It's not MY fault....!

[Caractacus_Potts]

Grit shouldn't have driven off, that's a no brainer.

Still I wonder what the outcome would be if Grit only bought ten dollars worth of gas because he only had ten dollars. Is it the employees fault for not setting the pump correctly or Grit's fault for not standing at the pump and making sure only $10 pumped? Do they siphon the gas from Grit's tank? Do they call the police and have Grit arrested for theft because he can't pay for the gas he never intended to get or do they take his info and agree to payment at a later date?

[ADeMartino]

Mistakes happen, and that's a fact of life. I'll admit, I don't see a 'hard and fast' solution to this sort of problem. It's why I make sure that when I prepay for a certain amount of gas, I stay at the pump to make sure it doesn't exceed that amount - so that a mistake DOESN'T turn into an incident.

As for who's at fault - assuming Grit is being completely truthful with his story, I'd have to say there's blame enough for both sides of the issue. The clerk SHOULD have preset the pump properly, yes - but it IS still Grit's responsibility to make certain that the pump doesn't dispense more than he paid for. HOWEVER,....

The moment Grit jumped back into his car and drove away without even making an effort to reconcile the problem, he assumed one hundred percent of the blame. Would Grit have confronted the cashier if the amount he actually got was LESS than he'd paid for? Absolutely.

What could have been done to reconcile the situation? The gas station could have asked for an alternate method of payment - a credit or debit card, for example, or even in an extreme case, a post-dated check they could hold until he could return to settle up. An arrest is unlikely in the case of a genuine accident - usually the police will make a report of the incident, and usually a carefully-worded 'suggestion' to the customer that he take care of the matter swiftly.

I have worked in gas stations that had the means to pump fuel out of a tank. The equipment is actually intended to drain the tank so the tank can be removed for certain repairs (the in-tank electric pump of a fuel-injection system, for example). The problem with using it to remove 'overage' is the process is messy and inaccurate, because those machines don't track the amount of liquid they transfer.

I have a feeling that if Grit had even made an attempt to fix the problem, the gas station would have been willing to work with him.

[Caractacus_Potts]

I have a feeling that if Grit had even made an attempt to fix the problem, the gas station would have been willing to work with him.

That would be my guess as well.

Not really the same situation but when I was a teen and a lot of stations let you pump before you pay I pumped some gas before realizing that while I had my wallet I had left my cash at home on my dresser.

I went in and explained the situation to the attendant and he let me leave my driver’s license as collateral while I drove home to get my cash.

[Pagan]

I didn't think you were supposed to use mobiles at petrol stations anyway?

At all the ones in this area, there are notices everywhere saying 'switch off gas, no naked flames, don't use mobiles' or words to that effect.

All the gas stations around here also have signage that whomever is pumping has to stay outside the car, too.

I went in and explained the situation to the attendant and he let me leave my driver’s license as collateral while I drove home to get my cash.

But what happens if you should happen to get pulled over?

[Caractacus_Potts]

But what happens if you should happen to get pulled over?

I'm fairly certain that there is some law against driving a vehicle without having a license in your posession. At the time, being a young and somewhat ditzy new driver, I had been pulled over a few times when I did not have my wallet/license on me. The police used my social security number to pull up a copy of my current license and to confirm I had no wants or warrants before letting me go on my way so I wasn't terribly worried about getting pulled over when I went home to get my money.

I think the whole license in your posession thing is something the police simply aren't going to bother charging you with as long as you can provide info allwoing them to confirm your identity etc. and you aren't being a dick (and the particular officer that pulled you over isn't having a bad day!). Kind of like how you can drive a little over the speed limit and the police won't stop you unless you are doing something else that draws their attention.

[greek_jester]

But what happens if you should happen to get pulled over?

Explain the situation & ask the cop if he/she is willing to follow you back to the petrol station after picking up your cash so that you can show your licence?

[raudf]

Me, when I realized I left my wallet at home after filling up, I explained what happened to the attendant. I drove the 6 miles back to the house and promptly returned to pay.

Fortunately, all back road with little to no cop coverage. Though I'm pretty sure if I had been pulled over, I would have gotten off with a warning, since I was on my way back to retrieve said items. The cop could have followed me home if they wanted to. Mom always loves having someone else to talk to, especially if it's someone she knows...

[dalesys]

Mom always loves having someone else to talk to, especially if it's someone she knows...

Are you the reason she knows all the cops?

[raudf]

Are you the reason she knows all the cops?

Maaaayyybbbeeee... but actually no. I was never that exciting. I've only had one ticket my entire life *knocks on head since she can't find wood*

The 'rents were volunteer deputies for a while and they made sure to keep up with who is on what force, etc. At this time, Dad was in the process of finding out how to join, so Mom kept up with all that so when the time came they got the recommendation...

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Are you the reason she knows all the cops?

My mom used to be an assistant manager at a donut shop back in the late 70's . . .what does that tell you?

She'd get some really funny looks from the neighbors the time the motor blew in her Camaro and she had to park it until she could save up the money for a new one - there were a group of local cops taking turns picking her up and bringing her home every day.

[BrenDAnn]

Were I the clerk working when this happened, I'd be irate. Of course, I'd also have myself to blame. I don't know about elsewhere, but the system we have at work has a neat little button on the screen that allows us to stop the gas pumps whenever we want/need. Beyond that, most gas stations SHOULD, for safety reasons, have a shut off button somewhere that shuts every pump there off. So...either clerk wasn't paying attention, or thought the guy would come in and pay anyway. Either way, yes, the blame is entirely on Grit once he drove off. He'll pay for it in the end, though.

[pzychobitch]

I didn't think you were supposed to use mobiles at petrol stations anyway?

At all the ones in this area, there are notices everywhere saying 'switch off gas, no naked flames, don't use mobiles' or words to that effect.

Pretty sure mythbusters did a test several years back that disproved mobiles setting off explosions and whatnot at petrol stations.

[pzychobitch]

I think that only applies to their use outside the car, not inside.


Although when it comes to naked flames and gas... I'm always reminded of my favorite scene from Blade when Kristofferson's character pumps gas... spraying the car with gas as he tries to get it in, while smoking!

Well I can understand, Kristofferson's character is a TOTAL badass..

[Aria]

And the irony is, if he'd gone in and complained about the pump not stopping he'd probably have gotten a deal on the gas.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Pretty sure mythbusters did a test several years back that disproved mobiles setting off explosions and whatnot at petrol stations.

They did. However, gas stations still have the no-cell-phone rule. So, abide by their rules if you want gas.