Annoying or just a PMT moment?
 

Petrol light came on as I left college this evening. First available petrol station Total. I'd filled up twice with them over the weekend. Thought I'd try the 'special' extremo something or other unleaded as I'm at Brands Tomorrow. Went in to pay and waited by a till whilst the shop assistant proceeded to ignore me. Saw me but then turned round to stack shelves!
So I moved to the other till, where that assistant pointed to the gentleman behind me as his next customer. I stepped forward, as the gentleman indicated I was ahead of him. The till operator then tapped his head and said
'Take that off please. Helmets not allowed in here'
to which I replied
'You're joking. I've been riding for 11 years and never been asked to remove my lid in a petrol station.'
2nd till operator (the one who'd ignored me at the other till) 'There's a sign on the door'
Me 'if you're insisting I take it off I won't come here again'
1st till operator '£12.98 please'

I left, checked the door - at the very top there's a picture of a helmet with a line through it.

And it wasn't until I was half way home that it occurred to me I'd probably paid about £2 over the odds for the petrol


:mad::mad::mad::mad: Hope the fuel proves to be supersonic tomorrow, otherwise I'll be writing letters of complaint :mad:

Surely, if you offer to pay, and they decline to accept payment due to you wearing legally required protective headgear, then you can quite legitimately leave at that point, having made reasonable effort to pay for the fuel?

Tescos have similar policy - I turn up on a few grands worth of bike and 4rsey bird behind counter says "in future take your helmet off". Me:"No, if you want my money take it, if not, your loss" meanwhile, thievin' yoof fills up and drives off. Who should she trust now then?
Needless to say, never shopped there since.

Good point Mr S, but it didn't occur to me not to pay, just to boycott them in future. Sadly, being a biker hasn't turned me into as much of a rebel as people seem to think.

this is getting quite common, usually they won't turn on the pump until you have taken off your lid. it's a pain, but i can't get worked up about it.

Don't see the problem my self..... were you having a bad hair day Ruthie?

Acting as devils advocate I can see where they are coming from with the obvious security aspect, however rather than ignore you it would have been better if they had explained their position straight away.

Comes down to customer service issues which have been covered in other threads recently.

Of course you could have said you are a muslim and are not allowed to remove your headwear in a public place ;):D

[Edited on 4-10-2005 by philthy]

[Edited on 4-10-2005 by philthy]

I'm trying to be a little mroe selective in what things I allow to wind me up these days. Otherwise I'd have blown a fuse by now and gone postal.

At least I'd be on the front page of the paper then :) Anyone know where I can get my hands on something with a short overall length, high cyclic rate of fire, large magazine and takes at least 5.56mm ammunition preferable 7.62mm?

:lol:

Yeah, there's my ex-girlfriend, will she do ya?

:lol:

I forgot to mention that it must weigh under 5kg's fully loaded!

Something like this the SP5?

She was over 5kg, I think, and rarely fully loaded. Sorry

All the fuel companies got together about 2 weeks ago and made the decision to all ban Helmets in the garages. This is also supposed to apply to hoodies and base ball caps.


I think we all need to have a big ride out and spend the day visiting garages and blocking up all the pumps and then taking our time to remove are lids and paying :mad::mad::mad:

I have read about this many times in MCN & mags but have not been asked to take my helmet off yet. Maybe it has something to do with how many times a garage has been asked to hand over the takings by some motorbike riding thugs. IMHO and having worked behind the counter of a filling station a few years ago I have every sympathy with the staff behind the counter and if I am asked to remove my lid I would graciously do so. It sounds like the staff at the filling station could do with some training or an education in manners.

HAHAHAHAH im gonna try that 1 !!!


