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I can't recall the last time that I had to go into a station's office/convenience store in order to pay.
Some time in the deep, dark past, I had to do this, but it was so long ago that I can't recall exactly when it was.
Now what I hate are gastations that don't have lock on things and you have to hold the handle.... what are we? Animals? Ain't nobody got time for that!
For some reason, Exxon has removed the locks from every single handle in all of their stations in the area. Really annoying when the temperature is below freezing and you want to keep your hands warm inside your jacket. Must be by orders of the regional manager, since their gas stations outside of this area have locks in them.
I usually just end up sticking the gas cap in the handle to keep it flowing.
I live in NJ & I almost always pump my own gas.
Trust me--nobody has ever been arrested in NJ for pumping his own gas.
In fact, most of the attendants thank me for doing it myself.
The only times when I don't do the entire fill-up myself are when the pumps require that the attendant insert his card into the pump, prior to inserting my credit card. In those cases, I have already removed the gas cap before the attendant wanders over to my car, and I have made sure that the gas cap's lanyard is secured to the little hook on the gas door, in order to prevent the cap from hitting the fender.
Then, the attendant always walks away, leaving me to finish the job properly, without either overfilling the tank or spilling any gas. I take the receipt, wave it in the air to signal the attendant that I have finished the fill-up, and I drive away--while the other folks are still sitting in their cars, waiting for that lone attendant to get to their car.
Why do so many people act like sheep, and not take control of the situation?
The first time I traveled through NJ, I started to pump my own gas when the gas attendant came screaming at me while waving his hands telling me to stop. After I moved in and started visiting the same stations frequently, the attendants got to know me and didn't mind if I started to pump my own gas.
While pumping your gas in NJ is illegal, I don't know of anybody being prosecuted for it, like Retriever said.
With the pump trigger locks, I would assume it's because they don't always kick off when they're supposed to, they don't with my Jeep anyway. They probably also don't want people re-entering their vehicle and building up static electricity, then starting a fire when they grab the handle.
...stuff like that.
Last edited by Magnatomicflux; 04-28-2013 at 06:20 PM..
If I have to pre-pay at the pump I'm moving on to another station. I don't use a credit card, cash only for me. A little exercise walking into the station won't kill me. Plus a good friend manages the station I get my fuel at, so a little bs'ing may ensue.
What someone said before is true about the hold they put on your transaction. My daughter learned this the hard way with her debit card. They ping your card for a dollar or so, to see if it's active, then may take a week or more to process the transaction. All the while she never paid attention to the balance until she was hit with an overdraft, after they finally processed the purchase a week or two later.
Fortunately here in Iowa there are still a lot of stations that don't make you pre-pay, most do offer the pay at the pump option though. After cutting up my card/s 3 yrs. or so ago I have no use for them ever again. If my debit card, or cash can't buy what I'm looking for I guess I don't need it.
One station in this area makes you pre-pay after midnight to either 6 or 7 AM. I never go there, what a pain in the ass to pre-pay for gas. No other station makes you pre-pay at all. Usually I pay inside because I pick up something to drink and get 2 cents off 20 gallons on my rewards card. Plus it is cheaper to pick up a drink in there than anywhere else in town, so a win-win.
So guessing how much your tank will hold, then walking inside and waiting in line to pay is easier than sticking your card in the machine?
I don't mind waiting in line (standing burns calories, I always say). Besides, I've never encountered a long line inside a gas station that made me wait longer than 2 minutes, tops.
I normally pay at the pump with a debit card. There's one station where I buy fuel about once a month that it's a nickel per gallon cheaper if paid by check, so I go in and write a check to save a buck or so. They run it through immediately and give me back the check, so it's just like the debit card. Why is cheaper if paid by check? I guess there's a small charge from the bank to process the card, but it's probably more to get you into the station to buy something else.
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