BP pursues Auckland man for petrol theft despite his car being different colour, make and model

BP's licence plate recognition system not only got the plate reading wrong, it did not check whether the photo matched the registered vehicle's make, model and colour. Photo / Belinda Feek

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ

• Buddhika Rajapakse is receiving letters from BP accusing him of stealing petrol due to a licence plate error.
• The system incorrectly identifies his vehicle, a white sedan, as a black station wagon with a similar plate.
• BP has reported the issue to police but Rajapakse continues to receive letters despite explaining the mistake.

Buddhika Rajapakse has a frustrating problem. Someone is stealing petrol and he is getting the blame.

Rajapakse, based in Auckland, has now received two letters from BP telling him he’s driven off from a petrol station in Whanganui without paying for his fuel.

A photograph of the car involved appears to show a licence plate different from his – EDR166 – whereas his is EDR165, and a completely different make and model.

But BP’s licence plate recognition system records it as his vehicle.

“Every time the driver … goes around stealing fuel, I get a letter from BP politely asking me to settle the balance even though my vehicle is a white sedan and the vehicle in the picture is a black station wagon.”

He said the system not only seemed to get the plate reading wrong, it did not check whether the photo matched the registered vehicle’s make, model and colour.

“No doubt lots of other innocent people are also getting similar annoying letters as a consequence, and meanwhile some people stealing fuel are able to keep doing it since BPO is barking up the wrong trees.”

He said the only way to resolve it was to ring the contact centre and explain.

“But I imagine as long as the offender keeps repeating the theft and the process isn’t fixed, I will keep getting letter after letter.”

He said BP had told him it had reported the case to police.

“They claim to have high-resolution photos that show that the plate is actually EDR156 with the 5 doctored into a 6. However, they believed me when I explained that I have my plates up here in Auckland and that whoever is driving that black car in the photo is the person at fault.

“It’s frustrating because they have all the information already to know that the genuine vehicle owner isn’t going to be at fault.

“Meanwhile, the other guy is going on his merry way, enjoying free petrol repeatedly at BP’s expense. No one is winning except the crook. And one wonders how many other such cases are out there?”

RNZ has approached BP for comment.

Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.