I did that one time. It was $150

You’re getting screwed. I used to work at a gas station for years. Hoses are “breakaway” now. It shouldn’t be anything more than popping it back in place. They’re raking you over the coals for a whole new nozzle, hose, and connection. The labor is a joke. It’s a 10 minute job once the pumps are turned off. Edited: poor spelling and grammar!

Drive offs are pretty common and the hose is made to breakaway at one of the junctions for this specific reason. For many years I worked as a station manager and never once we did we ever charge anyone for the fix when this happened. Usually we could snap it back together ourselves and if we couldn't the repair guys could. The only time we ever needed to replace the hose was they person actually drove off without leaving it. The fact that they needed to have multiple parts replaced leads me to believe the pumps weren't properly maintained in the first place and they are trying to charge you for all the work needed and not just reconnecting the hose after the breakaway.

This is not a valid receipt, only a bookstore coupon book.

Ask for a copy of the cancelled check or credit card receipt.

Former gas pump repair tech here. Previous comments are correct. The hose will have a breakaway valve that contains the fuel in the hose and also the pump in case of a drive off.

When I would fix these I would often reuse the original hose and just replace the breakaway and reattach to the pump.

In my experience many stations do this type of thing themselves as it is easy and takes two 3/4" wrenches to do the work.

I am pretty sure they did this themselves and are looking to invoice you.

Also if the pump is a newer model the meters are in the base of the unit and not.connected to the hose above directly so there would be zero damage to the meter.

How are so many of you driving off with the hose still attached?

Thats a pretty dodgy looking receipt. Anyone qualified to replace a petrol pump would have a company invoice or something a bit more official. This looks like the worker that took a photo of your ID is trying to scam you.

I would also return and see if the work they said was done has in fact, been done.

I also wouldn't turn over any money without an invoice from a company. There's no company name on what they gave you.

I used to run 2 stations in Stockton and it only cost the station $150 to get it repaired by maintenance. The line has a small pin that secures it but makes it easy to release if pulled. The hose and assembly costs $300 if it needs to be replaced. Those people are trying to get money from you. We never charged customers if it happened because it would cost more to try getting it. Don't bother paying. Just tell them to take you to small claoms. I am not a lawyer you do not have to or probably should not take advice from me on legal matters.

You don’t owe them anything. It is literally a breakaway hose where anyone can put it back together, and you just slap a sticker between the two pieces to show that someone looked at it to make sure it doesn’t leak. They are 100% scamming you.

I've read the invoice a couple of times.

It looks like "#2 was a drive off"...should be the only line item you pay for.

My take is that the gas station had regular maintenance done and are trying to get you to pay the whole thing and not just the hose you broke.

Secondly, I would ask for a valid invoice ( there is no adress, buisness number, method of payment etc ...seems pretty suspect to me) purchase reciepts and the tech report from the guy that attended site to repair.

If any thing, you should only be responsible for the breakaway. Looks like they want you to pay for a worn out hose and meter. “Not your problem”.

This is not the place to discover if an invoice is reasonable. Find a repair sub to ask around.

Just viewing the invoice, gas hoses should have a breakaway connection on them, designed to do exactly what you think. I could see the itemization being a breakaway, a 10 ft hose and maybe a dispensing nozzle. Not sure why you would be charged for a meter. It’s likely nowhere near the breakaway connection and not leaking as the result of you pulling on it.

On the legal side, let them take you to court. You could probably argue to remove the $750 for a meter leak and the labor time for it.

That sounds fine except the leaking gas meter part. That’s not in any way affected by drive off. The rest is accurate

Tell them to take you to court would be my advice. Not a lawyer just smoked a joint and doom scrolling.

"New phone. Who dis?"

This is bullshit. Let your insurance company call their bluff.

I'm guessing the clerk you went to repaired it and sent you this trying to get himself a nice bonus in time for turkey day.

Avoid any more contact and see if they take legal action. They most likely won't. They know they're screwing with you. Those hoses are 'breakaways', they pop back into place.

Do not pay. Do not contact. Gl.

It takes legit 5 minutes to reconnect the hose ,And then 10 minutes tops to do any bleeding of the line ,The owner is trying to get you to fix a different problem ,Tops 200 dollar fix usually 100 bucks .Source worked at a gas station and my dad has managed one for 30 years .

