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"Pay at the pump or Prepay only" at gas stations!!

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MidnightVoice
Super Contributor

"Pay at the pump or Prepay only" at gas stations!!

OK, so all the local gas stations are now going to "Pay at the pump or Prepay only" here - there have been so many drive offs they can't trust people any more!!
 
Pain in the whatsit as I usually also get a cup off coffee when I get gas, so I have to use my card twice!!
The slide from grace is really more like gliding
And I've found the trick is not to stop the sliding
But to find a graceful way of staying slid
Message 1 of 39
38 REPLIES 38
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: "Pay at the pump or Prepay only" at gas stations!!

i refuse i was on "0" miles to empty yesterady, stopped at a bp w/a sheriff's cruiser in the lot (deputy was in the store). i lifted the pump and the clerk advised pre-pay only. i hung the pump up and went to a non-pre pay station.
 
i refuse to be called a thief while i'm conducting transaction! why should i give them my mpney or cc first? they want what i have (my money) more than i want what they have (i can go somewher else and did).
Message 2 of 39
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: "Pay at the pump or Prepay only" at gas stations!!

I'm with you ducky.
 
Last year when we went on vacation, the only CC we had was a pre-paid from Western Union. It isn't anything like the secured cards. If you did pay at the pump, it would automatically put a hold on X amount of funds and then when your actual transaction posted and cleared, it would release those funds. Could take up to a week. I couldn't prepay, b/c I was filling up and wasn't sure of the amount.
 
I drove off from like 5 stations before I found one that wasn't like this.
 
If I am getting X amount I don't mind prepaying, but it is hard when you are filling up.
Message 3 of 39
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: "Pay at the pump or Prepay only" at gas stations!!

lol, i'm surprised anyone understood my post with all the spelling erros. anyway, i'm very irritated by the whole pre-pay only crap.
 
it boils down to trust, imho opinion. why should i as a customer be the one to trust the clerk/buis w/my cash or cc until i actually receive my product?
 
sidewinder and mv hit the nail on the head!
Message 4 of 39
MidnightVoice
Super Contributor

Re: "Pay at the pump or Prepay only" at gas stations!!



imducky wrote:
 
 (i can go somewher else and did).



The word on the street is that soon this will require leaving the state or finding a little podunk town out in the boonies!!!
The slide from grace is really more like gliding
And I've found the trick is not to stop the sliding
But to find a graceful way of staying slid
Message 5 of 39
haulingthescoreup
Moderator Emerita

Re: "Pay at the pump or Prepay only" at gas stations!!


@Anonymous wrote:

I'm with you ducky.

Last year when we went on vacation, the only CC we had was a pre-paid from Western Union. It isn't anything like the secured cards. If you did pay at the pump, it would automatically put a hold on X amount of funds and then when your actual transaction posted and cleared, it would release those funds. Could take up to a week. I couldn't prepay, b/c I was filling up and wasn't sure of the amount.

I drove off from like 5 stations before I found one that wasn't like this.

If I am getting X amount I don't mind prepaying, but it is hard when you are filling up.



I used a debit card once at a pay-at-the-pump. Never again! It put a $100 hold on my checking for a week (for a $35 fill-up), even though it cleared on day 3. No problem with any of the CC's I've used. It shows up that night or the next morning.

I don't mind pay-at-the-pump at all. I don't usually get anything inside, and the PenFed card only gives the 5% cash back for pay-at-the-pump, so that works for me.

Pre-pay inside is another story, though. When I have to use the federal government tagged work vehicle for travel, you can't pay at the pump. You have to go inside, tell them what you're doing and make sure that they take the card (and know how to run it), you have to give the mileage and license tag number, and then you go back out to pay. At which point, you generally find that it didn't work, and you have to go back inside and start all over again. Gah.
* Credit is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. * Who's the boss --you or your credit?
FICO's: EQ 781 - TU 793 - EX 779 (from PSECU) - Done credit hunting; having fun with credit gardening. - EQ 590 on 5/14/2007
Message 6 of 39
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: "Pay at the pump or Prepay only" at gas stations!!



haulingthescoreup wrote:

Pre-pay inside is another story, though. When I have to use the federal government tagged work vehicle for travel, you can't pay at the pump. You have to go inside, tell them what you're doing and make sure that they take the card (and know how to run it), you have to give the mileage and license tag number, and then you go back out to pay. At which point, you generally find that it didn't work, and you have to go back inside and start all over again. Gah.

really? our g-cars all have thier own cc's on the key rings. we just swipe the card at the pump, enter the license number, then the mileage using they pay at pump key pad. don't even have to turn a receipt in to anyone.
Message 7 of 39
Scamp
Valued Contributor

Re: "Pay at the pump or Prepay only" at gas stations!!



imducky wrote:
i refuse i was on "0" miles to empty yesterady, stopped at a bp w/a sheriff's cruiser in the lot (deputy was in the store). i lifted the pump and the clerk advised pre-pay only. i hung the pump up and went to a non-pre pay station.
 
i refuse to be called a thief while i'm conducting transaction! why should i give them my mpney or cc first? they want what i have (my money) more than i want what they have (i can go somewher else and did).


