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!!
The impact of that is, of course, that reading the $ amount on the pump for the first gallon -- EVEN IF IT DOES MATCH THE ADVERTISED PRICE -- WILL NOT SAVE ONE FROM THIS OUTRAGEOUS SCAM!
I suspect this is a nationwide situation and it is time to get the state folks who police these devices to get out there and do their jobs!
PS: We'll be carrying a precisely measured and approved 1 gallon gas can in the car and the first gallon of periodic fill-ups at even our REGULAR station will go into that can, which can will then either be emptied into the vehicle tank or brought home to fill the lawn tractor tank! If we find we're being shorted, we'll IMMEDIATELY be in touch with the state agency tasked with keeping these crooks honest!
This doesn’t really make sense to me.
If you put 1 gallon in at 3.71 (and you are trusting the pump to tell you what one gallon is) then when the pump say’s 1 gallon then it will also say 3.71.
The only way to truly check this would be to have a 1 gallon container in the car which you fill up first.
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What the described check will do is verify that the outdoor sign matches the price programmed into the pump.
I have wondered about this, thanks for posting.
BTT
Hmm, we get up to a buck a gallon off at Vons/Safeway/Pavilion Market-affiliated pumps. Now I’m thinking it would be a good idea to check periodically, though am not a fan of carrying around a gas can. Had enough of that many moons ago when my car in high school always contained a gas can, oil, and spare parts at all times.
I buy from locally American owned stations in East Tennessee. One is a chain owned by a respected family {no not our governors family business Pilot Oil} but an older one {Weigels} that started out as a dairy farm selling milk and expanded into convenience stores/gas stations. No complaints I’ve bought gas there for a couple decades now. The other place is a local Mom and Pop market everyone knows where the owner lives and when he knows the next shipment is a skyrocketed price he warns regular customers to get it cheap while they can.
I buy most of my gas at Sam’s Club because they seem to be more honest with their prices than stations that are quick to raise prices when oil is going up but far slower to lower them when it’s coming down. I always check the first gallon and make sure it’s charging me the marked price. Never had a problem with Sam’s, but I have had a problem at a local Citgo station where the tank never seems to be quite as full as it should from the amount of gas I purchased. I don’t go there any more (nobody there speaks English so no use complaining).
“PS – That particular SHELL station was being operated by 2 men from India. “
Around here, ALL shell stations are operated by people from India. Every last one of them. They all seem pretty friendly, but guess I’ll start checking my first gallon. Actually, I’m going to start doing that at ALL gas stations from now on!