Discrimination by petrol station

Wibbles

About 5 years ago I was on the M5 and needed fuel
I was watching my gauge drop and pulled in to Michael Woods near Bristol 
I am unable to walk more than a few feet without excruciating pain so rely on the goodwill of others to help me
However the petrol station as almost empty and I tooted my horn once and flashed my lights once.. 
The chap who was sitting at the paydesk by the window turned away from me.. 
Next thing I knew was a speaker blaring out,"please move on" 

I was short of petrol so decided to ignore this request and tooted my horn once again

The chap turned and stared at me and still offered no help

So again I peeped my horn and waved to the chap at the desk 
He MUST have known that there was a reason for my not getting out of the car but still did absolutely nothing it......
Eventually another car pulled up behind me and started to edge closer and closer
I gave up waiting - pulled out and continued my journey
I ran out of juice some 30 miles later and called out the AA to help me
I wrote to the MD of the service station but never received any response
I have never been on a long journey since then. Alone... 

woodbine

I would imagine the chap behind the cash desk was under instructions never to leave it unless there was a fire or something similar, for security reasons if nothing else, I'm as certain as I can be that it wasn't discrimination.

Alex_Alumni

Hello @Wibbles thanks for reaching out and sharing your experience. I'm sorry this happened to you.

It can be really difficult when we meet such big barriers to our independence, and these experiences often stay with us, which makes it hard to ask for help in future. 

I can only gather that if the person at the petrol station was lone working, they may have been instructed not to leave the till for security reasons. I know this does nothing to help your situation, and am aware of how frustrating it is having to rely on others for help, but that could be a reason why things unfolded as they did. 

I'm glad you've been open about what happened and the impact it's had since, talking about it here on the community might be really helpful in processing it, and sharing your thoughts with others. 

Disabled motoring has an article on this very subject, with a few suggestions of solutions which might help you be more independent in future:

• MyHailo – the easy and dignified way to refuel
  
• Fuel Service - Helping disabled drivers find and get assistance refueling their cars

Do have a look and let us know if either works for you