On Breakaway Gas Pumps and Not Listening to Your Children
Okay- it wasn't so funny but read and beware if this should ever happen to you!
One day I decided that I wanted to go to a plant sale at the Huntington Gardens.
We got a bit of a late start. Dogs , kid, hair (mine)...you know how it is! We needed gas so I drove to our corner store and start to pump the daughter "helps" by smearing the dirt/washing the windows. I paid at the pump but ran inside for a soda. Then I remembered I needed the ATM. Then daughter comes in and wants bubblegum.
I am flustered. I jump in the car, make sure everyone is in, tell daughter to stop talking to me until I get out of the station. She was saying, "Momma! ....Momma!......MOMMA!!" I start to drive away and hear a WHAP! as the pump hose snaps because it was still in my gas tank. She was trying to tell me that the pump was still in my gas tank. I had not listen to my daughter tell me that the pump was still in the gas tank.
And the plant sale starts without us.
I have to be honest here- this was the second time that I had done this. The first time the attendant told me to wait while the manager reattached the hose because if I left my info and hurried away red-faced I would get a $200 whether I had damaged it or not. That time I hadn't damaged it and didn't have to pay because I waited around. If you ever do this, if you fill out the form that they have for these occurances, make sure to write on it that you will not accept charges for damages nor will your insurance company until they reconnect and test the pump in front of you or someone from your insurance company.
This time I followed my own rules but this gas station would not attach it in front of me! Thinking that I am on to their little ruse I pester them that they have to call me when they put it back together again. When they rang I ran down the street to find a repairman replacing the entire hose. Wait! These are made to break away! Turns out, as he patiently explained to me, that in California the law is now that they have to replace the entire hose all the way into the tank every time this happens because of environmental concerns. Next thing I know I have a bill from the parent company for some ungodly amount of money. Fortunately my car insurance covered it.
We did make eventually make it to the Huntington and we made some great purchases that made our hearts happy. And the hour we spent waiting in line to pay was a great reminder that we need to just slow down some days.
Stumble It!
One day I decided that I wanted to go to a plant sale at the Huntington Gardens.
We got a bit of a late start. Dogs , kid, hair (mine)...you know how it is! We needed gas so I drove to our corner store and start to pump the daughter "helps" by smearing the dirt/washing the windows. I paid at the pump but ran inside for a soda. Then I remembered I needed the ATM. Then daughter comes in and wants bubblegum.
I am flustered. I jump in the car, make sure everyone is in, tell daughter to stop talking to me until I get out of the station. She was saying, "Momma! ....Momma!......MOMMA!!" I start to drive away and hear a WHAP! as the pump hose snaps because it was still in my gas tank. She was trying to tell me that the pump was still in my gas tank. I had not listen to my daughter tell me that the pump was still in the gas tank.
And the plant sale starts without us.
I have to be honest here- this was the second time that I had done this. The first time the attendant told me to wait while the manager reattached the hose because if I left my info and hurried away red-faced I would get a $200 whether I had damaged it or not. That time I hadn't damaged it and didn't have to pay because I waited around. If you ever do this, if you fill out the form that they have for these occurances, make sure to write on it that you will not accept charges for damages nor will your insurance company until they reconnect and test the pump in front of you or someone from your insurance company.
This time I followed my own rules but this gas station would not attach it in front of me! Thinking that I am on to their little ruse I pester them that they have to call me when they put it back together again. When they rang I ran down the street to find a repairman replacing the entire hose. Wait! These are made to break away! Turns out, as he patiently explained to me, that in California the law is now that they have to replace the entire hose all the way into the tank every time this happens because of environmental concerns. Next thing I know I have a bill from the parent company for some ungodly amount of money. Fortunately my car insurance covered it.
We did make eventually make it to the Huntington and we made some great purchases that made our hearts happy. And the hour we spent waiting in line to pay was a great reminder that we need to just slow down some days.
Stumble It!
posted by Miss Mota Mouth@ 1:57 PM 0 Comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home