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I think my local gas station is robbing people. (Now with Math!)

amdhunter

amdhunter

Lifer
This one is weird. A few weeks ago the gas station I always go to was taken over by new management.
Usually, if my tank is really low, it cost ~$47 - 50 dollars to fill up. This is with the needle on or under the E. (Not that I do it that often.)

Today I fill up, with about 1/5th of a tank, no gas light on, with prices that looked LESS than usual.

For some odd reason, the total came up to $50.02. That seems extremely high for gas since I wasn't really near empty. It didn't occur to me to write down the price per gallon, but even at $4 a gallon - it doesn't add up. I also noticed a LOT of hissing from the pump, could it have been air?

I am going to pass by tomorrow to see if I can get the $ per gallon, and do some calculations. I am not bitching about the price of gas, I am bitching at the fact that I might be getting robbed. Anyone else notice gas stations pulling stunts to get more money? Is there some place I can call to complain?

EDIT: Got the receipt.

I went downstairs to grab the receipt. $3.419 per gallon.
I have a 15.9 Gallon tank.

So if I were empty it would cost 3.419*15.9 = $54.3621 to fill up from zero.

So [going by their price per gallon] I had about $54 - $50 = $4 worth of gas, or about just over a gallon in my tank. There is no way I had a gallon of gas in my car and the gas light wouldn't have come on.

They are definitely scamming people. I really feel like going back there and bitching, but I'd probably get arrested.
 
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If you look on the pump, there is usually a validation sticker from the state measurements and whatever bureau. That should give you the name of the agency to contact.
 
Not sure why you wouldn't right down the price/gal and the gallons you put in your car and figure out the simple math? Nobody here is going to be able to do anything when you don't know that.

It's either:

A. The gas station is ripping you off, either intentionally or unintentionally with a faulty pump.

B. You are miscalculating.

Considering you couldn't be bothered to waste 15 seconds to figure it out, guess which one I'd go with?
 
Mermaidman said:
Your receipt will tell you the price per gallon.
Click to expand...

I went downstairs to grab the receipt. $3.419 per gallon.
I have a 15.9 Gallon tank.

So if I were empty it would cost 3.419*15.9 = $54.3621 to fill up from zero.

So [going by their price per gallon] I had about $54 - $50 = $4 worth of gas, or about just over a gallon in my tank. There is no way I had a gallon of gas in my car and the gas light wouldn't have come on.

They are definitely scamming people. I really feel like going back there and bitching, but I'd probably get arrested.
 
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Are you also accounting for the gas in the pipe between the filler and the tank?
(I remember the dude at the gas station in NJ tried to get as much fuel in my tank as possible)
 
Tristicus said:
Post said receipt.
Click to expand...

sorry for the bad/big pic. It actually mentions the gallons I supposedly got too. My gas light wasn't on...that's what kills me.
gas.jpg
 
ravana said:
Are you also accounting for the gas in the pipe between the filler and the tank?
(I remember the dude at the gas station in NJ tried to get as much fuel in my tank as possible)
Click to expand...

Feeds from the top so all of it would have gotten in I guess.
 
Unless you live in the middle of no-where, all gas stations are validated and tested by Weights and Measures. It's probably your math.
 
zerocool84 said:
Unless you live in the middle of no-where, all gas stations are validated and tested by Weights and Measures. It's probably your math.
Click to expand...

There have been quite a few cases where gas stations got caught for things like the OP is suggesting.. Its not exactly impossible
 
You're in Austin, TX, and paying $3.42/gallon??? 😱

Man, suddenly the $2.63/gallon I'm paying up here by the TX/OK state line doesn't seem so bad!!

As far as your question goes, go back and look at that dispenser. By law, the state's weights and measures sticker has to be on the dispenser, in plain sight, and it has to have been calibrated within the last year. If it shows it's within the last year that it was calibrated, you can call and ask them to check, and they will send someone out with a calibration can to check the dispensers in question.

Otherwise, if it was recently calibrated (within the past month or so), I can guess at two possibilities:
1. the dispenser was off before, and was dispensing more gasoline than it was showing on the meter (thus why you were spending less money before)
2. the person who was calibrating it didn't know what the hell they were doing, and when they went to adjust the calibration, they calibrated it in the wrong direction. It happens, occasionally. If the proofing can they use to calibrate it says it's low, you're supposed to tell the computer circuits in the dispenser how low it's showing, and it will adjust (and vice versa if it's proofing high). Some people screw it up, and calibrate it like it's high, when it's low. WTH, call the weights and measures folks anyways!
 
zerocool84 said:
Unless you live in the middle of no-where, all gas stations are validated and tested by Weights and Measures. It's probably your math.
Click to expand...


Weights & Measures is a joke... Who do you think has the keys to the pumps...? Not to say all fuel stations are on the take but tons of them are and just about any where not just in podunk... People have been hanging their thumb on the scale since 2 sticks were rubbed together to light farts... Digital read pumps are quite simple to alter if you know how and the older mechanical oddly enough are harder to screw with...

Couple of years ago I went to get a 5 gallon gas can filled for the mower and went to a weebeegeebee quickie mart and stopped the pump on 5 gallons on the meter and to my surprise it was almost exactly 1 gallon short... After meeting with the pump jockey and having it out with him the mgr/owner (not sure) came out and filled the fuel can to the top and offered me a free mega drink which did not turn down but never went back to that place again... Also told several people about it but no one seemed really even care (like the BBB & local police)...

I order & buy the fuel for my company now and just recently switched to a different supplier... Both on and off road Diesel were .21 cents cheaper per gallon and reg gas was like .26 cents per gallon cheaper and the bulk oils I buy were like 25% cheaper and were still the same spec plus made a local refinery... I make sure of what I get and how much but of course I have the old tried and true guage stick for the fuel tanks and sight glasses on the bulk oil tanks...
 
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Bartman39 said:
Couple of years ago I went to get a 5 gallon gas can filled for the mower and went to a weebeegeebee quickie mart and stopped the pump on 5 gallons on the meter and to my surprise it was almost exactly 1 gallon short... After meeting with the pump jockey and having it out with him the mgr/owner (not sure) came out and filled the fuel can to the top and offered me a free mega drink which did not turn down but never went back to that place again... Also told several people about it but no one seemed really even care (like the BBB & local police)...
Click to expand...

Obviously the other gallon was lost in the fumes.
 
Get a one gallon gas tank. Film while you fill to the one gallon mark, and look at the number on the pump. If it has cheated you, first show the management, if the response is not good enough, mail the video to the local media.
 
punjabiplaya said:
If you look on the pump, there is usually a validation sticker from the state measurements and whatever bureau. That should give you the name of the agency to contact.
Click to expand...


Problem is they only take 1-2 gallons out to test. Many have shown to test badly the more gas you take out.

So the only thing that sticker proves is that if you get a couple gallons you are ok. Over that and not really sure.
 
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This says you're over paying by about $.80 per gallon. Read the numbers on the pump before you start pumping your gas. If the number on the receipt does not match the pump, report the gas station to your local police department and Better Business Bureau. Alerting the media also works.
 
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