Discriminatory Petrol 'Offers'

[Jamz]

The other day when I filled up at a Texaco station, I was given a coupon which would give me 2p per litre off my next purchase of petrol - providing it was used within 7 days.

Great! With petrol prices like they are I'm paying over £1.10 per litre for Super Unleaded from there at the moment, so every little helps!:D

Then I read the small print...

I have to fill up with at least £15 worth of fuel.

Of the 9 bikes or so that I've owned, only one bike has EVER been able to get £15 into the tank! And even with the stupid prices today, it's not my current VFR!

So is this discriminatory against bikers???

It seems that quite often, although I ride every single day, I am excluded from these petrol company offers simply because I cannot fit enough petrol into my bikes tank for me to qualify!

Is it worth complaining about? And if so, who to???

[rene]

never really thought about that tbh, but i get tesco cupons were you get 5p off every 1lt you buy, they work with bikes and cars

although i dont be tesco fule in my bikes as its shite..

[Caz]

When I was commuting on the scooter, I used to get really worked up with the one petrol station I passed because they have a minimum card payment or cheque payment of £7.
Now the scooter only has a 9 litre tank, and petrol was only about 85p/litre at the time - you do the maths! I could only just squeeze £7 in if I was running on fumes. I complained and suggested they charged extra for payments under £7.
I used to keep £2 under the seat for 'emergencies' and if I needed fuel, I'd put the required minimum 2 litre delivery in - that would get me to a proper petrol station that wanted my business!

Ive gotta say tho - thats the first offer Ive heard of where there is a minimum delivery. The offer at my local garage is something like "spend over £15 and get a voucher for 2p off per litre off your next purchase". So you dont have to spend £15 to use the voucher, but you have to spend £15 to be given it..... if that makes sense!

much better idea IMO

/Caz

[Jamz]

That still excludes moded riders and many other bikers from the offer!

I understand that the fuel companies aren't the ones trying to encourage people to be environmentally aware, and so don't wish to get everyone riding bikes with high fuel economies, but it all seems a bit wrong to me!

[rene]

well personaly feel that the goverment should be doing more to make people want to ride bikes insted of making it harder and with less benafits...but thats a diffrent matter all togeather

minimum delivery for around here is normaly £5, when i had a ped i used to get done for it as i would just top it up for the work run (i used to do about 60 miles to work and back on a 50cc ped..) so i used to just stick abit in what came to £2 odd and used to get moaned at, but still what are htey going to do

[Jamz]

The other thing that pisses me off is when some places ask you to pre-pay for your petrol before filling up!

Chances are if you're on a bike over 5 years old, you don't even have a petrol gauge, and the difference between getting £8 and £9 in a tank can be huge!!!

How the fk are you supposed to guess that??? :smt013

[rene]

even more annoying than that is when they wont trun the pump on till you've taken you lid off, and when its -4 your fingers are that numb it takes 20 mins to get it off.

Now-a-days i just knock all the pumps off and ride away, monkeys

[RedexRobB]

Fill up with ya mates, you will easily hit 15 litres

I dont think its discriminatory, why would a large retail company think about the size of a bike petrol tank? They probably looked at the average fill at thier pumps which is probably just under 15 quid and went by that.

I can understand why they would want you to take your lid off or prepay, because they dont know who you are and you might drive off in which case they wont have your face on camera, thats thier thinking behind it. Its also polite to take your lid off, some dont see it as making any difference. But i can only relate it to those ethnic minority types who wear burkas or whatever they are called, to cover thier face, alot of people dont like that so why should it be different for bikers?

[Northern ANdy]

I get constantly annoyed with people who pay for petrol on a card, would like to see it cash only, 4 cash transactions can take place in one card transaction. With reference to the thread subject, if you don't like their offers, don't buy their fuel.

[Caz]

These offers are just as discriminatory towards car drivers as they are bikers. If you read the small print, there is quite often a maximum spend of about £60 - I can easily get £45 into my clio and the tank isnt particularly big.

