Pre-pay Gas (venting/long)

[Scottya21]

Pre-paying for gas is the bane of my existence. Not because I have any problem with the concept itself, but because I have to explain this to customers.

First of all, they'll sit outside and try to use the pump ( unsuccessfully) for at least 5 minutes. Maybe hang it up a few times.. readjust it in their gas tank a couple times... press all the buttons on the machine... right.

Next, when they come in, the conversation always goes like this:

SC: Your pumps are broken! (OR) I need to get gas!
Me: Ok, you need to pay before hand.
SC: But I don't know how much I need!
Me: Ok, give more than you expect to use, and I'll give you the change when you're done.
The ensuing conversation can involve any of the following:
-The customer asking me to estimate for them. In this case they'll inevitably have a tiny, tiny car with a 40 gallon gas tank, or a huge honkin' Pickup truck with a 5 gallon tank.
-asking me to "just turn it on"
-throwing a credit card at me and expecting me not to charge it
-throwing a credit card at me and expecting me to just turn it on
- reiterating the fact that I won't keep the money they didn't actually use
- etc

Another fun scenario is when they *can* read the display on the pumps that says they have to pay first, and then they come in. Next, they'll throw , say, $60 at me. This can then go two ways:
(1)
Me: Okay, $60?
SC: No, $53.62. Duh!
(2)
Me: Okay, $60?
SC: Well, I might not use it all. Will you give me my change afterwards?

>_<

And as an afternote on this section, people will also not know what pump they're on. They'll be like, "It's the solid black one hiding behind 3 other cars", while it's pitch black out and I have a glare on the windows from the inside lights. >_< Read your pump number before you come in!

Finally, there's when they use their credit card to pay outside. They'll often have to come inside to get a receipt since our printers outside are crap. This requires that I swipe the credit card used, since this is how I can get a receipt out of my computer. In fact, the two systems are completely different. This shows up on your statement if you look closely; use it outside and it'l be a charge from "XYZ Gas Company 123098812039", use it inside and it'll be a charge from "XYZ Convenience store". Anyway,

Me: *swipes card*
SC: Whoa! You're not charging me again are you!

SERIOUSLY. do you think we could get away with it if we DID charge people twice? COME ON NOW. (interestingly enough, some customer told me that he WAS actally charged twice in this situation. But that's hear say)

Ugh, I hate it. *loathing*

[Coconut]

Me: *swipes card*
SC: Whoa! You're not charging me again are you!

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that one... No, we're not charging you twice, we're gonna charge you eight times! Grr...

You said your pumps have a display on them telling customers they have to prepay. Well, back when they first started that prepay stuff in my area (after Hurricane Katrina), many stores did NOT put up signs or anything. How was the customer supposed to know? Admittedly, I got frustrated once because I thought the pumps were broken and I left. I felt dumb about it, but I really had no idea you had to prepay.

[Becks]

You really have to swipe the card again inside if the machine outside doesn't print a reciept? Wow. At the craptacular gas station I used to grace with my employment, all we had to do was hit a few buttons. I now realize how lucky I was.

[Scottya21]

Coconut : I should start *charging* them a receipt fee, just since they asked... *cackle*

becky: Ya, really. Like I said, two completely separate computer systems, so.. yeah , it's kinda messed up.


And yes, from a customer's perspective I know this is annoying and difficult, and it's not necessarily a SC thing to ask some questions. But it's just... you hear the same bloody stuff over again enough times, and it gets frustrating as heck.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Would you mind telling u where you're from?

Pre-paying for gas still sounds unusual to me. But that's how they do it in Milwaukee.

[wagegoth]

Here in California I don't think I've come across a post-pay gas station in memory. Once self-service got started, they all became pre-pay.

When I was working in lost/stolen credit cards, I got a call from a customer who had used his credit card at a restaurant in Mexico, and the restaurant put the charge through FIVE times! I told him to start carrying traveler's checks.

[Worker-Intellectual]

Urgh... paranoid customers thinking you double charged them... don't remind me

No, the reason I had to swipe your card twice was because it didn't work the first time. No, it didn't go through the first time because you f***ed up your pin. No, I'm not charging you twice, you hit the red button clearly marked "Cancel" the first time. No, I'm not going to let you get away with unpaid merchandise "just in case it did go through". No, I don't get paid more if the store somehow does charge you twice.

[Gurndigarn]

Since I'm in coin-op, my instinctinve reaction is "why don't they put bill acceptors at the pumps?" (Complete with auto-change dispensers, of course.) Makes perfect sense to me.

[RentalRacer]

I remember the first time I went to a pre-pay pump (they don't exist where I am from) I stood there like dun-da-dun why won't this work....then read the little prepay sign..and lightbulb went off..and I went inside and all was well. Why can't SC's just understand that.

[powerboy]

Since I'm in coin-op, my instinctinve reaction is "why don't they put bill acceptors at the pumps?" (Complete with auto-change dispensers, of course.) Makes perfect sense to me.

That would be great if they had that. Pre-pay, to me is alot better.

[Retail Associate]

Going to a different gas station than my regular one is a great source of anxiety for me. I just can't help it. I get confused because they are all different around here. The one I normally go to has very clear instructions at the pump. It's not pre-pay but you can pay outside. The steps are clearly written.

• Pay Inside  <---- button
• Pay Outside 
  • Insert Card - Remove Card Quickly
    • Credit
    • Debit
      • Enter PIN

There's a picture showing how to insert your card and a little screen that tells you what's happening through each step. When you've finished pumping your gas the screen will ask if you want a receipt and you hit the yes/no button. All very simple and straightforward.

Every other station I've ever gone to is completely different. Some of them have no pic showing you which way to insert your card and no matter how I insert it, it's not accepted. Many don't give you an option for Debit or Credit; some are pre-pay, some aren't; most don't have the screens to let you know anything is happening. It's just a PITA so I avoid strange gas stations at all costs. Luckily my regular station is usually one of the lowest priced, too.

[Anakah]

The ones I have we have to enter our zipcode into after swiping our cards and putting in the pin. And we always have to pay before it will even work. I've never seen ones that didn't. If I ever have to pay cash inside, this is what I always say:

Me: *shows money* (insert money amount) on number ___ please."

It is stupid of them to expect you to know the number their on or to "estimate" their cost when they give you their tank size. Idiots.

[Scottya21]

Well, as for bill acceptors, we probably don't use them because it would cost money to get those. And also probably because they'd have to be filled with change, and the owner would be too lazy to do that, and too ... un trusting? to let employees do it.

As for where I live, it's the northeast corner of New York state.. a lot of places around here don't do it, but we're right off the huge interstate between NYC and Montreal, so ... gotta be a little more careful.

[digilight]

I'm in Southern California also, all the gas stations around here are all prepay as well. There is one station (ARCO) that has bill acceptor stations where you can either pay with an ATM card or cash without going inside. You just tell it what pump number your at, then insert cash or card. If you need change you have to go inside the store though.

[tollbaby]

Back in October, I rented a car and headed off to drive to Chicago from Ottawa (Canada). It's a bit of a drive (13 hours each way). I had never been to a gas pump before (had just gotten my license in September), so it was a bit of a learning experience. EVERY single gas station was different! All of them offered me the choice to prepay, pay at the pump, or pay inside though. But each one's hardware was different than the others, so I felt like a bit of an idiot each and every time I stopped for gas.