I got a phone call from Fuel Card Services Ltd fuelcardservices.com/ today, which went as follows…
FCS. Hello, is that Harry Monk?
HM. Yes, speaking.
FCS. It’s about your application for a fuel card.
HM. Ok.
FCS. Well, the thing is, we’re prepared to give you a fuel card, but as a new start you will have to pay a bond up front.
HM. I already have a Keyfuels card, so why would I do that?
FCS (long pause) Where did you get that?
HM. From Keyfuels.
FCS. Well, the thing is, you are a new start and you aren’t registered at Companies House.
HM. Yes I am, I have my Certificate of Incorporation right here, would you like the number?
FCS. (long pause) Yes, I can see that, I’m looking at it right now on the computer, you registered in November but the thing is, you haven’t filed any accounts yet.
HM. Yes, I know. But I have a card from Keyfuels, and they didn’t want a bond so why would I give you a bond?
FCS (long pause) Well, the thing is, you are a new start so
I just sent them this through their website, just to pee them off a bit.
Many thanks for your phone call today, but I can confirm that I am not prepared to pay a bond in advance for diesel, since I already have a Keyfuels card, company credit cards, and have a perfect credit rating. Should you ever be prepared to take a more professional approach towards business, please do not hesitate to contact me again.
So what they’re saying is that they want you to give them money to start with,to preload the card if you will?
Ideal that,why keep the pound notes yourself which you can spend anywhere when you can give them to Abingdon and let them earn interest on your hard earned.
When I started up last year I applied for a BP card and had a very similar phone conversation with them. Because I was a new start with no accounts filed they wanted £4000 bond before they would issue a card. How the hell do they expect a new business to lay out that kind of money?
alix776:
Got same problem Harry only got 1years accounts at companies house
… and next year 2 years won’t be enough either…
I’ve been there done that, I think with the same firm as HM had his “fun” with. They say “you’ve only got 1 years accounts so you’ll need to give us a bond” but then 12 months later when your next years are in you get the same nonsense. My Ltd. Co. has been trading getting on for a decade now and still I keep getting asked for a bond. However as I’ve got three cards off two different firms and neither of them wanted a bond (although one of them did require a personal guarantee in case the company defaults) I’m not going to even consider giving anyone a bond for a card unless they can offer me several ppl off the price I’m paying now.
Not wanting to hijack this thread but any pointers or contacts any one can suggest for a reasonable fuel card, i have been regularly banging my head against a wall down this route for the past 3 months having only formed ltd company in march and am due to put our unit to work on the 2nd of july currently facing the dilemma of paying pump prices with a credit card
simon
I applied online for a Keyfuels card through The Fuelcard Company on a Tuesday afternoon and they phoned me on the Thursday morning to say I could have one. Having said that, pump prices are no higher if you find a cheapish filling station.
Meanwhile someone from Fuel Card Services phoned me today and said “It’s about the message you left on the website” so I said “Sorry, I’m too busy to talk to you at the moment, you’ll have to call back”.
When they do, I know what she is going to say, “It’s company policy to take a bond from a new start” so I’m just going to say “Well, it’s my company policy not to pay for fuel up front so goodbye”.
turnbull2012:
Not wanting to hijack this thread but any pointers or contacts any one can suggest for a reasonable fuel card
I have a Shell card with Forecourt Fuels and they didn’t want a bond or guarantee off me when I got it. I also have Keyfuels and UK Fuels off Fuelmate who did want a personal guarantee from all the directors of the company, but I happily did that as they offered me 21 day payment terms which makes life a lot easier than the normal 7 days…
Harry Monk:
I applied online for a Keyfuels card through The Fuelcard Company on a Tuesday afternoon and they phoned me on the Thursday morning to say I could have one.
Just keep a close eye on The Fuelcard Company Harry! I got my first diesel card through them and for the first couple of months the price was in line with everyone else’s. Then it started to creep up at 1ppl per week and it got as high as 125.9 when everyone else I knew was paying 116-119 ppl. I would recommend diesel price guarantee for a shell, esso or uk fuels card. If you get a better price than theirs from someone else they’ll either match it or refund the difference for your weeks usage. 21 day payment terms also.
Yes, I’ve already been told about that little trick, and I do ideally want a minimum of two cards to stop them doing that, although I will buy fuel on my credit card for a couple of weeks if they start creeping it up. I can also get bunkering from the company I’m going to be sub-contracting to after I’ve done a few weeks for them and I’ll look into that.
Harry Monk:
I can also get bunkering from the company I’m going to be sub-contracting to
I also get bunkering from the company I subby to. Unfortunately their Keyfuels card was also through The Fuelcard Company so the price of that rose steeply aswell. They left them and went onto a UK Fuels card through Fuelmate although I do find the coverage a bit poor for hgv’s. The price I got from Diesel Price Guarantee for Shell this week was 109.5!!! Very happy with that!
I had Morgan Fuels pester the life out of me to take a fuel card off them, when I finally agreed I was refused because their underwriters wouldn’t authorise it. They wanted me to pay up front , No thanks and goodbye .I’ve been going ten years and have 5 other cards I got without bonds or personal guarantees. Your better off with one or two cards so you can play them off against each other not that your going to save loads but it keeps them on their toes. I was paying 4 pence per litre less than a mate of mine who had the same card using simlar amounts per week
Fuel card services phoned me again today, and again I told them that I wouldn’t pay a bond unless they were going to charge me several pence less per litre for fuel. I asked them for their current fuel price, and it is a little cheaper than the Keyfuels card, but only 0.11p per litre cheaper and as I pointed out, that is not enough to offset the interest I can earn on the money they want as a bond.
I’ve told them they are welcome to contact me again in the future, so long as they understand my Terms and Conditions.
the price the fuel card firms quote to get your buisness is one thing, once you start to use diesel make sure you have 2/3 cards, and other methods to buy fuel and dont allow the card firms to think you depend on them or they will take the ■■■■!
i have never paid a bond and never would, payment terms are another thing, with pump price as it is you may as well stick it on a credit card and pay once a month!
I also have a tank and buy in bulk to!
