Drive off after fuelling.
Discussion
I saw the most blatant drive off today. Jag XJ, almost 65 litres went in and the guy calmly got in and drove off. It looked like the number plate had been modified with permanent marker or something as it read gobbledegook rather than the expected letters and numbers. I couldn't believe how coolly he simply drove away.
When I am filling up in the USA it's often a pain when you have to go back in to get your change (as many will know you pay first) but I wonder how much is lost per year via drive outs?
When I am filling up in the USA it's often a pain when you have to go back in to get your change (as many will know you pay first) but I wonder how much is lost per year via drive outs?
Could have been this -
http://www.shell.co.uk/motorist/shell-fuels/fill-u...
Unless you weren't at a shell garage..
http://www.shell.co.uk/motorist/shell-fuels/fill-u...
Unless you weren't at a shell garage..
Ghost91 said:
There are some garages now where you can scan something on your phone or use your contactless card or some nonsense so you don't have to go in. Not like the usual pay at pump.... Could this have been the case here?
I was about to say this. Was it a shell garage?I do the same now- always to seem to get funny looks from others when I just drive off.
It is theft of course, but i'd much rather the police were out there attending more serious crimes instead of turning up at a garage every time someone does a runner.
In most garages your number plate is recorded on an ANPR system, they let the police know so it'll flag up if they spot you and id imagine if they aren't busy they'll pull you over.
Shirley they can't be expeted to turn up every time... It would make more sense to pay for the fuel first if the petrol stations bother the police too much with it.
In most garages your number plate is recorded on an ANPR system, they let the police know so it'll flag up if they spot you and id imagine if they aren't busy they'll pull you over.
Shirley they can't be expeted to turn up every time... It would make more sense to pay for the fuel first if the petrol stations bother the police too much with it.
Negative Creep said:
Police won't be interested
They were when I done it. It was completely by accident and I drove off without thinking quite a few years ago now. My mum wasn't very happy when the Police turned up telling her what I'd done but realised it wasn't a meaningful drive off as I'd only put in £5.00.
This was all within half hour of it happening as well...times change.
Ghost91 said:
It is theft of course, but i'd much rather the police were out there attending more serious crimes instead of turning up at a garage every time someone does a runner.
In most garages your number plate is recorded on an ANPR system, they let the police know so it'll flag up if they spot you and id imagine if they aren't busy they'll pull you over.
Shirley they can't be expeted to turn up every time... It would make more sense to pay for the fuel first if the petrol stations bother the police too much with it.
Exactly. There should be absolutely no police involvement as it is a commercial decision by the petrol station to allow people to put the fuel into their car before they have identified themselves or paid because they want them to then have to step into the shop so that they can be unsold goods. In most garages your number plate is recorded on an ANPR system, they let the police know so it'll flag up if they spot you and id imagine if they aren't busy they'll pull you over.
Shirley they can't be expeted to turn up every time... It would make more sense to pay for the fuel first if the petrol stations bother the police too much with it.
Running a system that does allow a small number of people to do runners is an overt commercial decision and one where the losses will have been factored into the model. There is absolutely no way that police and taxpayer resources should ever be utilised to enforce the profit margins of a private enterprise. Let alone one that consciously factors in such thefts as merely a margin cost on the profit made from not using prepay.
People expecting the taxpayer and Police to be used to enhance profit margins on a deliberate business model is just flawed understanding. Sames as the chap above who hasn't quite worked out yet why retail outlets make their itinerant, low cost staff financially responsible for stock losses.
UK345 said:
I remember years ago i went for a part time job working in a Shell garage. I was told that i would need to get the details of the car that does the bilking or i would need to pay for the amount they stole. Needless to say, i done one shift and jacked it.
Probably just done to warn you off: When I first joined the police, we used to waste s
t loads of time dealing with drive outs when it was clear that many of them had been done by the staff. Of course, you could never prove it but it was bloody obvious what was going on.For example, they'd claim that an old style Mini had nicked 20 gallons of fuel (physically impossible) or the registration number they gave didn't exist (ever) or somehow the driver had always managed to fill up at the one pump that wasn't covered by CCTV (assuming that the CCTV was working, which of course it never was on any day when there was a drive out...)
But in any case why should the police bother with this? It's totally avoidable. If the fuel companies are that concerned, they should make people pay up front like they do in plenty of other countries.
Edited by DJP on Saturday 28th November 09:59
Edited by DJP on Saturday 28th November 10:01
DonkeyApple said:
Exactly. There should be absolutely no police involvement as it is a commercial decision by the petrol station to allow people to put the fuel into their car before they have identified themselves or paid because they want them to then have to step into the shop so that they can be unsold goods.
Running a system that does allow a small number of people to do runners is an overt commercial decision and one where the losses will have been factored into the model. There is absolutely no way that police and taxpayer resources should ever be utilised to enforce the profit margins of a private enterprise. Let alone one that consciously factors in such thefts as merely a margin cost on the profit made from not using prepay.
People expecting the taxpayer and Police to be used to enhance profit margins on a deliberate business model is just flawed understanding. Sames as the chap above who hasn't quite worked out yet why retail outlets make their itinerant, low cost staff financially responsible for stock losses.
Exactly. Running a system that does allow a small number of people to do runners is an overt commercial decision and one where the losses will have been factored into the model. There is absolutely no way that police and taxpayer resources should ever be utilised to enforce the profit margins of a private enterprise. Let alone one that consciously factors in such thefts as merely a margin cost on the profit made from not using prepay.
People expecting the taxpayer and Police to be used to enhance profit margins on a deliberate business model is just flawed understanding. Sames as the chap above who hasn't quite worked out yet why retail outlets make their itinerant, low cost staff financially responsible for stock losses.
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