More and more motorists are filling up with fuel before disappearing into the wild. Acts which are multiplying in the service stations of Guadeloupe. To deal with this, gas station managers organize the parade. Some have decided to charge before serving.
In a service station located in Morne Miquel, in Les Abymes, the manager adopted a method which seems radical but necessary: here, you pay before filling your tank. Motorists, far from being surprised, understand this precaution. Because a worrying phenomenon is growing on the island: customers are leaving without paying for their gasoline.
Since the skyrocketing price of fuel, some drivers are tempted to leave without paying their bill. Sometimes, these are trivial excuses like a forgotten bank card. But more and more often, invalid bank cards and other subterfuges are put forward by unscrupulous customers.
In a single day, the pump attendant at this Abymes station can experience a shortfall of more than 200 euros, an amount which, when accumulated, has a considerable impact on the company's revenue.
On the desk of Valérie Guiollet, a versatile team member in a brand, identity cards and registration documents testify to the extent of this phenomenon, left as collateral now without an owner. Because the holders never come back to settle their slate.
This new rule of payment in advance is causing some frustration. Some customers and pump attendants sometimes struggle to accurately estimate the amount of a fill-up, which sometimes results in too high a prepayment.
To deal with this increase in fraudulent behavior, the archipelago's stations are equipped with video surveillance systems.
The question then arises: could fully automatic stations be a solution for service stations in Guadeloupe? A question that raises questions about local employment. Indeed, the job of pump attendant, still practiced in Guadeloupe, gives the island a uniqueness.
