Paying before you pump law looking to be put in place

[conroy22]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

if you use your credit card it will usually ask you if you want a fill up, if you say yes I think it checks to see if you have 150$ available, not exactly sure on that number

than if you only fill up 40$ it will only charge you that

if you say you don't want a fill up it will ask you how much $ you want to pay, and the machine will stop when it gets to that amount

I'm pretty certain it does this for debit cards too. The one and only time I used a pre pay pump was by accident. At Swiftys in Douglasdale, the two pumps closest to the store are regular pumps, the two farthest away, where most
people get gas and run, are pre pay. I pulled into the end pump not thinking, and then the every car in douglasdale decided to pull in behind me. I got out
and saw the pre pay only sign on the pump, so I ran in to see if they could unlock it for me so I could pay with my debit card. The lady told me you can pay debit at the pumps (I had no clue, I have ALWAYS gone into pay...for some reason I thought they only took credit cards, which I didn't have at the time). She went out to show me, and scanned my card for me, but it was denied. She looked at me and said "you have to have a minimum of $100" in your account," which at the time I didn't, so she had no choice butto unlock it so I could go in and pay. Was a royal pain in the ass.

The law is a good idea, but they would need to do something about the limits on credit cards and debit cards when the machines check them. I'm a student so I don't keep a lot of money in my accounts in order to not spend it on stupid things I don't need. If it was changed, maybe I would use pre pay more often.

[Dion]

The Costco in Okotoks sells gasoline. There is no one to take your cash or process your credit or debit card. After using the pay at the pump feature a few times I got to like that method and now use it at other gas stations. For me it's alot quicker to pay at the the pump as opposed to filling up with gas and having to go inside and have someone process my transaction.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by GGG

I think it is more the mindset and culture. If a gas and go happens on your shift and you get reamed out by your boss and he starts giving you the crappy shifts then the next time you might try to prevent it.

I think from a robbery stand point inside the general culture is don't be a hero I having never been a pump jockey have no idea what the safety culture would be like.

I know a family who owns a gas station and that is not the policy. If someone is going to gas and go there isn't much the employee can do to stop it. Most stations have security cameras around thier pumps and most of the gas and go thiefs are caught. A portion of the tape showing the thiefs license plate is given to the police and they handle the rest. Owners accept this as a part of selling gas and don't place blame on employees.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Dion

I know a family who owns a gas station and that is not the policy. If someone is going to gas and go there isn't much the employee can do to stop it. Most stations have security cameras around thier pumps and most of the gas and go thiefs are caught. A portion of the tape showing the thiefs license plate is given to the police and they handle the rest. Owners accept this as a part of selling gas and don't place blame on employees.

Each station may have different policies. I know some restaurants make the waitresses pay for dine and dash customers so I could see gas stations doing the same. Sure it's probably illegal but some poor gas jockey or waitress isn't exactly in position to go to court.

Being in BC, I've gotten use to pay at the pump, but sometimes it can be frustrating when some machines don't work that well and than they want your Petro card, or Airmiles or grocery card, so you have to fish that out as well, which can be a pain in the youknowwhat. I mostly use a debit card and I never take the fill option as it seems to put a hold on my account. I just choose $80 or whatever's appropriate.

[billybob123]

Originally Posted by chalms04

IIRC the Esso at Memorial and 36th NE was converted from a regular station to one that is unmanned and exclusively pay at the pump.

So is the Gas Plus at the corner of 1 St and 12 Ave SE. I always fill up there when I'm going through DT - it's the cheapest gas in the city (usually the same or .5 cents more than the Tsuu Tina gas). There's a "store" but I've never actually seen anyone in it! (granted, I rarely go downtown during weekdays, it's usually on weekends or at night)

[The Goon]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

Yeah, that's never worked for me, on account of the credit card actually requiring the correct zip code of whoever owns it.

If that wasn't the case, they might as well instruct people to punch in 5 randon digits.

I just got back from a small roadtrip and one thing a guy in Spokane told me, which was later printed instructions on a gas pump in Kalispell:

Take the three digits from your postal code, and then add two zeros on the end.

For example, if your PC is T1Y 6T7, enter 16700 as your zip code.

I think the attendant in Kalispell got tired of questions from Canadians.

[ken0042]

That didn't work for me in April.

[Byrns]

I think the Canadian Esso Speedpass works at Exxon stations.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by puckluck

My brother used to work at a Husky gas station and he tells me most people who stole gas from them used stolen license plates just for gas and runs so even with their great camera there was nothing they could do.

Criminals who use vehicles in a crime usually steal license plates to do their crime and change it back once they are finished. It's not as easy as you sugeest.

So be it. Its petty theft, if gas stations have a serious problem with it then enforce your own policy and force prepay. It should NOT be provincial wide law cause a couple of dodgy gas and gulps get a few gallons stolen once in a while.

I have no issue with gas stations enforcing their own policy pre pay policy - for Calgarys extemely arrogant and yet effective police chief and his corrupt cop buddies across the province to suggest the province should make that a law is one of the most ridiculous things I have heard this year.

[WilsonFourTwo]

So there are around 2,000 of these a year. What's an average loss.....$100?

$200,000 in losses requires a new law? I understand that store owners are losing money, but I have a hard time understanding why a law needs to be created.