Posted on 08/29/2014 11:40:23 AM PDT by Dick Bachert
Got this from a email friend today. She says . . . I ALWAYS check the first gallon before pumping more – simply to MATCH the PRICE (advertised) against the ONE gallon pumped into my car. – I “caught” a SHELL station (here in Mesa, Arizona) that had the price 12 cents per gallon HIGHER than the advertised price on the pump AND the sign out front. – I called the local Department of Agriculture (weights and measures division) from my cell phone immediately – waiting for them to show up. They did, some 20 minutes later. The Department taped all the pumps – stopping ALL traffic from using the pumps. They (two men) checked all 6 pumps, finding them all “rigged” at a higher price (by 12 cents) per gallon than advertised.
PS – That particular SHELL station was being operated by 2 men from India.
This is especially prevalent at places owned by foreign born entities.
In some case, they even have counterfeit Department of Agriculture stickers to put on the pumps when they re-calibrate. The State seldom physically inspects the pumps as it is very labor intensive, so it often goes overlooked for months or years. I usually buy all my gas at Sam's Club, but always get receipts wherever I have to get fuel. Often, I will pump exactly ONE GALLON and check the pump pricing before continuing the fill up, and even then, I am aware of how much fuel I should get within a couple of tenths of a gallon from experience.
This is true. It happened to them three weeks ago somewhere in Pomona on our way to Penchant. The pump should have totaled @ $68.00 (and change). When the receipt was printed, and she checked it was $77.00 (and change). She got mad, went inside the store, asked for a calculator and let them do the math.
They refunded her, she told them that if they cheat, they had better make it right. Normally, her husband would skip printing the receipt. Not her. We saw on the news the other night that this is happening everywhere.
Brian pumped exactly one gallon of gas. The price did not match the cost of one gallon. It was higher. He went inside and complained, and got a refund.
There is also a number on each pump that you can call and complain.
I stopped at a BP gas station in GA. My truck's gas gauge was on 1/4 of a tank. I use the mid-grade, which was priced at $3.71 per gallon. When my tank is at this point, it takes somewhere around 14 gallons to fill When the pump showed 14 gallons had been pumped, I began to slow it down. Then, to my surprise, it went to 15, then 16. I even looked under my truck to see if it was being spilled. It was not.
When it showed 17 gallons on the pump. It stopped at 18 gallons. This was very strange to me, since my truck has only an 18 gallon tank. I went on my way a little confused, then on the evening news I heard a report that 1 out of 4 gas stations had calibrated their pumps to show more gas had been pumped than a person actually got.
Here is how to check a pump to see if you are getting the right amount:
Whichever grade you are using, put EXACTLY 1 (one) GALLON in your tank, then look at the dollar amount. If the dollar amount is not EXACTLY the price of the fuel PRICE ADVERTISED, then the pumps are rigged.
In this case, as I said, the mid-grade was $3.71 per gallon; my dollar amount or 1 gallons should have been $3.71.
I wish I had checked the pump. It doesn't matter where you pump gas, please check the 1 gallon price. If you do find a station that is cheating, contact the state Agriculture Department, and direct your comments to the Commissioner, the info is on the gas pumps.
Please don't delete this until you have sent it to all people in your address book. We need to put a stop to this outrageous cheating of customers. The gas companies are making enough profits at honest rates.
They aren't talking about a "nationwide" scam. The examples are individual operators. And your web site has "no evidence". Whoopee ding. Are they looking?
Buyer beware. Good advice here I think I'm going to takes.
uhhh ok. so you pump 1 gallon according to the pump in to your tank and the price is right...
how do you know the pump gave you exactly 1 gallon and not .9 or .8 gallons??
Life is just to short to sit there with a can measuring the amount you get.
This runs on to big money. The local corner store even in a small town turns $3000 to $4000 a day in fuel and counter sales. Most of it is fuel at usually low margins. A few percent bump from dishonesty is a doubling of profit. I wonder how they reconcile or if they reconcile purchases with sales vs. revenue?
