Petrol station query

Dj320

As the owner of a petrol station I want to ask the public why do some people think it is ok to put 10.12 on a pump , run in to pay (nearly in a sprint) throw 10euro on the counter and take off in Olympic style again, another old fav is while they pump the fuel they send in their usually 4 or 5 year old child to pay while they proceed to put in 5.07 or more and again speed off. The most irritating one is ( and the reason I wrote this) the older woman who today got 50.09 and when I asked her for the 9cent basically exploded on me, stating she always does it in other places and they never ask her for it, I explained that I DO NOT MIND THE 1and 2cents and even 4 or maybe 5cent (which I genuinely do not as most people will pay in full and even give extra which makes up for these people) but when it gets passed 5cent I will ask for , which is embarrassing I might add. This woman also told me on no uncertain terms would she be back again , I explained to her that everyday I am short 3or 4 euro and at the end of the year it adds to 12 or 1300 euro ( family hol or insurance on the car for me) , why do people think its acceptable to do this??.
And despite what people say "it is factored into the price" or you make it in the shop , at 3.5 cpl max profit , you try and factor this in, at a time when people are obsessed with fuel prices and will drive miles if your competitor is even a
cent cheaper. It simply is not acceptable to walk into to tesco or wherever and only pay 20euro on your shop which was 20.19 so why is it different at a filling station!!!!!

nava

Very good point, it does happen lots of time trying to €30 it stops at €30.02 or a bit more when I go in to pay I give them the full amount €30.02 even that the assistance most cases only asks for the €30.00, I do say to them is ok I do have the extra couple of cent in my pocket.

I would not even think about doing what you mention putting €30.02 and assume I could pay only the €30.00 because is only 2 cents.

Procrastastudy

Firstly - you can't make a contract of sale with a minor, except for necessaries, so I'd stop that one right off.

Next if the price is accepted - which I assume pumping it into your car is taken as acceptance of the offer to treat (the forecourt sign) then you need to pay the full amount.

Lastly customers are, for a large part, rude. Its like driving - perfectly nice people become idiots. The same applies when going into a shop. People think they have the right to be rude over things that are their own fault. We as a service society reinforce that behaviour. I actually saw a woman assult a member of staff in a well known toy store over a toy that the woman herself had broken - and get away with it and a refund!

Stand your ground - its perfectly reasonable to be paid for the goods you supply.

Now I've had my rant - have you got a pick a penny leave a penny dish out? Maybe that might help.

Dj320

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

Firstly - you can't make a contract of sale with a minor, except for necessaries, so I'd stop that one right off.

Next if the price is accepted - which I assume pumping it into your car is taken as acceptance of the offer to treat (the forecourt sign) then you need to pay the full amount.

Lastly customers are, for a large part, rude. Its like driving - perfectly nice people become idiots. The same applies when going into a shop. People think they have the right to be rude over things that are their own fault. We as a service society reinforce that behaviour. I actually saw a woman assult a member of staff in a well known toy store over a toy that the woman herself had broken - and get away with it and a refund!

Stand your ground - its perfectly reasonable to be paid for the goods you supply.

Now I've had my rant - have you got a pick a penny leave a penny dish out? Maybe that might help.

Hi
Good idea on the pick a penny thing, I might try it and see how it goes. On the sending a child into pay for it , my station is a small site in a busy but very close community area where you have to be very choice in the things you do( recently I had to give up pumping the fuel for people ourselves as it was just not feasible and the amount of grief I have had) so I cannot tell a child to get their parent.
On the some people in the public thinking they can say what they want to somebody behind a counter I totally agree with you, just because you work in a shop or filling station does not mean you are below them .
As I said above I used to pump all the fuel ourselves but it just does not work out ( money mistakes, risk of putting in the wrong product and leaving the till unattended ) but I took so much abuse from mainly women in their 30s and 40s about not serving them that I actually thought about closing up. What decade do they live in that they think you should serve everyone ( I always pump for elderly and disabled) when they are perfectly able. ???

Dj320

nava wrote: »

Very good point, it does happen lots of time trying to €30 it stops at €30.02 or a bit more when I go in to pay I give them the full amount €30.02 even that the assistance most cases only asks for the €30.00, I do say to them is ok I do have the extra couple of cent in my pocket.

I would not even think about doing what you mention putting €30.02 and assume I could pay only the €30.00 because is only 2 cents.

Hi
I must say thanks on behalf of all station owners for paying in full, as I said the 2 cents really do not bother me but again this morning a guy not a half hour ago got 10.07euro , looked me right in the eye and gave me 10euro ( a local and regular) so I am left in a awkward situation and bit my lip!! That guy just gave himself a discount of 1cpl on an already small margin without asking me!!

stargazer 68

Op is there any way you can install a 'pay before you pump'? The garage beside me used to do it after 9pm but now you have to pay first and the pump the fuel - stops bang on the amount you pay.

