How much?! Florida family charged nearly $10,000 at gas pump

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A Florida couple couldn’t believe their eyes after seeing their credit card statement.

They ended up being charged nearly $10,000 for a simple $20 fill up at a gas station.

According to Susan Gower, her husband stopped at the gas station on May 5 and filled up, using his credit card to pay for the transaction. When they tried to use their card the next day, they couldn’t because they’d exceeded their credit limit.

Gower checked their account, where she found the charge for $9,949.36 from the Valero gas station in Fort Myers.

“It was just shocking,” she said of the charge.

When she looked at the receipt from Valero, the pump charged them for more than 27,000 gallons of gas. She went to the bank and canceled her card; the bank said it should be an easy fix.

“The bank just said, 'Get with Valero, have them reverse the charges.' Very simple," Gower recalled.

But getting the money back wasn’t that easy. In fact, the manager told her it “wasn’t possible.” She eventually got Valero customer service involved; her account was credited back the money two weeks later.

"It stemmed from the glitch in his gas pump. He just wouldn't ever own up to the fact that he was wrong,” Gower said.

Gower said she couldn’t use her Visa points to rent two cars and had to pay out of pocket for the expense after her card was frozen. She was hoping the company would pay her back for the trouble.

"I'm a teacher, and 10-year-olds know they need to own up to their mistakes, and try to make it right and apologize. That's what makes me mad."