Troubleshooter Jac Roper grapples with PayPoint cutting its Collect+ parcel commission, and SSE gas card supply issues, in what is her last contribution to Forecourt Trader.
This will be my final column for Forecourt Trader after 29 years. It’s been very interesting. To say that I’ve seen some changes in that time would be quite an understatement although some things haven’t changed. Forecourt operators are a resilient bunch, you don’t take much lying down, and the type of problems facing the industry remain from suppliers, staff, and customers, as well as from legislation, health and safety and, the big one, crime.
As I write this, I read on the Nextdoor social networking platform that my nearby Sainsbury’s Local has been held up three times in the past month by knife-wielding masked men. The third time the police took 20 minutes to arrive on the scene. And I live in a leafy bit of London with a relatively low crime rate.
So, yeah, not easy at all, especially at the pit face.
Ismail Bhattay who runs Mibsons Service Station Uplands in Birmingham is one of the latest forecourt operators to contact me. He has a big issue with PayPoint which is cutting its Collect+ commission.
He wrote to them: “Further to your letter received in the post today, does this mean our commission will drop by 10p per parcel, a 28% drop?
“We have been a Collect+ location for many years and are dependent on this service and the little commission we receive at the moment.
“Based on your letter our parcel intake is at a maximum, based on our store size. The flow of parcels has remained the same over the years and cannot increase.
“For the services you provide, you own the complete monopoly and pay us a minimum for each transaction, being a local store it is essential we provide this service as customers are dependent on gas/electric top ups 24 hours a day from us. We cannot accept you lowering our commission, in fact if anything your commission has not increased in line with inflation. Since 2012 and beyond with our other stores your commission has not increased 1p. On the other hand we are being squeezed from all sides.
“We already pay you a monthly fee for our terminal which is covered by the commission we receive per month. I calculate as a minimum this move will cost me £60.00 per month it is only fair you remove our monthly rental for our terminal or alternatively keep the commission the way it is.
“To add, your phone lines are non existent. It is impossible to get through on the phones, sometimes we have to wait for up to 45 mins to speak to someone.”
The company replied with the following.
“Why are your commission rates changing?
“Although the standard rate of commission for parcels transactions changed in 2018, we continued to provide you with our higher ‘legacy’ commission rates of 35p per parcel transaction and 25p per store to store transaction. To unify these, we’re adjusting your commission rates to our standard rates as of 1st August 2024.
“How we’re supporting your business
In the last year we’ve expanded our parcel services by working alongside UPS, HIVED and Eurochange, providing opportunities for increased footfall and commission to our retailer partners.
“To further support our parcels services, we have some great opportunities such as:
- Further roll-out of label printers and handheld devices
- Continued development of the Collect+ Store Scan app
- Additional driver collections for high transacting stores
“If you no longer wish to offer parcel services, you’re able to provide us with 24 months’ notice to leave within the contract period without any balance of contract charges.”
I asked Ismail whether he was going to put in his (very steep) notice but he says: “Unfortunately no, I’m reliant on this service. They roll you over into long long contracts, which as a retailer you are bound by.”
Ending on a good rant
I always like to end on a good rant and there is none better than Stanley Kydd’s. He runs Frances St Filling Station in Newtownards, County Down. He first contacted me in April over his lack of supply of SSE gas cards from PayPoint. In June I reported that Stanley, after much to-ing and fro-ing and my intervention, got supplies. This however, turned out to be a one-off.
After the initial success, he was back to email swapping trying to find supplies again. He wrote to them in frustration: “Can you please have a look at the attached email received at the end of April, I did receive a supply after that email but am continually being told you either no longer supply SSE gas cards (which is nonsense) or I have to wait until I have been approved.
“Would be grateful if you could forward this email to someone who is on a paygrade who can actually sort this out once and for all!”
At one point he had to send them a picture of a card with PayPoint’s name on it to prove that they did indeed supply them.
Some 17 emails later and Stanley sent me his latest message from the company which said: “Thank you for your interest in becoming a new stockist for SSE NI Airtricity cards. We’ve passed your request to our Business Support Team for review.”
At this point Stanley threw his hands up in the air. He told me: “I have had enough and will not be contacting Paypoint on this issue again as it is a total waste of time.
“Have to ask is there any management structure in this company? Thank you for trying anyway.”
All I’ve ever been able to do in this job is try. And I’m sorry it didn’t get sorted Stanley. Sometimes the offer of poor publicity works; sometimes it falls on deaf ears. At times there has been huge job satisfaction, especially when I’ve saved people money, at others – well, a shared frustration.
But now, it’s goodbye from me. And, as ever, watch your backs.
Editor’s note:
We would like to thank Jac for helping so many forecourt operators over the years.
If you have an issue you would like the Forecourt Trader team to look into please now contact juliet.morrison@wrbm.com
