gas pumps and idiots

[eltf177]

All the gas pumps I've seen have warning labels that prohibit the use of the pump by anyone under the age of 16; along with the warnings of turning off the car, not getting in and out of the car while pumping, staying with the pump, etc. I figured everybody had signs like that for liability reasons, so you can't blame the station when 10yo Johnny spills gas on himself or something.

They do around here also, and they never seem to be enforced. I wish they did...

[emt_cookies]

The fire department cleaned it up? You guys were lucky then. I know my department will contain it and then make the company call an outside company to do the clean up. I hear it's expensive.

[BrenDAnn]

While I understand the premise behind it--safety and all--shutting off pumps like that at my store wouldn't work. Why? Because I'd be shutting off pumps to about, oh, 75% or more of my customers. Seriously. People might learn after a while, yes, but still. People will try stupid shit (I had one guy claim his pump kept going up to $100 but no gas came out...bullshit) but the majority of our fuel transactions go by without issue. That's not to say I wouldn't shut a pump off if I saw an issue...I just really never have. The worst spill we had cam from the stupid fuel delivery driver over-filling the tanks and having to call the fire department to clean it up, if that tells you anything! ETA: LillyFilly is right, our pumps have stickers on them prohibiting under 16s from using them as well. Stupid parents will be stupid parents though, unfortunately.

[LillFilly]

Or the idiots who let their kids pump gas. It would have gotten me fired, but I always wanted to have a rule that kids could not pump gas, you had to be at least driving age to do it. Without fail, we never sold much kitty litter because we were always using it to clean up idiot people or their kids' spills.

All the gas pumps I've seen have warning labels that prohibit the use of the pump by anyone under the age of 16; along with the warnings of turning off the car, not getting in and out of the car while pumping, staying with the pump, etc. I figured everybody had signs like that for liability reasons, so you can't blame the station when 10yo Johnny spills gas on himself or something.

[blas]

I always hated the people that would "set" the pump to go to full, then go sit their lazy ass in their car, and all of a sudden, wow, a giant spill, and several extra dollars, then that idiot would want to argue with me about our "faulty" gas pumps and how they didn't want to pay that much or whatever have you.

Or the idiots who let their kids pump gas. It would have gotten me fired, but I always wanted to have a rule that kids could not pump gas, you had to be at least driving age to do it. Without fail, we never sold much kitty litter because we were always using it to clean up idiot people or their kids' spills.

Just recently, my mom claimed to have had an accident with a "faulty" gas pump, but I know her better than that, she's a total klutz and rarely watches what she's doing, so I'm sure she forgot to let go and got it all over herself, and it wasn't the pump not turning off.

[figgyx]

When I was working overnights at a gas station we were told that we should shut off the pump if the customer did not stay with the pump or failed to shut off the engine - and even if they were seen smoking.

I can't tell you how many times people would pull up - leave their engine running and then go back into their vehicle while the pump was going. I know that especially in winter it is a problem standing outside in cold weather but really the rules are in place to prevent - oh I don't know - maybe explosions.

One time one of the management staff from the main store pulled up to a pump and began fueling while he came into the station to use the bathroom. When I shut off his pump and informed him of this he began yelling at me. Seriously, dude, did you not read the memo about this? Any number of bad things can happen if you don't stay with your vehicle.

One teenager even lit up a cigarette while standing out at the pump.