Payment Watch provides retailers with a lawful and practical solution for efficiently recovering unpaid fuel losses, ensuring fairness, security, and compliance while mitigating their financial impact. Founded by the not-for-profit British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS) in 2008, it now operates on 75% of large and high-volume forecourts across the UK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Initially created to address the rising number of motorists claiming to have no means to pay for fuel, the scheme was expanded to cover Drive-Off and Failure to Pay incidents in 2015. BOSS introduced the term No Means of Payment (NMoP) to distinguish incidents from Drive Off crime. The term was then adopted by the police, the Crime Prosecution Service (CPS), and the wider forecourt industry.

Payment Watch helps forecourt retailers manage three types of unpaid fuel incidents:

1. No Means of Payment occurs when a customer fills up and claims they have no way to pay. The customer signs a declaration agreeing to return or pay later, making it a civil matter.
2. Failure to Pay happens when a motorist fills up, enters the premises (which shows intent to pay), but leaves without paying for fuel – again, a civil issue.
3. Drive Off involves a motorist filling up and leaving a forecourt without any attempt to pay. This is treated as the criminal offence of Making Off Without Payment (MOWP).

Payment Watch provides retailers with a structured, GDPR-compliant process to efficiently report and manage unpaid fuel incidents. The system is cloud-based, enabling reports to be made from any device, including point-of-sale systems, desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

The flexibility of Payment Watch ensures that retailers of all sizes can integrate Payment Watch into their daily operations with minimal disruption and no additional hardware costs. Each incident is logged securely, allowing operators to track progress and outcomes.

To reduce your losses and increase recovery of unpaid fuel debts, join BOSS Payment Watch today.

To sign up for BOSS Payment Watch contact BOSS at 01926 864 757

For forecourt operators, Payment Watch is a structured GDPR-compliant process for efficiently reporting and managing unpaid fuel incidents through the following features:

 

• Structured reporting workflow: Payment Watch guides staff through a step-by-step process to record unpaid fuel incidents. This ensures that all necessary details (such as vehicle registration, time, date, and transaction value) are captured consistently and accurately, reducing errors and omissions.
• Cloud-based accessibility: Because Payment Watch is hosted in the cloud, reports can be submitted securely from any internet-enabled device, whether it’s a point-of-sale system, desktop, tablet, or smartphone. This flexibility means staff can report incidents in real time, wherever they are on site.
• GDPR-compliant data handling: The system is designed to comply with GDPR and data protection laws, ensuring personal data (such as vehicle details and CCTV images) is processed, stored, and shared responsibly. Features such as secure logins, audit trails, and data minimisation help retailers meet their legal obligations.
• Centralised management: Once incidents are logged, Payment Watch provides tools to track, update, and retailers can monitor outstanding payments in a secure, unified platform.
• Efficiency and reduced admin burden: The streamlined process reduces paperwork, manual data entry, and the risk of lost or incomplete records. This helps retailers recover debts faster while freeing up staff time.

The flexibility of Payment Watch ensures that retailers of all sizes can integrate Payment Watch into their daily operations with minimal disruption and no additional hardware costs. Each incident is logged securely, allowing operators to track progress and outcomes.

 

The recovery process varies slightly depending on the type of incident. For Drive-Offs and Failure to Pay, forecourt operators submit incident details via Payment Watch, typically including CCTV footage, vehicle registration numbers, and any supporting evidence.

 

The BOSS team triages incident reports by verifying evidence, such as CCTV footage and vehicle details, to ensure accuracy. If the keeper details are unknown, BOSS requests this information from the DVLA. Once obtained, civil debt recovery begins, with the registered keeper asked to pay the outstanding amount. This ensures the lawful pursuit of motorists who evade payment.

 

The No Means of Payment process focuses on encouraging voluntary settlement from motorists who genuinely have no means to pay, such as forgetting a wallet or purse. The customer completes and signs a declaration agreeing to return and pay for the fuel within an agreed period, usually seven days. Alternatively, payment can be made via an online portal, though this attracts an admin fee. The process offers flexibility and fairness, helping honest customers resolve the debt easily. If the debt is not settled within the agreed time, civil debt recovery is undertaken in line with the signed declaration, ensuring lawful resolution.

 

BOSS manages the process from start to finish, ensuring that retailers are not burdened with chasing individual payments themselves. In cases of information errors or where cloned plate evidence is provided, BOSS will close the incident file to prevent unjustified pursuit. All civil debt recovery is undertaken by a leading FCA and SRA-regulated legal firm.

 

Payment Watch alleviates the administrative burden on forecourt staff by managing incident reporting, communication, and debt recovery, allowing staff to focus on daily operations. The cost-effective service, with a £50 set-up fee and £150 annual fee (which can be paid monthly by Direct Debit), achieves over 80% recovery for No Means of Payment and more than 90% of valid Drive-Offs. It’s a clear process that deters offenders and supports honest motorists in resolving genuine errors.

 

To sign up for BOSS Payment Watch contact BOSS at 01926 864 757