This is especially prevalent at places owned by foreign born entities.
In some case, they even have counterfeit Department of Agriculture stickers to put on the pumps when they re-calibrate. The State seldom physically inspects the pumps as it is very labor intensive, so it often goes overlooked for months or years. I usually buy all my gas at Sam's Club, but always get receipts wherever I have to get fuel. Often, I will pump exactly ONE GALLON and check the pump pricing before continuing the fill up, and even then, I am aware of how much fuel I should get within a couple of tenths of a gallon from experience.
This is true. It happened to them three weeks ago somewhere in Pomona on our way to Penchant. The pump should have totaled @ $68.00 (and change). When the receipt was printed, and she checked it was $ 77.00 (and change). She got mad, went inside the store, asked for a calculator and let them do the math. They refunded her. she told them that if they cheat, they had better make it right. Normally, her husband would skip printing the receipt. Not her. We saw on the news the other night that this is happening everywhere.

Brian pumped exactly one gallon of gas. The price did not match the cost of one gallon. It was higher. He went inside and complained, got a refund.

There is also a number on each pump that you can call and complain.

This is a true story, so read it carefully.

I stopped at a BP gas station in GA. My truck's gas gauge was on 1/4 of a tank. I use the mid-grade, which was priced at $3.71 per gallon. When my tank is at this point, it takes somewhere around
14 gallons to fill When the pump showed 14 gallons had been pumped, I began to slow it down. Then, to my surprise, it went to 15, then 16. I even looked under my truck to see if it was being spilled. It was not.

Then it showed 17 gallons on the pump. It stopped at 18 gallons. This was very strange to me, since my truck has only an 18 gallon tank. I went on my way a little confused, then on the evening news I heard a report that
1 out of 4 gas stations had calibrated their pumps to show more gas had been pumped than a person actually got.

Here is how to check a pump to see if you are getting the right amount:

Whichever grade you are using, put EXACTLY 1 (one) GALLON in your tank, then look at the dollar amount. If the dollar amount is not EXACTLY the price of the fuel PRICE ADVERTISED, then the pumps are rigged.

In my case, as I said, the mid-grade was $3.71 per gallon; my dollar amount for 1 gallons should have been $3.71.

I wish I had checked the pump. It doesn't matter where you pump gas, please check the 1 gallon price. If you do find a station that is cheating, contact the state Agriculture Department, and direct your comments to the Commissioner, the info is on the gas pumps.

Please don't delete this until you have sent it to all people in your address book. We need to put a stop to this outrageous cheating of customers. The gas companies are making enough profits at honest rates.

i have also seen this.

Know approximately my tank will take and check at the 1 gallon mark.

I tend to stay away from off brand stations and have little issues doing so.

The problem with that is some of the places I go to hear don't even show the prices of regular of mid grade so, you don't know what they're charging. There's nothing showing when you choose the grade you want and nothing that I could see up high on a banner. All these are Shell stations.

In Texas, the gas pumps are certified by the State Dept. of Agriculture Weights and Measures Dept., and bears a sticker of certification on the pump and the date and agent certifying it.

Other states have that as well, but it isn't all of them.

Cuts down on crookery.

No Mickey, I haven't noticed anything like that around here, but let me tell you a little story.

About 35 years ago I was in retail gasoline sales. Much of the local population were retired Yankees who complained about everything, especially the price of gas.

Now my station was located of the side of a steep hill and the driveway had a slight east/west incline/decline depending on which way you drove in. If you were facing east(uphill) your tank would take slightly less gas, if west(down hill) slightly more.

Grumpy old Yank came in yelling he knew his tank wouldn't hold that much gas.(Yes, he was angled downhill). I told him about the uphill/down hill thing but if he wasn't satisfied he could call the number on that little blue stickler on the pump and that state would send someone out to check it.

A week or two later a state vehicle pulled up and told me he was gonna check the pumps because of a complaint. I said fine, just be sure you let the comlaintant know the results.

A few days later old Yank came in with a smile and said he was real pleased with the test results and that the state of Illonois(intentional mis-spelling) wouldn't have tested so promptly. Grumpy bast'id became a regular customer.

By the way, the state didn't pay for the gas they pumped out.

Montana is the same way....checked roughly yearly....supposed to be once a year but its a big state so it varies a bit but dont think ive seen one older than 16 months

I had one of these insured at one time. He was retired and had moved down here and I was constantly hearing how dumb we were and how we were always cheating him in some fashion or the other. One day he was leaving the office and I asked him, "John, if we're so backward and stupid how is it that you're the one always getting beat on a deal?" He just looked at me and then left. I never did get an answer from him but I knew the answer anyway.

Went to fill up my old T Bird,..... ding, ding, ding, ding, ding till it stopped. 40 GALLONS !!!!!! and the price reflected the sale.

How da hell do ya put 40 freakin' gallons of gas in a T Bird ?

Went inside and complained to the dot head. He shrugged his shoulders. In hindsight I should have called the cops.

I've never had any of the issues noted here ... ever.

A friend of mine at work found a station like that here in Boise. He'd watched some investigative report about how gas pumps would ring up more than actually dispensed and watched the pump the next time he got gas.

