Captured on film! Or so I thought...

[Sir Spaniard the 12th]

Last night, we had ANOTHER thief. This one was a petrol (gas) drive off. And a deliberate one. There were a few people in the car, all of them wearing baseball style caps in a way that their faces were mostly covered.

One of them came in to get cigarettes... and was filmed. Both inside, and outside. I'm not sure if they thought that we didn't have cameras outside, which we do. Hopefully they captured the car and got a clear shot of the number plate... Which we got written down, and witnessed by a few people.

The reason why it may not be recorded is that there was a power outage on the shift before mine... Which means that, while the cameras still work, the computer that records the footage would have gone down...

The police managed to get the car pretty quickly, and took the group to the station. Allegedly, (heard second hand from one of the other staff) the driver was drunk, and has been charged with that. So that's a bonus.

But they have asked for the footage, which I thought we would have available. Hopefully, we still do. And hopefully the guys confessed to the act as well.

Yet another thing I'll have to find out about when I can. It's sure been one of the more interesting weekends this week.

[CherryB]

Gas pumps in Arizona have been prepay or pay at the pump for decades now. So while it solves the problem of gas drive offs, it does nothing for the beer thieves who kill a clerk for 3 suitcases of beer.

(Just happened here last weekend) 3 loser low lifes shot a clerk to death because he dared chase them as they ran out of the store. I hope they all receive swift trials and the death sentence and it would be nice for once if the wheels of justice did not take 20 years and 63 appeals before sticking the needle of death in their loser lowlife veins .

[One-Fang]

While that's horrible and they deserve the seven levels of hell descending upon them, it does demonstrate the foolishness of chasing them out the door.

They rob you and leave? Consider yourself lucky. Stay put, call cops.

[Greenday]

I like New Jersey's gas station setups. FULL SERVICE! It's kind of hard to steal gas when a worker is doing it instead of you. I mean, you are surrounded by a bunch of workers.

[Phone Jockey]

it does nothing for the beer thieves who kill a clerk for 3 suitcases of beer.

One of my college acquaintances was gunned down in North Carolina while working in a gas station in 2004. The guy was on a killing spree. The killer was caught in Florida (I think) after murdering a cop in South Carolina. I hope he seriously gets taken down.

[Crafty1289]

Thankfully, whilst power outages in the UK are rare compared to the USA, the default state when our CCTV system comes back on is recording. So as soon as the power comes back on, the VCR is recording.:) You would think this to be the case with all CCTV systems, but i suppose these fancy computerised recorders have to be reprogrammed.:(

[pbmods]

Thankfully, whilst power outages in the UK are rare compared to the USA, the default state when our CCTV system comes back on is recording. So as soon as the power comes back on, the VCR is recording.:) You would think this to be the case with all CCTV systems, but i suppose these fancy computerised recorders have to be reprogrammed.:(

This is why we smart computer Users buy UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply, a.k.a. 'Battery Backup') devices! Why they don't actually incorporate UPS into computer power supplies, I'll never know.

[Becks]

I like New Jersey's gas station setups. FULL SERVICE! It's kind of hard to steal gas when a worker is doing it instead of you. I mean, you are surrounded by a bunch of workers.

I've heard stories of driveoffs even here in NJ. It's just harder to accomplish, that's all...

[CanadaGirl]

Someone should invent something that makes a customers vehicle stay put until the gas has been paid for.

[Tria]

Someone should invent something that makes a customers vehicle stay put until the gas has been paid for.


Spike strips or something that makes the pump lock into the car until paid for.... HOWEVER, people would still try and likely rip the pumps up.

[Sir Spaniard the 12th]

The silliest drive off I've ever experienced was that someone once put fuel in their car, but instead of putting the nozzle back in place, they placed it on the ground, so it wouldn't notify that they'd finished.

Naturally the boss was pretty suprised that they'd think this would work.

[One-Fang]

Someone should invent something that makes a customers vehicle stay put until the gas has been paid for.
They have: Prepay only. ;)

[blas]

I thought I was the only person who thought the tire slasher idea was a good idea. But hey, great minds think alike! Wouldn't that be great! But you're right, some kaniving thief would try and find a way to unarm them.

Ever since gas prices have soared up and driveoffs have reached a sky high record, I have been very gung ho on making ALL gas stations either pay at the pump ONLY or full service. It wouldn't cause unemployment, because you'd still need cashiers to check people out for ciggs and other merchandise. If you make it pay at the pump only, you can make pump cards that have a certain amount of money on them.

Getting rid of the Pay Inside option would cut down on driveoffs SO MUCH. It is too hard to trust people with the Pay Inside option. It's just asking for driveoffs. Don't even give people the chance to pump and then pay. Make them use their credit/debit card, or have them buy a card that will work at the pump with a money value on it.

That'll cut it down a lot.

[Spiffy McMoron]

Someone should invent something that makes a customers vehicle stay put until the gas has been paid for.

It's called decency and high moral fibre. Hey, just because it's been invented, doesn't mean that people use it.

[colk]

In the county i live in all pumps are required to be prepay only

[HYHYBT]

So... did it record after all?

[Margrave]

[QUOTE=pbmods;7870Why they don't actually incorporate UPS into computer power supplies, I'll never know.[/QUOTE]

Ever pick up a UPS? They're <I>really</I> heavy.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

You know what I'd like to see to prevent gas drive offs? You pull into the pump and a lift picks your car three inches off the ground. You pay and the lift drops your car back to the ground and you can drive off.

M

[BookstoreEscapee]

I like New Jersey's gas station setups. FULL SERVICE! It's kind of hard to steal gas when a worker is doing it instead of you. I mean, you are surrounded by a bunch of workers.

I'm with you there! I've heard people complain about the fact that you can't pump your own gas, but I'd just as soon stay warm (or cool, depending on the season) in my car, and not risk getting gas on my hands or otherwise dirty in the process. (Though I still don't understand why it's illegal...48 other states manage to not be blown up when every Tom, Dick and Harriet pumps their own gas....)

When I lived in PA for a year I was happy that the closest station to my apartment happened to be full serve, and it was even cheaper than the others nearby.

*My only problem is when they don't close the gas cap all the way - it happened to me twice in less than six months, and the engine light comes on and then I have to take it in to have the computer reset. For which they charge over 50 bucks. Now I try to listen for the clicks and if I don't hear it I'll check it when I get home.

[XCashier]

Every pump that I've seen in Arizona is prepay. I think that's a good idea. That will definitely prevent drive-offs (though, sadly, it can't prevent beer runs or armed robbery). I don't see why other states don't adopt this, or why people complain about it. Dude, you have to pay for the gas eventually. Unless you're trying to pull a fast one, don't whine!

We'll be moving to Oregon in a couple of weeks. Having someone else pump gas into my car will take some getting used to. :)

[ArenaBoy]

Having someone else pump gas into my car will take some getting used to. :)

I remember having gas pumped for us back in the late 80s/early 90s. Just recently, I found a gas station that has that service. I was quite shocked to find such a station and I live in Michigan. The downside for the poor gas guys is that this station is in a town that houses most of my VIP SCs.