Terms & Conditions of Service

1.1. Service Scope: Fuel Mistake provides mobile emergency roadside fuel-contamination recovery and roadside assistance services.

1.2. Incidents Covered: Our services may include assistance following petrol in a diesel vehicle, diesel in a petrol vehicle, AdBlue in the fuel system, water in fuel, other fuel contamination, running out of fuel, and flat-battery/jump-start incidents.

1.3. Procedures: Depending upon the vehicle, contaminant, and circumstances, our fuel-contamination service may include extraction of contaminated fuel, draining or flushing accessible parts of the fuel system, priming the fuel system, and adding clean fuel.

1.4. Standard of Care: Fuel Mistake will perform the agreed service with reasonable care and skill.

2.1. Mobile Dispatch: Fuel Mistake operates as a mobile roadside call-out service. When you request immediate attendance, we allocate a technician and service vehicle, prepare equipment, and begin travelling to your location.

2.2. Scope of Attendance: Our service includes the physical attendance itself as well as work subsequently undertaken at the vehicle.

2.3. Estimated Arrival Times: Any estimated arrival time provided is an estimate and is not a guaranteed arrival time unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing. Traffic, weather, road closures, previous emergency jobs, and other circumstances outside our reasonable control may affect arrival times.

3.1. Customer Duty of Accuracy: You must provide information which is accurate to the best of your knowledge. This includes, where known: vehicle registration, make, and model; exact location; correct fuel type and contaminant involved; approximate quantity of contamination and fuel already in the tank; whether the vehicle has been unlocked, accessed, or doors opened; whether the ignition, electrical system, or engine has been operated or started; whether the vehicle has been driven or moved; warning lights or symptoms; and any previous attempts to drain or repair the vehicle by third parties.

3.2. Reliance on Information: We rely upon the information you provide when deciding how to safely undertake the recovery. If you do not know whether an action occurred, you must state that it is unknown rather than state that it did not occur.

4.1. Owner & Agent Authority: By requesting or authorising our work, you confirm that you are the vehicle owner or have appropriate legal authority from the owner to authorise work on the vehicle.

4.2. Authorization Scope: You authorise Fuel Mistake to undertake the agreed recovery procedure and all reasonable steps necessary to carry it out.

5.1. Roadside Procedure Purpose: A Fuel Mistake fuel drain is an emergency roadside contamination-recovery procedure designed to remove contaminated fuel so far as reasonably practicable using roadside recovery equipment and, where appropriate, replace or dilute the removed fuel with clean fuel.

5.2. Express Exclusions: A roadside fuel drain is not a complete mechanical inspection, a complete dismantling of the fuel system, laboratory analysis, chemical certification of fuel, complete workshop decontamination, a mechanical warranty, or a guarantee against future component failure.

5.3. System Complexity: Vehicle fuel systems can be complex and may contain shaped or divided tanks, internal chambers, baffles, pump housings, swirl pots, filters, low/high-pressure pumps, fuel lines, return lines, rails, and injectors.

6.1. Physical Extraction Limits: Because of the design and construction of vehicle fuel systems, a roadside fuel drain cannot guarantee removal of every trace, droplet, residue, or deposit of contamination from every part of the fuel system. Some components may not be directly accessible or completely drainable roadside.

6.2. No Zero-Contamination Guarantee: Unless expressly agreed otherwise, our roadside fuel-drain service does not include complete system dismantling, filter housing teardowns, or laboratory certification that the fuel system contains zero residual contamination.

6.3. Discovery of Residual Traces: The presence or subsequent discovery of a small quantity, trace, or residue of contamination following a roadside fuel drain does not, by itself, establish that the recovery procedure was incomplete, defective, or performed without reasonable care and skill.

7.1. Damage Prior to Attendance: Fuel contamination can cause immediate or progressive damage before Fuel Mistake attends. Damage may begin when contamination is introduced, when the vehicle is unlocked, or when the ignition or engine is operated.

