Maverik Nitro Card saved a Utah couple at the pump; then came the fees

HEBER CITY — With diesel prices painfully high, discounted fuel sounded pretty good for Mike and Kathy Bergin's motorhome.

They signed up for Maverik's Nitro Card. You've probably seen the benefit on Maverik's electronic signs. There's the price, and then there's the Nitro price.

"It gives you a discount on the fuel," Mike Bergin said. "Fifteen cents a gallon, which is substantial."

The Bergins say it was working great all year. Then in September, it stopped working.

They were able to fill up five times using their Nitro Card on a road trip through Oregon. But the money was never drawn from their credit union account.

They only learned there was an issue once driving home and their card was denied.

"We called them, and they said that our account had been closed. Our account wasn't closed," he said.

According to the credit union, the account was open and had plenty of money in it.

The Bergins owed the money for the fuel and happily paid it. But what they weren't happy about?

"We don't want to pay the fees," he said.

TeleCheck, the company that processes Nitro Card payments, sent Bergins to collections and expected them to pay $95 in penalty fees. They say they protested to both Maverik and TeleCheck, but to no avail.

"I don't like it at all. I think it's unfair," he said.

"Plus they report it as bad debt to the credit bureaus, which is even worse than the money," Kathy Bergin said.

Frustrated, they decided to Get Gephardt.

Get Gephardt reached out to both TeleCheck and Maverik.

TeleCheck did not respond.

A Maverik spokesperson declined an on-camera interview but wrote in an email, "Our customers are our highest priority, and we are committed to making things right."

The Bergins say they heard from Maverik the day after Get Gephardt reached out. The fees were waived, and the collection efforts have been called off, they said.

"We want other people to know that this kind of thing can happen," he said.

They can and do happen, in part, because bank withdrawals aren't always instant. Processing a payment and getting notice that it failed can take several business days.

The reason the Bergins' payments failed remains unclear.