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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Re: petrol forecourt etiquette

87 replies

TickledOnion · 30/10/2011 18:15

First AIBU and I'm quite willing to admit IABU, but wondered what other people's opinions were.

Pulled up to a busy supermarket petrol station today. There were queues to use the right side pumps even though the front pumps were empty and only one car on the left side pumps, also with empty front pumps.

My petrol thingy is on the right and I struggle to pull the nozzle all the way round the car so I thought I would nip round the cars and use the left side pumps facing the other way. Got round to the front to find the left side pumps were out of order, so quickly reversed into a right side front pump. (Hope that makes sense).

A man came running up from the queued cars and shouted at me for jumping the queue. I didn''t fancy getting into an argument and realised I might have been in the wrong, so I just drove off.

My question is: why do people wait in a queue when the front pump is empty and was I wrong to nip round the front?

I await the MN verdict...

OP posts:
VivaLeBeaver · 30/10/2011 18:34

I once went to the first available pump which was the rear one of two. There was a car filling up at the front one. That one left before me.

Then as I was finishing filling up some twat boy racer squeezed his car between my van and the car next to me and went infront of me. I then couldn't get my van out (cars behine me as well) and had to wait for him. I told him off for his poor etiquette and he couldn't see the problem and wanted to know what was wrong with me having to wait for him. He couldn't see the ironry in that when he hadn't been prepared to wait for me and I'd bloody been there first.

EllaDee · 30/10/2011 18:35

Petrol stations near me aren't all one-way, FWIW.

If you can't reverse into a space, can someone explain to me how another person taking that space is queue-jumping?

I may be visualizing it wrongly, but surely if you are unable to reverse and can only take (eg.) a pump on the left, it makes not a blind bit of difference to you how many people in the queue want the pump on the right?

CurrySpice · 30/10/2011 18:35

It would really grip my shit if I saw anyone doing that. So yes YABU

HeresTheScaryThingBooyhoo · 30/10/2011 18:36

you didn't want her to be scared, so the best example you thought of to show her that you weren't scared was to run away? rather than show her how to deal with confrontation by calm, rational thought and action? HAHAHA. sorry but i have an hilarious image in my head.

TheOriginalFAB · 30/10/2011 18:37

I faced the wrong way at Sainsbury's fuel pumps and was told to move. You can only fill up when facing the shop.

ThatsNotMyBabyBelly · 30/10/2011 18:38

YABU you jumped the queue. Perhaps those that weren't driving the wrong way around the forecourt couldn't get past to the front pump, and so were waiting until both became free.

HeresTheScaryThingBooyhoo · 30/10/2011 18:39

also Grin @ 'my petrol thingy'

ginmakesitallok · 30/10/2011 18:45

Yanbu- why should you wait if there are pumps free which other people won't use?

squeakyfreakytoy · 30/10/2011 18:48

What doesnt make sense about this is, if the OP zoomed past the queue, and swung round to the bottom pump, facing the opposite way, why did she not just park at the bottom pump that she then had to reverse into, in the first place.... ???

HeresTheScaryThingBooyhoo · 30/10/2011 18:55

hang on, if your 'petrol thingy' ison the right of your car then facing the wrong way on the left hand side pumps would still have meant you dragging the pump across the back of your car.

squeakyfreakytoy · 30/10/2011 19:03

even better point there Booy!

RustyBear · 30/10/2011 19:18

Surely not, booyhoo - if the filler cap is on the right (of the petrol station) when the car is facing the shop, it's on the left when the car is facing the other way.

I'm just glad that both my last car and my new one have their caps on the left -I hadn't realised till someone pointed it out on here why I hardly ever have to queue at a petrol station...

HeresTheScaryThingBooyhoo · 30/10/2011 19:23

rusty, i imagine, that when OP said her petrol thingy was on the right, that she didn't mean on the right according to which building she was facing at the time. i am guessing that on the right, means on the right of the car.

nightowlmostly · 30/10/2011 19:31

The thing is, if you go around to the front pump, when the person at the back one has finished and is waiting to go they then can't leave because you are in the way and everyone behind in the queue has to wait even longer!

Yabu

Original poster
TickledOnion · 30/10/2011 19:32

Sorry about the confusion. My petrol filler cap (aka thingy) is on the right side of the car. I intended to use the left side pumps facing the wrong way as I struggle to pull the nozzle over the car. When I realised they were out of order, I moved to the front right side pump.

So most people think I was doubly in the wrong. First for trying to face the wrong direction, then by jumping the queue in the right direction.

I know it was cowardly to drive off, but I think I realised I was in the wrong and was scared of the man who was shouting at me so I didn't see any point in staying to argue.

OP posts:
RustyBear · 30/10/2011 19:34

Yes, that's what I thought she meant but that means it would be the same side as the right hand side pumps when she was facing the shop and the same side as the left hand side pumps when she was facing the other way. That's assuming by LH and RH she means pumps on opposite sides of the forecourt, rather than on opposite sides of the same island

ie:

LHP_RHP

rather than:

LHP/RHP

squeakyfreakytoy · 30/10/2011 19:34

then by jumping the queue in the right direction.

ahaaa! so you admit you did jump the queue! :)

HeresTheScaryThingBooyhoo · 30/10/2011 19:35

OP if your filler cap is on the right hand sid eof the car then facing teh wrong way on the left hand side pumps would still have meant you pulling the pump over the back of your car.

rubyrubyruby · 30/10/2011 19:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HeresTheScaryThingBooyhoo · 30/10/2011 19:38

ah right, yes rusty i get what you mean now. i was imagining these to be a LH and a RH pump on the same island.

rubyrubyruby · 30/10/2011 19:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

rubyrubyruby · 30/10/2011 19:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
TickledOnion · 30/10/2011 19:38

Booyhoo - I meant that they are left side pumps if you are facing the shops in the right direction. i.e. if you have a left side filler, then these are the ones you would use. If I turned my car round to face the other direction I can use these to fill up on the right side without pulling the nozzle over.

OP posts:
onepieceofcremeegg · 30/10/2011 19:39

One of the best experiences I had was pulling alongside a pump. I deliberately didn't drive forward to the one in front (even though no one was there) - because it was out of order.

A gentleman who happened to be driving a white van behind me became most distressed by this, revving and beeping etc. He swerved round, at speed gesticulating in a rather dramatic manner, narrowly missing my wing mirror. He was somewhat perturbed to find the pump was out of order. I imagine he was rather Blush by his conduct and drove off at speed. I was Grin

RustyBear · 30/10/2011 19:40

Booyhoo - if I've understood correctly, she wouldn't have had to pull the hose over if she'd used a right hand pump - that problem only arose when she thought about using the left hand pumps, which is why she had to turn round.