Pilot Travel Center faces two potential class action lawsuits stemming over allegations that the gas and convenient store chain engages in a credit card scheme by placing authorization “holds” on fuel purchases that are significantly greater than the actual cost.
Lead plaintiffs Laurie Anderson and Chase Mosely both of Tennessee filed separate, but nearly identical Pilot Flying J class action lawsuits yesterday, claiming that Pilot intentionally conceals its credit card “holds” from paying customers.
Anderson and Mosely say they used a “pay-at-the-pump” machine to purchase gas at different Tennessee Pilot Travel Center locations only to discover that the company placed a hold on their credit card that caused a portion of the plaintiffs’ credit line to be artificially frozen for several days after.
The Pilot class action lawsuit states that while a typical credit card hold is $75 for a passenger vehicle, Pilot routinely holds onto $500 for semi-truck customers who who use their stations to fill-up.
According to the lawsuit, Pilot does not warn its customers of the impending holds on their credit cards despite the ample opportunity to do so. The plaintiffs point to the actual fuel pumps which are “littered” with signs, stickers and video screens which advertise various products. They believe Pilot could have used those machines to inform customers of its “hold” practices, but they do not.
“Little does the average customer know, however, that behind the scenes, as he or she stares at the ‘authorizing’ message on the card-reader on the pay-at-the-pump machine, computers are already imposing a ‘block’ or a ‘hold’ on their credit accounts – reserving a substantially larger portion of their available credit card balances than necessary to complete their fuel purchases,” the Pilot class action lawsuit states.
Anderson and Mosely accuse Pilot of fraudulent concealment stating that the gas station chain has a duty to inform customers of its credit card hold policy because the details are only known to them. The plaintiffs also bring claims of breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
If approved, Anderson seeks to represent a Class of Tennessee Pilot Flying J customers who purchased fuel using a Visa or MasterCard who were not informed that Pilot would require a preauthorization hold in an amount greater than the actual purchase of fuel. Mosely also wants to represent a Class of Tennessee residents who used an American Express credit card at Tennessee Pilot locations.
Both Anderson and Mosely are represented by Gordon Ball of Gordon Ball, PLLC; Thomas C. Jessee of Jessee & Jessee; and Lance K. Baker of The Baker Law Firm.
The Pilot Flying J Excessive Credit Card Holds Class Action Lawsuits are Laurie Anderson, et al. v. Pilot Corporation, et al., Case No. 24663 in the Circuit Court for Jefferson County, Tennessee and Chase Mosely, et al. v. Pilot Corporation, et al., Case No. 16-cv-137 in the Circuity Court for Sevier County, Tennessee.
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61 thoughts onPilot Travel Center Faces Credit Card ‘Hold’ Class Action Lawsuits
Sullivan Missouri, pulled into the truck side for diesel because I had a camper in tow. No signs posted at all! Got 100.00 of fuel and they put a 500.00 hold on my debit card! Wow never will I give them another chance! Hope they get shut down. Thief’s
I purchased diesel fuel at a pilot in Mississippi and later found out that a $500 .00 hold was put on my card! It’s been 4 days already and their STILL holding my money! Something has to be done about this immediately!
Just happened to us in Maine, they put a $500 charge on my CC on Saturday the 25th. From now on will not buy fuel at Pilot or FLying J. They need to be stopped.
How long did is take for them to release the $500.00 their holding?
Yes they do they just did it to me also and know where on their pumps did I see that they do this I think it’s bull crap
I got less than 40.00 of fuel and they put a hold of 500.00 on my account. Maybe not much to them, but tell that to my family that I can not buy groceries for now.
Just happened to me too. No posted warnings. But I do know, by the little television screen, that some 10yr old boy can play the banjo and mouth Kazoo at the same time. 20.00 in fuel and I have a pending status of 75.00. Good ole Sheperdsville Kentucky. Every where you go around here, someone is trying to suck ya…
Same here in Ms I was going to put gas in my car after heading home from working all day in Tn so I stop at the pilot to put my last 20 in gas in,but it told me to see cashier so I pull up and go in to speak with the cashier and my card was declined because the pump had already taken the 20 dollars and put it on hold,but wouldn’t let me get gas and then cashier tells me that pump takes 151.00 automatically and that there’s nothing I can do but wait for money to be put back in 8 to 30 days.what kinda crap is that
Purchased $27 of gas at a Pilot Gas Station 801 NC Highway, 211 East Candor, NC and had a $151 hold placed on my credit card. There was no notice this would occur.
I had a hold placed against my card. I bought 40 dollars worth of gas and the transaction was 76.00 dollars. I would have not looked at my bank app if I had not needed to send some money to a friend. I live on limited income and this action COULD have cost me a draft fee at my bank.
I reported the action to the State of Texas Agriculture. I will not stop again at Pilot. I will tell my friends and others about the crummy actions.
This happened to me in upstate N.Y. and pennsylvania. Usually $100.00 hold. I never purchase gas at flying j. will stop for food or beverage inside their locations.
Flying J in East Boise, ID #777, put on a $151 hold for $45.70 at the pump. Defective notice of transaction and breach of contract plus unjust enrichment. Matt an employee of the Flying J blamed it on my bank. I guess it’s time to show up at the Berkshire Hathaway Annual meeting to get in the face of the Oracle from Omaha. Jimmy Haslam better have some Cleveland Brown tickets waiting, lol.