‘Ridiculous’: Annoying petrol station act shocks Aussies

A frustrated driver has sparked a discussion online after revealing a common petrol station act that has left Aussies shocked.

Few things are more frustrating than realising you need to fill up the car when all you want to do is get home, especially on a freezing winter night when the last thing you want is to leave your toasty car.

Actually, scratch that - there is something worse: when the pump won’t start.

A post on Reddit’s r/CarsAustralia forum this week attracted lively discussion after one driver described a recent incident at the petrol station that left them “annoyed”.

The post read, “I don’t know if it’s just me or maybe the fact that it’s coming into winter but I feel like this is a very uniquely Australian problem.”

“I hate standing at the station making eye contact with the person behind the counter to hit the button to switch the pump on. The other night it felt like 0 degrees and I just got a blank stare by the person working behind the counter for like five minutes before they finally activated the pump.

“Any petrol station workers in here to explain why? Or is it to just watch and laugh?”

A driver was left “annoyed” after having to wait for the petrol pump to be activated. Picture: iStock

The post struck a nerve with many, with comments flooding in from fellow drivers who shared the same frustration.

“Yes. It’s ridiculous,” one person agreed.

“It’s under-staffed petrol stations. I’ve just started leaving, I’m not waiting,” another said.

“It will be raining sideways and I’m getting soaked, and the attendant is still stacking shelves or sweeping the floor after they watched me drive up to the pump,” another person complained.

But while it might be common knowledge to some that petrol station attendents need to unlock the bowsers, many Aussies were shocked to learn that pressing the pump handle doesn’t automatically start the flow of petrol.

Instead, it sends a signal to the attendant inside, who then manually approves the release.

“Are you telling me that all this time, I’ve just been waiting for the attendant overlords to just turn the freaking thing on?!?!?” one user exclaimed.

“I have always wondered why sometimes the pump doesn’t seem to work when I am standing there flipping the trigger like an idiot,” said another.

“Once I waited so long that I thought they’d ran out and so I just drove off... the attendant must have been laughing his a** off,” another admitted.

To be fair, no one wants to wait in the cold. Picture: iStock

Many were surprised that pressing the pump handle didn’t automatically release the petrol. Picture: iStock

A former service attendant explained that the system was designed this way so staff could assess customers and decide whether or not to request pre-payment, a safeguard against “drive offs”, an industry term for fuel theft.

This method is also put in place so service attendants can check that the person is of age, that the fuel is being used for appropriate reasons, and that the person is unlikely to behave in an unsafe manner.

During quieter periods such as late in the evening, when there may only be one staff member on deck, customers may face longer waits if that person is occupied with other tasks.

In any case, repeatedly pressing the petrol pump won’t make the petrol come out any faster. If anything, it might just frustrate the attendant and leave you waiting even longer.

Originally published as ‘Ridiculous’: Annoying petrol station act shocks Aussies