Limiting petrol to a doctor

[threespires]

Many years ago during a similar fuel crisis I was down to around 50 gallons left in the storage tank. So I limited fuel to account customers only and a limit of 2 gallons per customer.
A doctor customer got very angry with me and insisted that I allow him to fill his tank.
I refused, served him his 2 gallons and off he went with a lot of choice words hurled at me. He closed his account the next day.

I think I did the right thing, what do PH'ers think?

[Badda]

Have you been wracked with guilt ever since? Odd thread.

[valiant]

I think you’ve got to let it go.

[mac96]

threespires said:

Many years ago during a similar fuel crisis I was down to around 50 gallons left in the storage tank. So I limited fuel to account customers only and a limit of 2 gallons per customer.
A doctor customer got very angry with me and insisted that I allow him to fill his tank.
I refused, served him his 2 gallons and off he went with a lot of choice words hurled at me. He closed his account the next day.

I think I did the right thing, what do PH'ers think?

I am guessing that this goes back to the days when GPs made house calls. Even so, I think you were right. It was not up to you to judge who was (in the current jargon) a 'key' worker.

[threespires]

Badda said:

Have you been wracked with guilt ever since? Odd thread.

Yes, this current crisis has reminded me of the situation.
Why is it odd?

[Biggus thingus]

Account customers at a petrol station?

Did these fill up and just stick it on the account prior the crisis?

Regular customer I can understand

[eharding]

Grandad, what's a "gallon"?

[Super Sonic]

Which fuel crisis was this? There've been a few!

[Earthdweller]

Biggus thingus said:

Account customers at a petrol station?

Did these fill up and just stick it on the account prior the crisis?

Regular customer I can understand

Yep, I live in the middle of nowhere our local petrol station is also the local shop, hardware/farm supplies etc

I have an account there and am always asked if I want to put the fuel on the account, I have done once or twice

[bitchstewie]

Genuine question.

Assuming you're just normal private individuals do they let you have an account just because you're in the middle of nowhere?

Does it stop you just paying for stuff each time you go in?

[Earthdweller]

bhstewie said:

Genuine question.

Assuming you're just normal private individuals do they let you have an account just because you're in the middle of nowhere?

Does it stop you just paying for stuff each time you go in?

I’ve no idea

When I moved here I was getting a lot of stuff from the hardware doing the house up, they said we’ll set up an account for you

Since then I can get a pint of milk on account if I wanted, not just fuel

I do just tend to pay for fuel or milk though

Most of the locals seem to have an account

It’s kind of old fashioned, pumps on the side of the road

[Bacon Is Proof]

eharding said:

Grandad, what's a "gallon"?

8 pints.
You're barred.

[West17]

Can’t help the Op but I worked in a small town garage in the late 1980s. We still served the fuel and just about every customer was an account customer.

Many of them were elderly and asked for the oil and tyre pressures to be checked each visit. Probably took about 15 minutes to serve each customer!

Changed days.

[threespires]

West17 said:

Can’t help the Op but I worked in a small town garage in the late 1980s. We still served the fuel and just about every customer was an account customer.

Many of them were elderly and asked for the oil and tyre pressures to be checked each visit. Probably took about 15 minutes to serve each customer!

Changed days.

It was a similar place.

[johnpsanderson]

threespires said:

Many years ago during a similar fuel crisis

Suez? Surely you can’t be that old?

Our family business was a small town garage (filling station/workshop/body shop/dealership/van hire) until the early 90s. I remember going in on Sunday morning (it being the days when everything was closed on a Sunday!) and helping Dad by bagging up the coins and bundling up the notes to be taken to the bank. Some weeks I was allowed to drive something off the used car section around the forecourt, aged 6 or 7.

Like an automotive James Herriot he has fantastic, barely believable, stories about the customers. One chap, a local financial advisor, tried to pay off his account one month with sheet after sheet of postage stamps. Not long after a series of local post office robberies…

[Superleg48]

eharding said:

Grandad, what's a "gallon"?

Approximately 4.4 litres, Toby. Now go and play with your train set.

[threespires]

johnpsanderson said:

threespires said:

Many years ago during a similar fuel crisis

Suez? Surely you can’t be that old?

Our family business was a small town garage (filling station/workshop/body shop/dealership/van hire) until the early 90s. I remember going in on Sunday morning (it being the days when everything was closed on a Sunday!) and helping Dad by bagging up the coins and bundling up the notes to be taken to the bank. Some weeks I was allowed to drive something off the used car section around the forecourt, aged 6 or 7.

Like an automotive James Herriot he has fantastic, barely believable, stories about the customers. One chap, a local financial advisor, tried to pay off his account one month with sheet after sheet of postage stamps. Not long after a series of local post office robberies…

Good story.
Not Suez, mid '80's.

[Drawweight]

Getting back on topic of course you did the right thing.

The extra you put in his tank might be needed for someone else who’s need is just as great.

[ChocolateFrog]

You'd probably lose less customers and piss fewer people off by just closing when you've run out rather than rationing but I guess you can sleep easy knowing you made an effort to be more equitable, or maybe not if you're still thinking about it.

[Beyond Rational]

Was the last 50 gallons from a probably old fashioned tank actually worth having?