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Every time Terri Mather pulled up to a Kwik Shop fuel pump she looked forward to a gas discount — one earned by shopping at Dillons. But often, there were no points left.
She figured her husband Rod had used the discount. Rod, however, was having the same experience. They figured out what was happening in December — when they bought gift cards to push their monthly total up and had earned $1 off per gallon. Before they could use the discount, the points were gone.
“We just thought the other was using it first,” Mather said. “What tipped us off is we bought a bunch of gift cards and got up to 80 cents for a discount. I used .10 of it, and he was going to use the other .70 for his truck. There was only .02 available to him.”
The Mather family contacted Dillons and got everything sorted out —but the use of someone’s fuel points without their permission could be considered serious.
Lt. Eric Murphy of the Newton Police Department said since the points have a monetary value, using someone else’s points without their knowledge or permission could be a crime.
“I think that could rise to the level of theft,” said Lt. Eric Murphy of the Newton Police Department. “They do have a monetary value. Theft is defined as depriving the owner of something of value.”
Dillons spokesperson Sheila Lowrie acknowledged situations like the Mather family fuel point losses do happen.
“They got it taken care of very quickly, within a day.” Terri Mather told the Kansan in an e-mail. “I’m not upset, but I am aware ... I just don’t want this to happen to somebody else. If it can happen to me, it can happen to someone else.”
Lowrie said the company has some tips for those who want to prevent a similar situation from happening.
For one, any 10 digit number can be used as an alternate identification.
“It is easy to change the alternate ID,” Lowrie said. “You call 1-800-262-2183. You can pick any 10 digit number to as an ID number. You can also do that at our website, dillons.com, but that requires an online account with us.”
Every time Terri Mather pulled up to a Kwik Shop fuel pump she looked forward to a gas discount — one earned by shopping at Dillons. But often, there were no points left.
She figured her husband Rod had used the discount. Rod, however, was having the same experience. They figured out what was happening in December — when they bought gift cards to push their monthly total up and had earned $1 off per gallon. Before they could use the discount, the points were gone.
“We just thought the other was using it first,” Mather said. “What tipped us off is we bought a bunch of gift cards and got up to 80 cents for a discount. I used .10 of it, and he was going to use the other .70 for his truck. There was only .02 available to him.”
The Mather family contacted Dillons and got everything sorted out —but the use of someone’s fuel points without their permission could be considered serious.
Lt. Eric Murphy of the Newton Police Department said since the points have a monetary value, using someone else’s points without their knowledge or permission could be a crime.
“I think that could rise to the level of theft,” said Lt. Eric Murphy of the Newton Police Department. “They do have a monetary value. Theft is defined as depriving the owner of something of value.”
Dillons spokesperson Sheila Lowrie acknowledged situations like the Mather family fuel point losses do happen.
“They got it taken care of very quickly, within a day.” Terri Mather told the Kansan in an e-mail. “I’m not upset, but I am aware ... I just don’t want this to happen to somebody else. If it can happen to me, it can happen to someone else.”
Lowrie said the company has some tips for those who want to prevent a similar situation from happening.
For one, any 10 digit number can be used as an alternate identification.
“It is easy to change the alternate ID,” Lowrie said. “You call 1-800-262-2183. You can pick any 10 digit number to as an ID number. You can also do that at our website, dillons.com, but that requires an online account with us.”
