what happens at a gas station...?

like if you fill up your car with 12 gallons (US) at the local gas station (12 American gallons is equivalent to 14 British Imperial gallons or 45 liters)- then you stop it at 12 gallons. However, the pump gives you 13 American gallons-equivalent to 16 British Imperial gallons or 49 liters- when you stopped it at 12. Then does the gas station get fined if the pump gives you more gallons (or liters) than you needed?
Additional Details
actually I was talking about the gallons that we use here in the US... the British gallon was supplementary ...

Tolaran

If you are pumping the gasoline yourself at a self serve station then you control the pump. If you pump in too much that's your problem and you are responsible for the full amount. If you instructed an attendant to pump the fuel for you and they in turn put in too much then you are only responsible for the amount originally requested. However, you will have to prove this last case. You have to also be aware that the pump corrects the volume for temperature. The gasoline in the ground is much colder (at this time of year) than the ambient temperature and will expand considerably when it warms up. This reaction is reversed during the colder winter months and the pump is supposed to correct for this. Some states do not require this correction and in that case you are being ripped off. So you may have pumped 12 gallons but when the fuel expanded it appears that you got more. If you didn't have to pay for the difference then leave it alone.
And your Imperial versus American is reversed.
Imperial gallon is larger than a American gallon.
1 Imperial gallon = 4.54609 liters
1 US gallon = 3.785411784 liters

Alex E

The honest thing to do would be to report this pump malfunction to the attendants for correction as if it malfunctioned to the good for you, it may well malfunction adversely for someone else.

Do the right thing and be a good Samaritan.

Others would argue that the oil companies have been ripping us off for years (and they are right) so a little street justice is due.

I do not feel that way as I was brought up honest and will die honest.

sly

You need to check your facts. The imperial gallon is larger than the U.S. gallon. The rest of your question is nonsensical

sgoldperson

Well when you get down to it this is unlikely to happen. This is poorly written as well. I'm guessing you think the pump stopped counting at 12 gallons, but you kept pumping. Pumps are computerized and this doesn't happen, however if it DID happen then yeah you should report it. Since you are talking about a US Gas Station I don't know of ANY that don't use modern pumps that reset after each fill, so it's not going to rip someone else off either, but the second person has a point.

UCANTCME

What you can do is contact your states Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) because they are the ones that test all gas pumps for accuracy.

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