You should all be flattered if you are asked to remove your helmet so the attendant can see your handsome features. The time to be offended is when they see your chops and immediately ask you to put the helmet back on again!
Went back to the same garage yesterday morning at 7am to fill up. Same bloke on and did not ask me to remove my lid. Whether he recognised me from last time I was there and knew I was not happy I don't know.
Tescos have a helmet off policy also no hoodies !! If there is a sign up on the petrol shop door no helmets il remove my helmet. But is a faff. I was at Tescos near Norwich a while back and while the attendant was busy shouting at all 3 bikers to get their lids off as company policy to not let you fill up in that station with crash helmets on . The car driver behind filled his car up and drove off without paying!!!!!!!! We all paid!
So you moan about being treated like a 2nd class citizen the first time but still return to the same garage?
If you read the original post, I had no options as I needed fuel. I did say I would go back and see what happened when I have time to be awkward if they refused me again, which I did and they didn't. Call me awkward if you like, but it is the principle of the thing.
I've always filled up while sitting on the bike, helmet still on but strap undone, gloves off. Then I'll get my money sorted and take helmet off before going over to the shop to pay. Never had any problem. I can understand taking helmet off when in the shop. That's totally fine as it can be seen as threatening, but while filling up with fuel I don't think it's right to be told to remove it. Love the balaclava idea someone mentioned!
Not really, it is all the duty and tax that makes filling up so expensive, same as buying cigarettes here in the UK, massive payday for the government. Makes sense to tax people on what they either cant or wont give up. They can even claim the moral high ground (haha!) by saying it is to try to discourage use and reduce pollution .
Yes, but as often as not the garages use the excuse of tax hikes to put their prices up too, so they're not as innocent as people think.
I don't think so, any tax/duty changes are well publicised, like at the time of budget for example. Most of the regular price changing is down to the fluctuations in currency exchange rates and the actual traded cost of the oil. There are other factors such as shipping cost changes too but they are relatively small.
Well that's the generous view. Petrol went up massively a few years ago when the oil price spiked. It has never come down despite the oil price slumping. The oil companies are all about making consumers pay for higher oil prices and not giving them lower priced when they could. They just pocket the extra. In any case the petrol you buy was made from oil bought ages ago as they buy futures. But they adjust the price on the spot rate. It's a one way street.
The points I was making are that a large chunk of petrol costs here in the UK are nothing to do with the oil companies as they are taxes and duties imposed by hmrc and that while the oil companies are keen to maximise profit any way they can, as far as I am aware they have never increased the price and blamed it on a non existent tax .
Most garages have ANPR, so unless you have false plates or a stolen bike, plod will be waiting at your door when you get home and arrest you if you don't pay. Never been asked at my local station, perhaps as I live 50 yards away they feel pretty comfortable. Duke
