Is it just me? Is the joy of owning a car similar to the joy of being whacked about the head with a fence paling?
As further proof that a dark malevolent force has clamped itself to the collective crotch, here’s another sign of the times: petrol pre-pay is now on the rise.
Pre-pay, brothers and sisters, in case you are unaware, is when you stand for an hour— or five minutes at least—at a petrol pump wondering why the damn thing won’t turn on, before you notice a little sign saying: “Please pay before using this pump; we apologise for the inconvenience”.
Oh joy, whacko, great.
Yes, alas, Victorian motor industry group, VACC, has asked for ‘forbearance’ from motorists as increasing numbers of service stations institute pre-pay systems on the servo forecourt, especially after-hours.
The reason? Higher petrol and diesel prices have produced an increase in ‘fuel theft’—motorists filling up, and then driving off without paying.
According to VACC, ‘drive-off’ theft has become a significant problem for the industry, especially for smaller independent operators who do not enjoy the same wholesale fuel discounts as oil-company and supermarket chain outlets. In short, they pay more for the fuel they sell.
“Many independent service stations run on the barest of thin margins,” VACC executive director David Purchase said.
“Unfortunately, as a direct result of the rapid rise in fuel prices, there has been increasing incidence of drive-off theft from service stations, where customers leave the premises without paying for the fuel they pump into their vehicles.
“This is stealing and motorists should be warned they will get caught if they do it,” he said.
While most service stations have CCTV monitoring of vehicles at the pump, this apparently does not deter some of the more brazen thieves who, it is reported, often use stolen number plates to avoid detection. According to VACC, pre-paying for fuel is the most effective method of preventing drive-offs.
So, it’s officially now an epidemic: the pain in the pocket is now slowly spreading to the arse-region.
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It’s nothing new that the mafia (oil companies, derr) have been raping us all financially, but to be honest I have no problem with pre-paying, the only problem I have is paying for 2 illegal taxes on our fuel - the excise and the GST - the one and only solution to high fuel prices is REMOVAL of both illegal taxes. I can understand taxes on tobacco, but not to punish (without further abusing Labor’s favourite pity-tag-line) “hard working families and low income earners”
Pre-paying is commonplace in California (I dont know about the rest of the States). Last time I was there it came as a bit of shock and its a pain in the arse for the customer used to just filling up - whatever the cost.
This is just the start of the fun and games that high fuel prices will bring.
It can’t be that annoying though, surely. Either you fill up and then go inside to pay, or you go inside to pay and then fill up. Isn’t the amount of time spent about the same?
I guess I don’t have your in-built seat of the pants petrol meter Mike. The hard bit is having a guess how much petrol your car will take when you are paying upfront and want to fill the tank.
ok heres the plan
every motorists gets a ” free” RTA electronic tag, the same one that pays the toll gate, you already prepaid on that account so when you go to fuel station, you fill up and it blips when you drive out. it’ll have to integrate to company fuel card electronically for business type. go further and use that tag for parking so you pay ONLY for the time you park and not 3 hr costing for 2hr and 5 mins worth
It’s alright to use the card option at Mobil pumps - swipe the credit card and then you can fill it right up without having to specify the amount you want up front.
But having said that, I reached the $75 fuel delivery limit on my amex for the first time the other day…