Topaz charging people toan pump their tires up

swingking

I was driving today and I noticed that my tire was a bit flat. I drove into the Topaz petrol station and bought petrol. I then drove over to the air pump and saw that they were charging money to use this service.

I think it's a disgrace that companies can justify charging 2 euro to pump your tires up. FFS it's air!!!!

Davy

This is more common now because when they put in the new machines, the ones that you select the pressure before hand. Im guessing it a way to cover the cost of the machine, and a deterrent from people who damage them. I Have seen 50cent though, never two euro. And its not topaz generally most of their stations are free for air.

Guy:Incognito

swingking wrote: »

I think it's a disgrace that companies can justify charging 2 euro to pump your tires up. FFS it's air!!!!

If its that easy pull your own air out of the sky and cram it in to your tyre. That machine they have wasn't donated to them by the SVP.

Archeron

So would this mean that if all garages started doing this, and a person had absolutely no money at all on them, that they would be required to continue driving on potentially dangerous tyres as they couldn't afford to perform a basic safety check that's been available for free for as long as most people would care to remember?
I think that sounds like a bad idea.

Guy:Incognito

Archeron wrote: »

So would this mean that if all garages started doing this, and a person had absolutely no money at all on them, that they would be required to continue driving on potentially dangerous tyres as they couldn't afford to perform a basic safety check that's been available for free for as long as most people would care to remember?
I think that sounds like a bad idea.

Its not really a garages problem that you dont have a spare or you got a flat etc. If they want to provide the service then so be it.

How many other free services should they be expected to spend their own money on?

bigpinkelephant

Archeron wrote: »

So would this mean that if all garages started doing this, and a person had absolutely no money at all on them, that they would be required to continue driving on potentially dangerous tyres as they couldn't afford to perform a basic safety check that's been available for free for as long as most people would care to remember?
I think that sounds like a bad idea.

Won't somebody please think of the CHILDREN!!!!

They should stop selling alcohol in the petrol station shops too, in case you drink it and drive drunk on the road. And they should make sure people have their mammy with them when buying L-plates, in case anyone goes driving unaccompanied!!!

dudara

To be honest, this isn't a new practice - and I don't think that it's a general Topaz-wide policy.

thats mad! Have never seen that.

I know that if I was going on a long drive and needed petrol, and was going to check my tyres, water etc, I wouldn't go to the garage who were charging for air! I'm sure most people would feel the same and drive to the next "free air" garage. It means they're losing €90 of my cash, for the sake of a bit of air.

Clytus

The garage that charges any amount to use a sevice as simple as the air line is making a mistake IMHO.
TBH..nearly any time I stop to put air in my tyres I end up spending a few quid in the shop...be it coffee, bread, milk...whatever...but to charge for what most people figure should be a free service will cause folks to avoid that garage in the future....hence hitting the shops turnover.

Mr. Presentable

Check your air pressure when you buy petrol. I'm pretty sure those that charge do not do so if you pruchase fuel.

Firefly Fan

In this day and age, I'd expect to pay for everything, sad but true.
Anything after that is a bonus and its appreciated more so.

Welease

I doubt they are actually charing for the air They are charging for the machines and the cost of running those machine (electricity, repair etc). 2 Euro's is a bit steep.. so vote with your feet and fill up elsewhere.

kiss103

Am I the only person who realised that you get your money back? This is no different to what you have to do for Trolleys in Tesco or Dunnes.

I think it is a good idea as since this has been introduced I have never found one of the air nozzles out of order.

Welease

Ahh well there you go sounds like its a non issue.. I dont have a Topaz near me so don't know the in's and out's of their system.

craichoe

Indeed, its free for use by customers,

Just like toilets in restaurants, bars etc ...

Del2005

Unfortuanately a lot of people don't give a damn about others property and just leave the hose and gauge on the ground for themselves or others to drive over. A decent air compressor with airline and gauge isn't free, the garage has to buy it in. And also some of them have been removed from garages by less then honest people.

If you don't want to pay for a service that the garage is providing you don't have to. If your worried about driving on a flat buy yourself a pump and see how free the air for your tyres is, or if you're felling lazy all motor factors and most hardware stores will sell you a small compressor for ~€20, then you'll never have to go to the petrol station for air.

foggy_lad

if you are spending maybe €80 or more on a fill of petrol or diesel then the best thing to do is tell them you are going to shop for petrol elsewhere and they can keep their €2 air, i know when i fill the tanks i always check the tyres for air pressure stones, cuts bubbles etc as well as checking oil and all other liquids for washer bottles. what next? are they goung to charge for the scrap of paper you use to wipe the dip-stick???

run_Forrest_run

I would pay something like 50 cent to use an air line if I was guaranteed that the line was in perfect working order. So many of these pumps in garages are badly maintained. Yes, I would also feel if I was buying petrol from the garage I would expect the air line to be free.

two euro however is way too much to charge.

