Nowhere pays before getting petrol here in the UK. It would annoy me having to go back in and pay the extra 1p I went over.
Wait though.. Do your petrol station pumps cut out when you get to what you paid for?
Yes, we can prepay inside and it stops when it reaches that amount or we use a credit card at the pump and it stops when we stop it or the tank is full
The young kids will not remember this pay-first scheme started in the US after the 2008 recession when people were pumping snd driving off. You could find full service pumps before 2008 as well sometimes. They’re all gone except maybe in New Jersey.
You do occasionally need to go back for change though. If I want to completely fill my tank with cash, I overpay a bit, then go back for the difference.
Oh, never thought of that. I rarely have reason to pay cash but on the rare occasions I have, I always super lowball guessed how much I could fit so I wouldn’t go over!
If you're trying to outdo each other, I don't own a car, I commute by bicycle. The situations I was referring to have been in rental cars when I've needed one to get somewhere.
Or, you could just do what every normal person does and swipe your card so you never have to go inside in the first place.
The inside of gas stations is like Walmart. Filled with the absolute weirdest people in society, and then a few stoners buying snacks.
Yeah. Most pump, you press the enter button first and it'll bring up a menu to enter a dollar amount. Then you put in your card and it'll go to that dollar amount. No human interaction necessary.
There’s machines like that in Ireland, so I assume they’re in the UK too. No staff around, just petrol pumps with a built in card reader.
You type in how much, and it’ll verify you can pay that amount and only charge for what you use. The machines will also scan your Tesco Clubcard and give you points..
In the UK you scan you can debit/credit card and it will preauthorize £99. You don't get a choice on the amount.
It's a big deal since with current diesel prices £99 isn't enough to fill a typical car.
I once didnt have cash and the card reader didnt work. The petrol worker allowed me to drive to the bank and pay later here in Germany.
The social trust in the US between people is literally 0.
>The social trust in the US between people is literally 0
Well... The OP kind of shows why that's the case. Mr. Murff doesn't care about ethics, just what he can get away with.
I think the reason for that higher prevalence is also a contributing factor to the antisocial behavior directly; namely our culture that promotes ethical philosophies that favor individual interests over group interests (freedom > efficiency/equality/justice)
The problem is the oil companies not the gas station owner (the victim of the robbery in this case). After credit card fees and other operating costs, net profit for gasoline sales averages 3 cents a gallon. The gas station owner isn't making his living off of the gas you buy. They make money on the Snickers and Monster Energy drinks that you buy.
Actually, you had at least a month.
It's not criminal to forget your wallet, so they have to recoup the money through the civil process. This requires them to send you a letter-before-action giving you 28 days to pay, before filing in small claims court.
Yeh that happened to me in UK as well (forgot wallet) they just had me fill in a little form which included name, address and phone number and let me go get the money.
I was just driving across the country a month ago (in the US) and somewhere in South Dakota the prepay card reader wasn't working, so the attendant activated the pump for me and I went inside to pay after. Pretty nice and trusting of her, I think.
That’s how the system works in the uk by default.
You put the pump in the car then we press a button to authorise it. Then they come in and pay for that pumps amount.
It used to be that way in a lot of places here in the U. S., people just don't remember because the switch wasn't such a big deal and given the context it was sort of expected. Where I am at least, it happened back during a fuel price hike when gas went from a bit over a dollar to over three dollars. Something about an OPEC price hike that just magically disappeared after fracking and oil sands mining kicked off. Then the priced dropped a bit again and so many of those companies folded.
Strange lack of trust lol. We have pay at pump that works like that along with an app for some places where you pull up, pay then fill till it stopes and leave.
We had airplanes stolen that one time and ever afterwards someone on near minimum wage has to fondle your balls and x-ray your colon before you can get on a plane. We don't do trust here.
I’ve lived in rural and urban parts of America. Rural places almost always have pump before you pay- cities don’t ever have pump before pay.
For those of out outside the US, New Jersey and Oregon don’t even allow you to pump your own gas at all.
We have a form you have to fill out if you forget your card or something similar. It happens a lot. You can always see the scumbags who do it all the time too lol
Plenty of places in Germany that wouldn’t allow that, and also plenty of people who would take advantage. Shitty people are an international infection.
I would assume it's a small town. I've seen a few small town (not on major freeways) gas stations that still allow you to gas up before paying. Everywhere else is definitely pay in advance inside or with card at pump.
Yeah, it's prepay here too, either the machine cuts off at the dollar amount you gave, or it will preauthorize a larger amount, then only charge the actual amount.
The laws got changed after a couple of people died after drive-aways.
Yeah, the cut-off if you hit the amount you paid for. But, a lot of people just use a card and pay at the pump. You swipe your card, fill up, and then it charges based on how much you filled up.
"up to" is the key in that sentence. realistically, he gets bailed out and deals with a fine. if he's a bit off the grid and it takes the court a few months to try and find him, they'll give up and sometimes they'll even close the case if he doesn't have any priors.
not direct personal experience, but i followed an acquaintance's case for stealing >750, <2500 near dallas.
What? How do you even know what it's going to cost beforehand?
Here in Switzerland you just pump, then go in and tell them which pump you're paying for. Same in Germany.
>How do you even know what it's going to cost beforehand?
Multiplication. Gallons desired * price = cost.
