Self Serve Gas Pumps

[Ozarks Tom]

This isn't so much of a trick or tip as warning.

A couple years ago my wife pulled into a gas station not far from here.  She noticed the nozzle & hose laying on the island, so she picked it up and put it back in the cradle.  She swiped her card, pumped her gas, got her receipt, and left.

About a half hour later a County Sheriff's deputy was at our door accusing her of being a "drive off" from the station.  She had her receipt, showed the deputy her truck only had one tank, but she had to go up to the station to show them too.  The people at the station didn't want to believe her, and it got pretty ugly.  Luckily, the deputy backed her up so nothing came of it.

The previous customer was the "drive off".  He'd filled up, and just laid the hose down so as not to signal he was done, and needed to go in the station to pay.  Instead he just took off. 

Here's the tip:  If you find a gas nozzle laying on the concrete, leave it there and notify the attendants, otherwise they'll try to stick you for the thief's gas.

[whereiwant2b]

Sheesh- is there no end to the creativity of thieves? I would have thought that the meter would have simply shut off after a short period of non activity. At least I have had that happen when I didn't get back to the pump when it clicked off before it filled my tank. I had to restart the thing all over again. I wonder if it was some form of hacking.

At the place I get gas, the card has to be entered before it pumps.

[Ozarks Tom]

There are several stations around here where someone pays when finished, or swipes their card to start the process. I'm guessing when the nozzle gets put back in the pump a bell or buzzer tells the attendant to expect payment. By not hanging it back up the attendant doesn't know to look.

I was surprised they didn't have cameras, but this station is out in the country and not very updated.

[mnn2501]

Pumps around here are pay first, same on the major highways. I'd have to go back 25-30 years to the last time I saw one that let you pump first and pay last.

[Ozarks Tom]

Aug 9, 2016 16:29:09 GMT mnn2501 said:

Pumps around here are pay first, same on the major highways. I'd have to go back 25-30 years to the last time I saw one that let you pump first and pay last.

Hey, this is the Ozarks, people are still putting in sculptured shag carpeting.