Yahoo Finance 7-Eleven’s major change has customers feeling ‘ripped off’
7-Eleven’s popular Fuel Price Lock savings have now been capped at 25 cents per litre.
Aussie motorists have been left disappointed and feeling “ripped off” after a major change to the popular 7-Eleven fuel-saving app slashed their potential petrol savings.
The convenience chain’s Fuel Price Lock feature allows motorists to search for the lowest petrol prices at nearby 7-Eleven service stations and lock in the price. Once locked in, this cheaper price can then be redeemed at any 7-Eleven for the next seven days.
7-Eleven is now capping these savings to a maximum of 25 cents per litre, as announced to customers last month.
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Motorists have expressed their disappointment over the change, with many saying they would now miss out on higher savings at a time when petrol prices were weighing on their household budgets.
“Well, there goes some easy savings,” one motorist said.
“It isn’t a true ‘Price Lock’ anymore. A sad day indeed,” another said. “It was good while it lasted, I’ve definitely saved a lot, sometimes with a saving of $20 on a tank.”
Another added: “I was really disappointed to be ripped off by 7/11 with this new cap on savings … The fuel lock was helping to mitigate the absurd price hikes in petrol prices.”
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Others claimed they would be taking their business elsewhere - including to Costco - because of the policy change.
“Yeah, they stuffed up with our family by doing this,” one said. “Multiple vehicles, all with large petrol tanks, and we all fuel up at our local 7-Eleven weekly, because it is closest to our house, but now that they have announced this, we will take our business to Costco.”
7-Eleven responds
A 7-Eleven spokesperson said the chain was “always looking for ways to give our customers convenience, choice and value”.
“When it comes to saving, of course savings vary, and are not guaranteed,” the spokesperson told Yahoo Finance.
“Some customers could save a few cents per litre by using the Fuel Price Lock. Others could save more over the course of a year by locking in their price at the lower points in the fuel cycle and redeeming their price lock for a maximum saving of 25 cents per litre when fuel is more expensive.”
The spokesperson noted customers could receive “extra value” through the My 7-Eleven app’s offers and rewards.
“The app has loyalty rewards, offers and discounts including on our famous coffee,” the spokesperson said. “It also can be linked with your Velocity Frequent Flyer card to earn Velocity Frequent Flyer points on fuel purchases and other in-store eligible purchases.”
7-Eleven’s Australia arm was sold to its Japanese parent company for a reported $1.71 billion in November last year. The convenience chain currently has more than 84,000 stores in 20 countries and regions, globally.
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