Gas Stations in New Jersey Ripping Off Consumers
06-20-08, 06:48 PM
#1
Gas Stations in New Jersey Ripping Off Consumers
Some 1000+ gas stations throughout the state of NJ were found to be cheating customers when purchasing gas. Apparently some pumps were rigged to dispense less gas than what you actually paid for. I even heard that some stations were charging you for premium gas but folks were actually getting 87 octane instead. There was a time where I thought I was getting cheated (not in Jersey). It turns out the pump was very slow in dispensing the fuel into my tank. I whipped out my cell phone and started using the calculator on it to make sure the numbers were right and if I was getting what I paid for. I was okay but the pump was very slow and have since been replaced with newer ones. Of course this can happen anywhere and to anybody but spend a minute or too after you pump your gas to see if you got what you paid for.
07-06-08, 03:14 PM
#2
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Some 1000+ gas stations throughout the state of NJ were found to be cheating customers when purchasing gas. Apparently some pumps were rigged to dispense less gas than what you actually paid for. I even heard that some stations were charging you for premium gas but folks were actually getting 87 octane instead. There was a time where I thought I was getting cheated (not in Jersey). It turns out the pump was very slow in dispensing the fuel into my tank. I whipped out my cell phone and started using the calculator on it to make sure the numbers were right and if I was getting what I paid for. I was okay but the pump was very slow and have since been replaced with newer ones. Of course this can happen anywhere and to anybody but spend a minute or too after you pump your gas to see if you got what you paid for.
Now they screw us extra 15 cents and now even heard of 25 cents a gallon for credit card use to cover their costs. What a lie it only cost me about a $1 to take a credit card.
Not to mention I get 15% better gas milage with out of state fuel than the NJ so called fuel.
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07-09-08, 11:09 AM
#8
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yea I grew up in NJ, it does suck. You couldn't even pump your own gas back when I was there so it would be easy to pull this bs.
prolly some organzied crime group who run the gas stations.
You can't really sue the big oil co's, those are most likely privatley owned stations, plus whois willing to fight the deep pockets of an oil company lol!
prolly some organzied crime group who run the gas stations.
You can't really sue the big oil co's, those are most likely privatley owned stations, plus whois willing to fight the deep pockets of an oil company lol!
07-09-08, 11:26 AM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
Gas and diesel pumps, by law (and I don't see where NJ is any different) are calibrated and certified by the State Department of Weights and Measures, and that certification is valid for a certain length of time...stated on the document. First, If you have reason to believe you are being cheated, you can ask to see the certificate......it must be publically displayed or shown upon request. Second, if you know roughly the MPG you should be getting with your vehicle in any given set of driving circumstances (and keep in mind that many factors affect gas mileage), you can compare the amount of gas shown on the pump with (about) what you know should be needing to fill up.
Third, if you STILL think you are being ripped off, many states have a 1-800 Hot Line number to report possible rip-offs. That number usually goes to the Assistant Attorney general's office. That office investigates stations if they get a sufficient number of complaints. There were many such complaints right after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when gas prices took a huge spike...and drop....in a matter of a few days.
Third, if you STILL think you are being ripped off, many states have a 1-800 Hot Line number to report possible rip-offs. That number usually goes to the Assistant Attorney general's office. That office investigates stations if they get a sufficient number of complaints. There were many such complaints right after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when gas prices took a huge spike...and drop....in a matter of a few days.
07-09-08, 01:02 PM
#10
It's funny you mention that, back in NJ where i live there were two exxon mobil stations within two miles of each other. The one that was farther away from my house had their prices 10-15 cents cheaper than the one closer to my house. Very odd indeed...
After moving to Indiana, i found out that they too had some gas problems of their own. One of my teachers has on his desk a picture of a water jug filled with gas. Looking closer you could see that there were two layers inside. It was gasoline bought at a Marathon gas station that had been severely contaminated with water. After his engine sputtered and died, he found that he had to replace the entire fuel system in his car, costing him about $800. He did all the work himself and then sent the bill to Marathon with extra added on for his labor. They didn't pay for his labor but they did refund him the gas money and all the parts replaced.
After moving to Indiana, i found out that they too had some gas problems of their own. One of my teachers has on his desk a picture of a water jug filled with gas. Looking closer you could see that there were two layers inside. It was gasoline bought at a Marathon gas station that had been severely contaminated with water. After his engine sputtered and died, he found that he had to replace the entire fuel system in his car, costing him about $800. He did all the work himself and then sent the bill to Marathon with extra added on for his labor. They didn't pay for his labor but they did refund him the gas money and all the parts replaced.
07-09-08, 03:55 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
After moving to Indiana, i found out that they too had some gas problems of their own. One of my teachers has on his desk a picture of a water jug filled with gas. Looking closer you could see that there were two layers inside. It was gasoline bought at a Marathon gas station that had been severely contaminated with water. After his engine sputtered and died, he found that he had to replace the entire fuel system in his car, costing him about $800. He did all the work himself and then sent the bill to Marathon with extra added on for his labor. They didn't pay for his labor but they did refund him the gas money and all the parts replaced.
07-09-08, 05:39 PM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
It can, if it builds up enough on the spark plugs and oxygen sensor to cause fouling...that could definitely affect the fuel mixture (air-fuel ratio), because the engine computer then gets false signals about the oxygen content of the exhaust and can't properly analyze the firing of the plugs or adjust the fuel injectors. You may or may not get a "CHECK ENGINE" code, depending on how the computer processes the data. It also throws a big load on the catalytic converter because all that extra carbon is flowing through the exhaust and having to be burnt up or converted to normal emissions.
If you use cheap gas, you can prevent some of this from happening by using a good fuel-system cleaner such as BG44K (generally sold only at repair shops, not stores). It just dumps in the fuel tank. But, my reasoning is, if you have to spend money to buy something to undo what cheap gas does, then why not just use better gas in the first place?
If you use cheap gas, you can prevent some of this from happening by using a good fuel-system cleaner such as BG44K (generally sold only at repair shops, not stores). It just dumps in the fuel tank. But, my reasoning is, if you have to spend money to buy something to undo what cheap gas does, then why not just use better gas in the first place?
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-09-08 at 05:43 PM.
07-17-08, 11:07 PM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Some 1000+ gas stations throughout the state of NJ were found to be cheating customers when purchasing gas. Apparently some pumps were rigged to dispense less gas than what you actually paid for. I even heard that some stations were charging you for premium gas but folks were actually getting 87 octane instead. There was a time where I thought I was getting cheated (not in Jersey). It turns out the pump was very slow in dispensing the fuel into my tank. I whipped out my cell phone and started using the calculator on it to make sure the numbers were right and if I was getting what I paid for. I was okay but the pump was very slow and have since been replaced with newer ones. Of course this can happen anywhere and to anybody but spend a minute or too after you pump your gas to see if you got what you paid for.