Man Fired Over 69-Cent Gas Gallons Says Company Refuses to Accept $20K Raised to Cover Mistake

John Szczecina, who previously worked at a gas station in California, said he lost his job on June 13 after setting the price for a gallon of gas to 69 cents instead of $6.99

A California man fired for charging just $0.69 a gallon for gas says his former employer will not accept the more than $20,000 raised to make up for the money lost due to his mistake.

John Szczecina, who worked at a gas station on Sunrise Boulevard in Rancho Cordova, said he lost his job on June 13 after he accidentally put the decimal point in the wrong spot, according to CBS affiliate KOVR. The price of the Premium Shell gasoline, he said, was supposed to be $6.99.

A short time later, Szczecina's sister Paula Jackson started a GoFundMe in which she claimed her brother was "being held responsible for the glitch that the station was unable to stop for 3 hours" and speculated he "may be sued" as a result.

But in a letter the former gas station manager said he received from his former employer, and which Szczecina gave to affiliate NBC affiliate KCRA-TV, the company stated that it "does not want the money raised and will not accept it."

Attempts to reach the gas station for comment were unsuccessful.

"To be clear, at no time has the Company told you that it intends to seek payment from you to reimburse the Company's losses," the company said, according to the letter Szczecina said he received. "Nor does the Company intend to take any legal action against you in connection with the incorrect fuel pricing incident."

Additionally, the company reportedly claimed that those who donated to pay the supposed debt were "misled."

However, Szczecina told KCRA-TV in the video above that he had been worried that he was "probably going to be sued" as a result of his mistake. His family later started the GoFundMe campaign to help.

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The company reportedly requested in its letter that the GoFundMe "be shut down," and asked that those who donated be refunded. Alternatively, the company suggested donating the money to charity.

For its part, Shell says in a statement to PEOPLE that while it provides fuel for the Sunrise Boulevard station, the day-to-day site operations "are the responsibility of the wholesaler, site owner and/or operator who make their own operating decisions."

Darryl Surita, who bought over 100 gallons of gas when the mistake was made, is one of hundreds of people who donated to the GoFundMe campaign, per KCRA-TV. He told the outlet that he donated $160 to the fund and wants Szczecina to get the money.

"I think he should keep it," he explained. "I think he should spend it on living his life until he gets a job, because it cost him his job."

In an update to the GoFundMe campaign dated Tuesday, Szczecina's sister shared a link for donors who wished to request a refund. She said refunds must be requested by Tuesday, June 28. The remainder of the donated funds "will now be used to cover living expenses, bills, and help support John and his family during this difficult time," she wrote.

"Thank you all for your generous donations to help my brother John cover the $20,000 owed to the gas station," she wrote in the update.

Szczecina told KCRA-TV he's "still in shock" over the incident, but is pleased to see something positive come from his situation.

"It just makes me feel like there's good in this world still," he said. "It's worth fighting for."