A lesson learned the *very* hard way

[SengaKitty]

So, if I'm not mistaken, one of the *first* things you learn about pumping your own gas, is *never* leave the pump unattended, right? Last night, a guy came in in his company truck, started the pump with a card (more than likely the *company* card) and came into the store. With the pump. Still. Running.

He BSed for a little and went back out. He'd put about $20-$30 in the tank, and about $50-$60 in our parking lot. That's right folks, we had a river of gas in our parking lot last night. You know that guy's gonna be in it deep at work when they see that receipt!

[Mikkel]

Shouldn't the pump turn off by itself? Not that I'd leave the pump running anyway.

[SengaKitty]

Well, it does have an auto cut-off, but that is not fool proof. That is why you *never* leave your pump unattended. When you lock the pump in the on position, sometimes it doesn't unlock, which means it won't cut off automatically.

[Treasure]

I had something similar to that happen to me once - was actually standing there, leaning up against my car, with the pump locked, started hearing a funny sound / smelling gas - Oh Crap! it didn't shut off! only over spent by like $2.00 or so, but still...

[Mikkel]

Well, it does have an auto cut-off, but that is not fool proof. .

I suppose the guy found that out . Isn't it against the law to leave the pump unattended too?

[Dave1982]

Idiots like this are the reason why those pump locks are illegal in Massachusetts, and why some states do not allow people to pump their own gas.

Not that that stops anyone. I remember pulling to a gas station a few years ago, and then immediately left because the moron on the adjacent pump had jammed an ice scrapper into the pump handle to keep it running so he could talk on his cell phone (right next to the pump) AND he'd left the engine running!

[SengaKitty]

I *wish* pump locks were illegal! This is the second time this happened (though the first time, the woman stayed with her car, and it was only $7 worth). As for whether or not it's illegal to leave the pump unattended, I'm not sure.

[bhskittykatt]

Well, it does have an auto cut-off, but that is not fool proof. That is why you *never* leave your pump unattended. When you lock the pump in the on position, sometimes it doesn't unlock, which means it won't cut off automatically.

Hubs has to be careful when filling up his truck. The pumps won't auto shut-off for the truck for some reason. I don't know enough about the mechanism to know why it's just his truck and not the other cars.

[pitmonkey]

The nossles have a back pressure sensor in them that shuts off the pump( thr little tube at rhe top of the nossle). http://ask.yahoo.com/20051124.html

[Lady J'ssem]

Ugh, I've been the one with the river of gas, but it actually wasn't my doing. I was selling my car to a coworker, and was having to drive him home, cause he was without a car until I found a new car. I needed gas before I drove him home, so I got the gas started, and told him to watch it, and I'll go get us a couple of soft drinks. He asked when it was full, and I told him if it didn't unlock, it should only be $20 bucks. Yeah... I got the drinks, and came out with workers scrambling around my car cleaning up the gas spilt. Yes I did yell at him, and he protested saying he didn't know when it was full..... So you didn't think that gas spilling out of the tank was a sign it was full??? Was another five dollars worth of gas on the ground. I should've made him buy me food the next day.

[jjc927]

New Jersey looks smarter every day with stories like this and people who steal gas!

[Der Cute]

I had that happen once at my gas station job. It was pretty bad, and we caught the loose gas on the ground with booms. BEFORE it got into the ditch. The DM and another big cheese came over and gave us pats on the back; an EPA report would have been required if any gasoline had got to the ground/dirt.

Cleanup was not easy. Yargh.

[Difdi]

So you didn't think that gas spilling out of the tank was a sign it was full???

I had a coworker pull something similar once. It wasn't gasoline, but a toilet. See, the guy had a green card, and was a hick by his home country's standards. Where he came from, indoor plumbing was something only the extremely wealthy had (and he wasn't wealthy).

So one day, he comes up to me at work, and tells me the toilet is behaving oddly, and could I come and see if it was normal? He assured me it wasn't an emergency, so I finished up what I was doing, then went to see.

The toilet was overflowing onto the floor, had been for ten minutes or so at the point I got to it, and had been heavily"used" at the time it started overflowing. Not a pleasant start to the day...