ok, so if you did not know, NJ is one of only 2 states where you do not pump your own gas. So I pulled in for a fill up last week, and he puts the nozzle in and starts pumping as usual and then goes to take care of someone else. After a while, I hear a spilling, waterfall type sound. Then I look in the mirror to find gas just pouring out of my tank like Old Faithful. So I immediately lay on the horn and the guy comes running over and stops it. He wipes the side of the car a few times with a squeegie and then tells me "$36, or something like that. And I was like NO WAY! At LEAST a few dollars of that gas was on the ground, plus the fact that I had to go home and wash down the car, and I was just like Dude... no. haha, and he's like ok, $1 less. And I could barely understand him anyway. So yeah.. I said I'm not giving you more than 30, and he finally said ok. So I gave him two 20's, but then this other manager guy (who also barely spoke English) gave me the change.. only $4. I basically refused it and refused to leave until I got the amount back that was agreed on. He was like "YOUR tank overflow and this MY fault? Not my problem sir." When he saw I wasn't going to back down or leave, he gave me the money and said Never come back here. I just laughed and was like Don't worry...

So my question is, has this ever happened to anyone else? I've only had mine a few months, but it's never happened to me before this.

 

Yeah, only Oregon and New Jersey don't trust their citizens to pump their own fuel.

When I travel in Oregon, I am out there standing right next to the mouth-breathing knuckle dragger as he waves that metal nozzle around near the side of my car. He screws up and he's mine.

When I lived on the 'Jersey Shore, my car was a company lease car (Firebird TransAm), and I didn't worry about it.

Still, I've never had that problem with someone pumping my gas.

(The failure was in the nozzle cutoff, NOT with your car. Might not hurt to report the problem to the state, and even the gas producer - or at least the station owner).

Tom

 

I actually enjoy not having to pump it myself. Especially in bad weather. But yeah... I'm just not going back to that place again. Which sucks because it was one of the closest places to home. I'm done with that place completely though.

 

man I'm glad we only have a few full service pumps around here, I've had this happen once, it was with an older style pump, one that had been converted to unleaded

 

As i just left the garbage state a few months back ... i always pumped my own fuel. Much like Tomas said, they like to wave that metal end too close to the car for my liking.

There is no overflow tank for the fuel. There is a return tube back into the tank which probably also serves as the vent. It was clearly a faulty nozzle ... as the air pressure from the tank should have shut off the nozzle as your tank became full.

I had a similar incident back when i was in high school in Dirty Jersey. I told the guy ( who also spoke very little English ) to only put $10 in. He filled my car to the tune of $19 and all i had was a $20. We went round and round until i finally helped him understand that my father was a lawyer and put people in prision.

 

I hope that episode didn't F'up your charcoal canister for one. The other part I would be concerned with is if he did any paint damage with that squeegy.
I'd def report that crap to the corporate office. On xB's you have to only set the nozzel on the first click. You can't fill the tank fast and it sounds like he had it going full blast. It's amazing how people will treat others.
Def follow up with that. Sounds like it was a comedy of errors.

 

Why does Jersey do this attendant pump only service? Is it a make work program? Doesn't that state have some of the lowest gas prices in the country?

I've actually overflowed my own tank - no harm no foul. But I wouldn't want to pay for the volume you're talking about.

 

I truely think it was a move to create jobs. It's can't be for safety reasons because more states would do it if it was a real problem.

 

wow crazy story. never happened to me before but im glad you STOOD YOUR GROUND and got your money back that you deserved.

made me laugh that they said never come back there again. thats pathetic.

 

Gas in NJ is relatively cheap because so many refineries are there. It's cheap to transport, there's no shortage of supply, and the state's gas taxes are on the low side, for reasons easily guessed.

The requirement for attendants in NJ and Oregon date back to the early 50s when it was more likely an accident could cause a fire or explosion. Other states have since dropped the requirement, but at least in NJ there is a distinct reactionary response to every attempt to rescind the law. The Governor's recent proposal to do so met with stiff resistance; his contention that gas prices would drop was countered by evidence that in other states that switched to self-service, initial price-drops were shortly followed by prices rising to their formal levels.

Defenders of attendants also cite the discriminatory nature of self-serve systems, where the elderly and handicapped often have to pay extra for an attendant (despite ADA requirements, many self-serve stations don't provide attendants except at higher-priced pumps, while others don't provide them at all).

r

 

lol. pumping your own gas is the only way to go. i dont trust anyone with my car. including someone filling up the tank. i dont even like oil changes!

 

thats why you change your own oil!