I want a refund cuz I say so!

[wordgirl]

LOL I actually brain-farted my way into this kind of idiocy last week. Pulled into Wawa, stuck my debit card in the pump, put the nozzle in the tank, went inside to get a soda (yes I know you're not supposed to do this), exchanged jolly words with the MOD (I love Wawa, they are always so nice) came back, put the nozzle back on the tank, noted the total and went on my merry way.

Only to realize a few miles down the road that my tank still said empty.

At the next light, I called the number on my soda receipt and talked to that same MOD. He very kindly reviewed the video from when I was filling up to ensure that nobody had pulled a fast one, gently admonished me about walking away when the tank was filling, and then checked my credit card number to see if I had been charged. I hadn't. I had done everything except actually, I dunno, pump the gas. The total I saw was from the previous customer.

He was very cheerful and sweet through the whole thing, but I know he hung up the phone and said "what a ditz." I plead early-morning brain-numbery.

[Racket_Man]

I do look at the inspection stickers, but I really have no idea what they inspect. I just figured it was for safety, not accuracy. I went to one gas station that hadn't been inspected (or the sticker was not changed) in three years.

At least in my area/state the local/county/state safety inspects AND check the calibration (meaning that is DOES indeed pump the amount of gas shown on the display) of gas pumps at least once a year.

The inspector has a vehicle that has a fairly accurate measuring tank. They check each pump by dispensing 3 to 5 gallons of gas into said measuring tank then checking for accuracy.

all accurate pumps then get a certification sticker with the month and year punched out.

[wolfie]

I remember one of the other gas monkeys at Laddle Amelika pumping over 60 gallons of gasoline into the cab tank of a moving van... They usually only hold about 30...

There was no tank! Just a filler neck.

How did the darn thing run, as it would have had to do in order to get into the station? If it didn't have a tank, the engine must have been getting fuel from SOMEWHERE.

[2gigch1]

I think the two big parts are verifying seals on anything that should be sealed and pumping a given amount of fuel into a known-good container. There was actually a clever scam someone did where they programmed the pumps to run slow at the start of the gallon, then speed up toward the gallon mark. So if you tested by pumping exactly one gallon (which was the standard test procedure), you'd get the gallon you want, but if you were stopping, say, at a 1/2 gallon, you'd get significantly shorted.

Worked for a while, till the inspectors wised up and started pumping random amounts.

I came on to tell this story. Years ago a tester at some unremembered US State inspection division was working a gas station that had complaints about shorting fuels. As he filled his standard issue 5 gallon tank it hit dead on, time after time. Then he noted on yet another pump that after the fourth gallon the $cost meter would slow down dramatically as it pumped, indicating that the pump would play 'catch up' to hit the 5 gallon mark accurately.

So he went to his truck, grabbed a calibrated 2.5 gallon tank and began re-testing the station. Each pump was charging closer to 4 gallons on 2.5 dispensed.

The owner had bought special chips to put in his pumps to cheat on anything other than 5 gallons, the standard test tank of his state. I believe the article stated that most jurisdictions are onto this and now use a variety of test tank sizes to thwart this activity.

Interestingly, a quick Google Search shows this is a current issue in Vietnam right now.

[sstabeler]

it's a combination. Most of the time, it's checking seals and such, rather than actually pumping petrol to check- but every so often, they actually do pump some petrol to check.

[dalesys]

How did the darn thing run, as it would have had to do in order to get into the station? If it didn't have a tank, the engine must have been getting fuel from SOMEWHERE.

Saddle tanks.

[Lace Neil Singer]

it's a combination. Most of the time, it's checking seals and such, rather than actually pumping petrol to check- but every so often, they actually do pump some petrol to check.

As far as I know, the inspectors do actually pump fuel to check as well as inspecting the seals. Trading Standards is behind the inspections and they take this very seriously. A petrol station cheating customers this way could lose their petroleum license if Trading Standards catches them out.

Be that as it may, the SC never returned and we've not seen her since. Just like all the other scammers, then.

[Ophbalance]

Most cars can take 1 to 2 additional gallons on the first auto shutoff of the pump.

[Sapphire Silk]

When I came home from my brother's after Christmas, I stopped in Virginia to get gas and food. I was down to about a quarter of a tank. I started to fill up and only then realized the pump was marked with a "Failed Inspection Do not use" sticker from Weights and Measures. The pump handles were not covered, and the pump worked.

Well, I was almost full by the time I saw it. But the tank did fill up to the amount of gallons I expected, and the price seemed right. So I just let it go. I don't know if I got shorted or not.

Didn't think to say something to the manager.

[Geek King]

Well, I was almost full by the time I saw it. But the tank did fill up to the amount of gallons I expected, and the price seemed right. So I just let it go. I don't know if I got shorted or not.

That's why the governments had to start testing gas pumps officially. If the pump was under-pouring, say, a couple pennies worth of gas per gallon, you'd be hard pressed to notice it over a regular tank of gas. But when you multiply that over thousands of gallons a station might serve per week, and you're talking about the kind of money that some owners couldn't keep themselves from "tweeking" their pumps.

To be fair though, most likely the pump you were at wasn't malfeasance, but rather had just worn out enough to fall out of calibration, though I'm surprised they weren't required by law to shut that pump down.