Dear Mr Total......

I have indeed, like I needed to get away sharpish for a house viewing
tonight. The last thing I needed was a jobsworth holding me up.

I really wouldn't have minded, but I fill the FJ up almost twice a week
at the same fecking place, at the same time of day.

 

Absolutely. It's bad enough just having to remove the gloves and fish
the wallet out of all the waterproofs.

 

Been at the Claret again I suspect...

 

Yup, it's just being jobsworth.

 

Pain, innit.

Consumer power strikes again.

not at petrol stations yet although I do wear a fluoro jacket and am
therefor more "safe" looking.

 

Yup.

Of course there's also the issue of where to put the lid once off - on
the oily tarmac, I think not!

It does, and as the place I work for has already threatened to close
their account this week over another silly issue, they might sit up and
take notice.

Well, I wear a standard Sam Brown belt, and look somewhat like a plod,
certainly nowt like a snotty kid with a scooter.

 

I get the impression their concern is you look like you may be about to
rob them. Not that you're going to loaf around the coffee machine
looking petulant.

 

Had similar at our local Esso, don't use it anymore & neither does the
rest of the family.

 

Take your lid off, fill up with fuel, then go in and rob them.

 

This is why I always use Tesco. Every pump on the forecourt allows
you too choose between pay at pump or in shop. And it'll take your
clubcard and add the points to it. Godsend on the bike and they're
the cheapest around me as well.

 

Andy Hewitt wrote:bored us all completely to death with wittery prose
along the lines of:

I do this with a certain Shell station as they insisted that I paid
before getting petrol. I wouldn't hesitate to do it with any other
petrol stations, although at the moment, this is the only one on my
list.

Not in my case, I believe, as I have the impression that petrol
stations have some degree of autonomy here.

--
Cab :^) - Ormiga Atomica
GSX 1400 - 'Tarts Handbag' (tm) Bike, dead 550/4 Rat
UKRMMA#10 (KoTL), IbW#015, Bob#4, POTM#3

P.S. Remove your_head from the cab. ICQ: 83023471

 

I had this once, about 3 years ago. I was feeling bloody-minded, so I
refused and handed a business-card over with 'my attempted payment refused
by your employee' on the back. A Jobsworth phoned me eventually, and I
explained the situation to him. He invited me to pay by CC, but I told him
to write me a letter. He did, and I sent a cheque by return. *That* whole
rigmarole should have whacked their profit margin on quite a few litres. I
commend it as a way of gently making the point.

 

Can you just confirm something? Do they make you take your helmet off
*before* the pump dispenses any petrol, or ask you to do it when you
go to pay?

Because, if it were the latter, I would make sure they understood that
I was offering to pay in full, and if they wouldn't accept it until
I'd removed my helmet I'd leave. And then let the law argue it.

 

I had this latter case happen in Tesco's petrol station in Ponder's
End. As I opened the door, an attendant appeared and told me I
couldn't come in without removing my helmet - I refused, and offered
the exact money for the petrol (a tenner), and she wouldn't take it.

I rode off, and didn't hear another thing about it.

 

When I have encountered this problem they have turned the pump off until
I removed my helmet. I think this is so that a facial image is caught on
the CCTV system in case you then fill up and ride off without paying.

One option if you encounter the second behaviour you listed. Either way
it's all fucking stupid and unnecessarily discriminatory.

 

Which is discrimination!

 

LOL.

 

I can remember attended pumps, where you could give the attendant money
and let them fill it up to the value.

Maybe so. We have a local Total at home too, I might try that one as
well, as I have been in there from time to time as well.

 

Yes, as in my case, they wouldn't turn on the pump while I was wearing
my helmet.

Yup. You can't tell me that car drivers don't bog off without paying.

I think the next time it happens I'm going to try and time it for when
they are *really* busy, and take a *very* long time taking off and
putting on my lid and stuff.

 

http://www.aapetrolbusters.com/default.asp