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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To sit at the petrol pump for half an hour?!

173 replies

honeybeeridiculous · 17/07/2014 19:07

Right, just been to put some petrol in my car. Pulled up at a pump, started to put petrol in, only £20 so it didn't take long.
Meanwhile white van man pulled up behind me, the pump was closed so he was waiting to use my pump, fair enough
Anyway, I went into shop to pay, 2 people infront of me, all straightforward and quick.
I go back to my car after paying and white van man was revving his engine and getting closer and closer to my car, this is before I got in the car Shock
I get in the car and he continues to rev the engine and then beeped his horn.
I was about to pull away, but the rage got me so I just sat there, got my sunglasses out and put them on, zipped my bag up etc as he was being so rude! After 2 mins I pulled away as I thought he might get out and thump me!
But honestly, how rude!
Just wondered WWYD? WIBU?

OP posts:
Namechangearoonie123 · 17/07/2014 19:09

I'd have sat there longer. With my doors locked.

And when the cunt got out to rage at me I'd have pointed out the CCTV cameras

londonrach · 17/07/2014 19:11

Rude guy making up for something lacking but be careful hot weather means bad temper....

Missunreasonable · 17/07/2014 19:11

I would have started checking my tyre pressure and rummaging in the boot before casually getting in my car and then getting my sunglasses, reorganising my purse, searching my media drive for a new album to play. Then I would have driven off really really slowly.

MagpieMama · 17/07/2014 19:12

I've had this before with a bloke who must've been in his 60s, he was doing the same with with reving his engine before I got back in my car. Then once I was back in the car, I was putting my seatbelt on and he came and started shouting at me, telling me I should've pulled away then put my seatbelt on and I was holding him up. It was quite intimidating!

MrsWinnibago · 17/07/2014 19:13

What is a "white van man"? Is it a man...any man who drives a van that happens to be white?

Bowlersarm · 17/07/2014 19:15

YANBU.

Very rude of him.

KnackeredMuchly · 17/07/2014 19:15

My Dad prefers to hold biting point rather than handbrake (I know it's stupid). Not saying thats what he was doing, but maybe at first that's why he was inching closer?

WorraLiberty · 17/07/2014 19:17

I probably would have done the same as you.

On another note, what is it with MN and the phrase "White van man"?

I've seen it on a few threads recently and it comes across as a bit of a sneer at the working class.

Missunreasonable · 17/07/2014 19:18

Somebody that can hold the biting point properly will not be inching forward. Inching forward due to riding the clutch is a sign of poor clutch control and is even more reason to take ones time and make the rude person wait. Hopefully they will either learn to hold the bite point properly or will out their handbrake on and stop wearing out the clutch (so it would be doing them a favour).

OwlCapone · 17/07/2014 19:19

He was rude.
You were rude.

Equally twattish behaviour IMO.

Original poster
honeybeeridiculous · 17/07/2014 19:22

knackered no way was he holding biting point. He was revving the engine more and more and was almost touching my bumper.
"White van man" isn't a MN thing, it's been around for years, nothing to do with class. Some men, who happen to drive a white Transit type van think they own the road and act like tossers, causing upset and danger as they go along their merry way

OP posts:
Original poster
honeybeeridiculous · 17/07/2014 19:24

Why was I rude owl? All I did was buy some petrol and got harassed in the process

OP posts:
Blu · 17/07/2014 19:29

I would have said 'excuse me, why are you being so impatient?'.

Bowlersarm · 17/07/2014 19:30

Would you really, Blu?

Blu · 17/07/2014 19:34

Well, yes- or just ignore him.

Rather than escalate the situation with passive agressive sunglass manouvre.

Why can't people just communicate, normally?

Bowlersarm · 17/07/2014 19:37

Because in this case he was being confrontational. I don't think the OP confronting him back would have helped the situation.

HermioneWeasley · 17/07/2014 19:37

YANBU. Should have sat in your car MNetting for a while.

Original poster
honeybeeridiculous · 17/07/2014 19:45

Glad to see that most people agree with me, I think blu if I'd have said that to him he would have given me a load of verbal abuse at least. He was very aggressive looking before I even got into my car,
What right does he have to almost touch my car, beep his horn and rev the engine madly?

OP posts:
ScarlettlovesRhett · 17/07/2014 19:47

You would have been an utter twat to sit at the pump for half an hour Grin

I would have done the same sunglasses manoeuvre as you did tbh, and have done in the past.
You weren't unreasonable!

(Agree, white van man is definitely not a mn thing - it's been a recognised expression for years)

partialderivative · 17/07/2014 19:47

Any sort of threatening behaviour is, of course, completely out of order.

Did you make any other purchases whilst in the shop bit? If so, maybe you could have moved forward into a parking space.

I also question the wisdom of winding up an obvious idiot even further than his self-righteous ego had allowed.

fairgame · 17/07/2014 19:49

YANBU some white van men are absolute tossers to share the road with. ExP drives a white van Grin

I was in a que for a petrol pump last year, white van man was behind me. Pump 1 became free, there was still a car at pump 2 but white van man drove around me to pump 1 and basically pushed in before i even had chance to move. I shouted out of my window that i was first and he just shrugged and said 'so what?'. Nice guy Hmm

Cheesymonster · 17/07/2014 19:52

YANBU

Yesterday a man beeped furiously at me because I crossed at a pelican crossing thereby halting his progress for all of 20 seconds. Traffic was heavy; he would only have got ten yards further in any event. I ignored him, you never know if someone's going to get physical and it's just not worth it.

A few weeks ago I witnessed a near punch up between a cyclist going through a red light and a pedestrian who he narrowly missed.

Some people are just dicks.

Original poster
honeybeeridiculous · 17/07/2014 19:53

Thanks scarlett Grin

partial no I didn't make any purchases while in the shop, I just paid for my petrol with cash! the exact amount,
As I said, there were 2 people infront of me in the que, not much I could have done about that.

OP posts:
MrsWinnibago · 17/07/2014 19:56

I beg to differ about "White Van Man" being "Not about class" it's EVERYTHING to do with class if you ask me.

ShakeYourTailFeathers · 17/07/2014 19:59

YANBU

I'd have been tempted to go into reverse just to shit him up. What a knobber.