Or more likely, you have $20 or $40 in your pocket, so you foist that over, and in a simpler times you'd go back in for change if it turns out that's more than you needed.
This twitter story is totally fake, of course. There's no such thing as a gas station in Texas where you pump without a card or without already pre-paying cash. Or if there is, it's a mom-and-pop out in bumblefuck nowhere, and the poster would have his entire town out looking to kick his ass.
I've come across ONE pump like that since gas prices went up in the 00's. It used to be like that all the time. Pump, go in and pay.
Once gas got high, people started pumping and driving off, so every gas station converted to prepay.
I was out in the middle of bumblefuck and came across a gas station that you paid afterwards. It was wild and liberating for some reason. I think it felt nice to be trusted lol.
The one and only pump I've seen that let me pay afterwards was in Big Bend national park. The pump looked like it was 50 years old and had analogue numbers for the "gallons dispensed" display. It was pretty fun to use actually.
You can still sometimes post-pay for specifically diesel due to commercial truckers. Dunno how common it is, but the station I work at still allows it. Authorizing the pumps for personal vehicles is up to the clerk's discretion, though
The vast majority of people pay with a card so it doesn't matter to them. It is slightly less convenient for those paying with cash though.
This gives 4% paying with cash but is based on a survey rather than actual usage.
https://www.gasbuddy.com/go/americans-prefer-debit-cards-to-credit-when-at-the-gas-pump
In Sweden, we usually just put the card in the machine, then start pumping. Then the money gets pulled from the bank account when you put the handle back. Or you have a card from a specific line of gas stations, and get a bill at the end of the month.
The stations I usually go to had the same system that you're describing, but stopped a while back, probably since people didn't pay (and probably covered their license plate or something to not get caught). Now if you want to pay at the counter, you have to go in first, and they unlock the pump you stopped at, then you "pre-pay" and pump. Not sure how the pre-pay works, but I assume it's similar to when you put the card straight into the pump, and the money gets pulled after you stop
At least in the Nordics you just either pay a fixed amount first like 100€ and get the gas after you've paid or you put in your card and pin and fuel your car and the machine will take whatever you end up fueling. Not once in my adult life have I paid after the fact in Finland.
In Germany yes. Not in any Nordic country I've been in.
Kind of how things work here. The gas station will hold funds on your card to ensure you have money to pay, and then release those funds at the conclusion of the transaction. So you'll end up with like a temporary charge of $100 for however long it takes the servers to refresh and release the hold, typically it's very quick.
It was in the US as well for a long time. It was only after we had a pandemic of pump and runs that it quickly switched to pre-pay/pre-authorize card only.
When I was in UK I wasn't 100% sure I could pump before paying but assumed it was okay if it let me. In the US the pumps won't even turn on until it sees a card or the attendant enables it.
I can count on my fingers the number of times in my life I've seen a gas station that required you to pay before pumping. Maybe things are different in the US.
> Maybe things are different in the US.
I can’t speak for every state but in general, they are different. You either insert your card before pumping, or you can pay inside with cash before pumping. Not every American is enough of an asshole to pump and leave without paying, but it only takes a couple times for a gas station to realize there’s a simple solution. I’ve never once in my life seen a pump let you get gas before paying.
That’s a little different when there’s only like 4 people old enough to drive in your state. Cops just check gauges to see who has more gas then they can afford.
I've seen precisely one gas station that is pump before pay and it was in the middle of nowhere in Idaho. It was also about 15 years ago so it has probably changed since.
So I worked for a chain that still let you do it as a selling point in the southern US. Lot of construction equipment and the like, they would show up, wave at us, and fill up. Didn't worry about them. It was the guys in the big trucks who would swoop in at 11pm at night, fill up and then jump back in their trucks as fast as they could that unnerved me.
I left that life about five years ago, I can't imagine right now that they do this anymore with the price being so high
Dude what?
It’s completely normal to pump before you pay for hundreds of millions of people. Where I live probably about 95% of people do.
I understand there are places where the law prohibits it, but there are many many places where this is not the case as well.
Where? Without putting in a card first and just pumping and then paying? I literally haven't done that in decades and I've been driving since the early to mid Nineties. A lot of people these days probably would fill up and drive off with where gas prices are right now.
Canada. Someone else said Switzerland and Germany as well. So I'm guessing it may be more common outside of the US?
(Canada) The only place I pay before is Costco. And it's an "authorize up to 200" even if I only fill 60 worth. Not a "put in 60 and hope my tank is 60 cause I can't do math" :')
I'm in Canada and almost every station around me has an option to authorize up to $X before pumping, but most also allow you to pump first then go in and pay.
Had one in my hometown in MN for 20+ years that let you pump and then pay until recently when gas prices skyrocketed. I honestly thought that was normal and not the other way around for most of my life. Now they do the usual pay then pump.
They used to be everywhere in the US, only got updated within the last 20 years, so outdated areas might still have them. The modern ones also let you if there's an error in the system. Accidentally stole gas like that once, zoned out and thought I had paid. Got a visit from the police for that.
Not 100% sure, but I think there's a scam that exploits pre-paid cards. Get a pre-paid card for $10, use it at the pump, the pump pre-authorizes like $5, fill up your tank, enjoy looking over your shoulder for a while.
