Fueling on the "wrong side"

Fueling on the "wrong side"

Author
Discussion

DoubleD

22,154 posts

107 months

Wednesday 17th October 2018
quotequote all
K50 DEL said:
Grahamdub said:
Al U said:
The real thing that annoys me and I have only come across a couple of numpties that do it, is when people will queue in the middle of 2 pumps to try and go to whichever one becomes free first.

Most people know that this is not how it works, you must place your bet, pick a side and if like me you always pick wrong and end up behind the person that likes to do their weekly shop in the kiosk or the sad bloke trying to chat up the lady on the till then you must accept you picked the slow side and wait.
Or they try and dominate the whole row of pumps by parking in the middle of the entrance laugh
That happens so much round here.... they get properly stroppy when I drive round them and queue directly behind a pump!
How is it a problem if all they are doing is waiting for the next available pump?

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 17th October 2018
quotequote all
DoubleD said:
How is it a problem if all they are doing is waiting for the next available pump?
Because with another couple of cars behind them, the queue is into the road.

DoubleD

22,154 posts

107 months

Wednesday 17th October 2018
quotequote all
Grahamdub said:
DoubleD said:
How is it a problem if all they are doing is waiting for the next available pump?
Because with another couple of cars behind them, the queue is into the road.
That depends on the petrol station

Pro Bono

586 posts

76 months

Wednesday 17th October 2018
quotequote all
I've always filled up on the `wrong' side if there aren't any `right' side pumps available, and I've never been aware of any hostility from other customers. Neither have I ever found that the hose wasn't long enough to reach, though I always park the car a bit further forward so the nozzle is more or less parallel with the back of the car.

With regard to annoying queues at the checkout I've recently discovered an excellent solution, at least at BP garages - BP Me - https://www.bp.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/products-s... This works really well, it avoids having to queue at all, and you can have some fun deliberately looking furtive as you jump back into the car and drive off, apparently without paying.

Someone asked if you ever leave your car engine running on the forecourt. You should be aware that if you do - or even if you leave your key in the ignition - and it gets nicked while you're paying, your insurance won't cover you, as the insurers (quite rightly for once) will say it was your own stupid fault and you're in breach of the policy condition requiring you to take reasonable steps to prevent theft..

Blib

43,793 posts

196 months

Wednesday 17th October 2018
quotequote all
I've been driving for over 40 years. Until reading the thread I was not even aware that this was a thing.

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 17th October 2018
quotequote all
DoubleD said:
That depends on the petrol station
The one I use most often tongue out

Frank7

6,619 posts

86 months

Thursday 18th October 2018
quotequote all
SonicShadow said:
There's no point even engaging with that level of moron.

If you must engage with them, then you only need to use two words - do one.
Happened to me once with my taxi in Fulham Road, another car driver said, “Do you think that’s clever?”
“What’s clever?”, I said.
He said “Passing 3 of us waiting, and going to that pump.”
I said, “Don’t know about clever, it seemed better than waiting behind 3 cars that could have done the same.”
“You’re not very polite are you”, he said.
“On the contrary”, I said, “I’m speaking to you in a normal tone, without swearing, and politely showing you how you could get in and out quicker in future.”
He said, “No wonder everyone hates you Black Cab drivers.”
What chance have you got against that?

jfire

5,882 posts

71 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
I can't stop asking people their views on this now! 30% of people I asked still opt of the correct side, but only 1 considers this part of some driving etiquette.

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
Mr2Mike said:
Peter3442 said:
Once, after I'd filled up and was walking to the shop to pay, I had someone tell me to move my car away from the pump so he could use it. I explained that the pump wouldn't start until I'd paid so it would only waste time.
Not actually true, customers can be queued through the payment system. At my local Tesco Express it's normal to fill up and then park in a separate area so the next customer can start refueling whilst you are shopping/paying.
My wife moved our car forward toto allow the person behind to fill up at Corley services a few years back.

I went in and paid.

I then got a summons from the police for non payment a couple of days later.


I didn't have a receipt, and the fact they were charging me with the theft of 60 litres of petrol and the reg they had was for a diesel car didn't seem to hold any weight.

In the end I had to go through my bin and take a photo of the crisp packets, sandwich wrappers and chocolate bars we had bought and asked the garage to find a payment for 'diesel' at the same time they say we stole the petrol with the same items on it.

She found the sale and together with the police decided that as my car was diesel and the chances of me knowing someone else would have bought those items was slim they would drop the charges.

I never move from the pump any more.

motco

15,919 posts

245 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
gizlaroc said:
I never move from the pump any more.
And I never shop in a supermarket without taking a basket - even for one small item. I sat in a magistrates' court public gallery and saw a couple of people pass though who were accused of shoplifting and the absence of a basket was pivotal in both cases. I forget the details now, but the rule that a basket was a good protection hasn't left me.

Al U

2,311 posts

130 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
DoubleD said:
K50 DEL said:
Grahamdub said:
Al U said:
The real thing that annoys me and I have only come across a couple of numpties that do it, is when people will queue in the middle of 2 pumps to try and go to whichever one becomes free first.

Most people know that this is not how it works, you must place your bet, pick a side and if like me you always pick wrong and end up behind the person that likes to do their weekly shop in the kiosk or the sad bloke trying to chat up the lady on the till then you must accept you picked the slow side and wait.
Or they try and dominate the whole row of pumps by parking in the middle of the entrance laugh
That happens so much round here.... they get properly stroppy when I drive round them and queue directly behind a pump!
How is it a problem if all they are doing is waiting for the next available pump?
In a supermarket when you are ready to pay do you straddle two checkouts and wait for the next available one?