Pay at pumps also have a maximum spend of about £60 so alot of car drivers cant fill the tank right up.

They simply cannot cater for everyone and have to draw limits somewhere.


with regards to not removing your helmet - I personally feel that leaving it on is just plain rude. surely courtesy (and respect) dictates that, if you can, you should show your face when conducting business?
That said, I am guilty of leaving my lid on occasionaly when I am in a real rush. But this is why I do my best to use the pay at pump


cash vs. card payments
Northern Andy - you cant seriously expect people to carry huge wads of cash around to pay for fuel? The espace has an 83 litre tank and to fill it right up with diesel costs almost £90. I rarely carry more than £30 cash on me - that's what plastic is for!
I pay for bike petrol with cash, but that's about the only thing I do use cash for! paying by card is usually much quicker for a number of reasons -
1) i dont have to check my change. I have very little confidence in peoples maths especially after I was asked by a (31 y/o)girl who works behind a till what 2 x 17 was!
and 2) when my card and receipt are handed to me together they are easy to separate and I dont have to stand there at the til separating the coins/notes and receipts.

[rene]

i dont feel its rude not to take your lid off at all, like rob said some people go in wearing them letter box style things over there heads, id find that a hell of alot more rude. Maybe its part of my religon? like the words of our founder, jamz "one will wear there helmet with pride".

honestly tho i dont see the point in holding up everyone behind me while i take my gloves off, undo my lid, pay then go though it all over again. Its just a waste of time when i can just pay and ride off.

[Jamz]

Until petrol station forecourts provide a raised platform free of petrochemicals etc that may harm my lawfully required protective helmet, and is also sanitary and dry, I will not remove my helmet to fill up!

Where am I supposed to put my helmet while I fill up???

On the floor in the fuel spills?

Resting precariously on the bike like everyone is expressly told NOT to do the first time they do their CBT?

If they ask me to remove my helmet AFTER I've filled up, I will clearly state that I am offering to pay for the fuel, and they are refusing to take my money, then show my money to the CCTV and leave the shop.

[RedexRobB]

How about on top of the petrol pump? Theres a space there at practically every petrol station i fill up at bar Texaco and Tesco where there is a space but it is a bit sketchy leaving it there as it not flat.

[masterofinsanity]

i dont feel its rude not to take your lid off at all, like rob said some people go in wearing them letter box style things over there heads, id find that a hell of alot more rude. Maybe its part of my religon? like the words of our founder, jamz "one will wear there helmet with pride".

honestly tho i dont see the point in holding up everyone behind me while i take my gloves off, undo my lid, pay then go though it all over again. Its just a waste of time when i can just pay and ride off.

totally agree in a mixed culture country that we live in why should we remove lids when there are women of ethnic minorities walking round that can't show their faces, at the end of the day thats their religion so be it but once again this country looks after the immigrants rather than its own people.

[deviant]

Northern Andy - you cant seriously expect people to carry huge wads of cash around to pay for fuel?

what she said ^^

I've never got more than about £20-30 on me. Off the top of my head the only things I pay cash for on a regular basis are drinks in the pub, if I have to buy a sandwich at work, and £3 to play football with some guys from work every week.

I try and sidestep the helmet/petrol station issue by filling up at places with pay at pump (usually tesco). On the occasions I fill up elsewhere I will take it off. The only time I can remember not doing so was in Toddington services on the M1 on sunday night - I was cold and wet and it was snowing and I just couldn't be arsed. They didn't seem too concerned about me leaving it on.

but generally I think the people making an issue out of being *forced* to remove their lids should lighten up a bit.

How about on top of the petrol pump? Theres a space there at practically every petrol station i fill up at bar Texaco and Tesco where there is a space but it is a bit sketchy leaving it there as it not flat.

Every tesco petrol station I've been in lately has been pay at pump, so having nowhere to put your lid isn't a problem.

Incidentally it never ceases to amaze me how many people *don't* use pay at pump, even when it's available, and even when they are blatantly going to go inside and pay the cashier with their card anyway!