Shell petrol pumps

Laxey

I've been noticing at my local Shell petrol station it is impossible to put petrol in to a round figure. I have searched and found another thread on the forum about pumps being inaccurate and I realise that it is difficult to measure such a small amount of petrol to a round figure.

My point is that I can stop the pump at about £19.70 and upwards at 1p intervals but as soon as you get to £19.99, it jumps suddenly to £20.01. (it also happens on other round figures not just £20) It happens every time I go to Shell. Is this a con to make people carry on putting petrol in to the next round figure? In future I think I'll only put £19.99 in and make them give me the penny change but I would imagine a lot of people will end up spending more than they intended!

Has anyone else noticed this? Do you think it's an issue for Trading Standards?

Keith

Yes, it's a scam, contact TS. The machine is trying to con you....

anewman

Why not fill your tank anyway?! If you keep a log of how much you fill up by and how far you've gone you can keep a track of your MPG.

Don't see why it would be an issue for trading standards. If you could *prove* the pump was delivering significantly less fuel than stated by the pump then you may have some complaint.

Inactive

Just fill it up, stop worrying about a non issue.

sassy_one

Why are you worrying about a penny or two??

And in fact, Shell are no BIG con men (or women ) as I fill up at there garages a lot, specially with the new fuel save and I ALWAYS manage to get it dead on £10 or £20 or even £30!

So, if you are very careful and really do worry about the penny or two, maybe even three, OMG!!! then maybe you should use a different garage or buy a measuring jug ?

Quinny_2

Or get a life.

There's war, famine, and countless other issues which are more important, and your worried about a 1p.

Jeez. Lighten up man.

laird

For best value fill to the round litre

Why - Shell's reward scheme works on number of litres not on price so you will get just as many points for buying 10l as 10.99l.
The same applies to most of the fuel schemes I guess now?

Probably the most cost effective way would be to fill the tank then at the first click trickle in the last few parts of a litre to optimise the reward points.

Theoretically it could be more fuel efficient to part fill the tank but what you would gain in having less mass in the car to accelerate would be offset by the requirement to refuel more frequently (more starting and stopping of the engine) and the extra fuel burnt driving to the petrol pump and waiting to rejoin the flow of traffic.

kwaks

This is a very serious issue. Can I suggest you contact your GP for a referal to test your hand/eye co-ordination?


You do realise that your cars petrol consumption is measured by how far you drive, the petrol does not evaporate from your tank!!!

Most garages I use have a penny pot anyway, its a total non issue (as was the general consensus on the other threads as well).

Laxey

:rotfl: Wow you lot are a friendly bunch aren't you!

The reason I am here at "Money Saving Expert" is I do not have as much cash as I used to. The credit crunch has put a huge strain on business and I know where every penny of my money goes.

anewman : Thanks for the suggestion but I am capable of calculating my mpg without filling up.

Sassy-one : I use which ever petrol station has the cheapest fuel. That is usually my local Shell.

My original question was asking if Shell are trying to encourage people to go over their £10 or £20 limit by jumping to £20.01. I did not suggest they were giving me any less fuel than I am paying for.

If you are wasting your time reading my question and telling me to get a life, maybe you should read it correctly in the first place.

I thought the point of this forum is to help each other out, save money and be a bit cynical about big businesses making money out of the proletariat.

It may just be a penny or two to you but try thinking about how many people go through Shell in a day, how many of them try to put £10 in and think they are just a bit heavy handed and suddenly it's £10.01. Lots will round it up. That's either just an extra penny each person or another fiver or tenner. For every person, every day, all the time. How much extra money do you think that makes for Shell?

If you are not worried about the pennies, why are you here?

Sorry I'll add a just to keep it friendly

kwaks

We may at times be cynical about big business, but wouldn't want to be a part of wild conspiracy theories

darich

I've never had a problem stopping any pump on any particular target I might have in mind.
No matter whether it's Shell, BP, Sainsbury's, or Morrisons.

Most of the time I pay using my debit card so I fill it until no more goes in then pay whatever it costs - I've removed the stress of worrying about that penny and I feel so much better for it