Was I the SC??

[protege]

I too think the situation got a bit out of hand. The employee did start it though. However, Bugg, you should have shown the receipt instead of escalating things further. If you had, I don't think it would have gotten as bad.

On the other hand, if I was in my car, and someone was to reach in like that...I'd treat it as a threat, and I'd respond as such.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I'd say Bugg was well within his rights. True, he shouldn't have sworn at the guy but grabbing the throttle... that is dangerous as hell. Speaking as a rider myself, anyone does that to my bike can expect pain. I'm very safety consience as is obvious by the fact that despite the heat I ride out in full leathers, and to me this worker was the sucky one.

[Mixed Bag]

Business owners should train themselves and their employees, foreign or not, in basics critical to the society as it intersects with the line of work. If a customer says he paid and the employee or owner wants to indicate they need proof rather than mere reassurance the customer understands the situation, that's their cue to ask for a receipt before escalating the situation with someone whom they themselves are aware may be dishonest or dangerous if they're really trying to steal.

Not knowing to produce a receipt instantaneously under stress hardly makes for an SC considering the typical clueless behaviours regularly reported here. I also don't think it's too much for workers to be taught a handful of key facts about handling or avoiding the powerful machines they might reasonably be expected to occasionally encounter on business property.

[Bugg]

I didn't start yelling at him until he grabbed at me, and had I even remebered that I had the receipt, it would have been out immedeatly, but I just got kinda spooked as theis guy was yelling at me that I stole..even tho you have to put a card in to make tha pump turn on

[purplecat41877]

I agree that you were both out of line. There are better ways to handle a situation like that.

[rdp78]

I think y'll were both sucky.

I mean Bugg you should have shown the receipt once he was accusing you of stealing and he should have checked to see if you have paid before accusing you. He also shouldn't have grabbed your bike and you shouldn't have use so much foul language. I don't know it sounds like he wasn't train right.

[Dragon_Dreamer]

I'm just glad you're okay.

[KuzcoLlama]

I would just like to add something.

When you are posting, if you have to add, "I'm not being racist/sexist/etc, but..." It's probably not a good idea to post it.

[JuniorMintz]

LOL Kuzco, you're right. That should probably be rule #3 or something.

Nothing will top rule #1! Muahahaha!

[NightAngel]

I would just like to add something.

When you are posting, if you have to add, "I'm not being racist/sexist/etc, but..." It's probably not a good idea to post it.

Seconded.

[JustADude]

When you are posting, if you have to add, "I'm not being racist/sexist/etc, but..." It's probably not a good idea to post it.

Sorry, but I think some comments that require that remark in today's culture are actually valid points. Members of any given group, of whatever kind, tend to act in certain ways. Many, but by no means all, stereotypes are based on actual facts. To me, it's only bigotry if you start believing every member of that group acts the same way. Okay, maybe with the exception of the KKK hating black people. The 'I'm not being...' disclaimer, to me, shows the author is expressing a legitimate observation that may be misread as something... less intelligent. All the Political Correctness bull we've had shoved down our throats has people conditioned to think ANY statement about a group will be somehow turned into an issue. If people would just get over themselves and stop hating on each other, we wouldn't have to look over our shoulders every time we say japanese people like sushi, or explicitly state the provisions any thinking person would insert automatically.



Back on topic:
I can probably imagine how fast things got out of hand once he came running out, accusing you of something you couldn't possibly have done (steal gas from an automated pump). That's poor training and a poor attitude. You might've handled the innitial confrontation a little better, but if he had been thinking this never would've started. Once he ignorantly (going with the theme here) endangered you and then struck you, you were pretty much justified in my eyes in getting foul and up on him. No physical retaliation though... that's a good thing.

Hope it turns out well for you.

[Mixed Bag]

JustADude, we also agree on this

[KuzcoLlama]

It is not about whether or not people should handle a post regarding race in the manner that it is not always a flammatory remark and just a point, JustADude, it is about the fact that race posts never end well. It starts with debate, turns to flaming, and ends up with closed threads doling out punishment due to the severity of the comments.

(To All) CustomersSuck! is not a debate forum. The point is, think before you post. More often than not, if you think you have to put a disclaimer, then you know people might take it the wrong way, and should not be posted.

[Ree]

I am wondering why race even became an issue in this thread at all.

The OP never once mentioned race.

From what I can see, it was the, "Look, I'm not a racist, but by any chance was the dude a foreigner" crowd who brought up the race factor in the first place.
As Kuzco said, if you have to put in a disclaimer, then the comment should probably remain unwritten.

The guy had no right to grab your bike or touch you, but as it's been said repeatedly by others before me, all you had to was show the receipt in the first place. You say you forgot about it in the sudden escalation of the moment, but you did remember it after the whole thing got so badly out of hand. (In my opinion it was your own failure to respond properly that escalated things.)
If I had just finished putting a receipt in my pocket and someone immediately accused me of stealing, I think the first thing I would do would be to shove the receipt in their face. I have a pretty bad memory, and if I didn't remember something that had just happened only seconds before, I don't think it would suddenly come to my mind once I was upset.
That's just me, though.

Aside from the fact that the guy was obviously not thinking in order to realize you couldn't get gas without putting in payment, he was within his rights to question it, and your defensive attitude didn't do anything to help it along.

I would be ticked if the same thing happened to me, but as I said, I think I would have produced a receipt as soon as the guy started being a dickhead.

[Rapscallion]

One thing you could consider is that if you have the attitude that someone is going to steal or be antisocial, it's quite likely that they'll pick up on that. Why should they think anything other than "If it's expected, why don't I help myself?" or "Why shouldn't I get away with acting like that?"

As far as I'm concerned, race, politics, gender, religion etc only have a place in tales here if they are a pivotal part of the story. Sure, if the "Maria's cousins" comes up from a manager, that's fine to report. If you're talking about a group of thieving youths and mention that one or more of them were black, that's irrelevant and perpetuating a problem.

Takes two to tango and all that.

Rapscallion