Gas Station Scam

[Tzer]

I just received this email from a friend and thoguht I'd pass it along here on the forum.

 

I can see this happening easley, I'll be on watch closer from now on.

 

HEY GANG,,,,,,,WATCH WHEN YOU PURCHASE GAS...THIS COULD BE NATIONWIDE

 

 

I don't know if this is true or not and even though I'm in Harrisonville (MO) sometimes I fill up at that station. How many of us pull up to the pump, stick in a credit card, put the hose in the tank, sometimes click the nozzle on, then press the grade button without looking at the amount or price to make sure everything is zeroed? I guarantee I will from now on!!

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Friends:

 

Yesterday I learned from a fellow Freemason of two instances where gas station owners are setting their pumps to start at $1.25 instead of $0.00 when you buy fuel at their stations.

 

The first instance happened to my fraternity brother himself at the Phillips 66 station in Harrisonville, MO, across from the Cass Medical Center. When my friend lifted handle out of it¢s holder and pushed the 87 octane button he happened to glance at the screen which shows how much you¢ve been charged and how much you¢ve pumped prior to pumping any fuel at all. The amount pumped was zeroed out, but the price screen read $1.25. He attempted to clear this and the amount charged always remained at $1.25.&nbs p; A gentleman pulled up on the opposite side of the pump and started to fuel his vehicle when my friend warned him about what had just occurred on his side of the pump. The same exact thing happened on the other gentleman¢s side of the pump. They both shut off their respective pumps and went in demanding to see the owner. The owner pretended tha t he didn¢t understand what was happening and spoke to them in broken English as he was obviously Middle Eastern. Both men left him and his station without purchasing any fuel.

 

My friend was relating this story to one of his customers at his place of business when the customer stated that the exact same thing had happened to him at the Valero gas station located at Highway 7 & Walnut in Blue Springs, MO. The pump simply went to $1.25 before any fuel was pumped at all. When the man attempting to fuel his car went into the station to report the problem there was another Middle Eastern man in charge of the station who pretended to be busy on the phone and refused to speak with the man attempting to report the problem. He, also, left without purchasing any fuel.

 

The next weekend my Masonic brother was returning from a fishing trip to the Lake of the Ozarks when he stopped for fuel in Warrensburg. There was a man wearing a state of Missouri uniform checking the pump next to the one my friend was using. My friend approached the official from the state and relayed his stories about the two gas stations with the pumps that wouldn¢t zero out for amount charged when first turned on. The state official took down the locations of the two stations, stating he was very familiar with the one in Harrisonville doing this as they¢d had to fine him before for overcharging. It seems it¢s a common practice among some station owners to assume that most Americans who use fuel cards don¢t look at the pump screens before they fuel their vehicles. Therefore, the station owners will receive an additional $1.25 per purchase 24/7/365 to put in their own pocket as profit. The official stated that he would report the instances to his supervisor.

 

The following Friday the same state official came to my friend¢s place of business and reported that they had busted BOTH gas stations for ch arging too much on purchases made at their stations and that they would both receive hefty fines. He told my friend that there is supposed to be a 1-800 number on each side of a pump where people can report fraud to the state if they believe a station is overcharging.

 

I am sending you this not to spread rumors about Middle Eastern gas station owners, but to warn you to be very vigilant when buying fuel. Always LOOK to see that both the amount of fuel pumped and the amount charged have zeroed out prior to pumping your fuel. None of you receiving this are millionaires, so I know you don¢t want to spend an additional $1.25 each time you purchase fuel. Stay alert and don¢t get screwed at the pump.

 

God Bless

Edited September 12, 2008 by Tzer (see edit history)

[04CHASE]

i always make sure it starts at zero . here alot of gas stations give you a better price if you pay cash which i usually do. but 90% of the time im at a gas station im using the company card. work truck goes through about 300 of fuel of week.

[mcmahan]

what thats robbery damn crooks

[F1SSS]

i always make sure it starts at zero . here alot of gas stations give you a better price if you pay cash which i usually do. but 90% of the time im at a gas station im using the company card. work truck goes through about 300 of fuel of week.

 

 

Ya I always watch my gas when I pump, make sure they give me the discount for cash instead of credit card.

[Turbocoop]

I went to get gas today and theres signs all over the pumps that say, "please limit your purchase to 10 gallons or less to save gas for other customers during the gas shortage in the southeast." I didnt know there was a gas shortage. I filled up anyway though cause its supposed to go up a bunch in price tomorrow. I usually glance at the screen when I pump but Ill be sure to do it more often now, thanks

[SSThunder]

I went to get gas today and theres signs all over the pumps that say, "please limit your purchase to 10 gallons or less to save gas for other customers during the gas shortage in the southeast." I didnt know there was a gas shortage. I filled up anyway though cause its supposed to go up a bunch in price tomorrow. I usually glance at the screen when I pump but Ill be sure to do it more often now, thanks

 

There isn't a gas shortage. That's just a way for these a-holes to charge more. Gas shot up $0.30 per gallon because of the hurricane. funny how the price of oil is going down but gas goes up. Pure BS if you ask me. Plus OPEC is trying to cut production to protect the $100 price. These greedy people will get what they deserve someday. If I didn't have a kid I would probably get a motorbike. All these crazy ass prices are starting to get to me

[Black2003SS]

Yeah SSThunder, its funny how oil is $101 per barrel now and gas is still near $4/g. When oil was at $100 a barrel the last time, gas was at about $3/g. There is definetly price fixing going on.

[Fireman31]

I always watch the pump when I begin to fill my tank.

 

Something similar to this happened to my Dad recently.........he was getting ready to fill his tank at the local Hess station, when he flipped the lever for the grade of gas he wanted, the $$ amount jumped $0.50 as soon as the pump initialized. Quite aggravated he picked a fight with the station attendant saying they were a bunch of thieves. He called the county dept. of weights and measures and complained. The gas station got shut down until all pumps were re-calibrated and certified. Apparently this wasn't the only complaint they had gotten.

[Tzer]

I always watch the pump when I begin to fill my tank.

 

Something similar to this happened to my Dad recently.........he was getting ready to fill his tank at the local Hess station, when he flipped the lever for the grade of gas he wanted, the $$ amount jumped $0.50 as soon as the pump initialized. Quite aggravated he picked a fight with the station attendant saying they were a bunch of thieves. He called the county dept. of weights and measures and complained. The gas station got shut down until all pumps were re-calibrated and certified. Apparently this wasn't the only complaint they had gotten.

 

I sure hope these guys get HEAFTY FINES!

If the amount they already stolen is greater then their fines. They'll just look at it as the cost to run the business and still come out ahead.

Grrrrr.

[SSPOSSE]

thanks tzer, just came back form KC yesterday and got fuel in cameron Mo. i will check the pump always.. thanks for the info...