Every time you enter a filling station, be warned that there’s a chance the unscrupulous attendant is fooling you. There are chances that he is using deceit to rip you off. He might throw a barrage of questions at you and engage you in meaningless conversation while pulling a cunning trick. Here’s how you can be forewarned:
The fuel attendants always keep their fingers firmly stuck to the nozzle
This happens even when they have already fed a fixed amount to be filled. The attendants tend to manually intervene the flow of the fuel, by delivering the required amount in short bursts and multiple installments.
Such antics used by them rips you off a litre’s worth of fuel!
They use a fuel dispenser pipe, longer than what is actually required
This trickery ensures that a decent portion of the fuel dispenses, remains as residue in the longer pipe, which is pumped back! But you end up paying for that as well!
And the oldest trick in the book, successfully employed by them is ‘distraction.’
Have you ever noticed the attendants engaging you in meaningless conversation like, “Sir, mileage kitna deti hai” or “Aap cash doge ya card?” It is during this time, that the attendant cunningly plays with the meter, resetting it. So, stay cautious.
In an extension to the trick mentioned above, the attendant might even stop midway
….and try to resume after re-enquiring with you about how much to fill. During the whole conversation, chances are that the attendant hasn’t reset the meter. For instance, if you intend to get a refuel of Rs. 1000, the attendant might stop at Rs. 200 and reconfirm. He would then set the auto cut-off at Rs. 800 without resetting. You lose Rs. 200 worth of fuel!
When they distract you, they fill in the amount you have asked for, on the screen. They later show it as the amount that has been filled. But if the meter is blinking, it means that the number has just been fed there. A filled amount wouldn’t blink and would be displayed as Rs. 500.00 and not just 500.