Was I the SC??

[Becks]

I'd say both parties are to blame. Not that you were unjustified, just that you didn't handle it well.

[kibbles]

I still say one party is to blame especially when someone does something that could put you in physical danger.

[AmericanZero8503]

looking back I suppose I overreacted, but trying to do something that could injure(or even kill)me got me upset. While I CAN see his side of it, being upset at a 'theif', he should probably know how his own pumps work.

I've been in this sort of situation, as I work 'security' at my job and I actually do care if people are stealing, however I would never try to hurt someone who wasn't trying to hurt me physically, in fact all my life I've NEVER hit first.

Not to be racist or anything, but what nationality were the workers at this gas station. Recently a chain of gas stations in my town were bought by foriegners. They're so pushy and mean, that I can not get gas there any more. I paid by debit card at the pump and this attendant still called the cops on me. Luckily I have a friend who is 5-0 and he called me, and I met up with him and showed him my reciept. I think they were trying to get MORE money from me. I'll never get gas there again!

[Lehk]

that d***wad put your life in danger. you were justified of anything short of (but not including) firebombing the gas station.

and only not including because that would put innocent people in danger and create a ton of pollution.

i would not hold it against you at all if you went back and dumped a bag of quick-set cement in the toilet.


being rude is one thing, assult and endangering someone's life is very different i say give 'em hell.

[blas]

AmericanZero does have a good question.......it does make me wonder as well.

And this isn't being prejudice or racist or saying that foreigners are greedy.

It could be something as simple as they don't understand that some customers pay at the pump, and they think they stole. And a lot of foreign people really don't understand that in America, we really can't attack people like that. (Remember my post about my Mexican manager at the restaurant who'd throw things at employees to get their attention?)

Again, not being racist or prejudiced, it's just sometimes people who come from a country where you can chop off shoplifter's hands or you can attack shoplifters........they may have a hard time understanding that in America, you really can't do that, no matter how justifiable it seems.

But still, grabbing you was wrong, and I'd never shop there again if I were you.

[Ljt09863]

ok, the second he put you in danger(when he grabbed the throttle), i think he went overboard and made him a sucky employee. if you had reacted that way without the employee touching you or your bike, then yeah, you would have been a sc. but the employee screwed up.

[Sandy]

Man, your petrol (I guess you guys call it gas) costed you $2? To fill up my car's tank, it costs me $70-$80! Petrol here is like $1.39 per litre ... Trust me, your petrol is so much cheaper in America than it is here in Australia

[repsac]

call me the SC here, but personally, I'd have found out the number to his DM and gave then a rather nice phone call.

[AFpheonix]

Sandy, he was topping off a motorcycle. It costs me these days about $35 to $40 for 12+ gallons.

He shouldn't have grabbed at you, but you could have slowed everything down a bit by turning off the bike, or at least kicking it into neutral, then calmly asking him what he wanted, and then pointing out the display on the pump or your receipt.

And the arguement about the employee not understanding pre-pay, methinks that would be as insulting as telling me that I don't know how to bill insurance. It's part of my job, I get it, and I think that guy did too. He probably has had a few drive offs lately and is a wee bit oversensitive.

[Barefootgirl]

You were both out of order. You were out of order for not simply showing your receipt when he asked you, and for using foul language. He was out of order for grabbing your bike.

When sucky customers and sucky employees collide...

[Mixed Bag]

Bugg, you were absolutely wrong about one thing: saying you were not 100% innocent.

People are too readily blamed for reacting to outrage with anything short of the consummate insouciance of a James Bond appointed Foreign Minister. What happened to accountability for those who start problems? If I were a paranoid sort I'd think demanding courtesy in the face of outrage was a form of discrimination against those less blessed with that gift. When I swore as a restaurant customer in shock at describing gross incompetence by an employee, the manager was more interested in REPEATEDLY asking me if I understood that kind of language was inappropriate than he was in correcting the idiocy that led me off guard, like I was his four-year-old (I know my behaviour wasn't A+ and the provocation was far short of danger, but really, if he condescends to customers that way, I couldn't wait to tell the OWNER what effect he must have on employees). I also couldn't resist asking the other manager, who knew me a bit, next time I went in, her rank relative to his so I could vent (cleanly this time).

[Bugg]

see, the thing is, I am normally pretty calm, in situatons like this I normally enjoy being right and making the accusing party feel stupid, but it's hard to explain how fast this got out of hand, so I freaked out---Imagine someone somehow slamming on the gas while you're in your car as its pointed at a wall

and honestly, who lets someone hang out by a pump for 5 min before they go over there?

[Boulder_Bear]

They started it!

This guy started the incident by not doing his job. First of all most gas stations have displays that show how much gas has been pumped and if it has been payed for or not. If this guy had done his job then the entire incident would not have happened. Then he went and made it worse by assaulting you, and attempting to detain you in a very illegal and dangerous fashion. Your reaction was not out of order. If I or anyone in my family is threatened or put directly in the path of danger by someone I will and have blown up. It is your right and duty to protect yourself and your belongings. The attendant also should not have reacted like that because you did tell him that you already paid, several times. This just goes back to the begining that by him doing his job he could have avoided the whole situation. You are in the right here. I would have reacted similarly or maybe after he gunned my bike I would have just gotten off and hit him. About him being a foreigner, I will point out that in Mexico there is only 1 gas company, and all of their gas stations are full service.

[BunnyJas]

I believe you should have shown the guy the reciept as soon as he started harrassing you- then things might not have gotten so out of hand. However, the employee was sucky on many levels:

-he obviously wasn't watching the pumps in the first place which is why he showed up late and made accusations
-before accusing a customer of stealing, he should have asked for the reciept or looked at the meter on the pump
-grabbing you and hitting you is definately wrong and after he did that I think you had every right to curse him out and even call the cops

I also wonder if these people were foriegn- from your description, it doesn't sound like the guy knew english very well and they do tend to go ballistic if they think someone is stealing from them.

[JustAGirl]

Its both employee and customer suck time.

Though the employee should have come out there promptly (was the bike hidden by the pumps? that might explain the big delay), bugg still overreacted by cussing like that.

You should have shown them the receipt, or talked to him more calmly when he came out. What would you have done if you told someone they didn't pay, they said they did, and just left without showing a receipt?

And, frankly, I don't think the guy thought he knew what he was doing safewise to your handle. I'm not a motorcycle person and only recently found out where the throttle was on a bike. I think, if he KNEW the throttle was on there, he might have grabbed you in a different way.

So, ok, his fault for coming out late, your fault for not showing the receipt right when he said you didn't pay, his fault for grabbing your throttle hand, your fault for cussing him out that harshly.

I feel its 50/50 for fault here.