Outraged pensioner stops Smethwick shop charging to process Payzone bills

Shirley Smith, aged 67, was furious when the shop on Brasshouse Lane charged her to pay her electricity and gas bills.

Mrs Smith contacted Payzone to complain and wants to warn other shops not to try the same trick or she will call them out.

She said: "I could not believe it when I was charged £1 to pay a bill. It is disgusting, they know the poorest people in society usually pay their bills this way and they charge them.

"I told them I was not having it and rang Payzone to complain. At the start I was not sure if it was a Payzone charge or the shop, but I found out it was the shop."

Payzone apologised for the charge and said R and A Convenience Store had been contacted and told to stop charging money to process bills.

A spokesman for Payzone said: "We’re sorry for any customers that were told that they needed to pay £1 in order to pay a bill at one of our retailers.

"That was a mistake and should not have happened. We have contacted the retailer and reminded them that they should not be charging customers who just want to pay a bill or top up their meter."

Mrs Smith has caught out shopkeepers not using PayPoint and Payzone machines in the past and has had the machines removed.

She said: "I hate to see people getting ripped off, it is not right. We are all struggling and the last thing anyone needs is to get ripped off.

"If people see something wrong they should complain, or tell me and I will complain for them. These firms and shops make enough without ripping the poorest people off."

The owner of R and R Stores did not want to be named but told the Express & Star they no longer charged for people to pay their bills.

The owner said: "We have stopped doing that, it was a mistake. We only charged a few people. We will not be doing it again."