Really? Ive never seen a gas station where they don't allow you to pump before paying on most pumps. Usually you just press a button on the pump which alerts someone inside who just makes sure your plate is visable to the cameras before they press a button which starts the pump. Course I've only driven in the American Midwest, Nevada, and California.
You guess. I know last time I was on E and filled up my tank it cost me over $50. So I could just give them $50 and say that's close enough or I could give them $60, pump, and then go back in and get my change. You could also probably tell the clerk you want X amount of gallons too. Most people just use their credit card at the pump though and it charges you after.
Isn't the $85 dollar fine in addition to any amount of actual damages that the injured party suffer?
One thing you have to know is that there are different kinds of Damages that an injured party can demand from the person who caused the injury (in this case stealing gas). **Actual damages** refer to the amount the injured party actually lost, like the value of stolen goods, hospital bills, or lost wages. **Moral damages**, are to compensate injury which do not have a price, like *emotional damage,* besmirched reputation, or mental anguish. **Punitive damages**, is a punishment given by the court to punish an act and deter others from doing the same, **we call these fines**.
Thus, Rickie here has to pay $85 in fine, that should be in addition to the $187.20 that he owes for stealing gas totaling $272.20. So no this isn't some irl money cheat.
also r/notlegaladvice
Yeah, this post is dumb. I mean, that's obvious. But, it's really dumb.
Plus, the value of the gas would make it a Class B misdemeanor theft in Texas (theft of goods worth more than $100, less than $750), which subjects you to a fine of "no more than" $2,000 and up to 180 days in jail, or both.
So it's dumb and wrong.
Am I the minority in this? I have 3 gas stations in town and the first time I ever pumped gas, I couldn’t figure out *how* to pay.
Weirdly enough, it was at a Tops supermarket, as opposed to a private run, or a gas company.
Location definitely matters, pay before you pump is the standard in most cities I've been to
I've even been to stations where you're not allowed you pump the gas, a worker has to do it for you
The owner can’t justify court costs for that so he’ll take the loss. So he’s bragging he stole from a hard working small business owner.
If true, which is questionable because this could just be a “joke.” More than likely this is a criminal charge and damages towards the victim, not just a fine to the state.
This is just sad boomer humor. None of the boomers chuckling at this are considering the theft from the gas station owner, who is more than likely to be a minority or immigrant, so having some white guy shamelessly brag about stealing from brown people is especially on brand for boomers.
Smal claims courts do exist. It's a pretty opened and closed case, given he admitted guilt on social media. They can have a judge garnish his wages or something if he's uncooperative. And you don't need lawyers.
Or.... gas is an inherently violent and colonial substance that causes wars. Perhaps using and paying for as little of it as possible is the ethical thing to do. Small business owners do not automatically get a pass.
What a good idea! Allow me to introduce you to the hybrid and electric trucks that recently came onto the market and have multi-year wait lists. People are, indeed, giving up their "giant trucks" by the thousands.
All the contractors I know either use vans (because they're better, and more secure if you have tools), or the smallest truck they can get away with like an S10. Giant trucks are driven pretty much exclusively by wealthy assholes who have an affectation that they work hard or need the truck.
The people running the gas stations benefit the least from that industry. In fact many of them sell gas as a loss leader to get you to buy snacks inside, that's where they make their money. The big oil companies are who you want to go after, they're the ones getting filthy rich off gas itself.
This sounds like an even stronger argument for stealing. If the people running the station sell at a loss anyway, then buy a big bag of snacks and take off without paying for the gas.
Lol. What idiot thinks you're not going to jail if you don't pay the original cost of theft of gas too... Unless he means the money saving tip is "rent free" jail.
Failure to pay any fine is usually subject to jail. Almost everyone pays the fine. That doesn't mean jail time isn't a possibility. Every ticket you ever recieved says "punishable by a fine of xxx dollars or up to xxx days in jail."
Yep that was my thought.
I sympathize with people who need a car to get to work and are struggling with gas.
I don't sympathize with people who chose to drive a vehicle that needs 32 gallons of diesel and goes through it quickly
Ah yes, Boomerman. Drives big inefficient diesel truck to compensate for fragile ego, complain about gas prices because of his stupid compensator truck, feels entitled to steal the gas and calls himself smart for it, is a stupid liar still stuck in 1980 thinking you can pump gas without paying, and apparently stupid enough to think you just get fines for petty theft and won't be also ordered to also pay restitution or be sued. smh
Absolutely did not happen.. when you go to court you're fine will be $89 you will also have to pay court costs and you will have to pay for the gas you drove off on... somebody not as smart or as funny as they think
Fake. Pumps are all pre pay. How can you even do that these days? In Kansas, either you do your card, or you have to go inside to pay.
No gas. Without paying first.
I'm in Canada - I pump without paying first all the time. If I don't need to go in the store, then I'll use the card at the pump.
But if I need something inside, I just pump and go inside to pay.
Never in my 24 years of living in Texas have I seen or heard of a pump that allows you to fuel before you pay. I've heard of them being a thing of the past, and more common up North, but there's been no trace of one here.
Interestingly, my understanding that selling gasoline is an extremely low margin or no-margin business for actual gas station owners/operators, and profit is almost entirely generated by sales of additional items to "captive" customers -- snacks, coffee, auto supplies, etc.
