Complaint Review: Conoco Express

It has now been five months.  The dishonost owners/operators are now gone.  I guess other people thought customer service is important too.  I went to that same gas station, same pump and the da**ed thing is still not functioning properly.  I stayed by the car this time.  Again, the pump did not shut off and began to spirt out of the car.  After everything that happened, they know the pump is defective but are keeping the extra money they get from it.  Otherwise, it would have been fixed months ago.

Either way, I got my money back and the rude SOB who ran the place is now gone.  The customer wins!

I got two cards and a nice letter from Conoco expressing their regret that I had a problem at one of their stations.  They DO CARE about their customers.  Not everyone is at short-sighted as the rude person answering these posts at Rip Off Report.

I'm done talking to you. 

that they would send you gas cards and not a refund. Not the same thing :)

Guess who still kept your money? The gas station.

Guess who sent you gift cards? Conoco.

Odds are they aren't even the same company. Most gas stations with branded gas pay a fee to sell that brand of gas. They aren't actually owned by that oil company. Meaning I could open a store and sell conoco, shell, citgo, etc gas if I wanted to pay a fee to get that brand of gas.

So the station told you hell no. Conoco though (which is likely a separate company) is willing to throw some gift cards at you in order to get you to shut up. It all makes sense now. Its just like whining at mcdonald's until they give you a free cheeseburger.

Why would I lie?  (You idiot).  Conoco called me yesterday and is sending me two $20.00 gas cards.  And no,  the three stations I noticed are all open for business.

I don't believe this idiot, either.  He's already proven to everyone that he is not only a liar, but a stupid liar.  EVERYONE knows that air, being lighter than liquids, rises to the top, and that all fuel pickups are on the bottom of gas tanks.  And then to state that he got paid for his own stupidity is hilarious !!!  This guy is as bad as Charles down in Phenix City.  They're both a couple of jacka**es !!!  

A company will sometimes give a customer something to basically shut them up because it's not worth a fight. If indeed they actually did.

Just because you found some stations that are out of compliance does not mean anything either.

The fact remains that you are dead wrong and are too stubborn to admit it. There are people like that unfortunately.  You'd probably make a good politician.

" I just got all my money back and then some from Conoco's corporate headquarters! "

   Do you honestly expect anyone to believe that Conoco rewarded your stupidity?   Give me a break.    The more likely scenario is that they pleaded with you to frequent Chevron and Exxon stations instead of theirs.    You don't seem to get that your stunt singled you out as the type of customer that any gas station fears. 

YOu have managed to ripoff conoco with your own stupidity. How does it make you feel?

if you find a gas station without those signs, you should report them to the state. The government mandates them to be there.

I don't believe a word of what you are saying. Why would corporate return money to you for a violation you did by leaving the pump unattended?

Also, are those stations where you did not see the sign open, operating stations or are they closed locations?

I just got all my money back and then some from Conoco's corporate headquarters!  And for your information, not all pumps have the sticker about not leaving the pump unattended.  I have found at least 3 so far in Nw Arkansas.

It just goes to show, when you think you've been treated badly, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.  DON'T JUST TAKE IT.

He is obviously mentally challenged.  Listen, just in case no one told you, turn off your engine and no smoking while refueling okay?

LOL what an idiot!

 Really sad this happened to you, and that the lesson is so costly.

  BUT every station in Arkansas has a sign posted at about 8 ft up on the poles holding up the canopy. It is the law that the sign be placed in that location. And those signs do say that you are not to leave your car.

 And truth be told, the "new owner' most likely does not "own" that station. He owns the "store" that is inside, leases really, and he collects payment for the fuel. Some local fuel distributer problem owns the building, land, fuel pumps and the fuel. The "owner" gets paid a few cents per gallon to take your money and pass it on to the real owner. Thus the "new owner" really does not care about fuel sales and does it only as a way to attract people to stop at his store. He hopes while you are buying gas, you will buy a an item in his store and thus he can make his 30% profit.

