Machines are only as smart as their creators, which doesn't say much about gas pump manufacturers in the mid-1990s. A report from Washington reveals that at least 12 gas stations in the state are using pumps not 13 years old that are unable to display and calculate a price of gas higher than $3.99 9/10 per gallon. These pumps were produced before everything went digital and you could simply slide your AmEx into the little slot to pay for your premium petrol. They use a mechanical computer with gears to calculate the price of gas, and the cost of retrofitting them to account for the current reality of $4+/gallon gasoline amounts to $8,500 in upgrades according to one station owner, if he could even find the parts since they're all on back order.
Just like computer engineers couldn't imagine that their little machines would last until Y2K, the mechanical engineers who designed these pumps back in 1995 when gas was the equivalent of $1.60/gallon apparently couldn't imagine a day in 2008 when dead dino juice would be this expensive. Unfortunately for customers who patron stations with this antiquated equipment, they aren't getting their fuel for the price advertised on the pump. Rather, the state's Weights and Measures program is giving these businesses extra time to upgrade or replace their pumps as long as the actual price of gas is clearly displayed and customers get an explanation of what's going. For now they're doing it the old fashioned way, by multiplying the gallons pumped by the price on the sign. Thanks for the tip, bojac!
[Source: Seattlepi via Fashion Funky]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mark.hinman @ May 7th 2008 9:14AM
This happened in the seventies when a lot of gas stations had pumps that could not go above 99.9 cents per gallon. I remember a some stations switch to liters since the pumps could do 99.9 cents per liter.
Xcountryflyer @ May 7th 2008 12:11PM
Why don't those gas stations just say cash only and disable the CC readers.
Andy @ May 7th 2008 12:16PM
What are you talking about? There are no CC readers.
The station wants to sell more than $3.99 9/10 per gallonn and can't because the pump doesn't go higher.
montoym @ May 7th 2008 10:03PM
Agreed.
The article states that the pumps were made "Before" it was as simple as swiping your card and pumping the fuel. It also says at the end of the post that the station owners are just doing it the old-fashioned way and multiplying the # of gallons by the price.
So, it sounds to me as though they are making it cash only. You may still be able to charge it, you just can't do it at the pump like you can most places now with the newer pumps.
Pretty simple really when you read and understand the post.
andrew @ May 7th 2008 9:27AM
I was just in an area similar to this. The price of premium unleaded was $4.40 a gallon. The pumps read $2.20 a gallon and the station owner multiplied by 2.
chuck goolsbee @ May 7th 2008 10:21AM
This happened to me on a road trip a few years ago in the middle-of-nowhere Montana. Running on fumes, a few hundred miles from ... well anything. We coast into this one-saloon town with one gas pump. Still had leaded fuel warnings on it, last replaced in the 80s from my guess. Price posted was 50% of actual. The gas was crap too, as the car ran awful until we burned it off.
http://chuck.goolsbee.org/images/GTTSR/filling-up.jpg
http://chuck.forest.net/jag/montana87octane.jpg
--chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
Dausman @ May 7th 2008 10:29AM
My thoughts exactly...it's too simple for some folks to figure out.
Zeus.:God @ May 7th 2008 9:28AM
OH! Jig is up, guys- with this they can't possibly charge more than 4 dollars... Might as well start crankin' that price down there, Big Oil.
/if only
FThorn @ May 7th 2008 9:40AM
My rice vending machine is broken, too.
Jesse Thoresen @ May 7th 2008 9:53AM
I wish gas was sold by the liter
morkuma @ May 7th 2008 11:27AM
come to canada.
we pay 1.27 a litre right now.
dirty math makes that 4.753 a gallon, USD
still want it in litres?
Eek @ May 7th 2008 10:40AM
Where do you not just swipe your card and get premium gasoline?
Bah @ May 7th 2008 5:19PM
Many places. They also are usually accompanied by scenic views and clean air.
Eek @ May 7th 2008 5:43PM
What I meant is that the article implied that there are places where it is more difficult than swiping your card at the pump. I know not all gas stations, especially ones in more remote areas, bother selling premium fuels. I too spend a lot of time in the mountains, where the closest gas station to my place is remote enough where the gas has cost as much as it does now since 2002/3.
John Ellenich @ May 7th 2008 11:35AM
I was just getting gas with a friend, and apparently most won't let you pay at the pump for more than $75, which didn't even fill her Honda Pilot up...
swe @ May 7th 2008 12:10PM
that makes ~$1/litre.. you lucky bastards.
Spiel @ May 7th 2008 1:18PM
Microsoft never thought hard drive space would be larger than 137GB when they released Windows XP. And they're suppose to be innovators and push for innovation.
You need the service pack to use that 1TB drive.
Disgruntled Goat @ May 7th 2008 10:10PM
What are you talking about? 137GB is a limit of 28-bit addressing in the old ATA spec. It has nothing to do with Microsoft. You probably also think Billg said 640k would be enough for everybody ;)
http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/1997/01/1484
Ken @ May 7th 2008 1:29PM
There is a gas station near my house that just put up digital price boards.
They will go up to $19.99/gallon - and I don't think that is foolish in the least as the business owner.
Inglix @ May 7th 2008 4:46PM
The parts to upgrade these pumps are backordered for months nation wide. I was going to have two old gas pumps restored but the wait for the fix was just too long.