Fueling rant

[mckind]

We were driving back to Houston from the Texas Hill Country yesterday. As we always do, we stopped at the Bucees in Bastrop to top off the tank and hit the restrooms. I pull over to the fueling island on the far end because it’s easier to enter and exit while pulling a trailer. The pump was occupied, but I was prepared to wait while they fill their tank. As the woman was filling the SUV, her companion exited the passenger side. She hits the key fob to lock the doors and they head inside to shop, nozzle in the tank, completely oblivious to anyone else. I lay on the horn to get their attention and they figure out that I want them to move the car so I can fuel up. They moved it and all was well. After I fueled up I moved to the side of the lot so DW and I could have lunch. We then watched as some guy pulled up to the same pump with a 35 foot pull behind and took his whole family inside, blocking the pumps for at least 20 minutes. Another man pulling a smaller trailer, with much more patience than me, waited behind him the entire time. What has happened to people that they think this is acceptable? This has become a common occurrence at this particular Bucees. Thanks for listening.

[Wishbone51]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Easy fix for that is drive a diesel powered vehicle. You ARE allowed to self pump diesel in Oregon.

Motorcycles too.. They won't do it for you.

Also, every gas station in Oregon has a sign saying that if there is no attendant on duty, you have to pump your own gas.. Only had that happen once to me.

Funny story though. I was in Washington and had to stop for gas.. After sitting a few minutes and no one helping me, my son said "Uh.. Dad? This is Washington" hahaha.

I'm from California, and I know how to pump my own gas, but after 11 years in Oregon, you get kind of used to it. Nice in hot or cold weather.

[dave54]

Oregon recently passed legislation allowing certain stations the option of self serve.

[pnichols]

Our V10 range is about 550 miles - in only a 24 foot RV - but 550 is way, way more than enough between gasoline-only stations.

Check out 25 miles North of Plush, OR into the Oregon Outback or Dubinky Well in Utah out in the middle of nowhere - in a DP. Parts of both can probably be reached in a DP, but maybe never has been due to a harsh route. :C

[rhagfo]

holstein13 wrote:

pnichols wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Easy fix for that is drive a diesel powered vehicle. You ARE allowed to self pump diesel in Oregon.

We try to travel in Oregon as much as possible to remote off-the-beaten-path places where diesel isn't available. Our V10 gasser can go to these kind of places. 😉

I realize you are kidding, but my DP can travel 1,300 miles on a tank of gas. How remote can you possibly get in Oregon?

I strongly suggest you NOT run your DIESEL pusher on gas!!!!:S

[holstein13]

pnichols wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Easy fix for that is drive a diesel powered vehicle. You ARE allowed to self pump diesel in Oregon.

We try to travel in Oregon as much as possible to remote off-the-beaten-path places where diesel isn't available. Our V10 gasser can go to these kind of places. 😉

I realize you are kidding, but my DP can travel 1,300 miles on a tank of gas. How remote can you possibly get in Oregon?

[pnichols]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Easy fix for that is drive a diesel powered vehicle. You ARE allowed to self pump diesel in Oregon.

We try to travel in Oregon as much as possible to remote off-the-beaten-path places where diesel isn't available. Our V10 gasser can go to these kind of places. 😉

[Cummins12V98]

"attendants, by Oregon law, have to fill your tank up because you're not allowed to self-fuel there"

Easy fix for that is drive a diesel powered vehicle. You ARE allowed to self pump diesel in Oregon.

[pnichols]

eichacsj wrote:
amandasgramma wrote:

MNGeeks61 wrote:

It happens even in Minnesota Nice-land...at least most times when it's freezing people get to sit in their warm cars.

However, sometimes the stations are at fault, the Holiday by my house will only do the end pumps if you pay inside, or pay via credit cards. So some people that don't know this will pull up, get out, try to fuel, and then get the "please pre-pay, or pay via credit card on the end pumps", then go inside and do just that.

There isn't a sign that states it, and the last time three years ago I pointed that out, I got a shrug from the employees.
We like (not) the one in Quartzsite that requires you to go in and give them your credit card, go back out to fill up, then go back in to pay and get a receipt. They don't have separate clerk for fuel ups....so you wait for a line each time with people buying food. Been there twice, won't go back


I see your in Oregon. I am surprised your Quartsite example it is normal practice in Oregon. When we travel to Washington we will go several hundred miles around Oregon because of the PITA it is to fuel up in that state. I carry gas cans when we cut the corner just in case we need gas, I do not want to deal with fueling up there.

We've made many trips in and through Oregon and have not experienced any irritating gas-up problems other than the practice that attendants, by Oregon law, have to fill your tank up because you're not allowed to self-fuel there. The attendant just comes out, I get out and hand them the credit card, the attendant merely runs the card at the pump and hand's me back the card, I stand around and watch or clean the RV's windows while the attendant holds the nozzle and fills the tank. There is one small irritant though - all gas pump nozzles shut off about 5 gallons short on our Ford E450 chassis. So when I fill up, I stand there an extra few minutes to trickle in another 5 gallons after the pump's automatic shut-off. This gives me about 50 more miles of travel time before another refuel. Of course the attendants in Oregon will not take this extra time to pump us 5 more gallons! 😉

[Muddydogs]

the_vfox wrote:
The me generation strikes again.

I just sit and wait, most of the time we don't have any issues, and since I don't want to start a ruckus, I wait.

I wonder if we caused this problem more then the "me generation" because we don't want to start a ruckus. We let these people get away with doing the things posted in this thread.

