I catch them even when I'm off work

[The Last to Know]

Today I worked 6am to 2pm. It was a slower than usual day & I was eager to go when the clock struck 2. When I got off work & went out to my car it wouldn't start After sitting there for a bit and arranging for my son to come to the rescue - I decided to try & start her one more time & inexplicably she started - I then drove over to the gas pump at my station. While I was pumping I heard my CW inside come over the loud speaker & tell the car on the pump behind me that his pump was on & please come inside & pay when he was done. I finished pumping my gas & was hanging up my pump and happened to look over at the guy who was pumping on that pump & his car door was open. I was suspicious so I kept watching & sure enough he hung the pump up, jumped in & took off.

I had his tag number already so I just started - went inside and gave my CW the tag number & my phone number so the police could call & talk to me if they needed to because I was the one that provided the tag & then I, my co-workers & some of the customers got a good at the guys stupidity.

So far I don't know what happened, but I do know the police did come & take a report. Hopefully I will find out soon if they caught the guy.

[EvilEmpryss]

Keep us posted.

[Lurking Sockpuppet]

And that is why none of the gas stations where I live will allow you to pump gas without paying first.

[Julesy]

Where I live, we don't have that many gas stations anymore that work like that, either.
Most of them make you put money or your card into a slot and then you can pump.
And I suspect that the big gas stations at the break areas of the highway, where you can still go inside to pay after pumping, are well protected with cameras. Not sure though, I don't go there so often.

In any case, well done to you!

[elsporko]

Good catch.

As for your car, the battery might be going. That just happened with mine.

[XCashier]

Right on, reporting that thief! I do hope they catch him and press charges so hard they leave a dent!

[The Last to Know]

Good catch.

As for your car, the battery might be going. That just happened with mine.

I'm pretty sure it has something to do with air intake & the gas. I knew it was low, but even when I filled it up - I still had three gallons in it. Also, it was turning over just not starting. This morning I went out & started her up - came back inside long enough to get a school bag together, my coat, purse, etc... and when I got back outside (about 3 minutes) her check engine light was on - I backed up & pulled to the top of my driveway - shut her off & started her back up and the light was off & she ran fine. I just had the water pump, timing belt & thermostat replaced & I'm wondering if they didn't get all the air lines back in place or something.

As for the drive off - I asked my boss & my CW today. So far they have not heard from the police as to whether they caught the guy, but I also know the county officers are all very involved with the death of the VCU college girl so this probably isn't a huge priority right now.

[BrenDAnn]

Gas drive offs. The bane of my c-store existence. Oh, how i wish we would go to all pre-pay or pay-at-the-pump only, but nooo...Ahem...I digress. Great on you for giving the clerk the info. I know, as I've been in said clerk's position many times, that if I report a drive off without info, my rear end is going to more than likely get chewed. I only hope the guy in your story ends up like the one we busted about this time last year. Our former kitchen girl, N, was outside, saw the guy, saw his truck, got his license plate #, and we turned him in. He ended up going to court, plead not guilty, and actually tried to get out of it. N had to go testify, and when she got there, dude was wearing the same outfit he'd been wearing the day of the drive off. The guy tried to claim that she'd seen someone else, that his truck had been mistaken for someone else's. N laughed and replied "and how many red trucks do you think there are with THAT license plate #?" In the end, the guy ended up paying not only for his $30 in gas, but court fees, etc. It's great when douchebags get busted for their stupidity.

[Brojekk]

As long as I've been driving "1986",I've only seen gas stations that have you pay first. I've never seen any that have you pump first then pay.

[PepperElf]

they use to be pump-then-pay where i grew up - not sure when they changed over
i do know in virginia some of them were also pump-then-pay until the gas prices went up, maybe in 02 or so.

[XCashier]

As long as I've been driving "1986",I've only seen gas stations that have you pay first. I've never seen any that have you pump first then pay.

I think it depends where you live. I saw nothing but prepays from when I first started driving (also 1986), but then, I was living in Phoenix. I suspect that most small towns don't bother with prepay as they "don't want to make their customers feel like criminals".

[SuperNat]

Over here in Australia, all petrol stations are pump-then-pay. You can use a card at some pumps too.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

BC changed to 'pay first' a few years ago, after some poor kid working at a station near Vancouver was dragged to death trying to stop a gas-n-go.

[Andara Bledin]

BC changed to 'pay first' a few years ago, after some poor kid working at a station near Vancouver was dragged to death trying to stop a gas-n-go.

Alas, once your city is large enough that you don't know all of your neighbors, it's time to go to a pay first system.

I actually prefer pay first. I don't have to worry about going over the amount I have to pay with. Although, I'm really good at stopping on the exact amount I want (I get practice from paying with a bank card, since that'll let you go until you have no more money or your tank is full).

^-.-^

[Shalom]

I grew up in Brooklyn and learned to drive there (also 1986). I never saw a post-pay self service station there. Once my brother and I were vacationing around upstate New York sometime in the early 90s, and we stayed overnight in a cheap motel in a little town that was about three blocks long. Next morning I went to the general store/gas station to fill up. Went inside, handed her my credit card and told her I wanted to fill the tank on pump #whatever. She looked at the card a bit puzzled, and said I should fill up the tank and come back in to pay. I was shocked at this; New Yorkers don't trust anyone, and we aren't used to having that trust aimed back in our direction. What the heck, I know I'm an honest man, but how could she be so sure of that? What floored me, though, was when I told her I needed ice for our cooler. She opened the cash register, handed me a key, and said "The icehouse is around the side of the building. Go get what you need, then bring me back the key and pay for the ice." I couldn't see this happening in New York; I wondered how much ice she'd have left if she tried that back home.

Of course it occurred to me afterward that in a place that size everyone knows everyone else, and if someone did try a drive-off she'd pick up the phone to her brother-in-law's neighbor's cousin's poker buddy the Sheriff, and tell him that a car matching {description} just drove off without paying, and would he please do something about it. The guy wouldn't get far, I'm betting.