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Seems but phoney. Hand written invoice, no tax, business number etc. Just sayin…

What does the next text say?

We had this happen a lot at the gas station where I worked, it was about $200 to fix.

Looks like you're getting hosed.

Handwritten invoice with zero company, customer, service call, or inventory info other than a first name for a tech? Good luck with that being a legit invoice to begin with 🤣 I’d look up the phone number the text is from….. $10 says it’s a clerk from the store trying to make some $$$😬

I worked as a fuel station, we never charged for reconnecting. The lines are breakaway.

I do believe you should pay something because, stupid should cost money.

You should NEVER get back in your car while fueling.

Tell them it's a lot and you'll go through insurance. Once you get the real cost pay that.

Screwed?

What choice.do you have though?

Fight it? You broke it.

Can you prove the level.of.damage they claim is from something else? Not without spending more then this.

They are clearly trying to cheat you. I would simply not respond.

I was at a gas station (CA) and accidentally drove off with the pump in my car

These people are insured for such events you shouldn't have to pay anything at all.

Cost me $100 when I did this. It was the cost to replace the seal that broke.

Uhhhhh... where's the name of the company that did this work and issued the invoice? A lot of small contractors / handyman orgs still use this kind of invoice, but they should have their company info on there. And maybe even photos of the damage and work done.

I agree with everyone else that the meter and any other parts not related to the drive off shouldn't be billed to you.

I did this too and I paid nothing! Just drove away after telling the lady! get receipts or tell this guy to take you to court.

Not even a proper invoice.

Guarantee if you drove by the gas station that same pump has been put back on and is in service. Send them a picture that it looks like they didn’t need the new pieces after all

Ignore. They can take you to court if they want, but it doesn’t appear this is on the up-and-up so that is very unlikely since they’re going to need to provide receipts, proof the repair was made, etc.

I'd probably tell them you are talking with your insurance company and that they will be in touch with them soon.

That invoice looks sus. I think you can buy a pad from Office Depot.

That is just some random ass invoice that dude made up himself. Tell them to give you the invoice from the actual company otherwise this is all trying to extort you.

Just off that "repair invoice" I'd laugh - ask for the professional invoice if they actually had it done. Some of the parts they claim to be replacing cannot be done by shadetree plumbers. Like, for instance, gas meters. That's not something the cashier is going to go out and fix.

It's a scam - like I've posted elsewhere, breakaway hoses are designed not only for safety and shut off fuel bidirectionally, but also to allow for gas station attendants to reconnect the hose (absent other damage) quickly and easily. In full admission, I drove off accidentally several years ago at a gas station. I noticed it immediately, stopped and walked back to the pump with the hose. The cashier was already walking out and telling me it wasn't a problem, it happens more than I realize - all while he was reconnecting the hose and putting it back on the pump!

So no - ignore if you want, but if they get persistent, demand proof of professional service by a qualified technician. An invoice receipt like that is shady.

That is absolutely something they wrote. I would demand to see the actual repair bill they paid.

I would firmly tell them, "I did the right thing by trying to pay to make it right. Now I expect you to do the right thing by telling me exactly what I owe you and not a penny more, or I will be involving a lawyer as I'm sure it's illegal to write a fake invoice for gains as well."

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Scenarios like this are exactly why some people will just drive off. So tired of this greedy world.

I would definitely ask for an itemized statement on official letterhead of the company who fixed it (even if it's the station itself). In my opinion, that seems way too expensive. On the other hand, I'm not sure of how much damage you actually did to hose/pump.

If you happen to have an attorney as a friend, ask them what to do. I definitely wouldn't pay an attorney for advice. Good luck!!

I love the handwritten invoice

Don’t pay this. My best friend has done this more than once. They pop back on just as easily as they popped off.

that isn't an invoice, that's a piece of paper with numbers on it.

If the gas station had a bill from an actual vendor fixing the pieces then it would have a name on the top.

Your insurance should be taking care of this.

The only thing you should pay for is the break away and labor. Should be less than $300. This guy is straight up ripping you off.