 So lets do some math.....If the owner was to give you $30 back, he still has to pay the fuel company. So at his average profit of 30% he would have to sell you appox $150 of items inside his store, just to break even all while losing his investment, time, energy and profit on those items.

 And tho you complain, you are really lucky that his clerk did not call the fire station for a wash down. If the FD had shown up, they would have done a Haz-Mat clean up and cost you mega bucks. If the local Fire Chief catches wind that they were not called, he will run by and pay them a visit and might even leave them with a healthy fine for lack of reporting a spill.

 So you screwed up, we all do. Mark this as a lesson in life that is much cheaper than going to UA.

Because everyone knows that Yahoo Answers is the best place to go for legal advice.

You arent getting your money back, you messed up, and you are trying to rationalize it anyway you can.

You also didnt post the rest of the responses. *1* person agreed with you.

"The rules state you must attend and be in control of the nozzle at all times. Many stations are now disabling the lever lock because a lot of people aren't staying beside the nozzle.

Like it or not, you are responsible for the spill.

4 years ago
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by Squat1

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You are, read the "warning" on the pump.

4 years ago
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by Tom

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if you are at a self service station at least in the state of new york there should be no provision for automatic pumping .
here most people violate the rules by wedging the trigger some how ,with puts the liability on you
Source(s):
work in a full service gas station

4 years ago
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by Jurrassi...

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You're right... once it reaches capacity it should automatically stop. Gas buddy is wrong.

4 years ago
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by greg s

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you are, you are not to walk away while pumping the locks are so your hand does not cramp

4 years ago
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What you would have to do in order to prove any sort of liability to the gas station is prove that the gas pump you used was broken. If the pump was broken and that was the cause of the spill then they would be liable. If you used it incorrectly they would not, can you prove that the pump is broken? Did you call any state agencies, such as weights and measures, to come out and examine the gas pump in question to see if it is in full working order? if the pump is in full working order and no one can find anything wrong with it, then the gas station is not liable. There are a multitude of reasons why gas would come out without it clicking off, that's why you don't leave the pump unattended.

What, no response, smart a**!

I'd rather be full of myself, than full of spilled gasoline.

There once was a man filling gas.  Who left his pump alone like an a**.

While inside the store.

The gas spilled to the floor.

And his request for a refund didn't pass.

This is from the internet today regarding gas pumps that don't shut off.  See, they agree with ME!

chris g

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Who is responsible for a gasoline spill at a gas station when the automatic shut off doesn't work?

I was pumping gas the other day and engaged the lever lock to hold the pump handle in the on position and sat in my car while the tank filled. Suddenly I smelled gas and noticed it running down my car, shooting onto the pump and shooting onto the car on the other side of the pump. I notified the attendant and got major 'tude. He accused me of deliberately pumping the gas on the ground! I contend that this is the fault of the gas station for not having a working shut off valve. Why would they put lever locks on the pumps otherwise?

4 years ago
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I reported the spill to the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality. I understand that the gas station puts up signs that say "don't leave pump unattended" but then why don't they remove the lever locks. Other states don't allow the lever locks because of possible spills when the shut off fails. I did not wedge my gas cap in the pump handle, I used the appropriate provided mechanism to lock the lever in the pump handle in the pump position. This is a mixed message, they wan't you to watch the pump but then provide a way to pump without watching. I think they want to have their cake and eat it too. They want the customer to be able to leave their car while the gas pumps so they can walk in the store and buy other items but when a spill occurs they blame the customer because they posted a sign that says not to leave the pump. This doesn't fly. Can someone weigh in with a legal standpoint opinion? Who is supposed to clean up the spill or or pay to have it done?
4 years ago

by G T

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Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
The gas station is, they should have all their equipment in working order. If you had a cell phone you could have called Hazardous Waste, which could or should be posted at the station.

All the pumps I've used lately will not pump any gas unless its in the filler neck.