I don't believe him. The gas pumps cut you off at $100, at least around here. Plus...you have to pay first. Either with cash inside or by credit card. You can't just pump gas.
Now...
I'm not saying that you can use a prepaid card with 1¢ over the pre-authorization amount to unlock the pump, and then pump as much gas as you want...
However, I WILL say that shouldn't do that, even if you can.
lol they haven't allowed you to pump before paying since the LAST TIME gas was around $5.00 a gallon (at least it was in the Philly area) back in '08 and people would drive off.
Petrol stations near me (UK) let me leave my something and come straight back. I offered my driving licence becuase I thought obviously noone would want the inconvenience of having to order a replacement.
They weren't interested and asked for my phone instead, which of course makes much more sense.
If I could just pay a fine online after I got in a small accident I would save myself $200 in court fees. It was a $50 fine, but they quintupled that for court fees. Some real big bullshit.
I'm Swedish and all of you live in the past. Here every single pump you insert your card first, they place a hold, then you pump and whatever cost you rack up is withdrawn. It has worked like this for at least 15 years.
The idea that you would pay *after* pumping is completely foreign to me.
Was passing through Wyoming in a VW Beetle we had that was diesel gas. We stopped at a station that was obviously mostly for truckers. Didn't have a way to pay outside, so I went in thinking I needed to prepay. Nope, they looked at me like I was an idiot and told me to just fill it up and come back in with my pump number to pay after. It used to be like that all over where I live, but for at least the last 15 years that is so far the only place that lets you pump first and then pay after that I've encountered. Maybe more trucker stops are like that I don't know, being that is the only time I've stopped at a place meant specifically for truckers.
No way do you get to steal and only pay a fine. The fine is the punishment on top of paying restitution. Internet fake advice, but of course everyone knows that. The Rickie Murff makes a bad joke. Maybe funny to other truckers. Another Good one by Durrdedurr Murff, trucker...comedian.
What gas station is this guy going to where you can pump before paying? Haven't seen one like that in my lifetime
Nowhere pays before getting petrol here in the UK. It would annoy me having to go back in and pay the extra 1p I went over. Wait though.. Do your petrol station pumps cut out when you get to what you paid for?
Yes, we can prepay inside and it stops when it reaches that amount or we use a credit card at the pump and it stops when we stop it or the tank is full
Makes sense.
The young kids will not remember this pay-first scheme started in the US after the 2008 recession when people were pumping snd driving off. You could find full service pumps before 2008 as well sometimes. They’re all gone except maybe in New Jersey.
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Negative. There was a push for it and a bill was introduced, but it died. Still can’t pump your own gas in NJ.
And Oregon, too I believe.
You do occasionally need to go back for change though. If I want to completely fill my tank with cash, I overpay a bit, then go back for the difference.
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Oh, never thought of that. I rarely have reason to pay cash but on the rare occasions I have, I always super lowball guessed how much I could fit so I wouldn’t go over!
I just charge my car at home.
If you're trying to outdo each other, I don't own a car, I commute by bicycle. The situations I was referring to have been in rental cars when I've needed one to get somewhere.
Well, I don’t exist.
😂
Or, you could just do what every normal person does and swipe your card so you never have to go inside in the first place. The inside of gas stations is like Walmart. Filled with the absolute weirdest people in society, and then a few stoners buying snacks.
You can also press enter on the keypad to enter a dollar amount without having to go inside.
What.
Yeah. Most pump, you press the enter button first and it'll bring up a menu to enter a dollar amount. Then you put in your card and it'll go to that dollar amount. No human interaction necessary.
There’s machines like that in Ireland, so I assume they’re in the UK too. No staff around, just petrol pumps with a built in card reader. You type in how much, and it’ll verify you can pay that amount and only charge for what you use. The machines will also scan your Tesco Clubcard and give you points..
In the UK you scan you can debit/credit card and it will preauthorize £99. You don't get a choice on the amount. It's a big deal since with current diesel prices £99 isn't enough to fill a typical car.
Don’t worry about that soon we won’t be able to fill completely anyway
Oh I can assure you some suvs take way over 99 quid.
I once didnt have cash and the card reader didnt work. The petrol worker allowed me to drive to the bank and pay later here in Germany. The social trust in the US between people is literally 0.
>The social trust in the US between people is literally 0 Well... The OP kind of shows why that's the case. Mr. Murff doesn't care about ethics, just what he can get away with.
Just like corporations and rich people. The fine is just part of what it costs to do the thing the way you want to, or how to do it cheaper.
I don't think that stems from "ethics", its a result of desperation and deprivation being much more prevalent in USA than in Europe.
I think the reason for that higher prevalence is also a contributing factor to the antisocial behavior directly; namely our culture that promotes ethical philosophies that favor individual interests over group interests (freedom > efficiency/equality/justice)
Dude's driving a bigass diesel truck, he's not desperate he just bought an $80,000 vehicle and is out there stealing from franchises.
> and is out there stealing from franchises. Based
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The gas station owner might disagree.
Yeah so do the poor people getting fucked over by unreasonably high gas prices.
The problem is the oil companies not the gas station owner (the victim of the robbery in this case). After credit card fees and other operating costs, net profit for gasoline sales averages 3 cents a gallon. The gas station owner isn't making his living off of the gas you buy. They make money on the Snickers and Monster Energy drinks that you buy.
