# is anyone else getting annoyed at the pay-at-the-pump quiz shows? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 5, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889 "2012-04-05T04:52:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/21 "2012-04-05T15:55:04Z")
Yes, it all started with the credit/debit question, was thankful back then that I didn’t have to then enter a pin, but later the dreaded zip code served the same function, added a digit and also is not a easy to remember number (as I have several), added the recept question to the list, then all the - does not relate in any way to the transaction questions. Somethings got to give because it has gone too far. I remember the swipe pump and go days, no questions, no debit, it was a simple glorious time. ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/22 "2012-04-05T15:56:04Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Applause for the OP. Eleven years to make 225 posts and then out with this one? Somebody’s been saving up! Gilbert and Sullivan parody _and_ pandas! Four stars! Don’t forget T.S. Eliot! I give the OP 9/10. Would have been a perfect score if you had mentioned the screens that are basically invisible in an kind of light, leading you to pop up and down like a prairie dog looking for the best angle by to view them, then give up in frustration and stab at random buttons hoping to get some gas out of the damn machine. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/23 "2012-04-05T15:56:42Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > And if the black box is indestructible, why note make the wole plane out of the black box? Because then you wouldn’t need a black box 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/24 "2012-04-05T16:07:00Z")
TV screens jabbering at you at the gas pumps? We don’t have those here yet, but since you guys have them, we will in the near future. Does anyone remember a science fiction book or show where everyone had to have their tv on all the time, required by law? I weep for how we’re getting closer to that reality every day. Oh yeah, pay at the pump crap - we don’t have a quiz going on at the pumps yet, either, but I’m sure that’s coming, too. Hey, I thought of another thing to add to the gas-pumping rant - I filled up one day on Supreme quality fuel by accident, because those pumps had the Supreme stuff button where the Normal fuel button usually is - I had pressed it before I even read it. I’m pretty sure that was the intention of the pump designers - people like me who have been conditioned for 20 years to expect the lowest grade button to be on the far right. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/25 "2012-04-05T16:32:20Z")
I think the OP needs to refill his prescription, ASAP. _Everything_ about going inside to pay is infinitely worse than having to punch a few buttons at the pump. Credit, thank you. (1) No, I don’t want a car wash. (1) My zip code? Sure, that’s an easy one (5). Reciept? Nope. (1) Oh my god, I’ve just pushed 8 buttons! Who am I, George Jetson? I hope I’m not so spoiled that I’m going to bitch about pushing 8 buttons for the privelege of using what is really a very nice modern convenience. Maybe, depending on the station and the situation, it’s 10 buttons. Maybe it’s even 15. Don’t care. It’s still pretty frickin’ simple. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/26 "2012-04-05T16:32:38Z")
I always seem to get the machine where the buttons don’t work correctly. Either my zip code turns into 8889999999901 or 8. Of course it then tells me I have to go inside to pay as the zip code is incorrect. And one gas station now charges 35 cents to use either a debit or credit card. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/27 "2012-04-05T16:35:30Z")
I hate the country music one local gas station plays at me from the pump. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/28 "2012-04-05T16:38:56Z")
I haven’t seen pumps around here that play TV or advertisements while you’re waiting, but I only go to like 2 stations, Sunoco and Exxon. What is really pissing me off now is the differential credit/cash pricing. It started out with a couple of stations in Langley Park, and now every single station I see does it. And the credit price is usually $0.10 higher and posted on a little tiny sign somewhere else. I think they have to bill it as a “cash discount” because a penalty for using a credit card violates the agreement with Visa/Mastercard, but I don’t know. It’s really annoying. You think you’ve found a decent gas price, then you press “credit” on the pump and all the numbers jump up. I have never gone inside to pay since I’ve been driving. Snacks, yes, occasionally, but paying for gas, no. The last time I went inside a gas station was a year ago at an Exxon. The automatic shutoff failed on the pump and caused gas to spill all over the ground and my car. I went inside to complain and they came out to inspect the pump and rinse off my car with a bucket of water. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/29 "2012-04-05T16:44:10Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I always seem to get the machine where the buttons don’t work correctly. > Either my zip code turns into 8889999999901 or 8. > Of course it then tells me I have to go inside to pay as the zip code is incorrect.\ This reminds me of a WTF I have with button pads - when do you EVER need a repeating key on a button pad? Can they not design the pads so they don’t repeat a number to eliminate this happening? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/30 "2012-04-05T16:48:45Z")
The OP spins a tale of dawning horror. We do not have any of that here. Yet. It’s just “insert payment card to pay at the pump, or lift nozzle to pay inside”… though I can commiserate with the SLOOOOW beeps and displays. I’ll have to ask my sister what her US payment experience is. (What happens if you don’t _have_ a US ZIP code?) ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/31 "2012-04-05T16:50:01Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > I’m tired of the ones showing videos. It’s all 15-second clips about movies or celebrities I don’t care about, or ads disguised as a home improvement tips. And the worst part is that the volume goes up as the pump kicks in, because they want to make sure you don’t miss anything! Since every pump has its own screen, and they all show the same stuff, and they only start playing when you pull up, the result is a dozen loud TVs playing the same video a little out of sync. It’s maddening. > > When I first saw the title of this thread, I thought maybe they were starting to put some sort of quiz games onto those screens. Which I would only approve of if they’d give you a discount for getting questions right. Pretty much this. If I ever do a drive-by, it’s because all of those fucking LCD screens at the pump finally drove me nuts. One bullet between each of their soulful little buttons. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/32 "2012-04-05T16:59:28Z")
