Petrol station query

scully74

I don't understand why the fuel pumps cannot be programmed so you can press a button to select the amount e.g 10 or 20 and the pump cuts out automatically when it pumps the required amount.

Tails142

The problem is that as the price per litre goes up the harder it gets to stop the pump on a multiple of ten, back when petrol was 80 cent a litre it took twice as long to pump a cent as now that petrol is at 1.60, the slightest squeeze on the handle will jump it by 2 cent or more

fasttalkerchat

Tails142 wrote: »

The problem is that as the price per litre goes up the harder it gets to stop the pump on a multiple of ten, back when petrol was 80 cent a litre it took twice as long to pump a cent as now that petrol is at 1.60, the slightest squeeze on the handle will jump it by 2 cent or more

I try to stop at any whole number eg. €38 or 39 because it sometimes takes a few goes to get it. If you land on €49.99 you know you will have to go to €51

Motorist

The problem is we are a nation of thick, cheap, muck savages who chance playing the ignorance card when the price is a few cent over, and on the other hand are so retarded that we can't think outside multiples of whole euros. That old lady who flipped out when she was asked for the extra 10 cent or so that she owed really makes me despair at the human condition.

K.Flyer

I always keep a handful of coppers in the ashtray (I dont smoke) and on the occasion that I am paying for fuel with cash I will always have that one or two cent that I went over by. Cheek of people expecting that they dont have to pay for what they get.
Mind you, some of the pumps are damned hard to get spot on.

Outkast_IRE

Jame Gumb wrote: »

Surely this is less of an issue nowadays on the basis that most people pay for petrol using cards?

I dont think cards are as prevelant as you think, i actually dont know anyone that pays for petrol using cards unless they are caught without cash.

Also isnt paying with a card worse for the retailer as they incur the processing charge .

Our man in Havana

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

In New Zealand they do that in a lot of places.

Because NZ has no 1 or 2 cent coins. The smallest NZ coin is 10 cents.

Holland and Finland have no 1 or 2 cent coins either. So no change can be given under 5 cent.

SweetCaliber

scully74 wrote: »

I don't understand why the fuel pumps cannot be programmed so you can press a button to select the amount e.g 10 or 20 and the pump cuts out automatically when it pumps the required amount.

Most are nowadays, some you have to pay at the pump and then it cuts out when it reaches the exact limit.

However, alot of garages have older pumps which don't cater for this feature and the cost of upgrading is too dear, especially for smaller garages.

Merch

Dj320 wrote: »

A lot of older and some younger people can barely operate the pumps as it is without putting in more technology ( they can hardly drive, my pumps have been damaged 3 times in 7 months ) and with people wanting cheaper fuel there is simply not a lot of money left for gloves, towels, and keep fixing the damaged airline that someone wasn't bothered to put back. It's ok in big towns or cities with huge volume but I'm only a small site. Perhaps the day of the small garage is gone!!

Most people cant even drive! I liked when there was a prepaid option at a Tescos, but then they broke down and couldnt print receipts, so only paying at the till was possible.
One garage i go to has a shopping trolley type system for the airline, it has a short chain on it, you put in a euro and when you're finished you have to bring the airline back to where it belongs to recover the euro.

TOMP wrote: »

many years ago all pumps were attended by staff of the garage, so if you asked for X pounds of fuel, you got X pounds exactly. Are the garages not saving money by having the customer do the filling up work?

This still happens? where? I have never seen a station (even when visiting remote parts of the country) have attended pumps??

scully74 wrote: »

I don't understand why the fuel pumps cannot be programmed so you can press a button to select the amount e.g 10 or 20 and the pump cuts out automatically when it pumps the required amount.

Why not have it so you can select the exact amount, 10,20 or 15.23 or whatever amount OR the option of choosing the exact amount of litres you want, but that would probably be too much for most people
Its probably added cost to upgrade to that, but it'd be a handy thing to have, its that or prepaying.

keithclancy

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Because NZ has no 1 or 2 cent coins. The smallest NZ coin is 10 cents.

