(WSVN) - A mistake has cost one gas station manager in California his job after he set his pumps to 69 cents a gallon instead of the intended $6.99.
John Szczecina was managing a Shell gas station in Rancho Cordova on Friday when he said he accidentally put a decimal in the wrong spot, causing pumps to sell premium gasoline a discounted price.
The mistake spread on social media, leading to lines as drivers hurried to take advantage of the error before it was fixed.
“I put all three prices on there except the diesel, but the last one kind of didn’t go, you know, right,” Szczecina told a local media outlet. “It was a mistake that I did, you know.”
Szczecina’s mistake cost the station $16,000, along with his job.
“I thought, ‘This is a nightmare,'” he said. “So I just took responsibility for it and I said, “Yeah, it’s my fault, and I’m to blame.”
Szczecina’s family has since created a GoFundMe page in the hopes of raising the $16,000 to pay it back.
There was also concern that Szczecina could be sued for his mistake but attorney Craig Simmermon told a local news outlet that employees are protected from liability when they make mistakes while performing normal duties related to their jobs.
“The only way he would be responsible outside of a written agreement is if he was acting outside the scope of his employment,” Simmermon said. “For instance, if his boss said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t ever set the price on that gas pump,’ and then he did.”
In the meantime, the former manager said he is currently searching for a new job.
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