Our local Chevron tried installing those commercial-playing TV’s on top of the pumps. I e-mailed them to complain, and I noticed that other customers must not have been pleased, either, because the screens frequently had loogies spit onto them or McDonald’s shakes thrown at them. After about six months, they quietly disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/33 "2012-04-05T17:16:14Z")
Speaking of gas stations, does anyone really buy the mulch or water softener salt that seems to be piled up around the pumps? I suppose they do since they keep selling it, but I can’t say I’ve ever had a spur of the moment urge to buy that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/34 "2012-04-05T17:25:06Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > I’ll have to ask my sister what her US payment experience is. (What happens if you don’t _have_ a US ZIP code?) You go inside to pay. This is noted on a sign on the pump, which you may not notice because of the dozen other signs, including cancer warnings, advertisements, and instructions. What throws me off is that there is no standardized pump design. Do you latch at the bottom of the handle or lift up something at the top or lift something on the pump or stand there holding the damn thing because for some reason it won’t stay on unless you do (there is one station in town like that. It’s apparently not a defect, because all the pumps are like that.) You can’t even guess based on what station it is, because the three different Shell stations I use have different pumps. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/35 "2012-04-05T17:34:09Z")
Ugh, I’m right there with you. There’s a Chevron here in town that I avoid for a similar reason. What is most annoying is that they don’t let you push yes or no until their little preprogrammed song and dance is done. It’s something like this— each line is a new screen that pops up, during which I can’t enter anything. _swipe card_ Welcome! (flashes a few times) Is this a (flashes a few times) DEBIT (flashes) or CREDIT (flashes) Please press debit or credit. _pressed credit_ Is this a (flashes) CHEVRON CARD! (flashes) Please press yes or no _presses no_ Please enter your zip code _enters zip code_ Would you like (flashes) A CAR WASH? (flashes like 10 times) Please press yes or no. _presses no_ What about a (flashes) PANDA WASH!!! (flashes) Please press yes or no for a panda wash. _presses no_ Please select grade and pump gas. _pumps gas_ THANK YOU! (flashes 10 times) You have earned (flashes) A FREE CAR WASH (flashes like 20 times) discount (flashes 10 times) Would you like your FREE CAR WASH discount today? Please press yes or no. ARE YOU SURE? You qualified for a FREE CAR WASH discount. Please press yes or no. _NO!!!_ Would you like a receipt? About this time, I set the place on fire and head for Mexico. And all of that is true, minus the panda part (I just wanted to be included). Seriously though, getting gas at that place takes at least twice as long as other gas stations, just because of all the menus. Oh, and their pumps are crazy fucking slow, despite it being a newish station. ---
**Author:** ![jkirkman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@jkirkman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jkirkman)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/36 "2012-04-05T17:34:20Z")
Thanks for all the replies. For those who consider me old/cranky/nuts/wanker, etc., have no fear, both my psychiatrist and my exes would all agree, and so would I. For the rest of you with your own gripes—oh dog, I’d forgotten most of those… The pump that played a movie trailer before I could get gas. The “Credit or Debit” question. The LCD with arrows that point exactly midway between the actual buttons on the side that you have to press, so there is an element of chance involved in all your choices. The LCD destroyed by the morning sun, which only displays about 40% of the pixels, leaving you to solve the modern Rosetta stone and push the correct button based on guesswork and previous experience (bonus if the one displaying arrow is pointing between buttons). The buttons that stick and either don’t register or fill the screen with 9999999999999999999999. And yes, if I ever have a psychotic break, the target will be either asshat gas pumps or BoA (usually ‘Bank of Assholes’ in this household, though I keep using them) ATM’s (different rant that would go in the Pit). The grist of the OP is that there used to be a technological breakthrough that made a mundane task streamlined and easy—perhaps even elegant. Then it somehow turned into an 8-bit platform game of the absurd. And we now accept it as better than the false alternative, which is going inside (as opposed to making it easy to pay at the pump again). Mind, if you could order bamboo for the panda from the pump, that would be awesome. (Yes, I know pandas are just bears with a cute paint job. But their wiki entry has one of my favorite phrases ever: “…females are not tolerant of other females in their range.” This has pretty much been my experience with human females, as well…) ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/37 "2012-04-05T18:20:54Z")
No, I don’t have a rewards card. No, even a free roller dog every month doesn’t make me want a rewards card. No, I don’t want your fleet credit card. No, I don’t need a gallon of milk, so I won’t be going inside today. Yes, I’m sure. No, I don’t want a car wash. IT’S FEBRUARY, AND IT’S -20°. MY NOSEHAIRS ARE FREEZING AS I SIT HERE ANSWERING YOUR JEOPARDY QUESTIONS. I’M SURE I DON’T WANT A CAR WASH. I do love being asked if I want a car wash and looking over to see a sign on the car wash saying it’s closed because it’s to cold. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/38 "2012-04-05T18:33:26Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > \ (What happens if you don’t _have_ a US ZIP code?) Silly **Sunspace** - all Canadians are supposed to use 90210 as their zip code. 🙂 > [@jkirkman](#): > > \ > (Yes, I know pandas are just bears with a cute paint job. But their wiki entry has one of my favorite phrases ever: “…females are not tolerant of other females in their range.” \ It has come to my attention that human females are indeed more territorial than their male counterparts. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/39 "2012-04-05T18:43:24Z")
[QUOTE=Tastes of Chocolate] I do love being asked if I want a car wash and looking over to see a sign on the car wash saying it’s closed because it’s to cold. [/QUOTE] They didn’t say you could _have_ one; just if you _wanted_ one. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889/40 "2012-04-05T18:49:15Z")
I’m with the OP – I pay with my debit card and I get really annoyed with pumps that ask for my billing zip code _and_ my PIN. You don’t need both! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-getting-annoyed-at-the-pay-at-the-pump-quiz-shows/617889.md?page=3)