Italian self-service gas
May 9th, 2016, 11:55 AM
#1
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Italian self-service gas
I have a problem. I have used one of these pieces of garbage for refilling of my rental car and used a 50€ bill but used only 24€. Off course, I would use a credit card if it had let me(there seem to be problem regards those, because they dont let me use a VISA credit card nor MasterCard even of a bank that is a part of the Intesa san paolo group...). Is there a way to get my 26€ back or did I just got ripped off?
May 9th, 2016, 10:28 PM
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Dirty language? Come on. I dont know italian, I can assure you that I have read everything on the automat, but that does not mean I understood it. And you sir did not obviously read my question, because the other problem why I think they are ripoffs because even though I have a bank that is part of an italian bank group, it is a VISA and there even was the bank logo, it did not accept my card(yes it is valid for usage in Italy). I dont know how these things work, they dont exist in my country, the gas stations there are manned 24/7 and have much, much lower gas prices, plus a gas station is not just a place to refill there, it is a rest center for drivers with coffee shop and a small alimentary. Couldnt it please be aproppriate to use some common sense before blaming and shaming?
May 9th, 2016, 10:35 PM
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Plus, it does not make any sense for it to not give any change or for you not being any way to get your money back. What do you do when the card terminal does not work or you dont have a card, dont have any small banknotes and are out of gas and the pump is in a middle of nowhere(which are most of them)?
May 10th, 2016, 12:22 AM
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Oh the joys (and expense) of travelling outside your own country where things are different.
We have always had the same issue with those self-service machines. But the first time we just accepted that we had to fill up and it was going to cost a bit more than we expected because they don't give change (small fraction of the whole vacation and we just let it go and chalked it up to a learning experience). After that we ensured we carried small notes to top up before dropping the car at the airport.
Live and learn. You can't judge the rest of the world based on what happens in your own country.
I hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip.
We have always had the same issue with those self-service machines. But the first time we just accepted that we had to fill up and it was going to cost a bit more than we expected because they don't give change (small fraction of the whole vacation and we just let it go and chalked it up to a learning experience). After that we ensured we carried small notes to top up before dropping the car at the airport.
Live and learn. You can't judge the rest of the world based on what happens in your own country.
I hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip.
May 10th, 2016, 12:43 AM
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It doesn't matter whether your bank is supposedly part of an Italian "bank group." If you don't have a chip and pin card, which the vast majority of Americans don't because they're eons behind Europeans on this one, you can't use machines like this (same with some automated ticket machines, toll booth machines, etc.).
I've never encountered a gas machine in Europe that gave change for cash. It's not for you to decide whether this makes sense or not. It's the way it is here. And no one's problem but your own if you can't read or make sense of Italian. Your idea of what is "common sense" in America means nothing to Europeans. It's different here, though there are plenty of gas stations that have small stores attached, even restaurants. And if you don't understand the metric system, it's hard to compare fuel prices. Europe isn't America. We thought that's why you wanted to visit. Guess not.
I've never encountered a gas machine in Europe that gave change for cash. It's not for you to decide whether this makes sense or not. It's the way it is here. And no one's problem but your own if you can't read or make sense of Italian. Your idea of what is "common sense" in America means nothing to Europeans. It's different here, though there are plenty of gas stations that have small stores attached, even restaurants. And if you don't understand the metric system, it's hard to compare fuel prices. Europe isn't America. We thought that's why you wanted to visit. Guess not.
May 10th, 2016, 04:07 AM
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St: >> If you don't have a chip and pin card, which the vast majority of Americans don't because they're eons behind Europeans on this one, you can't use machines like this (same with some automated ticket machines, toll booth machines, etc.).
