Getting ripped off at the pump

[bmg88201]

I went to a station and got two 5 qt jugs of diesel which comes to 2.5 gallons. I paid and left but then realized I had paid way more than the sign said which was $4.79 per gallon. I paid $18.89 for 2.5 gallons. Divide 2.5 into $18.89 = $7.55 per gallon. I called the state weights and measures dept and filed a complaint. They went to the station and order them to shut the diesel pumps down. The station said that the price at the pump is set remotely and was a mistake but didn’t realize the huge increase in the price. The man from the state told me he is seeing one complaint after another about stations kicking up the price on the pump but not changing the price on their signs. The station got a $30,000 fine out of it. The man from the state told me he recommends for folks to put in 1 gallon and stop and look at the price on the pump to see if it reflects the price on the sign, if it’s correct then continue pumping. He told me most of the complaints he sees is a price difference of 30 to 40 cents between the sign and what you are really being charged. Folks are getting ripped off !!!!

 

[Bill Guenthner]

I went to a station and got two 5 qt jugs of diesel which comes to 2.5 gallons. I paid and left but then realized I had paid way more than the sign said which was $4.79 per gallon. I paid $18.89 for 2.5 gallons. Divide 2.5 into $18.89 = $7.55 per gallon. I called the state weights and measures dept and filed a complaint. They went to the station and order them to shut the diesel pumps down. The station said that the price at the pump is set remotely and was a mistake but didn’t realize the huge increase in the price. The man from the state told me he is seeing one complaint after another about stations kicking up the price on the pump but not changing the price on their signs. The station got a $30,000 fine out of it. The man from the state told me he recommends for folks to put in 1 gallon and stop and look at the price on the pump to see if it reflects the price on the sign, if it’s correct then continue pumping. He told me most of the complaints he sees is a price difference of 30 to 40 cents between the sign and what you are really being charged. Folks are getting ripped off !!!!

Did this happen at a reputable chain or some independent station? I always watch the gallons dispensed into 5 gallon cans and it’s always 5 gallons at the full mark, across multiple stations over a hundred mile radius.

 

[jyoutz]

I went to a station and got two 5 qt jugs of diesel which comes to 2.5 gallons. I paid and left but then realized I had paid way more than the sign said which was $4.79 per gallon. I paid $18.89 for 2.5 gallons. Divide 2.5 into $18.89 = $7.55 per gallon. I called the state weights and measures dept and filed a complaint. They went to the station and order them to shut the diesel pumps down. The station said that the price at the pump is set remotely and was a mistake but didn’t realize the huge increase in the price. The man from the state told me he is seeing one complaint after another about stations kicking up the price on the pump but not changing the price on their signs. The station got a $30,000 fine out of it. The man from the state told me he recommends for folks to put in 1 gallon and stop and look at the price on the pump to see if it reflects the price on the sign, if it’s correct then continue pumping. He told me most of the complaints he sees is a price difference of 30 to 40 cents between the sign and what you are really being charged. Folks are getting ripped off !!!!

Good information

 

[bmg88201]

It’s got nothing to do with the accuracy of amount of fuel being pumped but the price gouging that happened. The sign was $4.79 and the pump charged me $7.55. It was at a ConocoPhillips station in my town. The fella from the state said he made them print all the diesel tickets for the last 48 hours and some of them were $300 -$400.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

It’s got nothing to do with the accuracy of amount of fuel being pumped but the price gouging that happened. The sign was $4.79 and the pump charged me $7.55. It was at a ConocoPhillips station in my town. The fella from the state said he made them print all the diesel tickets for the last 48 hours and some of them were $300 -$400.

Oh. The price is displayed on the pump along with the amount dispensed. How did you not notice?

 

[ptsg]

Similar practices have been happening here. A bunch of pumps up North were caught doing similar stuff. Basically it would mark the price per liter even without starting pumping actual fuel into the tank.

A guy really needs to pay attention to every single thing these days. Can't trust no one.

 

[MossRoad]

I have a strange habit of counting things like stairs, seconds I wait at a stop light, how many swallows to drink a bottle of pop, how many bites to eat a sandwich, goofy stuff like that.

At the gas pumps, I have a tendency to look at the price of the fuel and when I near the first gallon, I almost always look to see if the price and 1 gallon line up. I do the same thing at 10 gallons. I've always been suspicious of gas pumps, however, I've never found one that's not accurate to the penny, unlike the OP.

Unfortunately, everyone should probably pick up my weird habit to keep the few corrupt station honest and protect yourselves from thievery.

I also have a weird habit of trying to guess how many gallons I'll take on a fill up based on the gas gauge in the vehicle before I start pumping. It's a fun game. Do a little math in my head as the digits climb.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

This sound less like a “rip off” and more like the overworked attendant punched 7.49 in when she meant to punch 4.79 in to the computer. She didn’t notice, like you, when you didn’t notice it until you got home, because you had other things on your mind.

 

[MossRoad]

This sound less like a “rip off” and more like the overworked attendant punched 7.49 in when she meant to punch 4.79 in to the computer. She didn’t notice, like you, when you didn’t notice it until you got home, because you had other things on your mind.

Ahhh. Typo Mary strikes again.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

I have a strange habit of counting things like stairs, seconds I wait at a stop light, how many swallows to drink a bottle of pop, how many bites to eat a sandwich, goofy stuff like that.

At the gas pumps, I have a tendency to look at the price of the fuel and when I near the first gallon, I almost always look to see if the price and 1 gallon line up. I do the same thing at 10 gallons. I've always been suspicious of gas pumps, however, I've never found one that's not accurate to the penny, unlike the OP.

Unfortunately, everyone should probably pick up my weird habit to keep the few corrupt station honest and protect yourselves from thievery.

I also have a weird habit of trying to guess how many gallons I'll take on a fill up based on the gas gauge in the vehicle before I start pumping. It's a fun game. Do a little math in my head as the digits climb.

Like you, I notice everything. I know where the pump should cut off if my gas gauge shows half a tank and I watch the pump count the 10ths of gallons. I would also know without consciously doing any math if the total charge wasn’t really close to correct.