Oh… I misread thus. So he wouldn’t put them back on till you paid him. Sorta a crime then. Call the owner and let them fire him. That is not good for business and that is a direct threat. Credit card company will get your money back… That is so sad… Sorry to go on…
I think you handled it very well but I also think you should have tipped. I would have said, “I don’t have any cash but I will stop back when I do.” I would have asked his name and would have followed through by stopping back and making sure he got the tip.
The reason I would have gone out of my way to tip is because these people make such little money. I’m wondering if you drive a nice car and to him, it made him feel entitled to the $10. I’m not saying that’s right (it’s not). Just trying to get in his head.
Is this a station you go to frequently? While I think you handled things well, you might want to talk to the owner of the station and report this to them.
I had a recent situation that was NOT like yours but when I saw your post, I immediately thought of what happened with me. I got gas at a station and it is a station where the attendant fills the tank, not the customer. My check air in tires light was on and it was dark and I just didn’t feel like filling the tires myself. I asked the attendant if he would mind filling them for me. He was kind and said he’d do it and I pulled around to the tire pumping machine. I asked him if he needed quarters for the machine and he said it takes a credit card. I gave him my card to use in the machine, and he filled my tires and didn’t ask me for any money for doing this for me, but I was appreciative and gave him $5 as a tip. I left and went to the grocery store across the street. When in that store at the cashier, I realized I had not gotten my credit card back from the gas attendant. So, about 30 minutes had gone by since I was at the gas station. I went back and as soon as I got there, the attendant said, “you left your credit card” (meaning he had forgotten to return it to me), and I said I just realized that and came back to get it. He said he didn’t think I was coming back (well, he didn’t wait long), and so he said he called the number on the back of my card and cancelled the card (which I did not know anyone could do but the owner of the card). I felt lucky he was so honest. He said he then threw the card that he bent in half into the trash and gave it to me. I was appreciative of his honesty, and told him so, though it was a hassle to have to replace my card which took a few days to receive. Obviously, this was not like your situation, but I shared it anyway, as you reminded me of this recent incident.
I’m with you Empire apple. I often don’t have cash on me. But I know enough that I should probably have a fee bucks for a small service. so, I would never ask unless I had a few bucks on me. I tend to tip in gas stations. I don’t tip barista’s all the time. I don’t like the forced tip. But I also feel for people who are paid badly. I try to do the right thing more than trying to be right as I get older.
He definitely pressured you for a tip. Then changed the amount which seems to have set off the OP. S/he wasn’t going to tip then got squeezed into it and was angry. Then again he seemed to deserve a tip.
Makes me think that I’m going to make sure to continue tipping for these “free” services. In our area, if you go to the same place often , it’s doubtful you’d have an issue but you get stuck somewhere something like this could happen.
I keep a bag filled with quarters under my Passenger seat. And I have used it for emergencies ( and meters). It’s helpful.
While I would have tipped in cash, this reeks of intimidation and fraud. I think you did the right thing in going along at the moment, for your own safety, but I’m sure the owner would want to know and so would the BBB.
I have offered to tip in the past and have been told kindly thank you but no thank you. I take their business card for future service. I had been to this station twice before and have had wonderful service. The manager (a nice elderly man) about a year ago gave me his business card and told me that if I had any problem to ask for him. The thing was he was not there. I assumed new management. As someone in my 50’s given the number of times I have serviced my car I had never experienced someone of this nature. I think what brought up a red flag in my head is that he said no charge mam. But as I entered my car. (it was pouring rain) He knocked on my window and said you can pay me a $5 or $10 tip. At that point I didn’t realize I had a roll of quarters in my car but it was for toll. I was taken aback that one someone would ask for a tip and then even specify an amount. His tone changed from you can to you must pay. When I said I will pay a $5 tip he was pissed off and shook his head and proceeded to charge the card for $10. It was non negotiable for him.
It does sound like he gave you no choice.
What a creep. Don’t you dare for one moment feel like you did anything wrong.
Whether to tip or not is not part of the problem here. This reminds me of when people say a woman is “asking” for men to look at her if she dresses a bit sexy - yep, the blame the woman gig.
