Today I filled up the Faithful Rondo at my usual Esso station. I got a receipt for 34.963 litres at $1.606, for a total of $56.15. Then the guy behind the counter got a little excited and handed me a second receipt. "This is the receipt for the gas!" he said. The new one was for 34.593 litres at $1.626, for a total of $56.15.
The second one reflected what it said on the pump when I went back to the car.
What the heck was going on?
That's what you get for buying your gas in metric units! :)
I don't understand that entire concept. I put my card in at the pump, fill up, then leave. Why did you need to go inside at all?
In reply to camopaint0707 :
This always gets me in Europe... I want to fill up so I insert the card. See attendant. Fine.
"How much do you want?"
"I dunno.. I want to fill it up."
"yeah, how much is that gonna be?"
"I don't know, it's a rental and I have no idea how big the petrol tank is..."
"So, like, €20?"
In reply to Stealthtercel :
Did you pay in cash?
WonkoTheSane said:In reply to camopaint0707 :
This always gets me in Europe... I want to fill up so I insert the card. See attendant. Fine.
"How much do you want?"
"I dunno.. I want to fill it up."
"yeah, how much is that gonna be?"
"I don't know, it's a rental and I have no idea how big the petrol tank is..."
"So, like, €20?"
This used to drive me crazy for just that reason. In the US, the pump would ask for a Zip code when using a CC. Being from Canada, I did not have one so had to play the game of how much to put in. Sucked,
Then one attendant told me to just put in the NUMBERS only from my Canadian Area Code, and finish wiht two zeros. Works a charm.
That's weird. But no idea. I haven't worked for QT since I was in college, that was 2001.
I think the attendant has figured a way to get free gas for his own ride. He just skimmed .4 liter for himself.
Magnets?
Wally (Forum Supporter) said:Magnets?
How do they work?
I just got back from a road trip where 3 gas stations in a row didn't want my money.
First one had a $125 sales limit. I hit it, but just barely because there's a 36 gallon tank in the f150. I felt bad for the guy trying to fill his RV though...
Next station had a $75 limit. Like, Wtf, this is 2023.
Third station was the oddest. Sign: pay at pump not working, go inside. Gah. I hate that but whatever. I ask the attendant if I "over buy" does the balance just go back on my card? He says yes. Cool. I've got about 1/4 tank so I need about 27 gallons, at $3.59. I'm no math wiz, but I quickly estimate $100 and ask for that. The guy looks out the window, sees my truck (I'm the only person at the pumps), and goes "10 gallons is about $40, $80 would be more than 20 gallons."
I was like, fine, give me the $80. I left again with a partially filled tank.
Apparently these stations don't want my money.
I paid by debit card, and I may or may not have gone inside to pay in order to also acquire a lottery ticket.
If it's a scam, I don't see how it would work. The till will be correct, and if the underground tank has 0.35 litres "extra" (times however many customers) how are you gonna get it out? Using the pumps would (I assume) be noticed by the computer, and just dipping a pail into the reservoir when nobody's looking seems... unlikely, not to mention tough to measure correctly.
What am I missing?
Im thinking it isn't anything nefarious, but something a bit more mundane, and here's why:
The total isn't correct on the second set of number, when I do the math I get
34.593 x 1.626=56.25 approx.
Are you sure the numbers in the original post are correct?
The first receipt had a lower price and slightly more fuel, while your actual sale was a higher cost/liter but close to the same volume.
Seems like first one might the their price/liter and total cost for the fuel you purchased, and the other was actually what your sale cost you?
I could see the clerk getting a bit agitated if they gave you the receipt showing their prices, plus the potential you might complain if the numbers didn't match what was on the pump.
Just a wild guess, but that's the best I can come up with.
Sounds to me like the cashier gave you the wrong receipt and realized it and called you back.
At least this didn't happen to you.
"When she went back to look at her receipt from the Valero gas station, Gower noticed they mistakenly charged her for more than 27,000 gallons worth of gas."
"Although, what she thought would be a simple refund took more than two weeks to get fixed. Gower said the gas station owner tried fighting her claim."
Here's my wild-ass guess.
Gas stations can change prices a thousand times a day. They usually don't, but these days it's all hands-off. I have walked in a convenience store while the price was $2.99/gal and when I came out with my slushee, it was $2.79 or $3.09. It's all automatic just like the commodity price itself.
My guess is that you activated the pump at $1.606 and filled up. By the time you got inside, the price had changed to $1.626, and instead of getting complicated, the cashier just re-mathed to give you the correct total cost. Simpler than fudging the accounting later.
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