OK, the retail gas stations make most of their profit on soft drinks, candy and other crap that they sell while the oil corporations gouge consumers and make ridiculous profits for the pump gas and yet no one takes any responsibility for the overall consumer experience.

I mean, the bathrooms are locked, coin operated or non-existent and when you get in one it's graffiti-filled and nasty. The clerk is often times almost unintelligible in speech and unknowledgeable in any area of customer service.

Forget directions or the courtesy of mounting a city map in the window so you might get some clue as to how to find a street.

Need air? Fat chance, you'll need quarters and lots of patience to get a bad compressor to slowly fulfill your need for 32 pounds of pressure. Or, you'll have to search the city for another source of air for a low tire.

The dirty squeegee and the old black water in the plastic container with no paper towels is not in the realm of responsibility for the un-educated, minimum wage earning clerk. So, you might as well relieve yourself on your windshield and wipe off the warm liquid with your shirt if you need a cleaner windshield.

How the heck do we get better service???

OK, the retail gas stations make most of their profit on soft drinks, candy and other crap that they sell while the oil corporations gouge consumers and make ridiculous profits for the pump gas and yet no one takes any responsibility for the overall consumer experience.

I mean, the bathrooms are locked, coin operated or non-existent and when you get in one it's graffiti-filled and nasty. The clerk is often times almost unintelligible in speech and unknowledgeable in any area of customer service.

Forget directions or the courtesy of mounting a city map in the window so you might get some clue as to how to find a street.

Need air? Fat chance, you'll need quarters and lots of patience to get a bad compressor to slowly fulfill your need for 32 pounds of pressure. Or, you'll have to search the city for another source of air for a low tire.

The dirty squeegee and the old black water in the plastic container with no paper towels is not in the realm of responsibility for the un-educated, minimum wage earning clerk. So, you might as well relieve yourself on your windshield and wipe off the warm liquid with your shirt if you need a cleaner windshield.

How the heck do we get better service???


It's Bush's fault...

Isn't everything Bush's fault? :rolleyes:

How the heck do we get better service???There have been attempts made at this in the past -- Union 76 (I think) advertised their clean restrooms, etc. a few years back. Unfortunately, there's no profit in it. You'd think people would be okay with paying an extra penny or two a gallon for better service but when you're driving down the road and you see a station that's 2 cents a gallon lower, that's what the average person picks.

They COULD build up a business model that showcases better service for slightly higher prices (ala Nordstroms), but that would take a lot of advertising dollars and time. No oil company has the patience for that when they're raking in the money. And the independent owner/operator doesn't have the resources or the financial patience to do it themselves.

How the heck do we get better service???
Trade in our cars and go to our local bike shops. I always get good service there, and for the price of a very beat-up car I could be riding a Moots.

How the heck do we get better service???


Move to India.


Jeebus... everyone else complaining about fuel prices and you complain about service?

On the autobahn in Germany you need to pay a half euro to use the restroom- which you receive back as store credit. The bathrooms are self-cleaning... and they have a creepy attendant (usually).

Don't want to be gouged in price? Don't buy anything else. I would have figured pay at the pump is ruining those impluse purchases.

Speaking of buying less, I read this morning on some well-intentioned news site that the high price of gas prices is causing Americans to make spending choices. What!!!! Oh NO!!!!!!! You mean we can't have our cake and eat it too?!?!?!? Blaspheme!!!

Basically, the gist was that Americans will drive less, car-pool, and spend less on going out to eat, big ticket items, etc. That is good. There has been a general rein-tightening that is way-overdue.

I see this is an answer for the high consumer debt issues, as well as the obesity issues this nation faces. We're fat, lazy, and spoiled. We should start car pooling, and finding alternative methods to get back and forth to work, besides piling in the Ford Expedition and heading out the door.

So what if the world has a few less Chili's, Flingers, Best Buys', Circuit City's, etc? We need less of them. The food is terrible for you, the products are imported plastic junk, and the stores big box construction is a blight on the landscape.

Progress is good. Is this progress?

Isn't everything Bush's fault? :rolleyes: shucks....and here I was hoping for the m@nDAT()ory blame Cl*nton C&P:)

You mean it's not Bush's fault?

Isn't everything Bush's fault? :rolleyes:

See, was that so hard? Now your catching on. :D

[QUOTE=magicant]You'd think people would be okay with paying an extra penny or two a gallon for better service but when you're driving down the road and you see a station that's 2 cents a gallon lower, that's what the average person picks.

QUOTE]


You know would think this would be true. However, I can't count the number of times I have sat at traffic lights and looked at two gas stations across the street from each other, or even next door to each other, where one is empty, one is full and the one that is full is 5 cents or more HIGHER than the empty one.

Never makes any sense to me.

I demand quality service.

If I dont get it, I complain.

If this doesnt resolve it.

I ban them for life!

Not only that, but I tell everyone I know.

Forever and a day I will not throw my money your way.

Sears has been on my black list for almost 10 years...

Exxon, since they screwed up my home state of Alaska...

Exxon, since they screwed up my home state of Alaska...

You can thank Bush for letting them do that.

[QUOTE=Breakfast]OK, the retail gas stations make most of their profit on soft drinks, candy and other crap that they sell while the oil corporations gouge consumers and make ridiculous profits for the pump gas and yet no one takes any responsibility for the overall consumer experience.

-agree, nothing you can do- they're all independently owned, but they're
in business just to sell gas and make profit.

Forget directions or the courtesy of mounting a city map in the window so you might get some clue as to how to find a street.

-get a gps

Need air? Fat chance, you'll need quarters and lots of patience to get a bad compressor to slowly fulfill your need for 32 pounds of pressure. Or, you'll have to search the city for another source of air for a low tire.

-I fill air in my garage...myself.
Plus you should check tire pressure while the tire is cold.
Gas station attendants cannot do and don't know recommended pressure for your vehicle.
While you're at it you check your tire tread depth, condition...yourself
for free

You can thank Bush for letting them do that.

I’d like to give you the benefit of the doubt as I just don’t believe you are gullible enough to think that President Bush was to blame for 1 Drunk Captain and Exxon’s inability to clean up the mess they made in Alaska.

I’m sure it was just your usual lets blame Bush because my life sucks shtick.

Then again I could be wrong…