Because the moron at the station copped an attitude, I'd go back to the station again and get the number off the pumps for the Weights and Measures people and call them (its an 800 number). Tell them what happened and who you should report the spill/malfunctioning pump to. You shouldn't have to pay for the gallon or gallons of gas that went onto the ground.

I had a similar incident with a foreign puke that copped an attitude when the pump started at 25 cents before I even pumped. His attitude changed when I told him that I was calling Weights and Measures!

4 years ago
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But at least we know how to read, because you are not going to convince anyone that you NEVER in your years of driving and presumably getting gas that you never once saw a sign that said to not leave your vehicle unattended.

Also, by your own account there was probably about 10 gallons of gas that overflowed.   I am sure that the city/county this station is in frowns on businesses just dumping gas down the local storm sewers, so I am sure it cost him more than a few bucks to clean up YOUR mess.  So in thinking about this I actually agree with you on one point, I think that the owner should have handled it differently.  I think they should have charged you for this cleanup.

Next time you get gas, look around the pumps. i bet you notice all sorts of warnings that you've never bothered reading. There's usually a sign listing all the unsafe things you are not supposed to do around gas pumps. INCLUDING "Never leave your vehicle unattended"

This gas station was 100% right in denying your refund.

That is total crap.  I can't believe your employer allows you to be so rude and arrogant.  Yes, I may have been PARTIALLY at fault, but not completely.  The pump should have shut off, the owner should have handled things differently and I learned a few lessons.  I hope they do as well.

It would actually be VERY unusual if the pump doesn't tell you to not leave the pump unattended.  I actually don't ever remember seeing a pump without a label.

You are absolutely wrong and you know it, but you are one of those people who are just incapable of admitting it.

You can be as rude and arrogant as your employer will let you be.  I only know what happened.  I'm over 60 years old and have never seen a sign in any gas station to stay with your car while pumping.

And yes, my business SHOULD matter to this merchant.  From a happy stead customer who spends money there almost daily to a PISSED OFF CUSTOMER WHO WILL TELL ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN NOT TO SHOP THERE.  You bet that matters to the business' success.  If he wants to be short sighted and lose business, so be it.

You, too, should learn that the customer DOES matter.

The owner is better off not having you as a customer anymore, and his staff, other customers and next door neighbors, not to mention passersby, are all a lot safer now that there's 1 less customer there who chooses to leave their pump unattended.

Why would I lie
- Let's say you didn't intentionally lie, let's just say that you posted what you thought based on what you "observed".  Okay let's give you this.  The problem is that your claims are basically impossible and caused from an event that was your fault.  Where after you were "called" on your statements you continued to post the same claims.

I also know that the owner should have taken a different approach, being that he is new in the neighborhood and I WAS a very steady customer.
- There are two basic flaws with this statement. 

First you are assuming that the old owner would have treated you any differently.  Now unless the exact same thing happened with the old owner and they old owner refunded you cheerfully you can not "assume".  Because you do know what happens when you do that.

Second how long you have been a customer doesn't mean a thing.  Are you really saying that if this was your first time at the station that you would not think that you are "entitled" to a refund?  If not then that has nothing to do with this.

While, I don't expect you to comprehend this but let's try anyways.  It is good that you learned a lesson.  Now you just have to learn to take responsibility for your actions.  Because if you didn't actually learn a lesson and this happens again I am sure that we will see another "ripoff" from the next station who doesn't refund you.

You certainly are rude and flippant!  I KNOW DARNED WELL HOW MY CAR RAN BEFORE AND AFTER GASSING UP AND WHAT HAPPENED.  Why would I lie about that.  What I said was true.

Yes, I have learned a lesson.  I also know that the owner should have taken a different approach, being that he is new in the neighborhood and I WAS a very steady customer.

I don't know anyone who leaves a self service gas pump unattended while gassing up.

Even when at a full service station where the illiterate attendant does so, I'll get out of my car and watch the pump, and remove it the second it clicks if they don't get back by then.

