just get another card, though snafu's over forty years of relying on them for my credit needs have been few.
If they as employees are not curious about what happened, at least I am. Type Credit card does not work at gas station onto a Google search and lots of references appear. Apparently selective malfunctions when acquiring gasoline, without limiting effects on other purchases are well-documented. Most of what Google retrieves are testimonials posted to Reddit and other public forums of expression. Why it occurs selectively at gas stations is less well-defined, but the interface between the pumps and the banks takes a different path from most purchases. At least I wanted to know why. That curiosity apparently is not a contributor to promotion from entry-level customer telephone agent to a position of more responsibility by some credit card companies. Getting me a new card, mostly automated, is the retail path of least resistance. Especially if it keeps me with their company when defecting after decades is still tempting.
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