What is the solution for fuel drive offs from garages?

[Cyclone]

Not practical for everyone - you ever filled a motorbike up? I always brim my tank, don't know what it's going to cost until its full

 

And you insist on paying in cash?

[slh73]

And you insist on paying in cash?

 

No, I usually pay at the pump where possible, but I'm not every biker in the country

 

---------- Post added 06-11-2018 at 06:26 ----------

 

There's an easy answer. Pay (in booth) more than it's likely to cost, fill up, go back to booth, and obtain a refund- yes, in cash if you insist.

 

Thars not an easy answer though, is it? Go in booth, queue, pay, fill up, go back in, queue again, obtain refund, leave, taking double the time it currently does. I generally pay by card and use pay at pump where possible to save taking my helmet off, but that doesn't go for everyone else

[TheNugget]

If the forecourt owner is losing more than they calculate they gain by footfall into their shop, then they should install pre-pay at pump terminals.

 

If the police/government is fed up of spending money on tracking down people who steal fuel then they should charge the forecourt owner the cost of the investigation, unless they have pre-pay at the pump. Simples.

[Cyclone]

No, I usually pay at the pump where possible, but I'm not every biker in the country

 

---------- Post added 06-11-2018 at 06:26 ----------

 

 

Thars not an easy answer though, is it? Go in booth, queue, pay, fill up, go back in, queue again, obtain refund, leave, taking double the time it currently does. I generally pay by card and use pay at pump where possible to save taking my helmet off, but that doesn't go for everyone else

 

Won't be a queue will there if most people are paying at queue.

But for someone who insists on paying cash and putting in an unknown amount of fuel it's the only way to be sure that they pay isn't it.

 

---------- Post added 06-11-2018 at 07:54 ----------

 

 

If the police/government is fed up of spending money on tracking down people who steal fuel then they should charge the forecourt owner the cost of the investigation, unless they have pre-pay at the pump. Simples.

 

Do we really want to set a precedent where the victim is charged for the privilege of having the police investigate a crime?

[nightrider]

What happens when a barrier comes down to prevent a motorist driving off as someone else is leaving?

 

Prepay? What if I dont put enough fuel in. How a refund going to work. Thats a bit tricky. No way am I going to leave a card with the cashier. Cash - then I need a receipt first... more paper to faff about with...

 

I believe in the US the pump itself has a card reader. You put the card in, it authorises it and then you pump as much as you want. Finally the cost is debited to your card.

 

---------- Post added 06-11-2018 at 12:40 ----------

 

I'm not sure how big an issue it is. Fuel can't be dispensed until the guys in the shop give permission, and I would assume that that would include some mechanism for registration plates to be caught on camera.

 

If someone does a runner for £40 worth of fuel, it would be easy to track them down.

 

Not always - apparently they often use false number plates...

[TheNugget]

Won't be a queue will there if most people are paying at queue.

But for someone who insists on paying cash and putting in an unknown amount of fuel it's the only way to be sure that they pay isn't it.

 

---------- Post added 06-11-2018 at 07:54 ----------

 

 

Do we really want to set a precedent where the victim is charged for the privilege of having the police investigate a crime?

 

In this case why not. There is a readily available solution, and no real reason not to do it for the big boys. It could be brought in sensitively- for example for the large chain/supermarket retailers, not independents. Then they can decide if the investment is worth the loss of revenue from stores and the costs of tracking down the perpetrators V the investment. Let the market decide.

 

---------- Post added 06-11-2018 at 13:38 ----------

 

If I left a hundred pound item unsecured on my drive, I’m asking for it to be taken. Shops put security tags on relatively low value items, but do nothing to secure their valuable fuel.

[Guest makapaka]

Not practical for everyone - you ever filled a motorbike up? I always brim my tank, don't know what it's going to cost until its full

 

Yeah but if you know it’s usually (say £35) you would just prepay say £38 and then only the actual amount is debited (say £36). If you drive off the full £38 is deducted.

[geared]

It's not cheap to redevelop a petrol station forecourt, I'd imagine the figures just don't add up vs the cost of a few fuel thefts.

 

Probably written off as a cost of doing business, perhaps they should just have a policy of switching all stations to pay at pump when doing a refurb.

That'd require forward thinking though, not always a strong point.

[helloitsonly]

go back to the old system of attended pumps and its job creation as well.

[Cyclone]

In this case why not. There is a readily available solution, and no real reason not to do it for the big boys. It could be brought in sensitively- for example for the large chain/supermarket retailers, not independents. Then they can decide if the investment is worth the loss of revenue from stores and the costs of tracking down the perpetrators V the investment. Let the market decide.

 

---------- Post added 06-11-2018 at 13:38 ----------

 

If I left a hundred pound item unsecured on my drive, I’m asking for it to be taken. Shops put security tags on relatively low value items, but do nothing to secure their valuable fuel.

 

A readily available and financially untenable solution and that makes it okay to blame the victim somehow?

I don't see your logic at all.