New Nasty Prank to Watch Out For!

[trebor44]

Not New, it happened to me in So. Utah over 25 years ago on the Price to Greenriver highway. Some pumps are easier to do this with than others. And by the way I saw a "Service" station attendant spray gasoline over a new Porsche as he went to gas it up! This happened in Bend, OR. The owner of the Porsche was not a happy camper! There is no defense for this kind of evil behavior and I would not dignify it as a "prank" since it is meant to do harm and is not funny! It can happen anywhere small minds congregate!

[725]

Harmful pranksters are demented, just don't overlook stupid. Pretty sure both are at play.

[waksupi]

I have not been at a self pay that let you advance to pick your fuel if the valve was open. [ no pressure sensed downstream.] It must be a southern thing because it isn't a MT thing.

Agreed.

[Petrol & Powder]

Harmful pranksters are demented, just don't overlook stupid. Pretty sure both are at play.

NEVER ascribe to conspiracy that which can be explained by incompetence !

[MrWolf]

wow a service gas station last time I saw one of them was in 1980 / 83

Heh. Bit of a stretch on "a service gas station" from what you remember to reality in NJ. Basically you just say fill it or $ amount of which grade. Most won't understand much beyond that....

[Petrol & Powder]

I thought NJ was going to change that law? First time I pumped my own gas in NJ, I think it was the Pilot in Cranberry, I jumped out and started in and the guy came running over like I was fixing to murder someone. We both laughed and he told me that most out of staters on the way through do the same thing.

Oregon apparently changed their law to allow self serve in some counties with populations below a certain level. The last time I was there you couldn't pump your own gas.

New Jersey is a different story. They have the "Gas Station Attendant Full Employment Act" statewide.

I think N.J. will always consider citizens incapable of handling something as complex and dangerous as a gas nozzle. Of course N.J. will continue to allow a high school dropout, convicted felon, sex offender with the IQ of a tree frog to handle that task for you.

And New Jersey is the same state that requires a permit for each handgun purchase, limits handgun magazine capacity to 10 rounds, hollow point ammunition may only be used in limited situations, requires all handguns to be registered, doesn't allow open carry of handguns without a carry permit and prohibits gun sales between private citizens unless a FFL is involved. So they pretty much don't trust their citizens to do anything on their own.

[MrWolf]

You forgot that carry permits are basically unobtainable unless you know someone. One of many reasons I left there after 56 years.

[mjwcaster]

Must just be some pumps.
The ones around here won’t even pump if you are a little quick depressing the handle.
Then it might take a time or two to actually get it started.
I don’t think there is any way for them to be left latched and start spewing gas.

Might be the emissions controls on the pumps, some of them are so sensitive you have to have the nozzle almost falling out of the car for them to pump. Seems like that was more of an issue when they were first introduced.

And I had a NJ station attendant yell at me years ago for trying to fill up my car.
I think I was about done and told him to buzz off.

I did find one full service station here in Illinois about 20 years ago.
Pull into the pump on a rainy night and some poor guy came out in the rain.

I had never seen full service in this state, I was pumping gas when I was a little kid.
Then again the full service stations might have been around, my mom was just too cheap to pay someone to pump gas.


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[rondog]

I hate pay at the pump and the printer is out of paper. I almost think they let the paper run out to get you to walk in and buy junk food and cigarettes.

BB

Fact, they do that EXACTLY to get your butt in the store. So while you're waiting in line, you're looking around, hoping you'll go "ooo, that looks good".....

[David2011]

The last time a station attendant pumped gas for me he put regular in the tank after I told him to pump premium gas. It was an old Mustang with lotsa horsepower so it would clatter badly with insufficient octane. Self service was introduced about the same time as I started driving and I’ve pumped gas myself most of my life. Pretty sure I could even do it safely in NJ if they didn’t have a law against it.

[marek313]

Oregon apparently changed their law to allow self serve in some counties with populations below a certain level. The last time I was there you couldn't pump your own gas.

New Jersey is a different story. They have the "Gas Station Attendant Full Employment Act" statewide.

I think N.J. will always consider citizens incapable of handling something as complex and dangerous as a gas nozzle. Of course N.J. will continue to allow a high school dropout, convicted felon, sex offender with the IQ of a tree frog to handle that task for you.

And New Jersey is the same state that requires a permit for each handgun purchase, limits handgun magazine capacity to 10 rounds, hollow point ammunition may only be used in limited situations, requires all handguns to be registered, doesn't allow open carry of handguns without a carry permit and prohibits gun sales between private citizens unless a FFL is involved. So they pretty much don't trust their citizens to do anything on their own.

Yes we in NJ have some crazy restrictions I would rate it probably third in line right behind CA and NY. We just went down last year from 15 round to 10 round mags. Besides all the paperwork we have to deal with we also are limited to 4+1 on semi auto and magazine fed shotguns. Murphys plan is apparently to take all guns away and give everyone a joint because they are pushing to make pot recreational in NJ now.

So yeah no pumping my own gas is not exactly a benefit I care much about. I'm a do it myself type of a person anyway and I do know people that had inside of their cars sprayed with gallons of gasoline because attendant was an idiot but hey I always say you cant fix stupid so it is what it is until I move somewhere else.

[semtav]

I've found several pumps that way, but most pumps won't reset until you recycle the handle at least once.

[JoeJames]

Never heard of that or thought of it before. I will now put the nozzle in before I select the gas choice. Kind of scary.

On the other hand a buddy of mine worked at a regular gas station, and he said at times, some woman would pull up, be on the cell phone, he'd start filling it up, and then she'd start to drive off while the nozzle was still pumping gas. Scared the fire out of him.

[Thundarstick]

It could be a combination of ignorance, faulty pump, or pranksters. I've been testing the pumps around here, remove the nozzle, set the hold open, place it in the tank, then select grade. Most pumps won't deliver fuel until the nozzle is reset, but many will! I did a little internet search and found plenty of evidence it's been going on for several years. Prank or no, it could still ruin your day.

[David2011]

Bought gas yesterday. Thought about this thread after I activated the pump. Oh, well. . .

[Mytmousemalibu]

My very 1st job was working at a full-service gas station! I worked mostly in the maintenance bay servicing cars but it was also my responsibility to man the full service pumps if a customer pulled in. Kinda neat to have been a part of American car culture that is largely from a bygone era. I realize some states have pump attendants by law but its not really the same thing. I was in uniform and truly fulfilled the job like it used to be. Pump gas, check tires, fluids, wipers, etc.

On a funny note about that, we had a pretty eccentric old boy that frequented the full service pumps. He drove a really rough old 70's square body Chevy truck hauling scrap. His appearance matched the truck well. He would only buy $2-3 dollars of gas, never more. One day he noticed the fuel price on the sign didn't match his receipt. Well of course, the full service pumps were I think 10 cents more per gallon. He got all kinds of bent out of shape about it! The prices on the pumps reflected the addition cost for the full service pumps. Just thought it was amusing!

[rockrat]

Had that happen to me at a Love's store in Clayton, NM, last week. Luckily, the attendant was slow starting the pump and I caught the thing locked open. Had to pry to get it unlocked. Unlocked a few seconds before the pump turned on.

[JoeJames]

This is a very useful thread. I changed my ways the last time I bought gas; put the nozzle in the vehicle before I selected the gas type. Trying to ingrain it into my memory. Thanks again for the heads up!