Today I took the work truck to fill up with diesel. Started pumping and the pump was going and going. I looked at the pump 42 gallons in a 97 F250 *** it holds 32 gallons I think. I went inside and said some words to the squid behind the counter. He shrugged his shoulders and gave me the OH WELL better luck next time. He stood there stuffing his face and swiped my card. I was POed to say the least almost drug him over the counter. I got home called weights and measures (WM) they heard me out took all my info. I didn't expect to hear from them until 9/6. I got a call around 2:30pm saying they look into it and found out there was a problem and also I'm gona get rembursted (sp) $35 I get back. For every 5 gallons the pump was reading 6.5 gallons. The WM guy said go talk to the owner and he should give me what he owes me if not call him and the WM guy will get my money. I never expected things to happen as fast as they did. If you think there is a problem sick the WM on them. Thanks for listening

I check for that problem every time I get fuel. No problems....yet.

I'm glad you were persistent enough to get something done. Your my new hero. :)

HMMMMM I think everyone will be carrying a calculator with them now!! I know the latest craze around here is siphoning tanks, the penalty is alot less than stealing from the pump.

Fuel prices are bad enough let alone being cheated. Running a landscaping business costly enough now. Spending $$$ every week. I feel bad for adding a fuel surcharge.

Way to go man!!!!!! :cool:

Man I would have been roasted over that.
Glad your gettin your money back. Who knows how many people they burned.

What station was that????????

The pumps are checked once a year by weights & measure. There shoul be a devise sticker on each pump with the licence # & date it was last calibrated. They can get off but I have never heard of any of our pumps in 8 stations being that far off. Sounds like someone has been tampering with them. As far as the jerk guy behind the counter. I would have not left the station until he called the owner or manager. That should have been takin care of right then & there. That kind of empoyee additude would not fly in our co.
You did the right thing by getting the w& m involved.

I think we have all been getting cheated at the pumps for the past couple years !! [deadhors]

I would contact the state Dept. of weights and measurements (or what ever they call it in your area).

Your not the only one that has gotten beat there, just only one smart enough to catch it.

Good Work!

The truck stop was Christiana Truck stop in New Castle De

How about that, not far from me!

The truck stop was Christiana Truck stop in New Castle De

Wow, at a truck stop no less. I wonder how many hundreds (thousands?) of gallons they moved with this "Pay for 6.5, get 5" deal. I hope they're forced to reimburse everyone, but who else would know when this began.

A guy in my office is the WM for our city and some neighboring towns. He's going to love this.

HMMMMM I think everyone will be carrying a calculator with them now!! I know the latest craze around here is siphoning tanks, the penalty is alot less than stealing from the pump.
The penalty could be alot worse if i catch them siphoning fuel out of my truck. I got a letter, i can go pick up my concealed carry license tomorrow. [whistle] [whistle] :cool: :cool:

Does anyone know the rules regarding the way the pumps are calibrated? We live next to a little tiny 2-pump gas station/country store. Its very common for their pump to be "screwed up" as they call it, and the displayed price isn't what you have to pay. They figure the gallons you pumped inside with a hand calculator and charge you based on the current price/gallon. The pump displays aren't even close. They have a sign on the pump saying that, but come on, that can't be legal...

Jim

Here the rules are simple the figures on the pump are always taken as the final, so if you are walking in and they are charging you extra, go get em, that ain't right.

Does anyone know the rules regarding the way the pumps are calibrated? We live next to a little tiny 2-pump gas station/country store. Its very common for their pump to be "screwed up" as they call it, and the displayed price isn't what you have to pay. They figure the gallons you pumped inside with a hand calculator and charge you based on the current price/gallon. The pump displays aren't even close. They have a sign on the pump saying that, but come on, that can't be legal...

Jim

At least they are bing honest.)

I got cheated at the pumps down in Fla last week. The pump was reading $3.19/gal while the billboard said $3.09/gal. I stopped pumping immediately, went inside to complain and was told that was today's price. Take it or leave it. I paid for one gallon and went down the road to a Sunoco where the price was $2.87/gal. Over inland in Arcadia, the price was $2.61/gal. Go figure, with no pipelines and no barges, the truck delivered price was that much less. I called the Fla Gas gouging hotline and was told I was outta luck, that the gouging line was only for gasoline sales, and diesel sales didn't count.

Well, Mr. Charlie Crist, I ain't going back to yer state, until you get yer <edit> together and stop letting the oil companies ride roughshod over diesel owners. Time for diesel owners to get together and demand states like Fla stop the gouging. Georgia suspended sales tax on fuels, not just gasoline, but diesel too. Georgia is gonna get my hard earned bucks when it comes time for vacation, but not Fla.

Does anyone know the rules regarding the way the pumps are calibrated? We live next to a little tiny 2-pump gas station/country store. Its very common for their pump to be "screwed up" as they call it, and the displayed price isn't what you have to pay. They figure the gallons you pumped inside with a hand calculator and charge you based on the current price/gallon. The pump displays aren't even close. They have a sign on the pump saying that, but come on, that can't be legal...