7.2. Latent Failures: Damage does not necessarily become apparent immediately. A contaminated component may continue operating for a period before deterioration or failure manifests. A vehicle starting, running, or driving normally following our service does not establish that contamination caused no previous or latent damage.

7.3. Exemption from Pre-Existing Damage: Subject to applicable law, Fuel Mistake is not responsible for loss or damage to the extent that it existed before our work or was caused by the original contamination rather than a breach by Fuel Mistake.

8.1. Automatic Priming Sequences: Customers must be aware that "engine not started" does not necessarily mean the fuel system has not operated or primed. On many modern vehicles, unlocking the vehicle, opening a door, turning on the ignition, or connecting diagnostic equipment automatically triggers the low-pressure fuel pump.

8.2. Forecourt & Safety Relocation: Where a vehicle must be moved away from fuel-station pumps or safely positioned for recovery, electrical systems may need to be activated to release electronic parking brakes, steering locks, or gear selectors. Where such activation automatically triggers fuel-system priming due to vehicle design, Fuel Mistake cannot guarantee that the fuel system will remain completely inactive before draining.

9.1. Disclosure Requirement: You must inform us if the ignition has been operated, an attempt was made to start the engine, the engine was started, or the vehicle was driven following contamination.

9.2. Circulation Risks: Starting or driving a contaminated vehicle circulates contamination beyond the tank into pumps, filters, fuel rails, and injectors, potentially requiring additional workshop repair or filter replacement.

10.1. Corrosive Non-Fuel Risks: AdBlue, water, and non-fuel substances present severe risks of corrosion, chemical deposits, and loss of lubrication within fuel systems.

10.2. No Component Warranty: Contamination-related corrosion or component deterioration may occur prior to our arrival. A successful roadside drain does not constitute a warranty that components exposed to non-fuel substances have suffered no damage.

11.1. Post-Service Discovery: Discovery of contamination after our attendance does not, by itself, establish when it entered the system, how long it was present, or that Fuel Mistake failed to exercise reasonable care and skill.

11.2. Secondary Attendance: Where appropriate and reasonably practicable, Fuel Mistake may undertake or recommend an additional drain or flush. The necessity of a secondary procedure does not, by itself, establish that the original service was performed negligently.

12.1. Fuel Filter Replacement: Replacement of fuel filters is not automatically included in the fuel-drain price unless expressly quoted. Customers are responsible for arranging filter replacements when recommended.

12.2. Pre-Existing Non-Start Faults: Our service charge is for performing the agreed roadside fuel-drain procedure. If a vehicle fails to start due to pre-existing mechanical damage, flat batteries, starter faults, or electrical issues after a drain is properly completed with reasonable care and skill, the agreed charge remains fully payable.

13.1. Third-Party Intervention: Fuel Mistake is not responsible for damage caused by previous DIY attempts, other recovery operators, garages, or incorrect jumping/priming methods executed by third parties.

13.2. Customer Aftercare Duty: Customers must follow technician aftercare instructions (e.g., adding clean fuel, replacing filters). If warning lights, cutting out, or running issues occur post-service, the driver must pull over safely and cease driving immediately to prevent secondary damage.

14.1. Pricing Structure: Prices are communicated prior to dispatch or work commencing. Immediate dispatch commits technician time, vehicle overheads, and equipment preparation.

14.2. Standard Call-Out & Cancellation Baselines:

• Weekdays (09:01–19:59): £85
• Weekday nights (20:00–09:00): £125
• Weekends & Bank Holidays (All times): £125

14.3. Core Service Area & Out-of-Area Surcharges: Core postcodes include NE, DH, TS, SR, and DL1–DL5, DL13–DL17. For dispatches outside these areas, an additional mileage charge calculated at £0.60 per round-trip mile from TS28 5LS applies in addition to the baseline call-out fee.

15.1. Definition: A consumer is an individual obtaining our service wholly or mainly outside their trade, business, craft, or profession.

