Was I out of order for driving into the petrol pump in front rather than waiting?

[HappyPinkHare]

AITA? Just want to get everyone’s opinions on petrol forecourt / station etiquette in the uk. Two petrol pumps are placed one in front of the other, in single lanes, so if someone is in front of you refuelling, you can’t drive past them (you either have to wait or reverse). When I drove into the forecourt, a black car was in pump 1, still filling up and pump 2 (in front of them was free). So I drove up the other lanes and reversed in front of them into pump 2. I got out, opened my petrol cap, paid using my credit card a pin and lifted the nozzle. At that point, the lady came out of her car aggressively and told me to move out of the way so they could drive off the forecourt as they were in a hurry. If I was still in my car, I probably would have moved, but as I was already about to refuel, I asked why she didn’t reverse and go down the other lanes. It basically got out of hand and she was knocking the hose in my hand to stop me from refuelling and screaming saying “are you going to pour petrol on me?” Anyway, after lots of swearing and aggression (from both husband and wife) and me passively refusing to move, they ended up reversing (just one car length by the way) and leaving via the route I had suggested originally. It got me thinking that what I did (reverse into pump 2) was maybe wrong because why were they so angry, was i out of order?

I think the poll results might be somewhat different if you hadn't included their over the top reaction and just said they were annoyed.
I think a lot of the YANBU votes are due to their reaction and are saying, in effect, that they were being unreasonable.

Not I. I voted YANBU because people do this all the time and I've never seen anyone get annoyed about it before

Thank you. I think I’ve made the thread pretty clear and most of those saying the poll is not accurate can’t comprehend that this is a normal manoeuvre. I’m sorry but 84% of voters out of almost 2500 people can’t all be ‘misunderstanding’ my question.

No matter how anyone feels on this thread op has every right to use that petrol pump.

Upshot is @HappyPinkHare even though I - and some others - think you could possibly have pulled the pump cable over your car, @Shitshowpolitics is correct, you had every right to use the pump in front of that woman. You had every right to use whichever pump you wanted to use.

And YES - the woman's reaction was bonkers.

If people had read your updates before voting, you may not have had 84% agreeing, but you would very likely have had at least 77-78%... because you really didn't do anything wrong...

Basically, you have been validated. YANBU.

Exactly

This.

Also this.

Actually it's very clear from some of the posts that they assumed it was a more usual setup with a double row of pumps and space where you can drive through the middle to get to a pump in front. Not that it was too narrow to pass and you drove past empty pumps in another lane so you could block someone in and force them to reverse.

You just cant admit you were an asshole and while you didnt deserve the response you were being unreasonable.

Sounds like she’d inhaled too many petrol fumes to me.

....literally nobody has said otherwise?

I haven't suggested it is illegal for her to use the pump. Just that it is dangerous to reverse unnecessarily in a constricted space where people won't be expecting it, and twatty to drive in front of someone and then force THEM to reverse rather than inconvenience yourself the tiniest amount by either waiting or stretching a hose.

Please for the love of god can you, and everyone else yakking about 'going around', google what a SINGLE LANE petrol pump is. There's even a photo on this thread if you can't manage it. It was completely impossible for them to "drive around" the OP's car.

OP's smuggery that a majority of people on the votes are agreeing with her means FA when most of those people have this level of reading (in)comprehension!

Absolutely not. I do it all the time. If I want fuel and there's a free pump then I'm going to use it. Besides my car gets hangry 😂

They sound like the sort of people who spend their lives finding reasons to lose their sh*t.

Yea you were annoying as well as a risk to other users. As others have pointed out, you inconvenienced others because you didn’t want to deal with the inconvenience of a long hose. I think you’ve made up their reaction to make yourself sound like less of an AH in the situation tbh

Honestly, when people act unhinged like this I'd always advise to whip out your phone and start filming. In my experience the behaviour stops immediately but at least if it doesn't then you have evidence. Although in a fuel station I'm not sure you're supposed to have your phone out actually so maybe not the best advice in this scenario!

Jesus, I'm glad I got out of this. People go mental at petrol pumps. If they behave like this all the time, they'd be sectioned.

What's the point of making something like this up on an anonymous group?

My local fuel station has two entrances/exits. There is space to drive through the middle of cars at pumps both sides, providing no-one has stopped a long way out from the pump. Most fuel stations have a sign saying "use both sides". It really isn't hard to stretch the hose to the fuel filler on the side away from the pump. Indeed, most modern fuel stations have space to manoeuvre through the middle of two occupied lanes - I know a few don't. Also, I see quite a few drivers who don't know the width of their vehicle and find it difficult to reverse! I live on a single track country lane and most folk I meet haven't a clue how to reverse or to look ahead for oncoming vehicles/passing places! This is particularly apparent when the main road is closed for roadworks or a bad accident. Our lane is used as a rat-run. The difficulties the drivers have is laughable - except when they use our driveways and hit the wall/gatepost!

They sound absolutely unhinged and their reaction was awful, but what you did was odd - blocking them in when there were two free pumps beside you? Just park close and stretch the pump!

Do you feel a lot road rage whilst driving? You don't even need to be there and I can feel the rage in your post. Are you an anxious driver?
I spoke to a confident driver that I know and asked the same question. He said he wouldn't care and they have every right to be there. He wouldn't get upset or start an argument.