King Chili

I do not know how this seems to be such an thorny issue. THEY DO NOT charge for air. It is the same system that is in place for supermarket trolleys. You put in your money to unlock the air nozzle, and when you put the nozzle back you get your money back. How simple does it have to be? All that happens is that it makes sure people put the nozzle back where it should be?

ejmaztec

If there is a charge for using the equipment, I hope that there's also a guarantee as to its accuracy. There seems to be a huge variation from forecourt to forecourt on tyre pressure readings. I've found differences as much as 10lbs between some of them.

rubadub

King Chili wrote: »

I do not know how this seems to be such an thorny issue. THEY DO NOT charge for air. It is the same system that is in place for supermarket trolleys. You put in your money to unlock the air nozzle, and when you put the nozzle back you get your money back.

I have not seen topaz, but others do take the money in a coin-op system and you do not get it back.

€2 is pretty cheap for the use of a machine in comparison to those supermarket coin counting machines that take 8-10% when people are lashing in €500 in coins at a time. Now they ARE a ripoff.

darc

King Chili wrote: »

I do not know how this seems to be such an thorny issue. THEY DO NOT charge for air. It is the same system that is in place for supermarket trolleys. You put in your money to unlock the air nozzle, and when you put the nozzle back you get your money back. How simple does it have to be? All that happens is that it makes sure people put the nozzle back where it should be?

I can confirm this. You put a 2 euro coin to release the nozzle and you get it back when you put the nozzle back in its rightful place. Same with the water nozzle. It stops scangers smashing the things.

It amazing how many people rant and rave publicly when they couldn't be arsed checking out the system first with a staff member about 20 yards away!

swingking

Actually, the machine I tried to use DOES NOT return the money. It's operated by inserting a 2 euro coin into the machine. This gives a certain time limit and that's it.

Different petrol stations have different machines

miju

Clytus wrote: »

The garage that charges any amount to use a sevice as simple as the air line is making a mistake IMHO.
TBH..nearly any time I stop to put air in my tyres I end up spending a few quid in the shop...be it coffee, bread, milk...whatever...but to charge for what most people figure should be a free service will cause folks to avoid that garage in the future....hence hitting the shops turnover.

+1 I sure as hell would avoid like the plague any garage that brought this in. And for those complaining about why should a garage provide air for "free". It's simple not only is it a safety thing in the business world it's known as a loss leader (and I veyr much doubt it costs major amounts of cash to run either)

swingking wrote: »

Actually, the machine I tried to use DOES NOT return the money. It's operated by inserting a 2 euro coin into the machine. This gives a certain time limit and that's it.

Different petrol stations have different machines

agreed. I once had to use a machine down in Co. Clare and it didn't give me back the €1 . was disgusted as having to pay it in the first place but tyre was flat

Shelflife

€2 is a bit on the steep side , but as an earlier poster said , these machines dont come cheap and the amount of people that mishancdle them is unreal.

you also get people that use the service that never buy anything off you.

the machines have to be maintained, run and calibrated every year.

i like the idea of getting your money back when you return the instrument back to its proper place.

mumhaabu

This is common place in the United States but usually it is either a quarter (25c) or else two quarters (50c). In some of the more upmarket gas stations they pump your gas, polish & clean your windsheild and check your tyres too, but gas is usually a good few cents extra a gallon in these places.

€2 is a ripoff and absolutely noone should pay it, I keep a 12v compressor in my boot that I got in halfords for €40 last winter and it is a mighty job, however it kept me from getting the slow puncture I had mended for like 6 months! as I was reinflating the tyre every week or 10 days!

Topaz are out to create a Monopoly in Irish petrol station and should be avoided completely. A local independent retailer I sometimes use provides air free and keeps the guage and attachment inside the shop and you go in and ask for it and attach it to the hose then, there is a notice saying to ask too. The reason being members of the travelling community stole the previous one by cutting the airhose.

Topaz = Scum with their €2 air

Darragh29

mumhaabu wrote: »

This is common place in the United States but usually it is either a quarter (25c) or else two quarters (50c). In some of the more upmarket gas stations they pump your gas, polish & clean your windsheild and check your tyres too, but gas is usually a good few cents extra a gallon in these places.

€2 is a ripoff and absolutely noone should pay it, I keep a 12v compressor in my boot that I got in halfords for €40 last winter and it is a mighty job, however it kept me from getting the slow puncture I had mended for like 6 months! as I was reinflating the tyre every week or 10 days!

Topaz are out to create a Monopoly in Irish petrol station and should be avoided completely. A local independent retailer I sometimes use provides air free and keeps the guage and attachment inside the shop and you go in and ask for it and attach it to the hose then, there is a notice saying to ask too. The reason being members of the travelling community stole the previous one by cutting the airhose.

Topaz = Scum with their €2 air

A half decent compressor costs around 2,000 Euro and they aren't cheap to run. Non scheduled maintenance costs with people damaging/stealing air hose and associated gauge assemby, probably a couple of hundred a year, then scheduled maintenance costing another couple of hundred a year depending on usage.

Now simple question lads... Who's paying for it??? I'd rather spend 2 Euro knowing that the equipment is in good working order than spending my evening driving around looking for a station that doesn't have an "out of order" sign stuck to the front of the air unit...

Kashkai

If you get the money back after replacing the equipment, fair enough. If you don't then fill up elsewhere.

Anyway, its supposed to be a service station but too often there's feck all service, just some surly git behind the counter to grab your credit card and then give it back to you when you've paid a large wad of cash for your fuel.