Today I stopped at the Pilot Travel Center in Austinburg (Pump #1) after picking my 16 year old son up from school on his last day before summer break. The school buses were not running, so I had to make the drive myself. I had spent the day cleaning my house and honestly was not feeling well physically.
I am currently going through cancer treatment and dealing with an enormous pelvic tumor, which is why I chose to stay in the car and send my son inside to prepay for gas. I was in house clothes, covered in bleach from cleaning, not dressed to be in public, exhausted, uncomfortable, and simply wanted to pump gas quietly and leave without having to go inside.
I handed my son $40 cash and watched him walk directly into the store with it. He stood in line, handed the cashier the money, and came straight back out to Pump #1.
I started pumping gas, and the pump suddenly stopped at exactly $20.
I asked my son why it stopped, and he was confused because he knew he had handed over the full $40. I told him to go back inside and explain the situation. He went back in around 12:50 PM and remained inside for over 20 minutes trying to resolve it while I sat outside repeatedly checking the pump to make sure there truly was no remaining balance.
Eventually, I had no choice to pull up, unbuckle my sleeping child and go inside myself.
When I walked in, there were around 10 employees and people gathered around the register area. Not one person greeted me or acknowledged me. One female employee looked me up and down and snickered, which was humiliating given the condition I was already in physically and emotionally. I was already disgusted by the reception I received .
I asked if a manager was available. A bald male manager stepped forward, and I explained calmly that I had given my son $40 cash and only $20 had been placed on the pump.
His response was honestly unbelievable.
He tells me that my child must have dropped the money.
I said that was not the case. He then said, "Here's what happened. Somebody told me they saw someone pick up $20 off the floor."
I immediately asked whether they had checked the surveillance cameras to verify that claim.
He literally laughed again and replied: "Why would I do that?"
I explained again that my child stated he handed over $40, that I personally watched him walk in with $40, and that I was standing there making a legitimate customer complaint involving missing money handed over by a minor.
Again, he dismissed it entirely and refused to review the cameras.
Instead, he repeatedly insisted that my son "dropped the money," despite the fact that nobody had actually investigated anything. They simply accepted a random story from another customer without reviewing surveillance footage or making any effort whatsoever to determine what actually happened.
The overall attitude from the staff was dismissive, mocking, and completely unprofessional from beginning to end. There was laughter, smirking, and absolutely no attempt to handle the situation respectfully or professionally.
At that point, I informed him that I would be contacting corporate and filing a police report regarding the missing money.
His response was simply: "Go ahead."
The issue is not even the missing $20 at this point. Mistakes happen. It is the complete refusal to investigate, the mocking attitude, and the way both myself and my child were treated throughout the interaction.
Upon returning to my vehicle, my son informs me that they did not once tell him he dropped it when he went in. So was this story was concocted for me?
As somebody currently battling serious medical issues and simply trying to get through a normal day with my child, this entire experience was humiliating and deeply upsetting. I filed a complaint with corporate and the police. read more