Jim

The pump needs to have a current devise licence sticker on it with the date it was last checked & either approved or red tagged. If it is red tagged they have a certain amount of time to get it fixed. Don't remember how much time they are aloud.

I filled up a 5 gal gas can with 6.7 gallons one time. When I went inside to complain, they said tough *luck*.

I drove off with the pump hose and nozzle hanging off the side of the car dragging down the road.
3 days later, that pump was still out of commission...

I used to be a service tech in the fuel station industry. I've been to all the schools and training for the electronic dispensers, Point of Sale equipment in the c-store, tank monitoring equipment, etc. I've never seen a mechanical fuel meter that was in good operating condition that was able to be off by that amount. In other words, there is no way the station was trying to stick it to you. However, when meters go bad, especially the old Southwest meters, they can be off by a very far amount.

Regarding the limit a meter can be off: On a 10 GPM dispenser new installation, the limit a meter can be off is 3 cubic inches per 5 gallons. On old equipment, the limit is 5 cubic inches per 5 gallons.

Just a few news articles found after "Google" searching for Gas pump cheat.

http://wwj.com/Article.asp?id=115213
Two brothers who own a Macomb County gas station have been charged in what authorities say was a scheme to cheat customers. Thirty-year-old Nabil Dawood of Troy and 48-year-old Samir Dawood of Shelby Township were arraigned yesterday in 41-B District Court.
The scheme started at a Clinton Township Fast Track station some time after July 2004. They say the station's regular unleaded gas pumps were rigged to short customers about five percent of the gas they purchased. A suspicious driver sparked the probe by telling the Michigan Department of Agriculture that he pumped more gallons than his vehicle could hold. If convicted, Nabil Dawood could face up to five years in prison and Samir Dawood could face up to two years.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture intends to revoke the Dawoods' retail gas station operator's licenses.

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http://wwj.com/Article.asp?id=115213
It was my opinion, till some time ago, that in an affluent country like the US, people would not resort to `get rich quick' methods, so much as in developing countries such as India. But a recent trip to the US made me change my opinion. The following is just an example of how the American consumers are cheated in their petrol pumps or gas stations, as they call it.
An American lady in California State owns eight petrol pumps. The department of measurements, California State, knew that she was cheating on the quantity of gas (petrol) supplied to the consumers, even though many of the pumps were programmed for automatic deliveryThe entire delivery system is computerised, with the department of measurements sealing the pump for accuracy.
When several consumers complained about low mileage, whenever they filled in one of the eight pumps, the department sent its inspectors, who could not find out much, as the system they had set was accurate and functioned. So, they sent in their field investigators for further investigation. After systematically following various leads, they were able to bait the equipment maintenance engineer, who offered to sell them a system of chips and in-built computer, which looked exactly like the one fixed by the department, but could do `wonderful' things for the gas station owner. He also told them that he had fixed the computer panel with a programme, which reduced the supply insignificantly for each gallon. But the consumer lost out a great deal, when the tank was filled up. With a large number of consumers buying from her stations and with eight pumps, the owner was making a lot of money. Finally, the authorities caught up with her and fined her heavily.
I was told by the authorities that such cheating was common. But there is one difference though between what happens in the US and in India. Here, in the US, the department of Metrology is a full-fledged one with its own inspectors and officials. The enforcement is also very thorough. But even with such enforcement, there is widely prevalent practice of measurement cheating. Over 10 years ago, I had suggested that the department of metrology must be separated from the labour department in Tamil Nadu or other un-concerned departments to which metrology was usually added in other Indian States I also suggested that if all licensing departments were grouped together and all enforcement departments also, it would serve the interests of the Indian consumer in a better way. What is remarkable in the US is their almost obsessive outlook to ensure consumer protection. It is my desire and wish to establish a consumer product safety centre in Chennai under CONCERT.
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http://cbs2.com/specialassign/local_story_120202055.html
Apr 29, 2004 11:00 pm US/Pacific
(KCBS) If you're outraged by skyhigh gas prices -- wait until you see what we uncovered at the pumps! Stations not only charging record amounts for a gallon, but not even pumping a full gallon. Investigative reporter David Goldstein uncovers what's called shortchanging.

Special Assignment: "Gas Station Rip-Offs" originally aired Thursday, April 29, 2004 at 11 p.m.

When is a gallon of gas not a full gallon of gas? It's when you get ripped off, shortchanged, at the gas pumps.

Goldstein to a gas station operator: "Are you doing this intentionally?"

Gas station operator: "No don't start accusing me of this (bleep)."

Goldstein: "I'm not accusing you, I'm asking you a question."

It's become a high priced commodity in car crazy Los Angeles. Gasoline. More than $2 a gallon. Making every precious ounce count.

"I test the accuracy of the pumps," says Victor Garcia, who does the counting for the county. He works for the Department of Weights and Measures.

