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Demovictory9

(32,475 posts)
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 03:45 AM Apr 2022

gas station owner didn't notice his gas price was 45cents for 5 hours, on verge of tears


One customer, Henry DeHart of Chattanooga, knew something was wrong when, after putting 12 gallons of premium gas in the tank of his car, the pump’s digital readout displayed a surprising total: $5.64.

And the price per gallon? Just 45 cents.

-----

DeHart went inside to explain the situation to the gas station owner, he said.

-------

“He ran back around the counter [and] started poking at his screen and then turned green. Nobody had told him in the last 5 hours,” DeHart said.

“There’s no telling how much money he lost today. He was on the verge of tears,” he said.

----------


“How many people this morning thought, it’s my lucky day, while this man was getting taken to the cleaners?” he added.

Not everyone was happy that DeHart had brought their “lucky day” to an end, he said. A man in line behind him made that clear, DeHart said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/gas-station-owner-on-verge-of-tears-after-undercharging-for-fuel-in-tennessee/ar-AAWnvck
32 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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gas station owner didn't notice his gas price was 45cents for 5 hours, on verge of tears (Original Post) Demovictory9 Apr 2022 OP
Mr. Goody Two Shoes ruins the day for victims of Predatory Capitalism. Emile Apr 2022 #1
the gas station owner isn't setting the price of oil Skittles Apr 2022 #3
No kidding! Emile Apr 2022 #4
Biden pointed out... lame54 Apr 2022 #32
Well, that's a take n/t kcr Apr 2022 #6
If you were the gas station owner, would you want to be notified? TwilightZone Apr 2022 #7
How is it theft if the station sets the price? Emile Apr 2022 #16
What? That station owner is not a predatory capitalist. MineralMan Apr 2022 #9
Goody two shoes is not a bad name is it? Emile Apr 2022 #14
It was in your context dumbcat Apr 2022 #17
Sorry I'm so disappointing. Emile Apr 2022 #18
It's never used as a compliment, as far as I know. MineralMan Apr 2022 #25
I guarantee you most of those folk call themselves "Christians" Skittles Apr 2022 #2
No doubt. Filling up those giant Escalade Tanks with their megachurch cult stickers on kairos12 Apr 2022 #12
Totally on point... retiredgeek Apr 2022 #29
"There's no telling how much money he lost today." Alpeduez21 Apr 2022 #5
Yep! ProfessorGAC Apr 2022 #8
+1 LizBeth Apr 2022 #13
It would not happen in NJ because only operators and pump attendants can pump gas. TheBlackAdder Apr 2022 #10
Oregon, too MurrayDelph Apr 2022 #27
Sad that only one person stepped up and was honest. Not surprising, but sad. Wingus Dingus Apr 2022 #11
Yes it was sad dumbcat Apr 2022 #20
Gee who could that be? Emile Apr 2022 #22
1975 prices! roamer65 Apr 2022 #15
Does the store have cameras to get the plates... LiberatedUSA Apr 2022 #19
And do what? dumbcat Apr 2022 #21
LOL inthewind21 Apr 2022 #24
Who put the wrong price into the system? JHB Apr 2022 #23
In this day and age, there should have been a check to block zero dollars or a prompt to confirm. TheBlackAdder Apr 2022 #28
I wouldn't have noticed Shrek Apr 2022 #30
There was a time in my life (broke) that I would have happily accepted the windfall. SYFROYH Apr 2022 #26
Man, that Critical Race Theory math is just causing trouble all OVER! Aristus Apr 2022 #31

lame54

(35,326 posts)
32. Biden pointed out...
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 01:41 PM
Apr 2022

When the barrel price shut up so did the station marquees

When barrel prices dropped the marquees were very slow to adjust

TwilightZone

(25,485 posts)
7. If you were the gas station owner, would you want to be notified?
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 09:41 AM
Apr 2022

Taking advantage of someone in his situation is a form of theft, as far as I'm concerned. If not legally, then ethically. It appears that you're OK with that.

MineralMan

(146,333 posts)
9. What? That station owner is not a predatory capitalist.
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 09:49 AM
Apr 2022

He's just a guy with a small business. I would have done the same thing as that customer did. The station owner probably lives in the same down, and struggles to pay his bills, just like all of us.

Sometimes, good-hearted people just do the right thing. That customer did that. And you call him a name? That's a shame. What do you do to earn your living, I wonder?

kairos12

(12,874 posts)
12. No doubt. Filling up those giant Escalade Tanks with their megachurch cult stickers on
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 10:22 AM
Apr 2022

their windshields.

Yes. Skittles. I hate them.

 

retiredgeek

(34 posts)
29. Totally on point...
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 01:26 PM
Apr 2022

There is one of those mega churches not far from my house. On Sundays they have the local PD directing traffic when the church gets out...and yep there are tons of big-a** cadillac's, expeditions, and so on that come pouring out of the parking lot. And they will start their next week on Monday shafting employee's, price gouging, and so on but by golly they are "saved" so it's OK....

Alpeduez21

(1,757 posts)
5. "There's no telling how much money he lost today."
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 07:14 AM
Apr 2022

There really is a way to tell how much money he lost today. It involves arithmetic and no CRT.

ProfessorGAC

(65,203 posts)
8. Yep!
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 09:44 AM
Apr 2022

Kind of the whole point of high accuracy metered pumps & computers.
They know EXACTLY what that mistake cost.

 

inthewind21

(4,616 posts)
24. LOL
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 10:53 AM
Apr 2022

A manhunt for people who paid the advertised price. Set by him no less. That's just funny. And we wonder how this country got where it is. Privatize the gains, socialize the loss.

JHB

(37,162 posts)
23. Who put the wrong price into the system?
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 10:48 AM
Apr 2022

Not to minimize the unkindness of customers who didn't say anything, but as the owner, it's his responsibility. Either he set it wrong and didn't double-check, or someone else set it and he didn't double-check.

Two other thoughts:
How many of those customers saw what they expected to see and didn't even realize it was 10% of what it should be. Figured it would be around 50 bucks, saw that the first number started with "5", and didn't think about it further because it was a routine thing they were doing.

The story mentions a language barrier. Was that a factor?

Shrek

(3,984 posts)
30. I wouldn't have noticed
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 01:35 PM
Apr 2022

When I fill up I start the pump and then go inside to buy my coffee or whatever. When I go back to the car I put the nozzle back and drive away. I don't normally look at the total.

SYFROYH

(34,184 posts)
26. There was a time in my life (broke) that I would have happily accepted the windfall.
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 11:01 AM
Apr 2022

And there are a lot of broke people out there.


Aristus

(66,467 posts)
31. Man, that Critical Race Theory math is just causing trouble all OVER!
Wed Apr 20, 2022, 01:38 PM
Apr 2022


It's either that, or the evils of decimalization...

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