Beware of Porsche app Blocking charges

[Shug]

Last month I parked overnight in the Hilton Hotel car park at Finneston in Glasgow.

Since there was no rush to depart, I connected to the BP Pulse 7Kw/hr charger to charge overnight, being careful to check that blocking charges would not be applied.

I don't normally look at the charging invoices, but this one caught my eye at £128.18

The original invoice showed a blocking fee of 500 minutes at a charge of £83.33 + VAT = £99.966, so more or less £100, but is suspiciously close to £100, although since it is over £99.995, that would round up to £100. This means that it was £28.18 to charge my car and £100 blocking charge.

The blocking charge is no longer visible from the earlier invoice, but I have a copy on another laptop.

Before charging my vehicle, I took reasonable steps to understand the applicable fees:

• I read the signage at the charging location
• I checked BP Pulse’s published tariff information
• I confirmed that BP Pulse apply blocking fees only to rapid (50kW) chargers, not 7kW AC chargers
• I was satisfied, based on the operator’s information, that no blocking fee would be applied.

Initially I contacted BP Pulse thinking they had somehow overcharged me, but their response was clear.

Porsche were also clear on their response.

My response to Porsche included this:-

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[chun]

I've had something similar happen in Switzerland.

GoFast has a handful of experimental 500/600kw chargers in switzerland, and they are free to use, since they are demo units. But if you initate the charging session via porsche card, porsche still charges you normal rate.

I contacted GoFast about it, and they told me they don't get any money from that charging session, and then i contacted porsche which told me that i should have not used the porsche card if i didn't want their rate So porsche took 100% profit on that charging session, and gave nothing to GoFast, who allowed charging for free.

Of course, since porsche is a premium brand, they had no wiggle room that would increase the satisfaction of their customers You either take it fully in the ass, with the good and the bad, or stop being a porsche customer - is porsche's stance

Sadly porsche subscription is in a lot of cases not the best choice for charging, and should always be double checked. They do post their Fees within the subscription plan, including the fact that they charge a blocking fee for 11/22kw chargers after 5h.

 

[targa666]

It states clearly on the description that there are blocking charges

 

[Dabz]

It states clearly on the description that there are blocking charges

Was going to say, it’s very clear in the Porsche Charging Service plans that blocking fees apply.

 

[Jasper4S]

I'm all for blocking chargers, but £100 for a slow charger at a hotel (private property) is crazy.

 

[anonymouse]

charge overnight, being careful to check that blocking charges would not be applied.

The price list is very clear (available through the app or online) - you have been billed correctly per this pricing I think?

I believe the routine at hotels is to start no earlier than 1800 (therefore no charges before midnight) and take the car off charge before 0800 (when the daytime blocking charge accrues). Or use a different card.

 

[anonymouse]

Actually I see that the current price list is dated 6/6/26 so it may have just been changed - I think it used to be 240 minutes as referenced in your email from Porsche but is now 360. And as for some of their partnership agreements, some of the blocking charge rules appear to expire in December - rather unhelpful I think.

 

[targa666]

Actually I see that the current price list is dated 6/6/26 so it may have just been changed - I think it used to be 240 minutes as referenced in your email from Porsche but is now 360.

It’s 360 for charging plus. 240 for the free version

 

[anonymouse]

It’s 360 for charging plus. 240 for the free version

Ah yes, thanks. And it also seems the free version doesn’t have the overnight blackout period for the blocking charge which is quite mean.

It has always been a confusing card with various scheme options. Most of us start on the Plus scheme which has a monthly fee but is free for the first three years after purchase.

 

[Shug]

I don’t dispute that Porsche’s tariff exists — the issue is that it wasn’t prominent or foreseeable.

I signed up for Porsche Charging Service over a year ago and, like most people, I didn’t memorise every line of the T&Cs. When I arrived at the BP Pulse charger, I did what any reasonable person would do:

• I read the BP Pulse signage
• I checked BP Pulse’s published tariffs online
• I confirmed that blocking fees apply only to rapid (50kW) chargers, not 7kW AC chargers

Based on that, I was satisfied that no blocking fee applied.

Only afterwards did I discover that Porsche applies its own separate tariff, including a 20p/minute blocking fee after 240 minutes on AC chargers — something that was never highlighted at signup and certainly not shown at the charger.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, any term that imposes a financial charge must be:

• Transparent
• Prominent at the time of contract
• Fair and proportionate

A £99.996 penalty for leaving a car overnight on a 7kW hotel charger is not something the average consumer would expect, and it contradicts the operator’s (BP Pulse) own tariff. Even if it was buried somewhere in Porsche’s T&Cs a year ago, it wasn’t made prominent or clear, and it wasn’t foreseeable at the point of use.

That’s why I’m challenging it.

 

[targa666]

I don’t dispute that Porsche’s tariff exists — the issue is that it wasn’t prominent or foreseeable.

I signed up for Porsche Charging Service over a year ago and, like most people, I didn’t memorise every line of the T&Cs. When I arrived at the BP Pulse charger, I did what any reasonable person would do:

• I read the BP Pulse signage
• I checked BP Pulse’s published tariffs online
• I confirmed that blocking fees apply only to rapid (50kW) chargers, not 7kW AC chargers

Based on that, I was satisfied that no blocking fee applied.

Only afterwards did I discover that Porsche applies its own separate tariff, including a 20p/minute blocking fee after 240 minutes on AC chargers — something that was never highlighted at signup and certainly not shown at the charger.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, any term that imposes a financial charge must be:

• Transparent
• Prominent at the time of contract
• Fair and proportionate

A £99.996 penalty for leaving a car overnight on a 7kW hotel charger is not something the average consumer would expect, and it contradicts the operator’s (BP Pulse) own tariff. Even if it was buried somewhere in Porsche’s T&Cs a year ago, it wasn’t made prominent or clear, and it wasn’t foreseeable at the point of use.

That’s why I’m challenging it.

I understand your frustrations but I’m afraid you won’t stand a chance since you agreed to a contract with these terms and conditions.
but do give it a try! Curious how it turns out. Please keep us posted

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