It's his job to make sure a gallon is really a gallon, and to red tag -- shutdown the pumps -- that are cheating customers.

Sometimes it's because of a mechanical malfunction, but many others times it's something more sinister.

Goldstein: "Owners can manipulate the pumps?"

Garcia: "They can do that. Yes."

Goldstein: "Easily?"

Garcia: "Easily."

There's certainly no shortage of stations that are shortchanging customers. Investigators discovered that roughly 10 percent of the 54,000 pumps in L.A. County are malfunctioning, mislabeled or just plain inaccurate -- ripping off customers who are already frustrated by high gas prices.

We decided to focus on Sylmar -- home of plenty of cars and enough gas stations to fill them up.

At the Shell on 13641 Foothill Boulevard, at the very first pump, for regular gas, we hit paydirt.

"This one is short."

Garcia uses a five-gallon measurement. The county allows an error rate of 6 cubic inches -- or just over three ounces. But this one is short by 50 percent more than what's allowed.

"Cheating the customers."

The pump is red-tagged -- shutdown -- until it's repaired. And it's not the only gas-guzzler we uncovered at this station.

"Hmmm ... low too."

"This one is also short."

"This one made it but was right on the border."

"Short again."

Garcia found eight out of 24 pumps at this one station to be shortchanging customers -- what he believes is more than just a coincidence.

"Does it get you suspicious?"

"Yes it does."

"Do you think this might be intentional?"

"I think so."

The manager denied intentionally manipulating the pumps, but wouldn't explain why they were short.

Goldstein: "How do you explain..."

Manager: "I says leave."

Goldstein: "You want me to leave?"

Manager: "Yes."

Next we moved to an Arco station down the block at Foothill.

"This one is closed."

The same story. Red tags.

"This one here is giving less."

Three pumps were shutdown.

"I got lucky today," Garcia said.

And his luck wasn't about to run out.

At a Mobil station a few miles away at 15948 Roxford, one pump was shutdown.

"This one is short, giving less gas to the customers."

The manager denied ripping off customers.

Goldstein: "Is this something you guys are doing intentionally?"

Manager: "No I say, no."

All totaled -- four of five stations we inspected in just a three mile radius in Sylmar had pumps that shortchanged drivers.

Sometimes only dimes or quarters on a fill-up, but at these prices it all adds up.

"That's really bad. Gas prices are high enough for them to be cheating the people."

Investigators say to try and catch fraud, keep an eye on excessive speed changes and price jumps while pumping.

Makes you want to throw a 5 gallon gas can in the bed and fill it before you start filling the tank,
fill it to the 5 gallon mark and double check the pump readout.


phox

Royta, correct me if I am wrong but I understand that one of the ways these crooks are getting by screwing the public with reprogrammed pumps is by automatically delivering the 1st five(or so) gallons accurately, and thereafter scamming the customer on gallon 6 and beyond..... The purpose was said to avoid getting trapped by the W&M boys when they fill up their calibrated 5gal container. [nonono]

Keith

Another good reason to hand calculate your fuel milage by hand before you leave the station. If the mpg is way off what you normally get, either you have had a happy right foot, you pulled alot of loads on that tank or something is screwy with your truck or the pump.

High tech rip-offs in this country...
In Mexico where many stations are "full serve" the trick is to start filling the tank fast before the vehicle owner gets out and looks, if he ever does. The trick involves not resetting the pump from the previous purchase.

Royta, correct me if I am wrong but I understand that one of the ways these crooks are getting by screwing the public with reprogrammed pumps is by automatically delivering the 1st five(or so) gallons accurately, and thereafter scamming the customer on gallon 6 and beyond..... The purpose was said to avoid getting trapped by the W&M boys when they fill up their calibrated 5gal container. [nonono]

Keith

I have never seen such a device to do such a thing, however I can imagine how it could be done.

Calibrating meters - With mechanical meters, you physically change the volume of fuel that enters and exits the meter with every revolution. The pulsers are set to a specific ratio, for instance 100 pulses per gallon. Pulsers are mechanical/electronic devices that spin in relation to the meter. They work very similar to crank positioning sensors on most modern day computer controlled engines, except for one trigger of the sensor per revolution, there would be one hundred (on a 100:1 pulser). With electronic meters, the meter goes untouched. You actually change the number of electronic pulses per gallon that the computer in the dispenser actually sees.

With both style meters, it would take some sort of electronic device placed between the pulser and the pump logic board that counted the pulses sent to the board for the first five gallons, and then increased the pulse count sent to the board thereafter. About 99.9% of the station operators I have come across are just about capable of selling a candy bar, but I guess they could read directions.

The W&M folks pump a minimum of 10 gallons per grade per dispenser. 5 gallons with the nozzle on the fastest click, and 5 gallons on the slowest click. I'm sure it is up to the W&M's discression, but I have seen many allow 50% of the station's fuel grades to be on the low end of the tolerance scale.