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Manager fired after charging 69 cents for gas

Gas Prices
Posted at 1:13 PM, Jun 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-16 10:05:33-04

A gas station manager was fired after recently punching in the wrong price at a California filling station.

John Szczecina, the now-fired manager, told KOVR he accidentally punched in 69 cents instead of $6.99. Szczecina said he put the decimal point in the wrong place, causing the mix-up.

“I put all three prices on except the diesel, but the last one kind of didn't go, you know, right,” he told KOVR.

Word then spread quickly on social media about the price glitch. He said that the mistake cost the station $16,000.

“I thought this was a nightmare,” he said.

Despite being fired, Szczecina launched a GoFundMe page in hopes of recouping some of the station’s losses. He also is concerned that he could be liable for losses.

Business attorney Craig Zimmerman said in cases like this, employees generally aren’t liable.

“The only way he would be responsible absent a written agreement is if he was acting outside the scope of his employment. For instance, if his boss said whatever you do, don't ever set the price on that gas pump. And then he did,” Zimmerman told KOVR.