This letter to Texaco Co explains my complaint
There probably are more adjectives to describe how Texaco treats its long time customers but I am sure you get the idea.
Being part of Corporate America does at least morally not justify the way you conduct business and treat customers.
As a customer of Texaco I am used to bad service. I just work around it. I only put up with it because yours is the only gas station within 15 miles of where I live. However I do not and will not accept the behavior described above. The following is an account of an incident which took place today at your Gold Canyon, Arizona store.
I drove in to that store at 6:07 today in order to have a propane tank filled. Usually whoever fills it has to get further instruction from the manager and it is always a different person each time. This was not that much different except that the person managed to work it out as they went along and was also pleasant and appeared helpful. I was prepared for a long delay and that was the reason I planned a refill on the way home rather than going into work, so therefore no problem - at that point.
When I go into the store to pay, it's another story. As background information I should mention that I fill my propane tank there every 4-5 weeks, and car gas tank every 2-3 days, and have done so since it opened over 5 years ago. I last used this facility on Sunday June 19th for a gas purchase and paid using an American Express Card, the very same one I had used for all my purchases at that station for the preceding five years.
Today I am treated like a criminal. I went into the store to pay for a propane purchase of approximately $7 with the same Am Ex card I had always used. This was refused by the clerk who claimed that the picture ID on the reverse was no good. I asked if that picture really looked that different and told him I had always used that card. He told me that under the present store policy it was not acceptable. I asked how come it had been acceptable all these years. He became very hostile and aggressive. I told him either he accepts it and runs it through or I am walking. He became even more belligerent and told me he would not accept it and I either pay with other means or he would call the cops and have me charged with shoplifting. I once aging offered him my card saying either you take this as payment or I'm walking out of here. He replied that it was not acceptable and if I left I would be charged with shoplifting. I told him this was getting out of hand and reached for my cell phone saying that I would be calling the cops. He changed his aggression slightly and said he would let me talk to the manager. I said please do. He then left to get the "manager".
When the "manager" he agreed to take my card and went to the register. One other customer was real pissed that it had held up the line (which was by then about 20 people) and insisted he be served first as he was in a hurry. What about me - I had been there over 20 minutes. But no, he gets served first. Finally the Manager runs my card through and I am free to leave presumably with all shoplifting accusations dropped. To be fair he did say something like "Sorry for the inconvenience".
I would add that the card in question at that particular point had $17,860.40 available credit and that the photo was taken within the last twelve months and the authenticity has never been questioned before.indeed when I asked what was the problem and what is wrong with the card I never got an answer. I have been accused of shoplifting in front of lots of people in a loud voice in an area where I live. Yet although I have been accused and threatened no formal charges have been made (at least to this point), to which I may have the opportunity of defending myself. I would say that is slanderous behavior, but then why would Corporate America care about that?
Quite apart from the obvious legal ramifications, consider the business angle. Here we have a local repeat customer who has always paid using the same credit card since the store opened. He tries to make a similar purchase for a less than $10 amount and offers to pay with a good valid card at least 4 times, and is verbally abused, falsely accused of a criminal act in public, and almost got into a physical fight over it.
If the clerk truly beloved that I was committing a criminal act and violating Texaco policy as he so stated, would it not have been better to have told me politely that there seem to be an irregularity here but I am sure that the manager can resolve this to your satisfaction, would you mind if I called him and in the meantime serve these customers behind you?
Most reasonable people - yes, myself included, would have said "Sure, go ahead! But no - the clerk has to punish everyone in line and stubbornly insist on calling police unless I conform to Texaco policy (whatever that may be).
Apart from violating whatever contracts you have with American Express Co., this is simply a case of abuse, intimidation, and slander by a large 25 year old employee against a small senior citizen over $8 which said senior citizen offered to pay on at least four occasions. Therefore money has nothing to do with it. It is just plain intimidation and abuse.
Gold Canyon is going to know about this. I will do my best to let the world know about it. If you people are incapable of conducting your business in a civilized manner you should not be in the retail business.
P
Chandler, Arizona
U.S.A.
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