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Who said air is free?
dickydonkin
Posts: 3,055 Forumite
I have just been to my local Shell garage near Durham to blow up my tyre and they now charge 50p to use the air pump.
My opinion for what it's worth is that this is potentially a safety issue.
People running on a flat tyre may not have change to use the machine and drive on tyres in a dangerous condition or even be discouraged to use the pump.
Do these companies not extract enough out of the motorist? - sheer greed although I suspect it will be the supplier of the pumps that take most of the money and pay the garage some form of commission.
Are there any garages left where you can get free air?
There is the old adage that it would only be a matter of time before this government tax the air we breathe - it seems that Shell are sort of taxing their 'loyal customers' for the air in our tyres!!
My opinion for what it's worth is that this is potentially a safety issue.
People running on a flat tyre may not have change to use the machine and drive on tyres in a dangerous condition or even be discouraged to use the pump.
Do these companies not extract enough out of the motorist? - sheer greed although I suspect it will be the supplier of the pumps that take most of the money and pay the garage some form of commission.
Are there any garages left where you can get free air?
There is the old adage that it would only be a matter of time before this government tax the air we breathe - it seems that Shell are sort of taxing their 'loyal customers' for the air in our tyres!!
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Comments
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One reason they do it is to stop young kids trying to blow up (and sometimes literally explode) their bike tyres.
Also, the air doesn't magically appear from the end of the tube - it costs electricity to run the machine
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My local shell only charges 20p, but rather annoyingly, it only lets you inflate 4 tyres. The automatic system allows you to dial in your preferred PSI then when you connect the schrader valve it let's out a little air then brings the tyre up to your selected pressure. Each time you disconnect the hose it counts as one tyre.
Personally, I prefer a 'timed' system as when I check my tyre pressures I like to do my spare also!0 -
Garages have been charging (20p) for years though. It was only ever going to be a matter of time before they increase the price.
As a matter of principle, I absolutely refuse to pay it. Don't think I ever have in my life.
In fact, I still have my little mini compressor from Woolies (£10) which i bought when this rip off started to become commonplace in the small independent garages.
They argue it costs them to run the compressor.
I argue it was on anyway.
I mean, how much air does it really take to increase your tyres from 28psi to 30psi?You have been reading.....another magnificent post by garethgas :beer:0 -
Personally I'm not going to lose any sleep over the odd 20p/50p for the convenience of using them! I probably lose more than that every month in loose change falling out of my pockets!!0
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My local sainsburys one is still free and coincidentally thats where I buy my diesel from.0
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Have you tried asking when you fill up? I've seen them give me 20p for it before or I think Morrisons give you a number to type in.0
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One reason they do it is to stop young kids trying to blow up (and sometimes literally explode) their bike tyres.
Also, the air doesn't magically appear from the end of the tube - it costs electricity to run the machine
And how much does the product cost that is being dispensed?
The cost of electricity used is peanuts to these massive companies - what happened to good customer services? - especially as it is a safety issue as well.
Personally I'm not going to lose any sleep over the odd 20p/50p for the convenience of using them! I probably lose more than that every month in loose change falling out of my pockets!!
Totally missing the point!One reason they do it is to stop young kids trying to blow up (and sometimes literally explode) their bike tyres.
Ah...so they are charging in the interest of safety then - perhaps it was just me being cynical in thinking that it was just another way to extract cash out of the already fleeced motorist!
That problem can be easily resolved by issuing codes/tokens to fuel buying customers only as scotsman4th described above.0 -
dickydonkin wrote: »And how much does the product cost that is being dispensed?
The cost of electricity used is peanuts to these massive companies - what happened to good customer services? - especially as it is a safety issue as well.
Totally missing the point!
Ah...so they are charging in the interest of safety then - perhaps it was just me being cynical in thinking that it was just another way to extract cash out of the already fleeced motorist!
That problem can be easily resolved by issuing codes/tokens to fuel buying customers only as scotsman4th described above.
Maybe some people just pay anything that is asked of them?
I don't, if I think it's ripping me off I'll complain.0 -
skiddlydiddly wrote: »My local sainsburys one is still free and coincidentally thats where I buy my diesel from.
and mine.. unless you live near me and it's the only one left.0 -
Simple answer is don't use it then. Even to install a machine that accepts codes is going to cost money that has to be recouped some how, in case you hadn't noticed shell/bp/esso are all businesses their aim is to make a profit!!
Some forecourts charge some do, it has been that way for atleast 10 years.Everyones opinion is the most important.....no wonder nothing is ever agreed on.0
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