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.
“I wonder how they reconcile or if they reconcile purchases with sales vs. revenue?”
Black market — when their friends come in for gas, it is under the table and discounted. Uses up the gas shorted from the regulars (us).
It’s people like you who bring up facts, evidence, or reality that spoil a good fear factor on a holiday weekend.
: )
Of course I do. God Bless and have a great holiday weekend.
I have dealt with several crooked Indian business owners looking to scam their insurance through bogus claims. Typically they will save up electrical appliance that break down and then claim that lightning struck the building and took them all out at once.
That's the tip off. Although this email didn't do it, excessive exclamation marks are another.
Give me your email and I’ll put you on my mailing list.
Back in the day, a friend of mine worked as a gas station attendant. He’d fill up someone’s car and after they left, he’d drain what was still in the hose into a gas can. The next customer would unwittingly pay to refill the hose before any fuel reached his tank. When he left, my friend would re-drain the hose. At the end of the day, he’d have enough ‘hose gas’ to fill his own car for free.
They did at least use the strategically placed all CAPS words, to make sure you knew it was serious.
In addition to the one-gallon can to check volume, I carry a calorimeter so I can make sure I’m getting the correct octane.
Don’t leave home without your calorimeter!
The thing is that typically volumetric flow meters for custody transfer are accurate to about 1%. The third decimal place on the pump is worthless for accuracy.
Freepmail sent.
Fill in the morning. There are net/gross volumes for fuel. Taxes are generally calculated on the gross gallons (which is what the fuel would be measured at at 60 degrees F, and sea level), then the net is figured on actuals. The difference can be up to 100 gallons on a 10,000 gallon load. But it averages out over time, due to seasonal fluctuations. More net in winter than gross, more gross in summer than net.
Used to work in the field, and it's been more than 10 years since, but IIRC, that's how it worked.
Yup. It was at this point I called "BS".
No doubt there's some crooked gas station owners (my wife got her CC# stolen at one, right around the corner from our house). But this article doesn't pass the sniff test, either.
Learned that trick 25 years ago. Click off the handle, hit whatever you needed to to shut off the pump (now is setting the pump handle back in the cradle), then squeeze the handle again. Empties whatever was in the hose by gravity into your tank. Not much, but every bit counts.
Because the underground tank goes through temperature swings day to night?
Yes, but since the tanks are underground, the temp doesn’t swing that much from night ‘til day, so it’s debatable if it’s worth the effort. I have also heard that water condenses in the underground tank and being lighter than gas, rides on top. That’s okay unless you fill up during or just after the tanker truck fills up the underground tank, stirring up the mixture and sending water to the pump.
At 6 feet deep, in most locations, it doesn’t swing much in temperature from summer to winter. Day to night, not at all. That was the point.
Water is denser that gasoline and collects at the bottom. Draw-off sumps are used to pull that out from time to time. Pump fills are placed off the very bottom.
Very little air can enter the tank as gasoline has a vapor pressure higher than the ambient. Without the exchange of air, moisture via condensation really doesn’t have a pathway in.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=94d_1384926750
1 of every 3 Gas Stations in Houston TX Ripping off Drivers
It is no different than grocery stores placing banners for discounts, but then ripping off the customer at the checkout at a higher price.
Ummm...they usually rob you by rigging the pump to sell you 0.95 gallons, and call it 1.0 gallon.
Charging a higher price and displaying it on the dial is just stupid.
I track miles driven and gallons put in...and I can tell if a particular fill up didn’t get me good mileage. Its possible I was driving aggressively...but more likely I was cheated at the pump. And I avoid such pumps in the future.
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