American expat ‘so confused’ by Aussie service station

There is a particular mundane task in Australia that confuses expats.

When Americans visit Australia, there are plenty of opportunities for a good culture shock.

But it’s usually when they make the move here, that a particular mundane task Down Under emerges and leaves them baffled.

Tate Duane is the latest American TikToker to ask Aussies to explain what is going on at our service stations.

It’s not just that we may casually refer to it as the ‘servo’ or say petrol instead of gas, but the whole process of filling up your car.

Ms Duane, an expat from California, didn’t understand why there was no option to pay at the pump, so when she went inside to pay upfront, she was left even more confused when her cash was rejected.

“Australia, I love you but I’m so confused. I’m at the petrol station pouring gas into the car for the first time by myself … Tell me why you guys don’t have those little clicky things that hold it [the pump] in place,” she said in a video that has been viewed more than 380,000 times.

“You have to really stand here the whole time, which is a bit annoying.

“Also I just went in to try and put $50 on the pump, or just give her cash to put it on, because you don’t have the tap to pay at this thing and she was like ‘what are you doing?’”

US expat Tate Duane has asked Aussies to explain what is going on at our service stations. Picture: TikTok / @twaynne

Ms Duane was confused that she could not pay for her petrol first. Picture: TikTok / @twaynne

Ms Duane was shocked when the attendant told her she should just start filling up the car.

“Also what do you guys do when you’re trying to get gas in the middle of the night and no one’s working at this service station inside?” she asked.

“Are these things just open 24 hours? Because in the US you can literally just go tap your card on the machine right there, pump and drive away, and it’s locked until you do that so you can’t steal gas.”

Ms Duane often shares the differences she notices living in Australia to her 76,000 followers.

In true Aussie fashion, some TikTok users took it as an opportunity to trick the foreigner for a laugh.

“We used to have those clicky things that hold the trigger down but after a series of events where kangaroos kicked the pump handles …” one person wrote.

“Fuel is free over here just fill up and drive off,” another teased.

Tate Duane shares her experiences living in Australia with her 76,000 followers on TikTok. Picture: Instagram / @tateduane

Others took their explanations more seriously, explaining the “clicky things” were removed due to safety reasons.

“You fill up your car, then you go inside and pay. There are surveillance cameras. If you don’t pay, they’ll report you to the police,” one person stated.

“We are trusted here to pay after putting fuel in,” added another.

Some Aussies said they would prefer the American way.

“It’s the only thing America does right. Pre-paying stops drive offs and allows unmanned fuel stations to continue servicing customers,” said one.

“I wish we had the card swipe thing, I hate going inside to pay,” agreed a second.

Many couldn’t believe Ms Duane hadn’t been called out over the loud speaker for using her phone to film the video while filling up.

Many American expats are baffled by the fill up first, pay after approach used in Australia. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Ms Duane isn’t the first expat to take to social media to highlight the differences between petrol stations in Australia and overseas.

One woman who moved from South Africa to Sydney couldn’t understand how people were trusted to fill up their cars on their own.

“How are there no petrol attendants?” Mahle Majola asked in her own video.

“There is no one here. You basically fill the tank yourself based on how much petrol you want and then you go inside and pay.”

Mahle said she “doesn’t understand” how Aussies are “so trusting”.

“Like, why wouldn’t someone drive off?” she asked.