Member Offer: My Esso Card

you should turn the microphone off on your phone, somebody is eavesdropping on you

Many of the big financial companies do gather information data, we all know how our spending habits are monitored and adjusted by the markets. However it's the security of the information that is important to most of us. The club have assured users of this scheme that the information supplied is secure. I presume that's as good as it gets unless anything untoward happens and this could occur in any part of our digital lives.

I will be a lone voice of positivity - despite 49 texts and a 3 month wait - the savings appear genuine.

I have filled 3 times now without problem and saved roughly £5 each time on super diesel (which I only use as the cars run sweeter, more economically, and don't have issues with clogged DPF filters despite one car being very urban stop/start).

Any way, the savings this week against my 2 local Esso's are:

Petrol 4.0 p/l

Diesel 7.7 p/l

Super Petrol 8.1 p/l

Super Diesel 9.5 p/l

No Supermarkets sell super diesel (although Tesco own 99-ron super petrol is very good), and cheap Asda/Morrisons fuel does 33-35mpg instead of 39-42mpg in my car, massively negating any savings.

Oh I'm sure its possible to make savings on the card, especially if you live in a rural area.

But for me, I'm fed up of:

• Being misled by PK and the club
• The club not taking serious action on a deal they promoted
• Ts&Cs being changed without due notice
• Convoluted way of handing the 1p promise
• Concern about my liability if my card is stolen or cloned
• Concerns about my data security
• Chaos of the operation - I have little confidence of a satisfactory outcome if I hit a serious isssue

I love the savings, but its reached the point where they come at too high a price.  I've closed my account and cut up my card.

Likewise - I could be saving about 8p a litre on standard diesel due to the price hike this week. BUT the cost of that saving is just too high.

The incompetence of Pumpkin is just unacceptable and I am very very sorry indeed that the club got involved in this.

What do you expect when you have pumpkin heads managing the farm?

I also have had no problems with the card.   My card arrived when expected, as did the replacement one more recently.   I have used the card (when prices dictate) a number of times with no problems.   

I also received multi texts at the weekend, but have given them the benefit of the doubt that their texting service was faulty - it happens!  

Savings-wise, the published prices are on a par with local supermarkets at the moment but we have had some larger savings which is helpful.  My biggest gripe is that our local Esso's card machine is faulty which is frustrating as it usually takes a couple of attempts to put my transaction through.   

I have yet to own a functional card, having applied on 9th December.  My card finally arrived on 28th February, but have been unable to activate it on the website; I just keep getting the advisory 'This card number not found in our system'.

Amazingly I received a reply from Pumpkin within 3 days of emailing them the problem, with a promise that the 'the technical team have been asked to sort out the issue for you about the card not being recognised'.

Still waiting for the card to activate though....

From talking to customer support today it appears that being unable to activate the card is a known problem (the very helpful adviser that I spoke to was experiencing the same problem).

My family have started a sweepstake with a prize for the person who most nearly guesses the date when the card will actually work!

can I book 1st April for my sweepstake ticket?

No apology yet from the CMC who promoted this card for members?