What, if anything, should I do about this?

[st.cronin]

This afternoon I go to a shell station to put gas in my car. I take a tenner to the cashier and say 'ten dollars from pump 8'. I go pump the gas ... the price is $2.49 a gallon. So for ten dollars I should get a tick more than 4 gallons. Instead, the pump stops at $10.00 and 3.98 gallons. That's 2.51 a gallon ... :confused:

[Raiders Army]

Was the price $2.499 a gallon? If so, it should barely be a tick over 4 gallons. Weird that you only got 3.98 though.

Edit--To me it wouldn't be worth it, but you may want to report it to the gas company (i.e. Exxon or whatever) since it's not a lot of money to you, but it could be a Superman III/Office Space thing where somebody's trying to get rich.

[CraigSca]

This afternoon I go to a shell station to put gas in my car. I take a tenner to the cashier and say 'ten dollars from pump 8'. I go pump the gas ... the price is $2.49 a gallon. So for ten dollars I should get a tick more than 4 gallons. Instead, the pump stops at $10.00 and 3.98 gallons. That's 2.51 a gallon ... :confused:
I think you can report that to your state's dept of weights and measures. The gas station will get heavily fined.

[cuervo72]

Yeah, I think that's a scam that some stations run, and I agree with CraigSca - weights & measures would probably like to hear about that.

[WrongWay]

I think you can report that to your state's dept of weights and measures. The gas station will get heavily fined.
It is just a simple phone call to report this, so there is no reason NOT to do this.

Good catch.

[sterlingice]

Neat stuff, sort of. I'd be curious to see what it says when you report it, particularly if you have a receipt to back it up.

SI

[Ragone]

I've known for quite sometime that shell stations run up their gas gauges. sure 2-3 cents more doesn't seem like much.. but take that x the 100k+ who fill up their daily.. thats alot o cash

[st.cronin]

Was the price $2.499 a gallon? If so, it should barely be a tick over 4 gallons. Weird that you only got 3.98 though.

Edit--To me it wouldn't be worth it, but you may want to report it to the gas company (i.e. Exxon or whatever) since it's not a lot of money to you, but it could be a Superman III/Office Space thing where somebody's trying to get rich.

My first thought was 'ha, ha it would be so silly to go back to the cashier and demand .08 cents back' but then I realized that if it was another penny or two per gallon sold that they were ripping off the public for a minor fortune.

If I had paid with a credit card, or if the price had been 2.59 or 2.39 I would not have noticed this.

I will look into weights and measures.

[JeeberD]

Freakin' New Mexicans... :mad:

[Lorena]

I never thought about it. I'm a have to carry a calculator with me... ain't no shame in it St. C. I'm a start doin' it too. Those dang theives :mad:

[stevew]

Man, i cant believe you are still paying 2.49(or 2.51) a gallon.

[stevew]

Id go back to the same station, and take your digital camera. That way you'd have more solid proof to report them with. Some places charge a couple cents more per gallon when you pay with credit cards, perhaps she had you on that rate as well?

[JeeberD]

Man, i cant believe you are still paying 2.49(or 2.51) a gallon.

No kidding, it's down to $1.92 out here...

[vex]

Id go back to the same station, and take your digital camera. That way you'd have more solid proof to report them with. Some places charge a couple cents more per gallon when you pay with credit cards, perhaps she had you on that rate as well?
Really? I wasn't aware of that.

[st.cronin]

I paid with cash; had I paid with a credit card I wouldn't have noticed a discrepancy.

[sabotai]

No kidding, it's down to $1.92 out here...
It's about that inb New Jersey now, too.

[stevew]

I paid with cash; had I paid with a credit card I wouldn't have noticed a discrepancy.
Yeah, i know you paid with cash, what im saying is that some places charge a slightly higher rate if you pay with a card.....perhaps the cashier rang in your prepay incorrectly.

Most likely, yeah, they're ripping people off.

[Dutch]

I've never heard of "Weights and Measures" before. Is it a local govt office?

[Barkeep49]

I've never heard of "Weights and Measures" before. Is it a local govt office?
Most states have one. In Illinois it's part of the Department of Agriculture. Look for a sticker on the gas pump next time you go as every state that I know of, has a requirement that a sticker be shown proving that the pumps passed inspection (sort of like an elevator safety certificate).

[ISiddiqui]

State agency, usually:

http://consumeraction.gov/measures.shtml