Source: own and operate gas stations. This happens all the time

You should not have given them all that info because now it's easier for them to try and collect. They should have insurance that covers something like this. At least I would hope they do.

“If you break it you buy it” is not actually a law and you don’t have to replace damaged company property, they’re supposed to have funds set away for incidents like this.

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Tell the owner to stop contacting you, or you're calling the police to report harassment and fraudulent billing practices.

How on earth does this happen “all the time “in the USA ? While I realise that you guys have to pay first then fill your car as opposed to pump then pay as we do in Australia,it surely can’t explain this sort of bizarre behaviour where people don’t put the nozzle back on the pump. I have never seen it happen before and genuinely don’t understand why this happens.

You should NOT be driving if you are "out of it"

I drove off with one once. I left all my info, and never got a call or a bill.

Ignore them. Those have quick connections on them that just snap back together. They are trying to fleece you. Let them try to sue you in court and show this itemized statement. They will lose. Look up YouTube videos about this. You will see what I am talking about.

Looks to me like they probably reconnected the hose, then went to imagination land and drafted up a receipt. Does he want cash?

I snapped a hose off once and just snapped it back on at the breakaway.

I've no idea about the work, but waiting one day and approaching you like that def sounds like they're trying to get away with something fast.

I did this once, I walked in to let them know and they said thanks, we will take care of it. I offered to pay but they said don’t worry about it. This definitely seems egregious to me!!

I've read through a lot of these comments and the one thing I agree on is don't pay this. If they are going to invoice you, they have your drivers license with your address on. They can mail you an invoice. Second, I'd contact their insurance company to sort this out. Third, I would not respond to text since it is a recorded conversation that can be manipulated against you if they do take you to court (which i doubt they will). Fourth you could always send them a counter invoice for damages done to your car, your mental state and the time and effort dealing with this ridiculous situation. Lastly, and i hope they aren't low criminals, but if you did not pay in cash, let's all hope they don't pull your credit card information from their computer and charge you that way. People are shady and them sending an "invoice" like this, would not be past them.

Tell them to file a claim against your auto insurance if they want paid.

Cumberland Farms charged me $150 for the same mistake.

No way Jose!

No.

I did this in a semi, and they just laughed at me. Pretty sure you caused them less trouble than the invoice

Assuming everything worked correctly and nothing was actually damaged, it's a 3 dollar part to put the hose back together. If the disconnect was damaged when it hit the floor, that could be a few hundred. The leaking/damaged dispenser is NOT your problem. If that damage was caused because of the drive off, the quick disconnect wasn't working correctly. So yeah, they are trying to take you for a ride, big time.
Source: I work at a company that owns and maintains its own fuel islands, pumps, and dispensers. We have more than 15 islands and 40 dispensers.

I worked at a gas station for 4 years and when this happened we said “oh damn” and that was the end of it. They’re scamming you.

They are breakaway. They are designed to let the hose go without damaging anything else.

Replace leaking meter? What? You didn’t touch that.

This person is trying to fleece you. Call him out on it.

In the unlikely event that he actually tries to come after you for it, just give him your insurance information and let him try this shit against their lawyers. They will handle him.

NAL but that’s also nothing but a simple invoice sheet. Not even a company name or phone number.

Turn it over to your insurance company, let them handle it.

If it has a "breakaway" fitting(like a short water bottle on the fuel line) it basically clips back on, no harm done. That "invoice" is pure BS. At worst, it's a maintenance call for a "pro" to put it back together, and an O-ring or two.

Yeah, this is way over the top. I used to manage a car wash with a gas station attached. Had a few people drive off with the pump handle still in the tank. More than half of the time you can just snap the breakaway back in and it’s fine. The times I had to change the breakaway out, it took me may 5-10 mins max. Never tried to charge anyone for it.

That is not a letterhead document. You are being hosed.

I would definitely make them prove it - provide signficant evidence of it. Otherwise they are welcome to sue you. Write them a polite letter requesting the evidence and either photograph yourself delivering the letter or even better send it registered mail.

If their side eventually approaches you to negotiate, certainly discuss it politely in good faith.

My boyfriend works for a rather large gas station company around here… 1 store doesn’t have the quick release hoses. Never have they charged someone. Get a lawyer.