Not sure if its a machine thats installed or what is involved but may be worth looking into.

nava

Dj320 wrote: »

Hi
I must say thanks on behalf of all station owners for paying in full, as I said the 2 cents really do not bother me but again this morning a guy not a half hour ago got 10.07euro , looked me right in the eye and gave me 10euro ( a local and regular) so I am left in a awkward situation and bit my lip!! That guy just gave himself a discount of 1cpl on an already small margin without asking me!!

Why don't you put up a small polite sign about it.

P. Breathnach

I'm old-fashioned: I pay the price on the pump.

Once my fill came to €50.01, and I asked the attendant if he really wanted the cent (my loose change was in the car). He said yes, so I toddled back to the car to get it. No, I don't think he was being scabby: he was a young lad, and probably felt that he didn't have discretion in the matter.

GarIT

I actually saw a really good system in a garage in France. The pump stopped at every €10. So what you have to do if you wanted more was just release the leaver and then squeeze it again to get onto the next €10.

the groutch

+1, put up signs saying that you reserve the right to ask for payment to the exact cent. that way you're covered that you can let the 1c or 2c go if you want, and still make them pay the 6c or 7c.
unless there's another petrol station literally across the road you won't lose business over it.

vicwatson

For me €10 worth of petrol is €10, €10.02 worth of petrol is €10.02. END OF.

What comes up on the pump is the price you pay. If I were you I'd be insisting on the amount they put into the car, whether it be 1 cent or 5 cent.

racso1975

It's funny how different people think. I remember pumping petrol for my dad's car and he'd always get me to to put in the precise amount i.e. 20 on the button. This has passed on to me and would be so conscious of putting in the exact amount and not a cent over.

On the pump attended piece I would probably avoid a garage that had one just really dont like it.

I also note on the rare times that i have gone over by the cent if i am being served by a foreign person they always charge and the Irish person does not so it must be just an Irish thing to expect to get a few cent more petrol for free.

I wish you all the best and sounds like some of your customers are real a-holes

Skid

P. Breathnach wrote: »

I'm old-fashioned: I pay the price on the pump.

Once my fill came to €50.01, and I asked the attendant if he really wanted the cent (my loose change was in the car). He said yes, so I toddled back to the car to get it. No, I don't think he was being scabby: he was a young lad, and probably felt that he didn't have discretion in the matter.

Erm, so you pay the 'price on the pump' only after asking for a discount first?

Dj320

I could do all of the things above but with prepay in a rural community it is a lot of hassle on people especially those who fill up as this cannot be done with prepay and also 99% of people are fine with paying.
I do ask people when it gets to 5cent or more, but as one guy said to me when he put in 70.21euro " I should have a bit more savvy in business " and allow him the rest off after " spending so much" with me. Then the case of the Linford christy person who drops the money and is gone. Hard to win!!!
I know fuel is really expensive but I can assure you we do not make anything like 10 or 20 cpl on fuel as I've being told, I just wish people would realise this when they overfill

barney 20v

I always pay the exact amount, like a previous poster said- learned from the parents!
I wish more petrol station owners were more worried about reducing prices in a timely fashion when fuel costs are vastly reduced to them.
Not a dig at the op by the way.

Dj320

racso1975 wrote: »

It's funny how different people think. I remember pumping petrol for my dad's car and he'd always get me to to put in the precise amount i.e. 20 on the button. This has passed on to me and would be so conscious of putting in the exact amount and not a cent over.

On the pump attended piece I would probably avoid a garage that had one just really dont like it.

I also note on the rare times that i have gone over by the cent if i am being served by a foreign person they always charge and the Irish person does not so it must be just an Irish thing to expect to get a few cent more petrol for free.

I wish you all the best and sounds like some of your customers are real a-holes

Ya it was just something I tried for a while but it was also very awkward with some people standing looking at you while you pump, maybe where I am a lot of the women are caught in a time warp!!

Dj320

barney 20v wrote: »

I always pay the exact amount, like a previous poster said- learned from the parents!
I wish more petrol station owners were more worried about reducing prices in a timely fashion when fuel costs are vastly reduced to them.
Not a dig at the op by the way.

Often when you hear of a price drop on the news it will not be passed onto us in the petrol stations for weeks as the oil companies have huge stock bought at the old price and will not drop till they have sold all that at the old price, it is not as instant as that, generally we have enough stock for a week so it rises or falls weekly not daily on prices, also it's going up tonite so fill your tank 2cpl

Shelflife

The main problem Dj320 is that you are a scabby fecker, you run your own business and are clearly loaded and yet you scab the customers for the extra few cents.

Sure on a €50 sale you must be making at least €15 and the petrol company that you deal with pay all the staff and the maintenace so its all profit for you.

Unfortunatly this is the logic behind alot of the customers and that its built into the price and they are entitled to a few pence at the local shop, but would never dream or expect to shortchange aldi. lidl or tesco.

