Cozumel, Mexico Gasolinera Review
So, we stopped at Cozumel, Mexico on a cruise stop – one of my (previously) favorite ports.
We rented a car at the cruise port for $100 which was a bit high but, for the use of a car and the beauty of the windward side of the island, it was worth it to us.
What wasn’t ‘worth it’ was the extra $30 in gas our credit card was charged….
This review is for the Gasolinera station at Av Lic Benito Juárez 73, Emiliano Zapata, San Miguel de Cozumel, Q.R., Mexico.
We pulled up to the pump and, as suggested on posts I’ve read, we made sure that the pump was reset to zero. The attendant then pumped the gas and, as you can see from the photo above, we used 564.83 pesos of gas to go around the island in our rental jeep.
On the day we visited Cozumel, Mexico, 564.83 pesos equated to $30.38 in US dollars.
Now, considering that (1) Cozumel is an island 34 miles long by 11 miles wide, and (2) we had the car out for only 3 hours and 2 of those hours were visiting various bars and shops, I thought $30 in gas was excessive. But, what could we do?
So, I asked for a receipt and was told the pump had no receipt. My hackles went right up. That’s why I took the picture of the pump.
Imagine my surprise when I looked at my credit card receipt and was charged $60.79!!!!!
I immediately called my credit card company and contested the charge. They’ve had multiple complaints for this exact thing.
The customer service rep gave me some suggestions to help prevent this from happening again:
- Do NOT use your credit card. Many many reviews on Google show that my experience is typical. Overcharging is rampant. Many people are charged between 50-60 dollars US like we were.
- Pull up to a pump where the handle is in the pump. One of the scams at the gas stations on Cozumel is that the attendant who pumps gas doesn’t reset the pump, thereby charging you for more gas than you really need. If there is an attendant standing with the gas pump in hand, steer clear.
- If you give the attendant a credit card and they say it was declined, they’re probably lying. What they do is charge your credit card and then get you to pay cash also. You have little recourse in this case. However, if you can log into your credit card from where you’re standing, do so and show them that the charge went through.
- Do not be distracted! We were approached by 2 or 3 different people asking us questions. We should have kept an eye on the pump.
- Tell them how many pesos to put in! This is your best bet, once you’ve checked that the pump was restarted at zero. And, pay in pesos if you have them.
So, make sure that you check your credit card if you buy gas on Cozumel. Keep receipts (if you can get one) and report scams.
Sadly, Cozumel, Mexico is no longer my favorite cruise port and, in fact, we probably won’t get off the ship if we cruise there again. So sad as it really is a beautiful island, landscape wise.
Have you been swindled by a gas station on Cozumel, Mexico? I’d love to hear your comments below.
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