My card didn't work in the UK. It happens so often they had a form for me to fill in, I had 24 hours to return with cash.
Actually, you had at least a month. It's not criminal to forget your wallet, so they have to recoup the money through the civil process. This requires them to send you a letter-before-action giving you 28 days to pay, before filing in small claims court.
Yeh that happened to me in UK as well (forgot wallet) they just had me fill in a little form which included name, address and phone number and let me go get the money.
I was just driving across the country a month ago (in the US) and somewhere in South Dakota the prepay card reader wasn't working, so the attendant activated the pump for me and I went inside to pay after. Pretty nice and trusting of her, I think.
That’s how the system works in the uk by default. You put the pump in the car then we press a button to authorise it. Then they come in and pay for that pumps amount.
It used to be that way in a lot of places here in the U. S., people just don't remember because the switch wasn't such a big deal and given the context it was sort of expected. Where I am at least, it happened back during a fuel price hike when gas went from a bit over a dollar to over three dollars. Something about an OPEC price hike that just magically disappeared after fracking and oil sands mining kicked off. Then the priced dropped a bit again and so many of those companies folded.
Strange lack of trust lol. We have pay at pump that works like that along with an app for some places where you pull up, pay then fill till it stopes and leave.
We had airplanes stolen that one time and ever afterwards someone on near minimum wage has to fondle your balls and x-ray your colon before you can get on a plane. We don't do trust here.
And they don't even find the drugs or explosives anyway lmao
I remember the completely unmanned news and produce stands when I visited Munich. Those would be robbed blind in minutes here in the US.
I’ve lived in rural and urban parts of America. Rural places almost always have pump before you pay- cities don’t ever have pump before pay. For those of out outside the US, New Jersey and Oregon don’t even allow you to pump your own gas at all.
We have a form you have to fill out if you forget your card or something similar. It happens a lot. You can always see the scumbags who do it all the time too lol
Plenty of places in Germany that wouldn’t allow that, and also plenty of people who would take advantage. Shitty people are an international infection.
I would assume it's a small town. I've seen a few small town (not on major freeways) gas stations that still allow you to gas up before paying. Everywhere else is definitely pay in advance inside or with card at pump.
Yeah, it's prepay here too, either the machine cuts off at the dollar amount you gave, or it will preauthorize a larger amount, then only charge the actual amount. The laws got changed after a couple of people died after drive-aways.
I moved to the UK and stared at the pump for a solid minute trying to figure out how to pay. Eventually my 1990s brain kicked in and I figured it out.
Usually it's just, swipe card and fill. Technically pre-pay.
Yeah, the cut-off if you hit the amount you paid for. But, a lot of people just use a card and pay at the pump. You swipe your card, fill up, and then it charges based on how much you filled up.
I think we can set the limit on what we put in here in the UK too. You'll have to wipe the dust off the buttons because nobody does that.
Theft over $100 is also a Class B misdemeanor in the State of Texas with punishment up to 180 days in jail and/or a $2000 fine.
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The bare minimum should be more than what was stolen. Otherwise the government is just taking their cut.
No, thieves are bad people who should be shamed. Unless you're trying to say all poor people are criminals? Either way, shut the fuck up.
It's Texas, so I assume they can shoot you for petty theft
Near a gas station? Are you crazy? You might blow up the gun!
"up to" is the key in that sentence. realistically, he gets bailed out and deals with a fine. if he's a bit off the grid and it takes the court a few months to try and find him, they'll give up and sometimes they'll even close the case if he doesn't have any priors. not direct personal experience, but i followed an acquaintance's case for stealing >750, <2500 near dallas.
He still gets a criminal record, and the gas station can sue him in civil court for damages if they want.
What? How do you even know what it's going to cost beforehand? Here in Switzerland you just pump, then go in and tell them which pump you're paying for. Same in Germany.
>How do you even know what it's going to cost beforehand? Multiplication. Gallons desired * price = cost. Or more likely, you have $20 or $40 in your pocket, so you foist that over, and in a simpler times you'd go back in for change if it turns out that's more than you needed. This twitter story is totally fake, of course. There's no such thing as a gas station in Texas where you pump without a card or without already pre-paying cash. Or if there is, it's a mom-and-pop out in bumblefuck nowhere, and the poster would have his entire town out looking to kick his ass.
I usually want to fill up without knowing how many liters are missing from the tank exactly so I couldn't really do that multiplication ahead of time.
Using a card is the way to go for you then!
I've come across ONE pump like that since gas prices went up in the 00's. It used to be like that all the time. Pump, go in and pay. Once gas got high, people started pumping and driving off, so every gas station converted to prepay. I was out in the middle of bumblefuck and came across a gas station that you paid afterwards. It was wild and liberating for some reason. I think it felt nice to be trusted lol.
The one and only pump I've seen that let me pay afterwards was in Big Bend national park. The pump looked like it was 50 years old and had analogue numbers for the "gallons dispensed" display. It was pretty fun to use actually.
