Refused fuel because the car was facing the "wrong" way

[bikingdad90]

I'm always amazed at the amount of times I see drivers sit waiting for a pump to become available on the same side as their filler when there is one available on the non-filler side. Do they not realise the hoses can stretch quite easily to the far side of the car? Or is that just too much effort for them?

Not too much effort, it’s all about looking good filling up and also because my access point is a bit fussy, it clicks off if you don’t get it fully inserted at at right angle.

 

[a.twiddler]

Wow! This thread must resonate with a lot of posters. In the town where I live there are only two petrol stations, and the other one is on the other side of town. Otherwise it's the next town. So it's Hobson's choice, and if you want E5 petrol, as I prefer for my older motorbike, it's a limited choice. I've used an open face helmet for years, so it's not as if I'm anonymous. It's just good manners to take it off when you go inside, but it's quite a while since I've been asked to take it off to fill up anywhere. I expect the choices will become more limited as the number of electric vehicles increases. So whatever the rules are, even if they seem petty, I suppose we have just got to suck it up, even if they make us gnash our teeth.

 

[Drago]

This is one of those arguments that has been going on for decades. A clear example of "rules is rules" that don't necessarily have any common sense behind them. Yes I understand about theft and in this day and age you've got to discriminate against everyone to cover the mindless actions of a minority, but at least be sensible about it and ensure your rules actually preventing what they're trying to prevent

Indeed. A sign thet reads 'please don't steal fuel" or "armed robbers please leave shotguns outside" are equally useless signs.

A criminal simply won't comply with petty officialdom so foisting such rules upon the law abiding seems a bit hollow, particularly as helmets are delicate safety devices and shouldn't be handled by hands contaminated with traces of pump fuel.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

This is one of those arguments that has been going on for decades. A clear example of "rules is rules" that don't necessarily have any common sense behind them. Yes I understand about theft and in this day and age you've got to discriminate against everyone to cover the mindless actions of a minority, but at least be sensible about it and ensure your rules actually preventing what they're trying to prevent

If you are wearing a helmet then you can;t be identified on CCTV
OK they have the reg number - but they can;t go after the bike for the payment and the person on the bike could get away with it by saying it was not them

which might be the reason the employee is told to do it this way

The point about a woman wearing an Islamic face covering is still valid - but I have never seen this happen

either way - this is probably a rules the low payed employee is TOLD to stick to
and that is probably based on the owner/manager's insurance telling them to do it

 

[numbnuts]

I have a mondeo est and I hate dragging the hose to the other side, so I just sit and wait my turn

 

[Drago]

If you are wearing a helmet then you can;t be identified on CCTV

That's why criminals do it. Making the law abiding remove them achieves zero. There was no sudden spike in bilkings attributable to mandatory face coverings during the covid outbreak, so the persistence with which such daft rules are applied is baffling.

In any case, CCTV is a very poor detection tool. Dividing the annual cost of the nations cameras by the number of detected crimes gives us a cost of around £800,000 per detection.

And that's the rub - these rules are being applied with no intelligence or insight into any aspect of deterrence or detection, and the only people they inhibit or inconvenience is the law abiding. Criminals already ignore the law, so why people think they'll suddenly fall into line and ovey their petty rules is baffling.

If fuel stations are worried about bilkings then make the pumps prepay. That is the only tactic that actually works.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

That's why criminals do it. Making the law abiding remove them achieves zero. There was no sudden spike in bilkings attributable to mandatory face coverings during the covid outbreak, so the persistence with which such daft rules are applied is baffling.

In any case, CCTV is a very poor detection tool. Dividing the annual cost of the nations cameras by the number of detected crimes gives us a cost of around £800,000 per detection.

And that's the rub - these rules are being applied with no intelligence or insight into any aspect of deterrence or detection, and the only people they inhibit or inconvenience is the law abiding. Criminals already ignore the law, so why people think they'll suddenly fall into line and ovey their petty rules is baffling.

If fuel stations are worried about bilkings then make the pumps prepay. That is the only tactic that actually works.

Most of this just confirms that it is probably the insurance companies and the way they they can wiggle out of any claims
thus forcing their customers to make and keep to rules that they know don't work

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I have a mondeo est and I hate dragging the hose to the other side, so I just sit and wait my turn

It is a pain - and at the ESSO station I use it takes some effort
I can see why someone with less weight and strength than me would struggle and have to wait

I keep doing it
a) so I don;t have to wait
b) to point out to people that it is possible
c) so some petrol stations owners don;t get together and decide to save money by installing shorter hoses because "nobody ever does it"

I do get a lot of strange looks

 

[lazybloke]

A few days ago I stopped at the usual BP petrol station to refuel. Being busy all of the pumps on the passenger side (where my filler is located) as you drive in were taken, so I drove around them, approached from the other side and pulled up to one of the free pumps which was now on my passenger side since I was facing the opposite direction.

There I waited, nozzle in hand trying to achieve eye contact with the staff in the kiosk as they can sometimes be slow to OK fuel delivery. Eventually one notices but instead of turning on the pump instead asks over the loudspeaker "can you turn your vehicle around please?" being unable to communicate with them verbally I raise my hands as to question their request. They simply repeat it with no further explanation, so I return the nozzle, get in the car, turn it around and drive to the Shell garage on the other side of the road.

This is the first time I've been subjected to such a request in nearly 30yrs of driving - has anyone else experienced similar?

Almost. Was driving across Europe with some mates in our respective cars and stopped to refuel! I had to do the same face-the-wrong-way trick because the hose on the diesel pump was too short to stretch over the car.

Nope, still no good; the nozzle was too large.

Took me several confused seconds to realise i was at the HGV pump! My mates were absolutely p****** themselves.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I should mention that to stretch the hose around my current car I do have to make sure I park close to the kerb

AND stretch the hose across the rear window
if I take it round the back it would reach

and it only JUST does after all that

not like I have some big Yank Tank or anything - only a Honda Civic!!

so I can see some people would just not bother and wait

 

[glasgowcyclist]

The hoses nowadays will reach the other side of your car. I do this all the time and I don’t drag the hose over the car but have my rear bumper level with it before filling up. It’s not at all difficult, as is being made out.

There’s no way I’m wasting time waiting for a right-handed pump when a left-handed one will do fine.

And don’t get me started on those drivers who enter a forecourt of fully occupied pumps but sit well back at the entrance to have full choice of the the first pump to come free. It causes unnecessary tailbacks on the road, especially for anyone waiting to turn right into said forecourt.

Pick a feckin’ aisle and wait in it. It’s not the post office.

 

[Brandane]

as someone who likes their vehicles you can understand is far from desirable..?

10 yr old Suzuki S-Cross POS, so not very precious about it. Anyway, being a hatchback the fuel hose only lies on the back windscreen. And fuel hoses, being made of rubber, aren't likely to cause any damage.

 

[wafter]

And fuel hoses, being made of rubber, aren't likely to cause any damage.

... unlike all the abrasive dust and grit that accumulates on the back of the vehicle.

 

[presta]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vupgBykQnko

 

[gbb]

I once had a staff member say to me after filling up with the hose across the back of the car..
'Could I ask you don't pull the hose across like that ?'
'Why's that ? They're designed to do it' I replied politely
'It damages them'

Not really my problem, even if it does, which seemed a dubious very long term outcome...