No, you’re not. I do it too. 
I’ve also bought “reams” of paper that were 400 sheets instead of 500.
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Remember having to share a car, hand me down from grandpa, gas was maybe .28 a gallon at the time, I don’t think the gauge ever went above E.
I remember cruising with a friend and stopping at the local Deep Rock station. The manager was the most foul mouthed man I’ve ever met and he’d really let fly when we stopped for 50 cents’ worth of regular at a time when gas was in the neighborhood of 33 cents a gallon.
Years ago I had a customer who drove a 20 year old Buick, the car really was ready for the junkyard. She would buy her gas $10 at a time.
Well, the fuel gauge quit working. She wanted it fixed because she was always running out of gas since she didn’t know when to put another $10 in the tank. It needed a fuel sender, the part was obsolete but I found one somewhere, and also recommended since we were pulling the gas tank we should replace the pump as well. She was contemplating the $400+ repair cost and said she had no choice since she can’t keep being stuck on the road with no gas.
I explained to her that since her trip odometer worked she could fill the tank all the way, drive for 200 miles, and fill up all the way, and never run out of gas again.
She said she couldn’t do that because it cost over $50 to fill the tank and she couldn’t afford to do that all the time.
Yes, these people drive on the same roads we do.
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I think that she must have been related to my wacky ex-boss who would never put more than a few bucks worth of gas into his Buick because, “If you tell them to fill it up, they can cheat you”.
So, in order to “not get cheated”, he went to the gas station 4 or 5 times each week–for a few bucks of gas each time–thereby using an incredible amount of extra gas in the process, and cheating himself in regard to both gas and time.
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When I’ve taken test drives at new car dealerships it seems the gas tank is always near empty. Do you folks notice this too? Usually the low-fuel warning light is on, and the gauge is on “E”, which makes me concerned we’re gonna run out of gas during drive. So the sales-staff instructs me to pull over at the next gas station so they can put some gas in the tank. They usually put $1 or $2 in. I decided to ask the sales-staff why do this for every test drive? They explained that the sales-staff paid for the gas for test drives, not the dealership. Since the test drives were done by whichever sales-staff person was available, why pay for more gas than the very minimum amount needed? This meant every test drive involved stopping for gas.
I am struggling to understand the legality of this. If true, the salesmen at this dealership need to have a talk with their state’s labor board. Although a sales consultant at a car dealer might be paid straight commission, they are legally an employee–not an independent contractor. There is no way that an employee could legally be expected to pay for fuel–or anything else (other than damage caused by his own gross negligence)–for his employer’s vehicle.
I have not purchased a car from a dealer in years–the last time being when I bought my 2004 Corolla new, and it came with a full tank of fuel. I remember test-driving another 2004 Corolla at the dealer (since mine was special-ordered to delete certain features that I don’t like) and I drove it in city traffic and even took it on the freeway. I don’t remember it being low on fuel, and I doubt the sales consultant had to pay for the fuel I used.
I have purchased several used cars from private owners since then, and I am always amazed when they show up for the test drive and the fuel gauge is on “empty” and the warning light is on. That is a huge turn-off for me, because if the owner is too cheap to put much gas in the tank, they are surely too cheap to change the oil/coolant/transmission fluid on time either.
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Don’t even get me started on those propane tank exchange stands where $19.95 gets you 15 pounds of propane. Not only is it cheaper to refill your own bottle, but they put a full 20 pounds in it.
As a commissioned insurance salesman, I had to pay for all of the give-aways like calendars, flashlights, awards, etc. plus pay for my own car and gas. Just a cost of doing business.
You are an independent contractor, paying for your own transportation costs. A sales consultant at a car dealer is an employee of the dealership–not an independent contractor. The car is property of the employer, and is being operated for the benefit of said employer, i.e. for a customer to decide if they want to buy it, or one like it.
No I was an employee not an independent contractor, non-compete etc. Just no scheduled time.
Explaining to the general sales manager that the state labor board stated that you should be reimbursed for fuel should result in a $1 reimbursement but only once, the guy that replaces you won’t have a big mouth.
I have noticed the very low gas gauge too when test driving cars, and yet all the new car dealers here seem to give you a full tank of gas.
Did the store REQUIRE a prepayment for pumping your own gas? I know a lot of stations got ripped off in the past by people pumping their own gas then flying away without going inside to pay. If the store owner did not get the license number he was eating an expensive tank of gasoline.
Perhaps this was the problem the “half payment” was supposed to help alleviate.
The Monroney Sticker on the window of most new cars states:
Full tank of gas
I can understand the pre-pay situations. Some years back when gas was way high in price (3.50 here in OK where it’s usually one of the lowest) there were many instances of people driving off without paying.
It wouldn’t take many drive offs to put a real financial squeeze on a gas station or convenience store.
No. Prepay is only required if you want to specify the dollar amount ahead of time. If you pay at the pump with a card, you can pump as much or as little as you want/need. As I said earlier, the station is close and it’s where I go to fill the can for the lawn mower. They have no issue with me buying 1.2 gallons or so because I pay at the pump.
Must be nice. The Mrs. and I bought a 2016 Hyundai Tucson last night and it had less than half a tank. Maybe it’s different with used cars? At least it’s not running on fumes, LOL.
Yes, it is… different… with used cars.
Why do I bother? Anyway, thanks. I’ll figure out for what later.