A woman has vented her frustration following an altercation with a petrol station cashier (stock) (Image: Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez via Getty Images)
A woman has unleashed her frustration on social media after confessing she “lost” a tense Tesco petrol station “stand-off” with a member of staff.
Chelsie Botting turned to TikTok following the confrontation to defend her actions, only to be confronted with numerous responses telling her she was actually at fault. “The only reason I lost is because I needed fuel and I had to hurry up because I was on my way to work,” she explained in a video.
And Chelsie went on to elaborate: “She [cashier] was making all these hand gestures to me through the window and wouldn’t authorise my pump… I was thinking, ‘What are you doing? What do you want?’ – and then she came out and was being really aggressive and shouty.”
Chelsie continued by disclosing that the forecourt was “packed” at the time, while discovering her violation was having her mobile phone out. “I don’t know about you, but I pay with Apple Pay and my [Tesco] Clubcard is on my phone,” she told her followers. “So I get my phone out and put fuel in my car in the same way that I would get my purse out and stand there and put the fuel in the car.”
However, on this particular occasion, Chelsie said she was instructed to return her phone to her vehicle. “Am I wrong in thinking that this rule is so outdated?” she pondered. “Okay, don’t stand there on the phone while you are putting fuel in… but f*** me even my parents pay on their phones!”
Chelsie concluded by claiming the cashier was “either in a bad mood or on a f***ing power-trip”. She added: “She was so rude. I’m just really, really cross and actually I would have driven off but I really needed the fuel. Everyone was looking at me and I felt really embarrassed. But I also felt like, ‘You’re wrong here’.”
So who was in the wrong? Chelsie, according to numerous viewers amongst the video’s 56,000 audience.
“It’s a common danger,” one of them pointed out. “There is a risk of ignition from your phone, so she was doing her job to keep everyone safe. I think you should apologise to her.”
A second person noted: “You aren’t meant to take your phone out. There are rules for safety.”
A third commented: “It’s not an outdated rule – it has never been in place for safety reasons, it’s because it can interfere with the data related to each transaction.”
While a fourth TikTok user said: “I used to manage a petrol station. The no mobile phone rule is not about risk of ignition, but more around distraction. When fuelling you need to be concentrating on fuelling and not risk being distracted by your phone as this can lead to spillages both small or significant.”
Chelsie did receive some backing, though, including one individual who argued: “I don’t know if I’m being thick or not, but is there much difference between having your phone in your hand/pocket/bag to having your phone less than a meter away from you in your car?”
Tesco has been contacted for comment.
According to Fuels Industry UK, mobile phone usage in petrol station forecourts is actively discouraged for two reasons. These are:
Distraction – Using mobile phones can create a serious distraction for people dispensing fuel or crossing the forecourt due to the number of vehicles moving.
Traffic movements will always present a risk for customers and therefore remaining vigilant and minimising distractions is central to forecourt safety. The distraction caused to pedestrians by mobile phones increases the risk of accidents.
Risk of incendive sparking – Mobile phones are not designed and certified for use in explosive atmospheres which exist temporarily around the pump and nozzle during refuelling as well as around the fill and vent pipes during petrol deliveries.
Whilst the risk of incendive sparking from mobile phones is low, they are not intrinsically safe devices and should not be used in those hazardous areas that exist on a forecourt.
Where is mobile phone use prohibited?
For the above reasons, the use of mobile phones by the public is prohibited in the following particularly sensitive locations:
- In the area of the vehicle filler point when filling a vehicle.
- In the immediate vicinity of a fuel dispenser, except in clearly identified non-hazardous areas specifically intended for portable device use.
- In the immediate vicinity of tank fill points, tank and separator vents.
- In the vicinity of a tanker when unloading.
Generally, there is no need to restrict the use of mobile telephones in other areas of the forecourt, such as in the shop, in parked motor vehicles or in other traffic-free, non-hazardous areas.