Motorway services accused of ripping off motorists - Car Rental News
Motorway services accused of ripping off motorists
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Car Rental News - 10/02/2011
A consumer survey calls retailers at motorway services ‘greedy’.
Retailers at motorway service areas have been branded ‘greedy’ and accused of ripping off drivers. Those are the findings of a recent survey carried out by the magazine What Car?
The survey showed that drivers are paying above the odds for things like fuel, drinks and food at motorway service areas. The survey found that the same items are priced much more cheaply in Britain’s high streets.
What Car? magazine said it discovered that consumers were being charged 91 per cent more for a 750ml bottle of drinking water at WH Smith outlets in motorway services than the same retailer charges in its high street outlets. Things were only slightly better at Marks & Spencer, where a bottle of water as found to cost 25 per cent more than in the high street.
Marks & Spencer was also found to be charging 16 per cent more for a sandwich and 15 per cent more for a large sausage roll. The ‘inflated prices’ contrasted markedly with the cost of such products at Marks & Spencer in the high street.
Fast food did slightly better but still cost more than in the high street. At Burger King, prices were 12 per cent higher at motorway services.
Fuel, one of the biggest reasons for drivers to stop at motorway services, was also found to be more expensive. On average, unleaded petrol was 5.2 per cent more expensive and diesel prices rose by 3.4 per cent.
Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief at What Car? said it was ‘unforgivable’ for the retailers to be so brazen in the way they exploited motorists. He recommended all motorway users should plan journeys carefully to avoid ‘greedy retailers’ wherever possible.
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