Holland and Finland have no 1 or 2 cent coins either. So no change can be given under 5 cent.

Yup, thats the system here in NL, I work in Germany and they can never understand when I ask them to round it up Its the opposite problem, I don't want a load of 1 and 2 cent coins I can't get rid of and they want the exact change.

In Germany you pay what the amount is, no more no less. In the Netherlands its either rounded up or down depending on the amount.

Dj320

Merch wrote: »

Most people cant even drive! I liked when there was a prepaid option at a Tescos, but then they broke down and couldnt print receipts, so only paying at the till was possible.
One garage i go to has a shopping trolley type system for the airline, it has a short chain on it, you put in a euro and when you're finished you have to bring the airline back to where it belongs to recover the euro.



This still happens? where? I have never seen a station (even when visiting remote parts of the country) have attended pumps??



Why not have it so you can select the exact amount, 10,20 or 15.23 or whatever amount OR the option of choosing the exact amount of litres you want, but that would probably be too much for most people
Its probably added cost to upgrade to that, but it'd be a handy thing to have, its that or prepaying.

Maybe it is my customers so as I used to serve , only for 2months because I was waiting on a new machine to tell me the amount on the pump outside, but when I gave up serving I took a lot of stick over it and lost some customers, all women I might add that gave out to me about not serving, and telling me they would not be back.
Prepay pumps are not for everyone , I think in the country it is differ to a large town or city with a lot of people seeing it as a hinderence and not trusting them. Also prepay pumps are a huge cost ( 18k per pump)

Merch

Dj320 wrote: »

Maybe it is my customers so as I used to serve , only for 2months because I was waiting on a new machine to tell me the amount on the pump outside, but when I gave up serving I took a lot of stick over it and lost some customers, all women I might add that gave out to me about not serving, and telling me they would not be back.
Prepay pumps are not for everyone , I think in the country it is differ to a large town or city with a lot of people seeing it as a hinderence and not trusting them. Also prepay pumps are a huge cost ( 18k per pump)

I didn't mean pre pay, I have not even seen many in Dublin, only at Tescos, I meant I am suprised people expect the petrol to be pumped for them by an attendant, I have not seen that anywhere!

I take from what you say that your pumps didnt communicate to the teller how much was pumped to a vehicle at a certain pump,so needed to have someone serving the petrol, it sounds labour intensive but I suppose it's necessary when the technology isn't there and I imagined it isn't cheap to upgrade. I didnt think all the pumps would have to be replaced for such a system to be installed, 18K per pump sounds a lot, but I really have no idea of the costs.

jordainius

I totally get where the OP is coming from, it is wrong that some feel entitled to be let off the few cent.

What happens me a lot though is that if I end up putting in 20.02 and I say so at the till, half the time I get that look from the person on the till as if they're dying to say "Ugh, moron customer, why didn't you just say 20, do you really think we give a crap about 2 poxy cent?"

sandin

Merch wrote: »

I didn't mean pre pay, I have not even seen many in Dublin, only at Tescos, I meant I am suprised people expect the petrol to be pumped for them by an attendant, I have not seen that anywhere!

I take from what you say that your pumps didnt communicate to the teller how much was pumped to a vehicle at a certain pump,so needed to have someone serving the petrol, it sounds labour intensive but I suppose it's necessary when the technology isn't there and I imagined it isn't cheap to upgrade. I didnt think all the pumps would have to be replaced for such a system to be installed, 18K per pump sounds a lot, but I really have no idea of the costs.

I know the type you are saying. It would be similar technology as the prepay, just the payment part would be inside. In fact, it would solve all issues.

Choose Amount and pay in shop during daytime - pay at pump at night.

Only problem is people hate change, so unless it was an industry-wide change and every station was moved over with a time frame, it wouldn't work.

Lemlin

Dj320 wrote: »

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!!!!!

I'll hit ya with the same standard response most people get when they now raise a problem with their employer...

"sure aren't ya lucky to have a job"