They must be ashamed... - Montana Owners Club

Bill-N-Donna · 04-30-2011, 02:35 PM

Something is going on. Anyway, I noticed the other day the filling station closest to us have turned off their sign. You can’t read the price anymore without pulling in to check it at the pump. Today I noticed another filling station doing the same thing (same Co. but name omitted). I always used the two places to compare prices. Evidently they have gotten the price so high now that they are ashamed to have it on display or it’s just another way to gouge a little more by not letting people compare and see where it’s less expensive.

Art-n-Marge · 04-30-2011, 05:09 PM

I think in California it is illegal not to have posted and accurate price signs that can be seen from the street. I don't think this covers those electrical signs that stick way in the air that you can see from far away or from a highway.

There must be some repercussion as well, but I just don't know. It sure doesn't seem right, just don't know if it's illegal or what you can do about it.

I'm hoping others add a lot more ideas.

Waynem · 05-01-2011, 04:24 AM

Call the city manager and complain.

If the price difference in the past was a nickle or more, I'd still drive through the station, check the pump, drive across the street and check their pump, then make a decision on where to buy gas. Maybe if enough people were seen driving through and not purchasing anything they would get the message.

CORattler · 05-01-2011, 06:37 AM

I haven't seen that practice here in Colorado Springs (yet) but if it's being done elsewhere, the practice will likely spread. One more irritant in an already aggravating situation.

Hooker · 05-01-2011, 08:23 AM

When I read the title of this thread I thought it was a post about our politicians in Washington.

sreigle · 05-01-2011, 08:25 AM

I've also been known to pull in, check the price, pull out and go elsewhere. Vicki recalls one time in California, long ago, when I pulled out of a station saying "There is no way in xxxx I am paying 40 cents per gallon for gasoline!"

CORattler · 05-01-2011, 09:57 AM

Early 70's right Steve?
Remember the lines for gas depending on your license plate number? Funny (not the Ha Ha kind)how there's no shortage now, just price increases...

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

I've also been known to pull in, check the price, pull out and go elsewhere. Vicki recalls one time in California, long ago, when I pulled out of a station saying "There is no way in xxxx I am paying 40 cents per gallon for gasoline!"

sreigle · 05-01-2011, 02:07 PM

Oh, yes, I remember those days in southern California very well. I was riding a motorcycle to work. I could go three days but not four and rationing was based on odd or even numbers. So I had to fill it up every other day because I couldn't go yet two more days on one tank.

Waynem · 05-01-2011, 06:05 PM

I also remember those days. Fortunately I had an acquaintance that owned a full service station. He took me aside one day and said that there was no shortage and whenever I needed gasoline to just let him know and he would give me as much as I needed.

It's funny how the then news media banned together to get the "car pool" going. It only took about 4 weeks for car pooling to cut the demand in half and the prices dropped real fast.

I wish someone would start the media up on car pooling again and see what happens.

HamRad · 05-01-2011, 07:36 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Waynem

I also remember those days. Fortunately I had an acquaintance that owned a full service station. He took me aside one day and said that there was no shortage and whenever I needed gasoline to just let him know and he would give me as much as I needed.

It's funny how the then news media banned together to get the "car pool" going. It only took about 4 weeks for car pooling to cut the demand in half and the prices dropped real fast.

I wish someone would start the media up on car pooling again and see what happens.

WayneM,
I don't know where you were when the fuel shortage hit but let me tell you that there certainly was a shortage here in CA! It was not unusual for the service stations to simply shut down completely until they could get another shipment of fuel. Those truly were the "bad old days"!

This time around there is no shortage but simply very high prices. There is plenty of supply.

I hope the prices go down but everything I see tells me it is simply gonna get worse! I see it is up to 4.60+ in the Southern CA area. Still hovering around 4.40 here in Bakersfield.

Travel safely, Dennis

Phil P · 05-02-2011, 12:45 AM

Hi

I remember very well the “Gas Shortage”. There was a shortage here in this country. “Price Control” caused this. I was working in Africa at the time. The tankers with petroleum products were lined up like cord wood along the north African coast waiting for the price controls to be lifted so they could deliver their loads to the US.

We had to guard our aircraft when they were fueling it in Agadir, Morocco to keep them from putting on more fuel than we ordered or we would be to heavy. They would only charge for the fuel we ask for but some times put twice as much in because they didn’t have any storage space remaining. We paid less than $1 per gallon.

Phil P

sreigle · 05-02-2011, 11:33 AM

Dennis, on the news it said Bakersfield had the highest gas prices in the country, at least for awhile there, hitting $5 per gallon.

Naturally, when it hit we were about 1700 miles from the kids, where we will arrive later this month.

Bill-N-Donna · 05-16-2011, 08:09 AM

Up-date on this…
I haven’t talked with anyone about it but the lights are back on. I suspect one station may have had some electrical problems because I remember 1 of the numbers had started blinking some. The other station was back on a little sooner. I still don’t really know what was going on but I thought it was very strange that two stations had turned off their sign.

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