Sure enough, he had selected the grade of gas but before he ever pumped an ounce it showed 25 cents. 25 cents isn't much but multiplied over 12 pumps at a station by how many cars visit each one in a week - it adds up.

He stopped right there before putting any gas in his truck, put the pump handle back on the holder, went in and demanded and got a refund for 25 cents, plus never went back to that station.

New Mexico also certifies - used to be once a year, but I haven't checked lately. I used to know the gentleman responsible for testing - he told me that (at that time) most pumps in NM put out just a touch more fuel than they posted.
I even have to have my cattle scales checked yearly, per state law involving sale.

Mark

Good info, Mickey.. Never thought of doing that..

Neither have I, Lee, but I'm gonna start. There is a fueling station I mostly use that just bills us once a week so I can't check it but I trust them anyway. They're owned by the Texaco distributor and are local.

Most of this sh*t wouldn't be happening if all the gas stations and convenience stores weren't owned by them f*ckin' rag heads. Those c*ck suckers will try to f*ck you any chance they get. Smelly, goat lovin' pricks, I avoid 'em like the plague.

an even bigger problem, seems to be crooks installing card readers with WiFi on pumps. When you use that pump, your credit card info goes to the crook, who then makes cards like yours, and sells them.

Mickey,
Years ago I lived in Carrollton, GA. I had a small car with a 10 gallon tank. When gas went to over $1.00 a gallon my tank suddenly would hold over 11 gallons! But only if I filled up in Carrollton. Every where else less than 10 gallons.
Pavementends

I think that is what happened to me when I went to Arizona early in the year. Right after I got back the credit card company called and asked about some charges in Louisiana, and did I have possession of my credit card. I did, but had not been to Louisiana. The only place that I used the credit card was at Motels and gas pumps. Good on Chase for catching it quick. miles

I caught my self wondering about this the other day.

Steve.

One time when getting gas, I finished filling and put the nozzle back on the pump. When it shut off, the amount jumped about a nickle. If every customer is billed an extra nickle, that can really add up on a busy day.

I've had that happen. My car suddenly took more gas than it had ever had room for, and my calculated fuel economy was the worst I'd ever gotten. So after fueling, I paid and asked for a cash receipt. Then I told them that I knew they were cheating, and they had better knock it off. They didn't have anything to say.

It's been years ago but somebody (Frontline, 20-20, not sure) did a whole investigative report on this very thing. OTOH, now that everything is so tech driven, it could be as easy as this:

http://autos.aol.com/article/report-many-gas-pumps-overcharge-customers/

Used to have a '72 'vette that I had recently installed the optional BIG tank. This was a brand spankin' new OEM/GM tank that I had removed from its original box.

Squeaky clean inside but after looking in the tank following a fillup the "gas" was a milky barely translucent liquid ???

Drained it when I got home.

Happened to me one time when I was still living in alabama. Gas gauge was on 1/4 full and took 24 gallons to fill it up. My SUV has a 21 Gallon Tank. Duh.

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The report I remember was in new york city - they only gave about 4/5th of a gallon for the gallon full price. If they saw someone filling up a gallon fuel tank the store owner could flip a switch behind the counter and you would then get a full gallon.
The owner owned several gas stations and this amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

If the hajji-mart is willing to sell 'bath salts' as part of their inventory

I'm sure they have no problem ripping you off at the pump

Ya'll ever notice they got three grades of gasoline but only one tanker to refill the tanks?

Having a bad day are you?

Internal bulkheads for varying grades. That's how they are built from the factory.

Nope, I'm having a great day, I can't stand those ph*ckers anytime, whether I'm having a good day or not.

And they only deliver 2 grades. Premium and none. The mid grade is line mixed as its delivered between the 2 grades.

I'm with you. Let's start in Washington, D.C.

I have been in the petroleum equipment business for 34 years. In all those years myself or one of my tech's has never come across someone intentionally trying to cheat customers. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, because I know it does. In all of the cases we have found it has been do to a failed mechanical or electronic part/device.

Here in Nebraska our Weights and Measures people are at stations once a year. I can see how in more populated states that might not be the case. It's always a good idea to know your vehicle and watch the displays and your receipts. My advice if you feel you have been cheated is to call your local weights and measures office. Most complaints here are investigated the same day.

Sam is very correct in his statement about the card readers at the pumps. I sell and service them every day and will not use a card at one. I always go inside. In the last two years my guys have found between eight and ten "skimmers" installed on card readers. We have strict orders that if we locate one we are to call the local Secret Service office and not to touch or remove the device.

Mike

Mickey, and all
If you suspect you're being cheated at the gas pump, or weights of meat , produce at the grocery stores or even getting less than a full cord of firewood, get in touch with your local bureau of Weights and Measures.
Every gas pump & scale used to sell a product to the public is required to be checked and certified every year.
My Dad was deputy sealer of Weights and Measures for some thirty odd years, he specialized in all forms of liquid measure. Gas pumps, lpg meters, dairy milk tanks etc etc etc. But he could do it all.

Note: all the fuel he metered into the testing canisters was returned to the underground storage tanks.