PINOLE, Calif. (KGO) — You should check your bank statement if you bought gas at a 7-Eleven in the past week. A computer glitch has led customers to be overcharged “100 times” what they should have paid. I-Team reporter Dan Noyes has been investigating.
Hard to believe, but a $40 fill up turned into a $4,000 charge, and the company says it has happened to about 200 customers.
Ngaire McLaren used her debit card for gas at this 7-Eleven in Pinole. She went inside to buy a Powerball ticket but her card got declined, so she used her cellphone to check her bank account right there in the store.
“And then that’s when I got the shock of my life,” McLaren told the I-Team. “That tank of gas that I put in wasn’t $79.34 like I had thought. It was $7,934.”
EXCLUSIVE: Bay Area funeral director gives son’s brain to parents who requested his clothing
7-Eleven charged her 100 times what the amount should have been. Ngaire told us the clerks were not helpful and while she stood there arguing, another customer complained he had also been overcharged.
“They had charged him $5,000 and I told the workers I was like, you guys don’t know what is going wrong,” McLaren said. “But there’s clearly a problem because people who are paying outside are being charged thousands. And they didn’t shut the pumps down until I threatened to call the police and the Better Business Bureau.”
After many calls and emails, 7-Eleven finally refunded Ngaire’s $7,900 and gave an extra $500 for her trouble. She said, “Unfortunately, at this point, it’s just a kind gesture because seven days later, I’m still trying to reconcile my account. Who got paid? Who didn’t get paid? How many fees am I now having to pay out as well?”
How did this happen in the first place? An internal company email obtained by the I-Team cites “a recent software update” and says “it appears the decimal point moved over for the pending transaction.” For example, move the decimal point two places and this $26 fill-up would cost $2,600.
MORE: Castro Valley homeowner stuck with $50K bill after neighbor’s tree falls on her house
7-Eleven’s corporate office in Irving, Texas, told the I-Team that a “payment processor error” affected six stores – at 2401 Appian Way in Pinole, 890 Coleman Avenue in San Jose, and four stores in the Midwest between 2 a.m. and noon on Thursday of last week.
One customer didn’t want to be identified but she said, “Like people were out 7,000, 4,000. We even seen transactions for $1,500 for $15. We’re like, we need answers.”
This customer didn’t want to be identified, but she told us several victims gathered at the 7-Eleven in Pinole last week demanding answers. In her case, she bought $43.45 worth of gas and got charged $4,345. “I’m like, whoa, what happened? Did I get scammed? What’s going on?”
7-Eleven emailed, “We are actively working with the payment processor to reverse these charges as soon as possible.” But this customer has not heard from the company, and it’s been more than a week.
MORE: Family donating via GoFundMe shocked by $330 extra charge: How a tipping feature is to blame
Dan Noyes: “$4,000 is a lot of money. I mean, that means a lot to you.”
Customer: “Definitely, especially right now with, you know, I need to pay my living expenses. It’s the 15th – Christmas is, what, two weeks away? Like my money was gone and nobody had answers.”
She is still waiting for the refund from 7-Eleven, but good news — her bank has stepped in and credited her account. This story started with a call to our tipline at 1-888-40-I-Team. You can also send Dan Noyes and the I-Team an email through our website.
In a statement emailed to the I-Team late Friday, 7-Eleven confirmed, “Full refunds, including fees, and an additional $500 are being issued to customers whose transactions are confirmed to have been affected. Anyone who believes they were affected and hasn’t heard from us should call 1-800-255-0711 so we can verify their information and transaction.”
Take a look at more stories by the ABC7 News I-Team.
Copyright © 2025 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Duncan Meyers, founder of BDJOBSTODAY, shares expert career advice, job market insights, and practical tips to help professionals grow and succeed in their careers.