 
When you go through the drive-thru at McDonald's or some such, are they 'calling you a thief' when they get your money first, before handing over your order? 
 
Or the grocery store, by insisting you pay for your groceries before you take them out to your car?
 
Or myFICO for getting your money before they show you your score(s)?  Smiley Very Happy
 
Of course not.  Neither are these gas stations, in asking you to pay for your gas before you pump it. 
I've been on the other side of this one, and they don't go to this sort of set-up unless drive-offs have truly gotten to be so habitual that they absolutely have to, believe me.  They know being able to fill up and then come in to pay is much more convenient for their (honest) customers.  But when the 'honor system' breaks down because too many thieving idiots abuse it, and their livelihood is on the line, what else are the gas stations supposed to do, to stay in business and keep food on the table?  Smiley Indifferent
 
Try on the station owner's hat for a moment:
 
If they're lucky, the scumbags driving off with a tankful will put the nozzle back on the pump first - if not (and usually they don't, as it gives them extra seconds to get away  Smiley Mad  ), and the hose is damaged or even completely torn off as the vehicle screams away, the station's down a pump (and therefore the income from it and whatever else the customer might have bought inside) until it's repaired and out the cost of replacing the hose/nozzle, etc.  If they're lucky, they might get a plate number, but even if they do,  the cops won't do much besides maybe come by when it's convenient to let you file a report, and it's 'petty theft', usually too little to make it worth the expense of pursuing in court to recoup, so they're out the money for the gas as well. 
 
And it's not happening a couple of times a year anymore, the way it used to - it's happening multiple times per month (or even per week).  What do you do?  Gotta go to pre-pay/pay at the pump.  No other way to stop drive-offs and the resultant hemhorraging of money from your livelihood.
 
Just some food for thought.  Asking you to pay for your gas before you pump it really is no different from any other transaction wherein you're required to pay for your goods before leaving the place of business with them.  Ain't nobody callin' you a thief, Ducky. Smiley Wink  So don't punish 'em for something they aren't really doing.
 
 
_____________________________________________________________________________
It's never too late to become the person you might have been. ~George Eliot

02/12/09 EX: 701 / 02/08/10 EQ: 719 / 02/08/10 TU: 723

Backdoor Numbers, Credit Scoring 101, Understanding Your FICO Score PDF
Message 8 of 39
MidnightVoice
Super Contributor

Re: "Pay at the pump or Prepay only" at gas stations!!



scapegrace13 wrote:

 
they don't go to this sort of set-up unless drive-offs have truly gotten to be so habitual that they absolutely have to, believe me.  They know being able to fill up and then come in to pay is much more convenient for their (honest) customers. 



Nit only that, but they WANT you come in and be tempted to spend more on candy and coffee, as they make very little money from selling gas!
The slide from grace is really more like gliding
And I've found the trick is not to stop the sliding
But to find a graceful way of staying slid
Message 9 of 39
Scamp
Valued Contributor

Re: "Pay at the pump or Prepay only" at gas stations!!



MidnightVoice wrote:


scapegrace13 wrote:

 
they don't go to this sort of set-up unless drive-offs have truly gotten to be so habitual that they absolutely have to, believe me.  They know being able to fill up and then come in to pay is much more convenient for their (honest) customers. 



Nit only that, but they WANT you come in and be tempted to spend more on candy and coffee, as they make very little money from selling gas!


You betcha!!  Smiley Very Happy 
 
Impulse buys inside are a huge chunk of business; that's why I mentioned it en passant in the part of my post about the lost business from a ruined pump after a drive-off. Smiley Happy
 
ETA:  Or even not-so-impulsive purchases like your cup of coffee. Smiley Wink


Message Edited by scapegrace13 on 07-04-2008 01:03 PM
_____________________________________________________________________________
It's never too late to become the person you might have been. ~George Eliot

02/12/09 EX: 701 / 02/08/10 EQ: 719 / 02/08/10 TU: 723

Backdoor Numbers, Credit Scoring 101, Understanding Your FICO Score PDF
Message 10 of 39
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