[Madison, Wisconsin] Inspectors found a few dozen local gas stations shortchanging their customers at the pump... About 50 stations throughout southern and southwestern Wisconsin didn't deliver enough fuel...
About 97.9 percent of pumps in 2011 were within the error rate that's allowed, state data indicate. Only 0.4 percent shortchange customers...
Of those that failed tests and had pumps "red-tagged," or shut down until they're fixed, a station in Monona was off by 5 cents a gallon. Another pump in Sun Prairie was off by 29 cents a gallon...
State and local inspectors check for errors by pumping five gallons into their proving devices, which have a level to indicate the actual amount pumped. Errors are within the allowed range if they're only a few tablespoons under- or over-delivering...
It's impossible to check the mechanics of a pump without the expensive devices the inspectors have, but consumers can still look out for two kinds of errors -- meter creep and meter jump.Meter creep happens when cents continue to add up even after the consumer stops the pump, while meter jump takes place when the price calculates before the consumer begins pumping.
Note this probably reflects poor equipment maintenance rather than felonious intent, because...
Just as many, if not more, stations give customers more fuel that what they paid for. One pump in Beloit was giving drivers an extra 52 cents a gallon...
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