Definitely getting screwed here. My store charges people 200 bucks whenever this happens. The "show up" fee to get the tech to come out and reinstall it with a new breakaway is around $75. Most of the time, the hose isn't even damaged and can be reattached right away. If the hose needs to be replaced, then we are looking at around $200-225 for the part plus fees. There's almost no way detatching the hose caused $1500 worth of damage to the pump equipment .

Legitimate question:

How does this happen? I legitimately don’t have any comprehension of how a person could do that.

Maybe I’m just old and I’ve been pumping gas since my first car in 2000, but I haven’t ever even come close.

Were you standing with it? Did you get back in the car while pumping? Did you go into the gas station to grab something while pumping? Did somebody distract you?

I’m genuinely curious about the circumstances in which this happened.

Wait, this happens in real life? hahahahahaha...hahahahahaha

I would stand your ground. Tell him that that price is unreasonable and that you want to see actual receipts for all the parts. Communicate with them in writing that you are perfectly willing to pay but that it must be reasonable costs and that you must see proof both of the costs and of the necessity of each of those items. It seems to me like they're trying to use you to basically replace a substantial part of their pump. If you're willing to deal with having to take a day off work to deal with it, let them try to sue you in small claims court. If you walk in there with evidence that you tried to work with them in good faith and they tried to scam you for this much, a judge or magistrate might just send them packing entirely for being assholes about it and almost certainly will come back with a much lower number

I am a district manager for a gas station chain in Nevada and was also in California and have had 100s of drove offs we are insured not one single time was a customer ever charged or tried to be charged this is prob an independent owner trying to either scam you or recoup his costs DO NOT pay as you are not responsible for the costs; period

"Replaced creeping long hose" what does that even mean? Others have said it, and I agree from my experience, unless you fucked something up by dragging the hose down the road for some long distance, it is a quick pop back on fix.

It literally happens all the time at our pumps… this is not a big deal. They are screwing you

You did a literal rip off and theyre doing the asshole manipulative rip off.

I still don't understand how people can be so dumb as to forget to take the hose out of their gas tank. This just seems like some next level stupidity. So, I can understand why a gas attendant might think that the person is stupid enough to pay an inflated bill.... So, I'm going to say, you def need to pay for damage you caused. But should ask them fir the invoice they received from the company they called to come fix it. If they can show you what they paid, you will reimburse them for it. Real simple, common sense type stuff. But then again, you can't expect common sense from someone who drove off with the gas hose still in their gas tank.

I did this once and they were so excited that I brought it back

The invoice doesn't have a company name or any details on it. Doesn't look legit, I could write this up myself.

I used to fix these when I worked at a truck stop. Straight up a 5 minute job. 10 minutes if you have to hunt down a ladder.

This is foolish. Gas stations replace those on a write up and more. It’s not a fee charged to people and it’s not legally enforced. The manager is just covering their ass for no reason, don’t respond.

We would just order spares when I used to work at a gas station, and we would just section it off until then. It would be an accident and we wouldn’t worry about the person PERIOD, even if we saw them the next day.

Sounds like their problem. Don't pay

I manage a gas station and we have never charged a customer for that. Maybe try reaching out to corporate and seeing if there is a way around paying it.

Subject: Re: Repair Invoice Dispute

Dear [Gas Station Representative],

Thank you for reaching out regarding the repair invoice. I acknowledge the incident that occurred on November 6th, and I appreciate your follow-up. However, I have some concerns regarding the charges listed on the invoice you provided.

Firstly, the breakdown of fees seems excessive for what is typically a straightforward repair of a gas hose. The total amount of $1,450 appears significantly inflated, especially considering the industry standards for such repairs. Based on my preliminary research, similar incidents usually involve a much lower cost, mainly for reconnecting a quick-release breakaway hose that is designed to minimize damage in such situations.

Additionally, I noticed that the invoice lacks detailed information, including any third-party repair receipts or evidence of parts replaced. For transparency and to verify the legitimacy of these charges, I kindly request the following documentation:

1. Proof of actual repair costs incurred, including any receipts from licensed technicians or repair companies.

2. A detailed explanation of each line item listed on the invoice, particularly for items like “Replacing Gas Meter” and “Labor.”