Well I use we to be nice but have to say I don't put up with most the stuff posted here. I wondered reading the post about a guy coming up to a dump station and honking at the rig in front of him why the front guy didn't walk back and have a chat with the honker? After the second horn blow I would have had to ask the offender if his horn was broken or if he was an ass and I sure as heck wouldn't have rushed around to get done any faster.

I have had my fair share of chats with gas pump hogs as well, I much prefer to exit my rig and explain to the jerk face to face the error of there ways.

[eichacsj]

amandasgramma wrote:

MNGeeks61 wrote:
It happens even in Minnesota Nice-land...at least most times when it's freezing people get to sit in their warm cars.

However, sometimes the stations are at fault, the Holiday by my house will only do the end pumps if you pay inside, or pay via credit cards. So some people that don't know this will pull up, get out, try to fuel, and then get the "please pre-pay, or pay via credit card on the end pumps", then go inside and do just that.

There isn't a sign that states it, and the last time three years ago I pointed that out, I got a shrug from the employees.

We like (not) the one in Quartzsite that requires you to go in and give them your credit card, go back out to fill up, then go back in to pay and get a receipt. They don't have separate clerk for fuel ups....so you wait for a line each time with people buying food. Been there twice, won't go back

I see your in Oregon. I am surprised your Quartsite example it is normal practice in Oregon. When we travel to Washington we will go several hundred miles around Oregon because of the PITA it is to fuel up in that state. I carry gas cans when we cut the corner just in case we need gas, I do not want to deal with fueling up there.

[Passin__Through]

My wife and I pulled our rig into a station that had three sets of pumps on an island. Both end sets dispensed gas and diesel (which we needed), the center set gas only. As we approached the near end pumps, Miss Cutesey-Poo and her girlfriend zipped in from the opposite direction with their EconoBox. Did they use the first set of pumps on their entry end? Nope. They had to use the center set, pulling up far enough the block us from accessing the diesel pump nearest us. Cutesey pops out of her car, bounces between it and our truck, then into the C-store to prepay her gas. “OK”, I thought “it won’t take very long for her to pump and leave”, but was I mistaken. Cutesey and her girlfriend chattered happily as they slowly filled the tank, glancing at us from time to time. When finished, she returned to the C-store for her change, came back out, walked through the five-foot space between our vehicles, and got into her car. I thought they were ready to leave, but no such luck. She had to count her change. Fortunately there wasn't yet another vehicle behind us but by now I am pretty upset as more than 10 minutes had elapsed, so I got out of the truck and stood right in front of her car, within 18” of the bumper, and just looked at her through the windshield as she continued to fumble around with her change. The last straw was when she looked at me, then flipped her sun visor down and proceeded to put on makeup! As I walked the three or so steps to the driver’s-side window I imagined my wife urging me to keep calm, so I asked Cutesey as politely as I could (through clenched teeth) if it would be a terrible inconvenience to her if she pulled away from the pumps so others could get fuel too. She looked at me as if I had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. To her credit, she DID finally get the message and immediately drove off. Seems as if there are way too many people in this world who are just ding-blasted oblivious to anyone but themselves.

[fj12ryder]

No thanks, I'll take the pay-at-the-pump any day. I have no desire to go inside to do business when I can pump my fuel and be back on the road with no waiting in line for someone to decide if they want a cherry slushee, or a limeade coke. Sometimes those "old fashioned ways" are just that: old fashioned and past their time.

[pnichols]

minnows wrote:
pnichols wrote:

For what it's worth, we're on a long RV trip as I write this and we have gassed up a few times at small town out-of-the-way gas stations that don't sell diesel at all, sell only one grade of gasoline, have the old banged up pumps with rotating number dials, their nozzles on the sides that you have to lift a lever to start the pump ..... AND ..... sell gas on the honor system: You fill your tank first with no credit card, no debit card, or no cash transaction required at that time. THEN you go inside a small country store and pay someone at the counter. What a breath of fresh air to once again do business the Old Fashioned Way .... when folks were honorable and trustworthy and polite!!!


And as an extra bonus, their gas is 6 months old.....

holstein13 wrote:
minnow wrote:

pnichols wrote:

For what it's worth, we're on a long RV trip as I write this and we have gassed up a few times at small town out-of-the-way gas stations that don't sell diesel at all, sell only one grade of gasoline, have the old banged up pumps with rotating number dials, their nozzles on the sides that you have to lift a lever to start the pump ..... AND ..... sell gas on the honor system: You fill your tank first with no credit card, no debit card, or no cash transaction required at that time. THEN you go inside a small country store and pay someone at the counter. What a breath of fresh air to once again do business the Old Fashioned Way .... when folks were honorable and trustworthy and polite!!!


And as an extra bonus, their gas is 6 months old.....
and full of water.

Nope ..... not hardly. These quaint gas-up spots were on major Northeast secondary road tourist routes. No water or old gas reported by our V10. Just good old fashioned ways of doing good old fashioned business.

[holstein13]

minnow wrote:

pnichols wrote:
For what it's worth, we're on a long RV trip as I write this and we have gassed up a few times at small town out-of-the-way gas stations that don't sell diesel at all, sell only one grade of gasoline, have the old banged up pumps with rotating number dials, their nozzles on the sides that you have to lift a lever to start the pump ..... AND ..... sell gas on the honor system: You fill your tank first with no credit card, no debit card, or no cash transaction required at that time. THEN you go inside a small country store and pay someone at the counter. What a breath of fresh air to once again do business the Old Fashioned Way .... when folks were honorable and trustworthy and polite!!!

And as an extra bonus, their gas is 6 months old.....

and full of water.