15.2. Statutory Rights: Fuel Mistake will perform services supplied to consumers with reasonable care and skill. Nothing in these Terms removes or restricts mandatory statutory consumer rights under applicable law.

16.1. Commercial Customers Defined: A customer obtaining our service wholly or mainly for business purposes contracts with Fuel Mistake as a business customer. This includes taxis, private-hire vehicles, delivery vans, company cars, fleet vehicles, and tradespeople's vehicles.

16.2. Default Commercial Presumption: Where attendance, recovery, or fuel-drain services are requested in a business or trading name, or where payment or settlement is tendered using a corporate, commercial, or business payment card, the contract shall automatically be established as a Business-to-Business (B2B) transaction governed strictly by our commercial terms.

16.3. Rebuttable Presumption & Burden of Proof: Settlement via a commercial payment card or business account creates a legal presumption that the service is being contracted on behalf of a commercial entity or in relation to a commercial asset. Statutory consumer protection legislation—including the Consumer Rights Act 2015—shall not apply to B2B transactions unless the customer provides conclusive written verification at or prior to the time of job completion demonstrating that the vehicle is used strictly for private/personal purposes and is not being processed, claimed, or depreciated as a commercial asset or business expense.

16.4. Finality of Invoicing: Once a job sheet, receipt, or invoice is issued, the contracting party identity recorded at the time of service is final and cannot retroactively be altered or reclassified.

17.1. Exclusion of Financial Losses: Subject to applicable law, Fuel Mistake is not responsible for loss of earnings, loss of business, loss of profit, vehicle-hire charges, additional recovery costs, or other consequential financial losses.

17.2. Commercial Duty to Mitigate: Commercial vehicle downtime following a contamination incident does not, by itself, make Fuel Mistake responsible for resulting business losses.

18.1. Notification Duty: If you believe Fuel Mistake's work caused damage, you must notify us as soon as reasonably practicable with supporting diagnostic reports, fault codes, and garage findings.

18.2. Preservation of Parts: Where a dispute arises regarding fuel components, repairing garages must retain relevant parts (filters, pumps, injectors, fuel samples) to afford Fuel Mistake a reasonable opportunity to inspect evidence prior to replacement or disposal.

19.1. Informal Resolution: If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, please contact us immediately on 07513 60 40 30 or by email at Info@fuel-mistake.uk so we can attempt to resolve the matter promptly.

19.2. Preferred Formal Dispute Communication: To ensure accurate record-keeping, formal disputes, legal notices, or written claims regarding services performed should ideally be submitted in writing via First Class Recorded Post to our registered office: Fuel Mistake Ltd, Pickering Hill Cottage, Wingate, County Durham, TS28 5LS.

19.3. Electronic & Postal Responses: While we encourage formal claims via post, we regularly process and respond to complaints submitted via email. The Company reserves the right to correspond with you via email, First Class Recorded Post, or both, regardless of the method used to initiate the complaint.

20.1. Compliance: Fuel Mistake Ltd processes personal data in strict accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

20.2. Data Captured: To fulfill job requests, process payments, ensure technician safety, and handle post-service queries, we collect personal data including contact names, vehicle details, location data, phone numbers, email addresses, and payment transaction logs.

20.3. Data Retention & Third Parties: Personal information is retained only as necessary for accounting, legal compliance, warranty verification, and operational records. We do not sell or pass your personal data to third-party marketing companies. Data may be shared with essential service providers (such as payment processing providers or trade sub-contractors) solely for job completion or legitimate accounting purposes.

21.1. Usage of Cookies: Our website ( www.fuel-mistake.uk) uses essential and analytical cookies to ensure proper website functionality, process service requests, improve page performance, and analyze site traffic.

21.2. Essential vs. Analytical Cookies: Essential cookies are strictly necessary for core website features (such as secure navigation and online contact/booking forms). Non-essential or analytical cookies are utilized to understand visitor interaction and enhance user experience.

21.3. Managing Preferences: Website visitors can adjust or decline non-essential cookie preferences via their web browser settings at any time.