In fact, it seems to me that the little brackets holding the pump open that the full service guys set when they want to walk off aren't even functional, or on, the self serve pumps I've used, unless I just don't know how to work them, which is good, since I SHOULDN'T be tempted to work them.

I've had pumps overflow on me when the stop mechanism didn't work. You don't trust an overworked piece of crappola like that to not malfunction when it will spew dangerous explosive fuel all over the place if it does.

No way is this a ripoff, but it OUGHT to be an education.

" No, I don't claim to know everything about car engines, gas tanks, etc. "

   Of course you're no expert on cars, otherwise you would have known better than to concoct nonsensical stories about air bubbles.  Those of use who do know how cars work are well aware that you made that up.

   When you exaggerate and fabricate on this site, no one tends to take the rest of your post seriously.

No, I don't claim to know everything about car engines, gas tanks, etc.  Most people don't, Smart Alec!  I only know that the car ran fine and always has until that happened.  Afterward, it halted, stammered, etc (like I said).

Air bubbles in the tank?  Wouldn't more volume of gasoline in the tank mean less 'air bubbles'?  Aren't the dangerous 'air bubbles' usually located at the top of the tank, far away from the fuel intakes?  Do you really think air bubbles get locked into a gas tank, get thru the fuel pump, carbuerator/fuel injection system?  Do you have ANY idea how an internal combustion engine works?

Leaving the gas pump completely unattended while pumping gas is a dumb move.  I cannot remember a gas station I have been to that does not have a sign or stickers on the pump handles "Do not leave pumps unattended while pumping gas".  I cannot imagine a store owner not installing the signs/stickers just to protect himself from people who stupidly leave their cars while the pumps are on.  Im sure you left the gas station with all that gas on the ground too -- feeling all the time it could not possibly be YOUR fault.

Sometimes dumb hurts, to the tune of $35. 

The last time I did this the station demanded a $300 clean up fee.

My lawyer said I would loose in court and to pay.

What you did is illegal where I live.

When I did this a minimum $1500 fine and clean up costs.

The station did not file a complaint, I count myself lucky.

" I should not have to stay with the pump!  Nobody does!  "

   I've always thought it was idiotic that a few states made it illegal for people to pump their own gas.  The main question being, "What kind of doofus can't properly operate a gas pump?".    I think I have my answer now.  

You ask how I came to the conclusion that it nearly damaged my car?  Very simple.  Overflooding the gas tank like that put a lot of air bubbles into the tank.  It ran like crap for about 1-1/2 days until I ran out some of the gas.  It would halt, hesitate, not accelerate properly.

I have to agree that this is your fault. I worked for several convience store chains in my youth, and this was a common occurrance. That's why there are signs on the pumps saying to never leave your car unattended while fueling. The automatic cutoffs do not work every time, especially if you do not have the pump nested just right in your car. I've also see inclement weather screw with the sensors also. I also never refunded anyone's money when this occured, if you had remained at your car while fueling as you should have it would never have occured.

You are not supposed to leave the pump unattended while pumping gas.  While I can not say specifically about this station I would still be willing to bet that there were signs posted that stated the same thing.

Now do people do this?  They sure do.  But that doesn't make it right and it also wouldn't take away their(or your) responsibility either.

Had you been at your car and it started to overflow where it pumped an extra $1 or so before you could shut it off then you would have a valid complaint and they should refund you that money.  But once you left your car you lost any claim you had.

It also put a lot of air bubbles in my gas tank and nearly caused me engine trouble.
- I'm really curious as to how you came to this conclusion?

I should not have to stay with the pump!  Nobody does!  That is why is has or is supposed to have an AUTOMATIC SHUT OFF!  This is just an excuse to keep my money that they have no right to.

This one's on you.  You should never have left your vehicle while you were fueling your tank. That is completely irresponsible. There are signs on the pump (usually) that tell you not to leave while fueling the tank. Even if there is no sign, it is common sense to not leave the pump running - especially if you have the super, duper, extra small gas tank to fill.

No, I don't work for a gas station and never have worked for one. But I do have common sense and can read the signs.