[Mike 75]

I think some station owners are claiming they are out of gas so they don't have to deal with all the nonsense. I've noticed some stations will be open for the morning commute, and will then put up the "out of gas" signs.

[gtmo]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

While I agree with you here, note that the stupid (or is it greedy?) gas station owner that allowed it was charged as well....

I wouldn't call the gas station owner greedy for allowing them to fill up those pails. They will sell all of their gas either way; whether it is in 5 gallon pails or to the line of customers who are waiting 30 minutes.

If the state would allow the gas station owners to raise prices by $0.25 - $0.50 per gallon, then there wouldn't be hoarding.

[gtmo]

Originally Posted by Mike 75

I think some station owners are claiming they are out of gas so they don't have to deal with all the nonsense. I've noticed some stations will be open for the morning commute, and will then put up the "out of gas" signs.

I wonder if these gas stations would open if they could raise the price by $0.50 per gallon? Perhaps anti-price gouging laws are leading to a bigger shortage than would otherwise exist.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

While I agree with you here, note that the stupid (or is it greedy?) gas station owner that allowed it was charged as well....

I'm sure the charges will be dismissed against the station owner, but i applaud Orange P.D. for charging him anyway. It's unlikely that the guy with the 30 5-gallon buckets would have been able to complete the transaction strictly through pay at the pump, as there are limits(~$100) put in place by the banks on those transactions. I guess the guy could have had 6/7/8 different credit/debit cards to complete the transaction, but i'm sure another customer would have tipped off the station attendants before the buckets were all filled.

The one thing that i would like to know is, what exactly did they do with the gas? The report stated that it was returned "properly". I don't know what that means. If they're saying it was dropped back into the main underground tank, that would be a serious no-no, as the fuel could have been contaminated by foreign matter in those buckets.

[gtmo]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

I'm sure the charges will be dismissed against the station owner, but i applaud Orange P.D. for charging him anyway. It's unlikely that the guy with the 30 5-gallon buckets would have been able to complete the transaction strictly through pay at the pump, as there are limits(~$100) put in place by the banks on those transactions. I guess the guy could have had 6/7/8 different credit/debit cards to complete the transaction, but i'm sure another customer would have tipped off the station attendants before the buckets were all filled.

The one thing that i would like to know is, what exactly did they do with the gas? The report stated that it was returned "properly". I don't know what that means. If they're saying it was dropped back into the main underground tank, that would be a serious no-no, as the fuel could have been contaminated by foreign matter in those buckets.

Although I posted above that I don't find the gas station owner to be greedy, I do find him to be incompetent and for that reason he should be charged. When I was younger, my cousin and I tried to pump gas into a soda bottle so that we could use it to start a campfire (I know now that it was stupid). The owner of the gas station wouldn't allow the pump to be turned on.

There is no way that nobody at the gas station noticed this guy trying to pump 150 gallons worth of gas into unapproved containers.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by gtmo

I wouldn't call the gas station owner greedy for allowing them to fill up those pails. They will sell all of their gas either way; whether it is in 5 gallon pails or to the line of customers who are waiting 30 minutes.

If the state would allow the gas station owners to raise prices by $0.25 - $0.50 per gallon, then there wouldn't be hoarding.

You must be kidding? You would allow gas stations to price gouge during a time of serious problems? Hoiw would you control it? This is illegal and for good reason. Jay

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

I'm sure the charges will be dismissed against the station owner, but i applaud Orange P.D. for charging him anyway. It's unlikely that the guy with the 30 5-gallon buckets would have been able to complete the transaction strictly through pay at the pump, as there are limits(~$100) put in place by the banks on those transactions. I guess the guy could have had 6/7/8 different credit/debit cards to complete the transaction, but i'm sure another customer would have tipped off the station attendants before the buckets were all filled.

The one thing that i would like to know is, what exactly did they do with the gas? The report stated that it was returned "properly". I don't know what that means. If they're saying it was dropped back into the main underground tank, that would be a serious no-no, as the fuel could have been contaminated by foreign matter in those buckets.

The gas station owner likely did not know what this guy was doing but I believe that his license requires him to monitor his pumps to be certain that gas is dispensed only into approved containers.

As for the guy that did this, I would not judge him too harshly either. It sounds like he was trying to help his neighbors by bringing them much needed gasoline. Is that really that bad? I do however agree that he was creating a major safety problem with the containers he used. could he just be that stupid? Jay

[gtmo]

Originally Posted by JayCT

You must be kidding? You would allow gas stations to price gouge during a time of serious problems? Hoiw would you control it? This is illegal and for good reason. Jay

Do you think that the current solution is any better? Would you rather a guy fill up 30 illegal containers with 150 gallons of gas? He probably wanted to sell that gas at $10 a gallon down in NYC.

A lot of the problem is due to people freaking out and topping off their tank with 3 gallons of gas. If the price is $1 higher today, they probably won't do that. Or perhaps more gas stations would install generators to keep pumps running if they knew that they would be rewarded. Or perhaps gasoline companies would work harder to get gas to the affected areas. Some people have speculated that gas stations actually have gas, but they don't feel like dealing with the issues of long gas lines. They are better off waiting until the craziness goes away before selling their gas. They aren't making alot of money on each gallong of gas anyways since many gas stations use gas as a loss-leader.

I'm not advocating the stations charge $10 a gallon. I'm just saying that raising prices by $0.50 could help ease the burden.

[gtmo]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The gas station owner likely did not know what this guy was doing but I believe that his license requires him to monitor his pumps to be certain that gas is dispensed only into approved containers.

As for the guy that did this, I would not judge him too harshly either. It sounds like he was trying to help his neighbors by bringing them much needed gasoline. Is that really that bad? I do however agree that he was creating a major safety problem with the containers he used. could he just be that stupid? Jay

My thought is that the guy was trying to get a bunch of gas and sell it for profit in NYC. It's guys like this that are causing the long gas lines. How long do you think it took him to pump 150 gallons? Meanwhile there is a line a mile long of people who many actually need gas.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The gas station owner likely did not know what this guy was doing but I believe that his license requires him to monitor his pumps to be certain that gas is dispensed only into approved containers. Jay

They are responsible for monitoring the pumps. That's why they have a monitor behind the counter that displays real time video of the pumps. Stick your nose over the counter next time you go inside of a gas station. You'll see a monitor near the cash register.