Tesco pricing error in Cambridgeshire, England allows customers to get cheaper fuel

September 26, 2009 A petrol pump at a Tesco supermarket became extremely popular with local customers due to an underpricing error. The supermarket filling pump in the village of Milton near Cambridge, England, starting dispensing fuel for per litre (equivalent to US$2.64 per gallon (US) ) for six whole days. Because of the fault, this meant that customers would be paying £20 for 50 litres of fuel instead of the usual price, £54.

Six days after the fault was first noticed by customers, a mechanic fixed the pump on Thursday. It wasn't until the Tesco staff heard about it on the radio, did they become aware of problem. A spokesperson for Tesco said: "This was a technical fault at the pump and an engineer has now rectified the problem. Although we always aim to keep prices down at the pumps, unfortunately, we could not maintain this price indefinitely."