- Thread starter Black Dog
- Start date
Ripped off at the petrol station
The counter was at zero, counter at the end showing 2.000 Pesos and you have half of what you paid. Your suggestion?
Stealing fuel, is no joke .. it can be a big Racket ..
here in NY a company was convicted of stealing more than $17 MIL of Fuel by cheating customers .
If this Gas station figured out how to TRICK the Pump, or is pumping BACK into the Tank somehow, they can make a small Fortune in a very short time .
The Old scam was not setting the meter back to $00000
But this sounds a lot more sophisticated, and if it catches on, it could be Real Big .
This right here says it all .... there is NO way to protect yourself, if they have got a way to trick the pump.. it CAN be done ..it HAS been done ..
You are NOT in NY. In the D.R., once they have your money you have very little chance of getting it back. You have almost 0 recourse to do anything about it.
Your only defense is to be alert and try to stay even by ... being alert, watching and knowing what is going on.
If not.......... just pay and leave. Really is no point in complaining after the fact.
I understand all that ... the people in NY did not get their Money back either, there was NO way to track it back to how much they ripped off from each, and who the people even were .. they just figure it out AFTER the fact , through AUDITS .
point was, it CAN be done ( the Theft part ) .
and we not arguing here ..
point was, it CAN be done ( the Theft part ) .
and we not arguing here ..
people steal in the first world, too. not just in places like the DR. sometimes they have to pay out several million dollars to settle with victims. yes, it?s not only Dominicans and other third world people who are dishonest.
Yes but not as many local scams. Just be skeptical. I loaned a Gringo, I thought I knew, $5K in Costa Rica years ago and that was money lost - poof. Since then I have stuck to the best advice ever given : "Neither a lender or borrower be".
The only way to stop this from happening is to get out of the car and watch the attendant set the pump back to zero and start pumping your gas. I have been ripped off. It is an expensive lesson. Do not get distracted and make sure you get out of your car to make sure the pump is running. I am sure many, including tourists with rental cars, have been ripped off. This is the same thing as someone picking your pocket. This scam is one of the biggest ripoffs in the DR. Buyer beware.
Nah, the biggest scam is the actual quality of the gas.....
Amen! *We only buy premium gas there (not required in our car), and once a month we throw in a bottle of gas treatment or fuel injector cleaner in the tank. *
Me too.
I always get out of the car, and they actually start showing me what they do, quite a few guys don't even start pumping until I have nodded "ok" after they say "esta en zero". Then my wife told me to always insist, that they pump slowly and constantly. They often times don't want to do this, but then we say that again, or tell them to stop completely. Lastly, know approximately, how and how fast the gauge should move. If it doesn't move as expected, tell them to stop.
In this thread it was mentioned that someone was scammed 2000 pesos because of the gauge. As far as I have seen, no gauge stays in zero one moment, if that much gasoline is pumped in. With 300-500 pesos perhaps, but with 2000 pesos no.
Manual of getting gasoline in the DR
1. make sure the gasoline-gauge is activated
2. tell all passengers to stop talking and mind their own business
3. tell the fuc... eh person that is helping you exactly what you want and for how much money
4. check if the meter is at zero and if he has the right gasoline or diesel
5. while pumping check your gauge, the meter and make sure the fuc...sorry...the pump-employee sees you doing this
6. never, ever start a conversation, say NO to washing windows or checking oil and coolant (they have no clue what the difference is anyway...)
7. do NOT get distracted during the whole process and keep checking your gauge and the meter all the time
8. make sure they close the cap and door
9. pay after you receive the gasoline and your gauge moved accordingly the amount of gasoline you bought
For the real die-hards; check if there is no bucket or something under or beside the car where they can put some gasoline in (yes, saw that once)
Oh...another thing...when they smile a lot, pay even more attention to everything, they are not happy because the sun is shining!!!!
1. make sure the gasoline-gauge is activated
2. tell all passengers to stop talking and mind their own business
3. tell the fuc... eh person that is helping you exactly what you want and for how much money
4. check if the meter is at zero and if he has the right gasoline or diesel
5. while pumping check your gauge, the meter and make sure the fuc...sorry...the pump-employee sees you doing this
6. never, ever start a conversation, say NO to washing windows or checking oil and coolant (they have no clue what the difference is anyway...)
7. do NOT get distracted during the whole process and keep checking your gauge and the meter all the time
8. make sure they close the cap and door
9. pay after you receive the gasoline and your gauge moved accordingly the amount of gasoline you bought
For the real die-hards; check if there is no bucket or something under or beside the car where they can put some gasoline in (yes, saw that once)
Oh...another thing...when they smile a lot, pay even more attention to everything, they are not happy because the sun is shining!!!!
I guess I'm the odd man out. I always get out of the truck and watch while I have my tank filled. I know within a gallon or two of how much it will take, I know the price of the fuel, so I have a good idea of when the pump will kick off.
More than one way to skin a cat.
More than one way to skin a cat.
Or.........
Always fill up at the same place, locally*de pr?f?rence. Today I actually walked away to say hello to some people while the guy pumps the diesel.
They didnt steal my wheels, nor my shopping, nor my spare tire *
And I actually got my 1000 pesos worth too !!!
But yes, I do tend to always put in the same amount ( 1000 pesos ) and always more or less when I am down to 1/4 of the tank. So, as you get older, you tend to know how much the gauge goes up.
I am xtra careful when I get gas at any not-local station. But they*always tell you to " check the zero" before starting to pump. ( not to say they aimt scamming you some other way ).
The good thing is the dr is tiiiiny...... you could drive right across the island and back w/o filling up ( ok, slight exageration
).So stick to your usal gas station.
Or.........
Always fill up at the same place, locally*de pr?f?rence. Today I actually walked away to say hello to some people while the guy pumps the diesel.
They didnt steal my wheels, nor my shopping, nor my spare tire *
And I actually got my 1000 pesos worth too !!!
But yes, I do tend to always put in the same amount ( 1000 pesos ) and always more or less when I am down to 1/4 of the tank. So, as you get older, you tend to know how much the gauge goes up.
I am xtra careful when I get gas at any not-local station. But they*always tell you to " check the zero" before starting to pump. ( not to say they aimt scamming you some other way ).
The good thing is the dr is tiiiiny...... you could drive right across the island and back w/o filling up ( ok, slight exageration
So stick to your usal gas station.
Yep, this is pretty much my Modus operandi.
I dont think some of you are grasping The nature of this Scam , if it is what I think it is ..
they are pumping SOME of the fuel BACK into the main tank.. Which means the OWNER is in on it ...
Like I said before its been done before , it can be done .. and if these Bozos figured out how to do it ,, y'all are NOT going to Stop them, until some people get arrested, and prosecuted , including the Owner ..
The other ZERO setting thing, yeath that is just common sense ..
they are pumping SOME of the fuel BACK into the main tank.. Which means the OWNER is in on it ...
Like I said before its been done before , it can be done .. and if these Bozos figured out how to do it ,, y'all are NOT going to Stop them, until some people get arrested, and prosecuted , including the Owner ..
The other ZERO setting thing, yeath that is just common sense ..