What this guy did is wrong on so many levels. I wouldn’t go back to that place again either.
I appreciate everyone’s feedback. I wanted to get everyone’s perspective to see how I could learn from this experience and share it with my D as well. I hope this was helpful to everyone else as it was for me. Sometimes we come into situations where we don’t know what step to take at that point in time. We reflect back and wonder how we could have handled the situation differently. I feel better prepared for next time. (hope it never happens again)
Reminds me of our honeymoon at an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. We were specifically told NOT to tip the waiters or staff. One guy DEMANDED a tip from us, though - I guess he thought we were rich Americans. We told him we were just getting out of graduate school and had no extra money. I think we did give him something. Still makes me mad.
I would not have tipped the service station guy. I would have stared at him and said, “Really? I think I’ll speak to your supervisor now.”
OP Thank you for posting this. It’s important that we share this kind of information because we all need to rely on our “fight or flight radar” to keep ourselves safe and fight back when we are intimidated or coerced.
I don’t know if our children sense these situations, so this is a good discussion point for us to discuss with our adult children.
In an ideal world, we all have access to a bit of cash, but in the real world, stuff happens. This man was being deliberately intimidating, stole an extra $5 and made you feel you couldn’t leave without paying for your “courtesy” service. If in a similar situation, I likely would have planned to come back with a cash tip later (in advance of the pressure). Would have hated to give this man a credit card after the pressure.
Perhaps if I had a trusting relationship with the owner, I’d want to them to know. However, one doesn’t always know who that person is to the owner, etc. I think contacting central corporate was smart. More local direct contact could backfire. Safety and peace of mind first.
I have lived in a smallish town for 35 years, know a couple of officers and might ask my local PD how to best handle such situations in the future (without specifics); perhaps they’d also have thoughts for this situation going forward.
All the best with this. Can see how it is distressing. Appreciate the food for thought and the chance to anticipate something similar.
I would not have signed the check for $10. I also don’t think there’s a legal way to just pay yourself a cash tip out of the till, when it’s not a line item.
This guy sounds like an idiot. And I could see where, when the boss counts (reconciles) the day’s receipts later, there’s a discrepancy. Yes, I think I’d call the boss.
My signature was not needed. He simply swiped the card and had not planned on giving me a receipt. He charged it and quickly walked to the service area. I called him back and asked for a receipt. @travelnut I would be interested in hearing what you find out from the PD.
You can bet that I will share all your advice with my D. She doesn’t drive as she relies on metro and uber for everything. I plan to take her to one of those pumps and show her how to put air in the tires.
It was pouring rain and you didn’t go out of your way to do something to take care of him? He was wrong but you should have tipped him. An offer to come back with cash was in order.
I always carry cash and in this situation, as @Empireapple says, if it was raining anywhere near as hard there as it was here a few days ago, I’d have tipped $5. But the way he handled it was inappropriate and especially to do this to a female was just wrong. I would also have asked for a receipt, perhaps have reiterated that I was authorizing only a $5 charge, and as @BunsenBurner said, not have worried about the valve caps. Then I’d have gone home, called the cr card company and disputed the charge. The gas station would have been notified and they would have to address it with the employee or eat the charge (most cr card companies would simply credit your account for a small amount like that).
Now on the flip side, when someone does something nice for me, I always put a positive review on their website or email their customer service company or ask to speak to a manager. Have done this with several online orders I placed, supermarket, theater and drugstore staff, etc. A little kindness goes a long way.
When he put air in my tires he did it in the garage.
It is very human to think of plenty of alternatives of what to say/do after the event is open. The situation was so absurd of course you didn’t think fully at the time!!!
Even if it was raining…
New Jersey folks…do you tip the gas station folks who fill your tanks when it’s raining? Betting not.
This guy stole money from the OP…who clearly states $5, not $10.
I still say…dispute the charge. It’s not what you agreed to…at all.
I live in a small town. If this happened here, the victim would have put it on FaceBook in the Townspeople Talking group. People would more than likely comment that the same thing had happened to them. It would not be good for the business, but at least the consumer would be warned.