Its a bizarre logic but there you go.

Dj320

Shelflife wrote: »

The main problem Dj320 is that you are a scabby fecker, you run your own business and are clearly loaded and yet you scab the customers for the extra few cents.

Sure on a €50 sale you must be making at least €15 and the petrol company that you deal with pay all the staff and the maintenace so its all profit for you.

Unfortunatly this is the logic behind alot of the customers and that its built into the price and they are entitled to a few pence at the local shop, but would never dream or expect to shortchange aldi. lidl or tesco.

Its a bizarre logic but there you go.

Ha ha I was boiling there reading that at first, but yes I suppose it is a funny world, price of cigs or alcohol goes up and they never say anything and they will def not get away with it at aldi or lidl

Sam Kade

Dovies wrote: »

Op is there any way you can install a 'pay before you pump'? The garage beside me used to do it after 9pm but now you have to pay first and the pump the fuel - stops bang on the amount you pay.

Not sure if its a machine thats installed or what is involved but may be worth looking into.

Customers would simply go elsewhere for their fuel. A petrol station in my local town decided to make the customers pay first then fill the shop was closed within a week.

ejmaztec

The consumers dodging the extra are only doing so because of this kind of carry-on:P.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWIz4eYj3fE

Dj320

ejmaztec wrote: »

The consumers dodging the extra are only doing so because of this kind of carry-on:P.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWIz4eYj3fE

Ha ha class , but now it's enda in the dail pressing that button. Great to see not all people are in same mind frame about paying!!

P. Breathnach

Skid wrote: »

Erm, so you pay the 'price on the pump' only after asking for a discount first?

In asking for, rather than taking, a discount I acknowledged my liability to pay the price. And 1c on a price of €50.01 is not a cheeky ask.

But some people try to score with cheap shots.

Supraman

Interesting thread , guess it's hard to apply a pay then fill situation if it's a close community you are dealing with as Irish people tend do business in familiarity a lot of the time . If you turn into a local demon "after their every penny" you'll get a bad name for yourself with the locals .

Having said that it's a substantial hit to take financially so best of luck in choosing the lesser of 2 evils .
If it was my garage , I'd have a
"No credit given , 20.05 at the pump = 20.05 in the till etc"
At least you don't have to ask for it in person at the till then .

Agent_99

In this technological age you think that you could pull up to a pump insert it into the petrol tank and hit a 10, 20, 30€ button, exact amount is dispensed and away you go. of course you would have a fill/freestyle option as well for jerry cans etc
This would save a lot of problems but I know where the OP is coming from I bet there are very few if any filling up 19.98 and leaving €20 notes at the counter.

Skid

P. Breathnach wrote: »

In asking for, rather than taking, a discount I acknowledged my liability to pay the price. And 1c on a price of €50.01 is not a cheeky ask.

But some people try to score with cheap shots.

Call me old fashioned, call me cheap, but if the pump reads €50.01 I will bring at least €50.01 to the till with me.

Dj320

There is pumps like that starting off at 20k each , ok if your doing massive litres and getting constant driveoffs, but yes when we used to serve , one of the young fellas I have put in 19.99 and the woman ate him, was in a while later serving herself and 20.05 , not a word from her.

Procrastastudy

LOL This does make me laugh a bit to be honest.

I dont make sure my sanwich and crisps come to 7.00 exactly I just pay. When I fill up the car I put the nozle in fill it up until it clicks and then pay the €32.67 or what ever it is.

Humans...

seamus

If I'm only getting petrol, I'll make an attempt to get it up to the nearest euro after it clicks, but with the price per litre as it is, sometimes pumps jump in 2c increments, so you can't do that. If I'm going to buy a bottle of coke or something as well, then I just fill it till it clicks.
I always make sure though to pay the exact amount regardless.

I like the idea of the sign asking people to pay the proper amount. The only thing is that people could say that never saw it. Maybe do up a little sticker and place it right beside the amount on the pump. They can't claim they didn't see it then. You can go formal, as in "We reserve the right to ask for the exact amount shown on the pump", or perhaps a little less formal like, "Paying the exact amount shown will avoid embarrassment when we ask for it".

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

In fairness I think this is just a rant. The level of loss as a result of it is probably very small. I pay every cent of any fill I get and so does everybody else I see at the garage I use. Now and again the owner might say "€50.03. Leave it at €50" to somebody, but not too often. I don't think this is a major consumer issue.

Outkast_IRE

Around by me a see alot of fancy recently done up petrol stations,
Can anyone tell me why nobody has yet installed a system, where you can just type in the amount of petrol you want to put in , and it fill fill to exactly that.

Surely in a busy garage it would be worth it. I know you could see people will see that as scabby etc and not use it . But if you diverted some of the lost money back into auxillary services like making sure theres water available and towel wipes, and air to fill tyres then most would see it as worth it.