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
Al U said:
In a supermarket when you are ready to pay do you straddle two checkouts and wait for the next available one?
No, I stand in one queue and my wife stands in the other laugh

jfire

5,882 posts

71 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
motco said:
gizlaroc said:
I never move from the pump any more.
And I never shop in a supermarket without taking a basket - even for one small item. I sat in a magistrates' court public gallery and saw a couple of people pass though who were accused of shoplifting and the absence of a basket was pivotal in both cases. I forget the details now, but the rule that a basket was a good protection hasn't left me.
Saw a couple of shoplifters run out of Waitrose with baskets of booze and chocolates before they were detained by security. Only useful if you don't get caught.

HTP99

22,443 posts

139 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
I work opposite a very busy Shell garage which has a relatively normal entrance, frequently there will be queues into the road whilst either one person hovers trying to cover all 8 pumps or there are idiots causing queues to get a pump on the "right side", however people can't get around as quite a few will abandon cars to get a coffee.

Pica-Pica

13,621 posts

83 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
Al U said:
DoubleD said:
K50 DEL said:
Grahamdub said:
Al U said:
The real thing that annoys me and I have only come across a couple of numpties that do it, is when people will queue in the middle of 2 pumps to try and go to whichever one becomes free first.

Most people know that this is not how it works, you must place your bet, pick a side and if like me you always pick wrong and end up behind the person that likes to do their weekly shop in the kiosk or the sad bloke trying to chat up the lady on the till then you must accept you picked the slow side and wait.
Or they try and dominate the whole row of pumps by parking in the middle of the entrance laugh
That happens so much round here.... they get properly stroppy when I drive round them and queue directly behind a pump!
How is it a problem if all they are doing is waiting for the next available pump?
In a supermarket when you are ready to pay do you straddle two checkouts and wait for the next available one?
In some small supermarkets around here, that is the accepted thing, I call it McDonalds queuing.

Al U

2,311 posts

130 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
Pica-Pica said:
McDonalds
Council. redcard

motco

15,919 posts

245 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
jfire said:
motco said:
gizlaroc said:
I never move from the pump any more.
And I never shop in a supermarket without taking a basket - even for one small item. I sat in a magistrates' court public gallery and saw a couple of people pass though who were accused of shoplifting and the absence of a basket was pivotal in both cases. I forget the details now, but the rule that a basket was a good protection hasn't left me.
Saw a couple of shoplifters run out of Waitrose with baskets of booze and chocolates before they were detained by security. Only useful if you don't get caught.
It helps to emphasise that you're not concealing anything and stops you being tempted to put an item in your own bag while you examine something else. One case in court was of a lady who put a joint of meat in her own bag because it was dripping blood down her clothes through the basket. She forgot it at the till and was nabbed. She didn't remember the sequence of events until she was undressing for bed and saw the blood on her dress. Feasible, and therefore a conviction was not 'beyond reasonable doubt' IMO, but she was convicted anyway.

MDMetal

2,775 posts

147 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
Lucky the highway code is online so you can ask them to point out which section it's mentioned in. It's a bit like monopoly, lots of rules people swear are real but never seem to exist in the rule book....

8bit

4,846 posts

154 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
gizlaroc said:
My wife moved our car forward toto allow the person behind to fill up at Corley services a few years back.

...

I never move from the pump any more.
I was waiting to pay for fuel in the shop at a petrol station years back and heard a chap with a motorbike talking to one of the staff about this, he'd filled up and moved his bike to allow someone else to fill up and they flagged him as having done a runner. The specifics are vague now but I think because he'd been dinged (incorrectly) for non-payment they couldn't accept payment from him then. Poor chap was trying to be helpful because the station was busy and there were a number of vehicles waiting and that's what he got for his trouble. As a result of that I've never moved the car until I've paid for the fuel and I always get a receipt.

Frank7

6,619 posts

86 months

Friday 19th October 2018
quotequote all
8bit said:
gizlaroc said:
My wife moved our car forward toto allow the person behind to fill up at Corley services a few years back.

...

I never move from the pump any more.
I was waiting to pay for fuel in the shop at a petrol station years back and heard a chap with a motorbike talking to one of the staff about this, he'd filled up and moved his bike to allow someone else to fill up and they flagged him as having done a runner. The specifics are vague now but I think because he'd been dinged (incorrectly) for non-payment they couldn't accept payment from him then. Poor chap was trying to be helpful because the station was busy and there were a number of vehicles waiting and that's what he got for his trouble. As a result of that I've never moved the car until I've paid for the fuel and I always get a receipt.
While I don’t for one minute doubt the stories of getting “pulled” for driving off without paying when you’ve only moved forward to allow access to the pump, I used to regularly use the Shell filling station in Southwark Bridge Road, SE1 when I was driving a taxi.
This was very popular with Black Cab drivers, as the diesel was consistently a decent price, and it was midway between Waterloo and London Bridge stations, and a few hundred metres from the Tate Modern, and Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, all places where you could easily trap a fare.
All Black Cab drivers using the place would always move forward to allow the guy behind to use the pump, and I’m not aware of anyone being penalised for it, so maybe it depends on the individual garage.