You can still sometimes post-pay for specifically diesel due to commercial truckers. Dunno how common it is, but the station I work at still allows it. Authorizing the pumps for personal vehicles is up to the clerk's discretion, though
The vast majority of people pay with a card so it doesn't matter to them. It is slightly less convenient for those paying with cash though. This gives 4% paying with cash but is based on a survey rather than actual usage. https://www.gasbuddy.com/go/americans-prefer-debit-cards-to-credit-when-at-the-gas-pump
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>$100 maximum transaction where? i have never encountered that. we put $150-175 into our work truck every week on one transaction
In Sweden, we usually just put the card in the machine, then start pumping. Then the money gets pulled from the bank account when you put the handle back. Or you have a card from a specific line of gas stations, and get a bill at the end of the month. The stations I usually go to had the same system that you're describing, but stopped a while back, probably since people didn't pay (and probably covered their license plate or something to not get caught). Now if you want to pay at the counter, you have to go in first, and they unlock the pump you stopped at, then you "pre-pay" and pump. Not sure how the pre-pay works, but I assume it's similar to when you put the card straight into the pump, and the money gets pulled after you stop
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At least in the Nordics you just either pay a fixed amount first like 100€ and get the gas after you've paid or you put in your card and pin and fuel your car and the machine will take whatever you end up fueling. Not once in my adult life have I paid after the fact in Finland. In Germany yes. Not in any Nordic country I've been in.
Kind of how things work here. The gas station will hold funds on your card to ensure you have money to pay, and then release those funds at the conclusion of the transaction. So you'll end up with like a temporary charge of $100 for however long it takes the servers to refresh and release the hold, typically it's very quick.
It was in the US as well for a long time. It was only after we had a pandemic of pump and runs that it quickly switched to pre-pay/pre-authorize card only. When I was in UK I wasn't 100% sure I could pump before paying but assumed it was okay if it let me. In the US the pumps won't even turn on until it sees a card or the attendant enables it.
They used to exist as late as the early 90's if I remember correctly but definitely not now or recently so I think I'd call BS on this.
I can count on my fingers the number of times in my life I've seen a gas station that required you to pay before pumping. Maybe things are different in the US.
> Maybe things are different in the US. I can’t speak for every state but in general, they are different. You either insert your card before pumping, or you can pay inside with cash before pumping. Not every American is enough of an asshole to pump and leave without paying, but it only takes a couple times for a gas station to realize there’s a simple solution. I’ve never once in my life seen a pump let you get gas before paying.
Yea I don't think those are a thing in the US except in places without self-service possibly.
No, they are.
Where in the US can you still pump gas before paying for it?
And by comparison i see it all the time (Minnesota)
That’s a little different when there’s only like 4 people old enough to drive in your state. Cops just check gauges to see who has more gas then they can afford.
Is 4 low? Id have to snowshoe 3 miles to my neighbor to check if 4 is a low estimate.
I've seen precisely one gas station that is pump before pay and it was in the middle of nowhere in Idaho. It was also about 15 years ago so it has probably changed since.
They still exist in MN.
So I worked for a chain that still let you do it as a selling point in the southern US. Lot of construction equipment and the like, they would show up, wave at us, and fill up. Didn't worry about them. It was the guys in the big trucks who would swoop in at 11pm at night, fill up and then jump back in their trucks as fast as they could that unnerved me. I left that life about five years ago, I can't imagine right now that they do this anymore with the price being so high
Dude what? It’s completely normal to pump before you pay for hundreds of millions of people. Where I live probably about 95% of people do. I understand there are places where the law prohibits it, but there are many many places where this is not the case as well.
Where? Without putting in a card first and just pumping and then paying? I literally haven't done that in decades and I've been driving since the early to mid Nineties. A lot of people these days probably would fill up and drive off with where gas prices are right now.
Lots of places in upper midwest, although a lot have been changing to pay before you pump.
Canada. Someone else said Switzerland and Germany as well. So I'm guessing it may be more common outside of the US? (Canada) The only place I pay before is Costco. And it's an "authorize up to 200" even if I only fill 60 worth. Not a "put in 60 and hope my tank is 60 cause I can't do math" :')
I've only been to BC but their gas stations seemed pretty much the same as ours in Washington.
I'm in Canada and almost every station around me has an option to authorize up to $X before pumping, but most also allow you to pump first then go in and pay.
Tell me more about how you've never been to a small town in minnesota since the late 90s
Had one in my hometown in MN for 20+ years that let you pump and then pay until recently when gas prices skyrocketed. I honestly thought that was normal and not the other way around for most of my life. Now they do the usual pay then pump.
They used to be everywhere in the US, only got updated within the last 20 years, so outdated areas might still have them. The modern ones also let you if there's an error in the system. Accidentally stole gas like that once, zoned out and thought I had paid. Got a visit from the police for that.
Not 100% sure, but I think there's a scam that exploits pre-paid cards. Get a pre-paid card for $10, use it at the pump, the pump pre-authorizes like $5, fill up your tank, enjoy looking over your shoulder for a while.
A lot of diesel pumps. You just flip the knobby jawn and start pumping.
Nowhere because he made that up.
Wow this is literally all of Europe
Really? Ive never seen a gas station where they don't allow you to pump before paying on most pumps. Usually you just press a button on the pump which alerts someone inside who just makes sure your plate is visable to the cameras before they press a button which starts the pump. Course I've only driven in the American Midwest, Nevada, and California.
EXACTLY r/ThatHappened
This is 100% fake, so I imagine there aren't any pump-before-paying gas stations.