/ian

The way I see it don't let the *******s wind you up , thats the first thing.
second be as awkward as possible, don't move the bike ,get to the counter then take off the gloves and then your helmet.:devil::flame:

Or like me use somewhere else;)

anyway women don't suffer from PMT men DO :lol::lol::lol:(sorry Ruth:P)

i have had this a few times
i find it helps to shout very loudly
"SORRY LOVE CANT ERE YOU GOT ME HELMET ON"
while waving the payment at them.
they usually give up in the end
though it once took nearly three minutes and i was starting to get a sore throat:lol::devil:

Bet they wouldn't dare say anything!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/featur...m-veil-150.jpg

I have to say that i think its simply good manners to take your helmet off if your going to speak to someone, just like i always take my sun glasses off if i go and talk to someone (unless they are my prescription ones..).

Can't see the problem here I'm afraid.

Ok what are the reasons Why Petrol stations want us to take off our crash helmets.one thing is for sure it's not out of politeness.

and i do see the problem.

... oh noooooooooooo :o Tell me you not premenstrual Ruthie - we're in the same group tomorrow at TA5 :o:o

and after all that, unless you've had the bike set up and the compression wound up a few clicks, the super dooper fuel probably won't make a blind bit of difference :lol: ;)

I couldn't care less why they want me to take it off. Like i said, i do it becasue its good manners. End of.

As Age996 said "All the fuel companies got together about 2 weeks ago and made the decision to all ban Helmets in the garages. This is also supposed to apply to hoodies and base ball caps." but the reason given was to ensure that they don't sell petrol to anyone under 16, however as you had already put the petrol in your bike they had already supplied it to you, so that's that excuse gone. how about, make sure you have got the right money and just leave it in front of the counter, can't say you haven't paid for it. Although what they have also said is that they are not going to turn the pump on until you take your helmet off, then we will be **********
:mad:

Will watch out for the Supersonic effect tomorrow Ruth;)

The Problem is
This country has forgot
Rule one
Customers make paydays possible.(Treat them with respect) if you still want a job:cool:
Rule 2
Tell them that the fact you are waving cash/card at them it shows your intention to pay! not Rob them
:cool:
Rule 3
Ask petrol companies to provide a BIKE Petrol pump at every station, one thats not covered in Diesel and one where the floor is anti slip:cool:

anyway come the Revolution Madmax whoops Madmav wil have the have THE FUEL TANKER:lol:

to55ers!!

Have it your own way. But I think you would have a good case it being against your human rights;)

Interesting comments. Thanks. I just think part of being on a bike is the convenience of it all, which you start to lose when you have to faff about with taking lids off for a transaction that has usually only taken moments to complete.

As it happened, I was wearing glasses which are fiddly to take on an off with a helmet but it was the surprise at being asked for the first time ever. Petrol stations were one of the last bastions of places where cashiers seemed pleased to have me as a customer with my lid on.

If it's going to become common practice, obviously, I shall comply, but I'll also take my time and keep people waiting. Why should they get the benefit of me hurrying when it's actually an inconvenience for me. I'm usually carrying gloves, my purse, my tank bag, maybe a pint of milk or a mars bar I've picked up to buy, all of which would have to be deposited whilst I take my helmet off. Not the floor, so maybe the counter? Or I take it off before I put the petrol in and carry it with me, my tank bag, my purse, in which case I wouldn't have free hands to buy anything ... OK, I'm definitely pre-menstrual. Sorry Henners ;)

[Edited on 4-10-2005 by Redruth]

I filled up at a shell station on sunday and the chap behind the counter was extreemly polite and said that in the future i would probably be asked to remove my helmet and that they had put a sign on the door, being a shorty and the notice was at high level i did not notice.

However, he went on to say i was ok as I was on an expensive machine!.

By the way, I drove to brighton, down the M23 , for a cuppa on Madera Drive, only to find it shut of to all traffic as it was some sort of Land Rover meeting. So I turned around, went back up the M23, peeled of onto the M25 and turned of to Reigate and then went to Newlands Corner anly seeing one Duke, a numptystrada at newlands.

Where were you all on such a fantastic morning?

Customer Service?
 

http://despair.com/ap24x30prin.html


... it's OK Ruthie .... so am I :o;)

Well said that Girl.

I saw that when you first posted it, Henry. Made me chuckle then too.

