How I got scammed by a cunning fuel pump attendant's confusing tricks

First he made about 150-200 bucks out of the transaction and also a few litres worth of fuel because the tank is clearly not full.

BHPian city2491 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Came across an interesting scam today at IOCL Petrol Pump Mazagaon, Mumbai.

The Innova Crysta fuel gauge was showing little less than a quarter tank and asked the attendant to fill up 40L of diesel. Like conventional oldest scams running, he fills up 4L worth 377.xx and said you asked 4L only. I said no and made him reset the meter to 0. Even got me a printed bill of 377.xx.

Now here comes the interesting part. He bills me for 40L on credit card for 3770.xx Rs and starts filling up from 0. Incidentally, the auto cut off happens at 31.xx L only. Anyway he fills up some more and the car finally takes approx 33L. I asked him to put the rest in a container but he said the pump shuts off after 30s of inactivity and what not.

Now there are many things happening at once and I get confused. He says he'll return the excess amount in cash and since I was billed for the entire 40L, I get about 200 bucks. Now I know its less, but suddenly I have lost the 4L receipt and the pump is reset as well. Not wanting to argue over a few hundred bucks, I leave and drive home about 2km away. To my surprise, the car wasn't full. The gauge was between 3/4th and full.

First he made about 150-200 bucks out of the transaction and also a few litres worth of fuel because the tank is clearly not full. Just wanting to check how much fuel was deficit, I drive to another petrol pump, this time 2km in the opposite direction. Keep in mind the car has done 4km since the transaction and even if we take a very very conservative estimate of 8km/l it shouldn't have consumed more than half a litre.

BUT, at the second pump, I fill up to the brim and its 5.86L. Now the gauge shows full. So he's made a few hundred bucks in cash, and 552.30 Rs worth of fuel.

What I can't understand is I could see the diesel up till the brink but the tank was far from full after leaving. So he definitely did not put the initial 4L and somehow managed to not fill up the tank.

So lesson learnt:

• Never pay before the end of the transaction.
• Just leave and go to the next pump if it shuts off at less than what you have asked for.
• Check if your gauge shows sufficient increment.

Here's what BHPian amey027 had to say on the matter:

As an automotive engineer, I will recommend not switching off the car completely while filling fuel. Turn the engine OFF but not ignition. Modern cars are safe enough and the fuel tank is anyway situated at the back, far away from the engine and battery. It's risky for scooters and motorcycles since the tank is situated directly above the engine and even a small spill can lead to fire (only exception is Jupiter 2021 and beyond, the fuel cap is under the handle bar).

Keeping the ignition ON allows you to track the fuel filled in real time. Also keep your eyes like a hawk on the pump meter. I have a habit of first getting out of my car, standing next to the pump and then telling them how much I want to fill. Even if they provide a wrong input, you can correct it before the filling starts.

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