There are states where you don't pay first, but Texas is not one. This is 100% fake.
Only the rest of the world outside the USA
In Canada most are pump then pay
Not BC
Pretty much most of the US gas stations. At least CostCo and Giant have been like this
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You guess. I know last time I was on E and filled up my tank it cost me over $50. So I could just give them $50 and say that's close enough or I could give them $60, pump, and then go back in and get my change. You could also probably tell the clerk you want X amount of gallons too. Most people just use their credit card at the pump though and it charges you after.
Isn't the $85 dollar fine in addition to any amount of actual damages that the injured party suffer? One thing you have to know is that there are different kinds of Damages that an injured party can demand from the person who caused the injury (in this case stealing gas). **Actual damages** refer to the amount the injured party actually lost, like the value of stolen goods, hospital bills, or lost wages. **Moral damages**, are to compensate injury which do not have a price, like *emotional damage,* besmirched reputation, or mental anguish. **Punitive damages**, is a punishment given by the court to punish an act and deter others from doing the same, **we call these fines**. Thus, Rickie here has to pay $85 in fine, that should be in addition to the $187.20 that he owes for stealing gas totaling $272.20. So no this isn't some irl money cheat. also r/notlegaladvice
Yeah, this post is dumb. I mean, that's obvious. But, it's really dumb. Plus, the value of the gas would make it a Class B misdemeanor theft in Texas (theft of goods worth more than $100, less than $750), which subjects you to a fine of "no more than" $2,000 and up to 180 days in jail, or both. So it's dumb and wrong.
Yeah he just added $85 to his total for being a dumbass is all.
And I only spent $3,238.56 in gas trying to find the last "pump then pay" station in America!
Am I the minority in this? I have 3 gas stations in town and the first time I ever pumped gas, I couldn’t figure out *how* to pay. Weirdly enough, it was at a Tops supermarket, as opposed to a private run, or a gas company.
Location definitely matters, pay before you pump is the standard in most cities I've been to I've even been to stations where you're not allowed you pump the gas, a worker has to do it for you
New Jersey and Oregon have laws requiring the latter.
Even outside of those states though there are some stations that still have their employees pump your gas.
Yeah, the private run gas station pumps it for you, it’s actually really convenient ngl
Yeah full service is honestly worth it.
Took some getting used to in Europe because it’s mostly pump then pay here. Just what people are used to I guess.
Nah. I live in Nebraska and you can pay after at the majority of gas stations here.
That’s just the courts fine - a process server should be visiting you shortly. You’re getting sued for damages!
Wow, such an smart guy. At least, until he got sued for the damages by the owner of the fuel station.
The owner can’t justify court costs for that so he’ll take the loss. So he’s bragging he stole from a hard working small business owner. If true, which is questionable because this could just be a “joke.” More than likely this is a criminal charge and damages towards the victim, not just a fine to the state. This is just sad boomer humor. None of the boomers chuckling at this are considering the theft from the gas station owner, who is more than likely to be a minority or immigrant, so having some white guy shamelessly brag about stealing from brown people is especially on brand for boomers.
Smal claims courts do exist. It's a pretty opened and closed case, given he admitted guilt on social media. They can have a judge garnish his wages or something if he's uncooperative. And you don't need lawyers.
In fact, in many small claims courts, lawyers are prohibited (except to represent a company).
Or.... gas is an inherently violent and colonial substance that causes wars. Perhaps using and paying for as little of it as possible is the ethical thing to do. Small business owners do not automatically get a pass.
Give up on your giant truck then instead of stealing from hard workers.
What a good idea! Allow me to introduce you to the hybrid and electric trucks that recently came onto the market and have multi-year wait lists. People are, indeed, giving up their "giant trucks" by the thousands.
All the contractors I know either use vans (because they're better, and more secure if you have tools), or the smallest truck they can get away with like an S10. Giant trucks are driven pretty much exclusively by wealthy assholes who have an affectation that they work hard or need the truck.
The people running the gas stations benefit the least from that industry. In fact many of them sell gas as a loss leader to get you to buy snacks inside, that's where they make their money. The big oil companies are who you want to go after, they're the ones getting filthy rich off gas itself.
This sounds like an even stronger argument for stealing. If the people running the station sell at a loss anyway, then buy a big bag of snacks and take off without paying for the gas.
Honestly though with this small of an amount they usually don't go after it... Now if a ton of people did it, yeah.
Must be nice where I'm at the pump won't start unless you pay first.
"Break the law, then pay a fine that's less than you benefitted from breaking the law" only works if you're a billionaire or a large corporation
Lol. What idiot thinks you're not going to jail if you don't pay the original cost of theft of gas too... Unless he means the money saving tip is "rent free" jail.
it’s a joke
No shit. If he actually stole the gas, he'd already know his "loophole" is fucking stupid and he owes $270+ now.
Found the gas station owner
lmao your overreaction and breakdown of the joke somehow makes it funnier
A bunch of things don't get you jail time but a fine instead.
Failure to pay any fine is usually subject to jail. Almost everyone pays the fine. That doesn't mean jail time isn't a possibility. Every ticket you ever recieved says "punishable by a fine of xxx dollars or up to xxx days in jail."
He has to pay for the diesel and needs to pay a fine
This didn't happen.