Marko, let's test the water on Sunday when we go up to Cadwell. I'll refuse to take my helmet off and you can step in and defend me when they get stroppy :devil::devil:

Chief, bad hair days are every day I wear a helmet :lol::lol:

I'm mellowing on this now. I'll do what I do when I go into small shops, I'll ASK if I need to take my helmet off. 99 times out of 99, they say no.

As far as the placement of the sign was concerned, if I had been 7 foot tall and NOT wearing a helmet, it may have been visible had I looked upwards. Not terribly obvious. Make a rule, make it obvious, if you don't, expect if to get broken. :frog::devil:

[Edited on 4-10-2005 by Redruth]

We'll be in Lincolnshire Ruth they don't care as long as you don't have Cow
**** on your shoes, in fact they won't care if you have:lol: just happy to sell the petrol:lol:

Go back to same garage, fill bike up with exactly £10. Have correct money ready, when they get stroppy, place £10 on counter.

Raise hand and give the Archers salute.

Leave.

I had someone refuse to turn the pump on before I went in and prepaid for the fuel......after a lot of effing and blinding I paid 10 pounds and filled the bike up to 10.01p. I then insisted on putting the 1 pence on the card.
I understand that there are some scooter kids that don't pay, but me in suit.....give it a rest....I believe that some petrol attendants are flexing their authority bicep.

Sod them, let's face it they must be bored sensless working in a petrol station, they are probably entertaining themselves.

As for the helmet thing, I understand why they ask people to do it and if they want you to take your helmet off then fine. But to ignore you and be a general p.i.t.a about it is just unpleasant.

I like to take my lid off whenever I stop and it is getting mankie!!!!:barfy:

:eureka:

If taking your helmet is annoying why not fill up at a filling station with pay at the pump facility, there are only two in Salisbury but I use them in preference to paying in the kiosk anyway.

Of course thats fine unless you want to buy something else.:burn:

How about this then,stopped at the 24hr garage at about 6.45am on the morning of the BHC Autumn rideout,unlocked the fuel cap,started to fill,got about 5litres in and the pump stopped:puzzled:Then I heard over the tannoy"can you get off your bike please,no filling your bike while you`re sitting on it please"I then put the nozzle back in the holder and stopped filling:flame:Paid for the 5litres(without removing my helmet)and made my way,could have easily put another 5-7litres in but thought "stuff`em"
This is the second time this has happened at the same garage,I now boycott that garage.

i dont understand why they wont you to remove your helmet any way
i mean if your there to rob them
you aint gunna be put off by them saying please remove your helmet!!
and if you aint gunna rob um why day wunna see your face for any way
perves

a lot of fuss about nothing.:puzzled:

They did explain to us that the reason for having to get of our bikes was some fire regulation laid down by the fire brigade and apparently was for our saftey :puzzled: yeh right, well surely for the same reason we can no doubt expectect to see lots of people milling around on the forecourt because they had to get out of the car whilst it was being filled by the driver, aint gonna happen is it !!!, and as for having to remove my helmet :flame: dont get me wrong i am not a racist but i dont suppose there gonna upset the muslim communitys by asking there women to remove there yashmacks ( or what ever it is the ******* call them ) when they want to fill up with fuel.
******* Nazi's.......:mad::mad: Well thats my rant over with, its not going to change a thing though as they will just not give me any fuel, so all i will do is **** as many people off as possible by taken half an hour at the pump.

I was amused when I read the article about the petrol suppliers wanting you to remove your helmet/cap/hoodie so they can check you are over 16. Like, you are likely to be riding or driving anything when you're under 16? And I suppose they are expert at determining age by looking at you!

I'm with Paul on this though, I always remove my helmet anyway because I prefer to. I either carry it on my arm if it's busy, or leave it hanging on a rear footpeg if no one else around - which is what I do with it while filling up. Those rear pegs had to be useful for something!

Anyone ever been caught out by one of the stations that have number plate reading cameras that won't turn the pump on (automatically) until it has read your (non existent) front plate? Motorway services often have them.

[Edited on 5-10-2005 by HW]

human rights have been cancelled. unless of course you entered the country illegally recently, in a shipping container.