Same thing happened here at a Shell station run by a bunch of Pakistanis. I went to get diesel in a 6 gallon can and put over 7 gallons in it. I went in and told them their pumps were off and they said, no that they were just inspected bla, bla, bla. They came close to ridiculing me.
I called the Texas Dept of Agriculture number on the pump and reported them. TDoA asked if I wanted a call back when they inspected and I said I did. They called back to tell me the pumps had been sealed. Next day the station was back in business. I’ll never shop there again.
These people are as dishonest as they can get away with. I’d say it is common to all but I think dishonesty is a way of life with some society groups. Check. Check the first gallon is one way to look, check the price for a gallon is another. I believe I’ll carry the gas can as you suggest.
Another possible solution is to trade with a big chain and not mom and pop stores. Sorry mom and pop, you are known by the company you keep. Ditto for the major oil companies... you need to police your dealers better.
Another way to check, but after the fact, is to keep track of your fuel economy as an indicator.
Most states do that annually.. I know MN does.. however I think they did budget cut it for a year or two.
The EXXON stations in NE Mississippi are notorious for this little subterfuge. They are owned by a political Democrat family that sometimes masquerades as Republicans.
Yeah, the same wording of this email circulates for 6 years.
Make sure you send it to all your friends.
Weights and Measure showed up in 20 minutes?
Uhmmmmm boo chit...
Was it important to note the operators are Indian?
Fake story...
Holy cow or cowabunga?
Yeah, right.
I actually did once call my state department of weights and measures and it was about a gas pump issue. They told me that they only had a very small number of inspectors to cover the entire state. Even if the author lives in their state capital, this story is not believable.
No I’ll tell them your web site has no evidence.
Be sure to do that. Send it your all your family members as well. Post it on your favorite web sites. Everyone will thank you.
I assume you are suggesting that you have a gallon container with you to see what the gallon price will be? I would not be surprised that with digital controls the pumps can be programmed to start charge more per gallon AFTER five gallons have been dispensed. Certainly would seem doable to me.
“Now here’s the really interesting added wrinkle to this SCAM: He indicated that he’s convinced that these crooks have not only jiggered the pump monetary calculation mechanism but HAVE ALSO TAMPERED WITH THE VOLUMETRIC MECHANISM, CAUSING THE CUSTOMER TO GET FEWER GALLONS THAN THE AMOUNT INDICATED ON THE PUMP!!”
i have heard that the time of day affects the volume recorded as pumped, as gasoline expands as it warms up. but how any surface temperature may affect the volume of gasoline flowing into the car from a buried tank, i cannot see? there is some sort of caveat on a small label on gas pumps which may speak to this apparent discrepancy, but i cannot recall the wording oft hand.
I think the lesson to be learned here is...
Get your fuel at a well know ‘chain’ gas station instead of an independent station that sells houkas.
Glad to know you care.
(oops) “well known”
There was an Indian-operated convenience store/gas station near my condo in California. If he didn’t shortchange me, I figured he didn’t like me any more.
I’ve never had experience with BWM, but....
I *DID* have a state sales tax audit (a thing every single business will go thru every 2-3 years in CA) in...maybe 1988.
I was a sole proprietor. Eg; I did the deals, accounted for the deals collected salex (or not)
I was selling fairly expensive gear and generating $6K-$11K in sales tax quarterly. Of course...at those prices ($20K-$30K items) what customer would not want to avoid sales tax? Having been an employee at a biz that was SaTax audited and ended up with a $118K bill....I would not do those deals.
Anyway, I ended up with a $6K bill, and the auditor tried to scam me. I was quite stuned.
I call the offices of the State Attorney general and reported the attempt to extract a bribe by the auditor.
They were in Commerce, CA, I was in No. Hollywood. They were at my door in 20 minutes.
I would seriously question whether the trip from Commerce to N. Hwd is drivable in 20 minutes. I was shocked to see them at my door that fast. Seriously, they must have jumped into their car Joe Friday style (60’s TV reference)
So.......so, nothing. Just an anecdote.
I have dealt with many Indian business owners. A great deal of them are looking to scam people out of their money.
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