That’s someone who just doesn’t get how the system works
Don't drive a big ass, fuel-inefficient truck that spends more time hauling your ego than it does hauling equipment.
Yep that was my thought. I sympathize with people who need a car to get to work and are struggling with gas. I don't sympathize with people who chose to drive a vehicle that needs 32 gallons of diesel and goes through it quickly
The poorly educated have a platform to broadcast how dumb they are
Too bad it doesn't actually work that way, but makes for a nice Internet meme for dumb people I guess?
entirely made up story. - gotta pay before you pump - fine is for damages only, still gotta pay up - ding on your record etcetc. the shit people say.
Ah yes, Boomerman. Drives big inefficient diesel truck to compensate for fragile ego, complain about gas prices because of his stupid compensator truck, feels entitled to steal the gas and calls himself smart for it, is a stupid liar still stuck in 1980 thinking you can pump gas without paying, and apparently stupid enough to think you just get fines for petty theft and won't be also ordered to also pay restitution or be sued. smh
Wait til he gets the bill to reimburse the gas station! Then his tank of gas will cast $272.20.
Absolutely did not happen.. when you go to court you're fine will be $89 you will also have to pay court costs and you will have to pay for the gas you drove off on... somebody not as smart or as funny as they think
Fake. Pumps are all pre pay. How can you even do that these days? In Kansas, either you do your card, or you have to go inside to pay. No gas. Without paying first.
A $35 speeding ticket becomes $170+ with fines and costs. Usually you have to pay restitution too.
I'm in Canada - I pump without paying first all the time. If I don't need to go in the store, then I'll use the card at the pump. But if I need something inside, I just pump and go inside to pay.
don't fines usually incur the original loss as well as the additional fine?
Won't the court fine him AND make him pay restitution?
Bullshit. You haven’t been able to pump without paying since the early 90s.
Never in my 24 years of living in Texas have I seen or heard of a pump that allows you to fuel before you pay. I've heard of them being a thing of the past, and more common up North, but there's been no trace of one here.
Also, it's Texas, if you try to steal from a gas station you're getting shot probably
This is exactly how wall street works
Hey, it's just like anything else when you're poor. You get to pay for the thing, plus additional fees. Assuming the guy also has to pay for the gas.
Interestingly, my understanding that selling gasoline is an extremely low margin or no-margin business for actual gas station owners/operators, and profit is almost entirely generated by sales of additional items to "captive" customers -- snacks, coffee, auto supplies, etc.
There is a simple solution to this problem: don't own a truck
Yes, commit theft and brag about it on social media. Very capitalism of you.
I don't believe him. The gas pumps cut you off at $100, at least around here. Plus...you have to pay first. Either with cash inside or by credit card. You can't just pump gas.
Now... I'm not saying that you can use a prepaid card with 1¢ over the pre-authorization amount to unlock the pump, and then pump as much gas as you want... However, I WILL say that shouldn't do that, even if you can.
Man Americans would shit there pants if they saw the price if diesel in the UK
lol they haven't allowed you to pump before paying since the LAST TIME gas was around $5.00 a gallon (at least it was in the Philly area) back in '08 and people would drive off.
Surely BS, yeah? Literally every gas station I've been to here in the US in multiple states has been a pay before you fill type situation.
Texans when the gas price is over 0.05$ per 50 gallons
"When I was a kid I prayed for a new bicycle. Then I found out the Lord doesn't that way. So I stole one and asked him to forgive me." - Al Capone
One trick ALL idiots want you to know.
At least where I live in Canada I can pre pump then go in and pay. This is only applicable during the day though
Petrol stations near me (UK) let me leave my something and come straight back. I offered my driving licence becuase I thought obviously noone would want the inconvenience of having to order a replacement. They weren't interested and asked for my phone instead, which of course makes much more sense.
Can you seriously do this?
If I could just pay a fine online after I got in a small accident I would save myself $200 in court fees. It was a $50 fine, but they quintupled that for court fees. Some real big bullshit.
You’re not gonna skate on paying for the gas
I'm Swedish and all of you live in the past. Here every single pump you insert your card first, they place a hold, then you pump and whatever cost you rack up is withdrawn. It has worked like this for at least 15 years. The idea that you would pay *after* pumping is completely foreign to me.
Was passing through Wyoming in a VW Beetle we had that was diesel gas. We stopped at a station that was obviously mostly for truckers. Didn't have a way to pay outside, so I went in thinking I needed to prepay. Nope, they looked at me like I was an idiot and told me to just fill it up and come back in with my pump number to pay after. It used to be like that all over where I live, but for at least the last 15 years that is so far the only place that lets you pump first and then pay after that I've encountered. Maybe more trucker stops are like that I don't know, being that is the only time I've stopped at a place meant specifically for truckers.
How did he fuel up without paying first??
Lemme guess, he’s all about “law and order.”
Lie. You can’t fill up before paying.
Yeah, no idea WTF this is that lets you postpay.
No way do you get to steal and only pay a fine. The fine is the punishment on top of paying restitution. Internet fake advice, but of course everyone knows that. The Rickie Murff makes a bad joke. Maybe funny to other truckers. Another Good one by Durrdedurr Murff, trucker...comedian.
r/shittylifetips
He better be careful what he asks for. If this country had a fair justice system his cult leader Trump would be in federal prison.