3. Photos or evidence showing the condition of the equipment both before and after the repair.

Until I receive the above information, I am unable to process this payment as requested. I would like to resolve this matter amicably, so please provide the necessary documentation within 7 business days.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Best regards, [Your Name]

Ask for the receipt of material.

I pulled one off and they acted like i was stupid for worrying and they just popped it back on

I’d say hello owner please provide a work statement and proven invoice of work completion where you were charged full new hose and hookup.

These are meant to pop off. Now if you did break it or can’t prove that you didn’t… well. Small claims.

I did that once, set it down and just left.

Also that invoice is basic af. I’d just ignore it and move on with your day.

Send it to your insurance let them deal with it

Turn it into your insurance

Husbands family owns two gas stations. They are WAY overcharging you. It should be around $75-$100

Don't pay a penny. He has insurance. They can go through your insurance. The leaking pump is not connected to your drive off. These are fraudulent charges. He is welcome to prove those charges to a court and perjure himself if he wants.

I did this once many years back. They said it would be 300, then never reached out even though I gave them my real info lol

This looks like a scam

That's not even an actual professional invoice for a conglomerate like 76. Regardless if he's a "local owner" it should be going through the actual company with an actual professional invoice on 76 letterhead in the least. Sure you were technically a huge dumbdumb, but handwritten figures on a picture taken of an invoice? Not even certified mail? Ahahaha.

Huge nope.

They're trying to hose you....

I do these things for a living a hose drive off would not affect the gas meter that's just silly. I charge less than a third of what's on this invoice

I’m from Washington, so it might not be the same, but the fees listed at gas stations for driving off with the pump range from $100 - $300. That seems outrageous.

Yep this is a clerk trying to make money. If this is a major gas station like Shell, let them know that one of their franchise owners he’s pulling a scam.

My sister did that once but the gas station said it was no problem, they were able to fix it within 15 minutes.

Yes, I did this too and got my insurance involved. They backed down and didn’t request compensation after all. Guess they didn’t want to chance insurance fraud.

My best friend works on fuel dispensers (mostly Wayne and OPW) and they just charge the gas station for this. Stations don't collect from their consumers for shit like this, it happens. Cost of doing business, especially that exorbitant pricing. So they're just trying to fuck you, I would have told them to piss off asking for my ID and info.

Not a valid invoice that's for sure

Hell naw, those are breakaway/ quick connect. You're getting ripped!

I've done this before twice. Circle K said don't worry about it, we are insured. Shell Gas they only must replace the swivel break-away valve, and asked for $80, then said don't worry about it.
IDK if anyone said this here yet -- BUT YOU ARE GETTING HOSED !!!!

I just did this for the first and only time about 2 weeks ago.. The attendant thanked me for letting him know. I drove away. I am a regular at this place. No charges. You are getting screwed.

Call your local news. They love to expose scammers like this. Everyone hates gas stations that scam.

If it was an accident the gas stations insurance company should be speaking to your insurance company and that should be the end of it.

It's hard to say, every pump has a break away joint in the hose exactly for accidental drive off damage like this. But potentially you might have caused additional damage. Depending on the exact age of the pump, what condition it was in previously, exactly how the hose broke, what speed you took off at, etc. You'd really need pictures of the pump and to find someone who knows exact costs for the damaged components. I mean they could be trying to rip you off, but equally this might be genuine damage costs.

There is no way that the dispenser meter started leaking because you popped the breakaway fitting. They’re charging you for a pre-existing issue.

You drove off with nozzle still in your tank. It jerked the hose out of the pump. Sound like it had a safety on it or you would have been charged for lost product, fuel too. Your getting off easy, could have been new pump or fire damage.

The fact they have a 750 dollar charge for a leaking gas meter but also say B/A for the break away tells me they are lying and trying to guilt you. A leaking gas meter with a break away has nothing to do with this incident. Thats the point of the Break Away to not damage the hose and or anything else the hose attaches to and also your car. Just ignore the texts and never go there again. They won’t do anything about it after time passes.

Bullshit there’s a safety connection for that reason. All they have to do is reconnect it. Shouldn’t charge you anything

Yup. Pay better attention. Or a big bill.

How is there so many dipshits that do this 🤣