First?
Edit: Yay! Story to follow, I promise

Edit Edit: Okay, story:

For about a year I worked as an assitant manager at a petrol station and yes, it was as glamorous as it sounds.

We were getting a lot of bilkins (people filling up and driving off without paying) because the owners were too tight* to put up cameras that covered the whole of the forecourt. Only four out of seven pumps were in the cameras' view, and only two of them were in sufficient range that you could read the number plates of cars pulling up. Needless to say, a lot of people got away without paying.

So their solution? Put up more cameras? No, that would cost money. A much better idea was to implement a new scheme were the cashier was responsible for people filling up. Now, if someone drove off without paying and no number plate was taken down, it would be docked out of said cashier's wages!

I am not entirely sure how legal this was (as you could be docked for certain shortages within the law) and obviously got us quite worried - at rush hour it could get manic and there was no way you could read a number plate from the till for the three furthest pumps.

After having a bilkin myself (and not getting the plate details) I hit upon an idea. Most cars when they are registered are registered in blocks. For example I had an old Rover J245PUD and I regularly saw another Rover of the same model, but different colour, J248PUD.
So, as long as I could identify what make and model a car was, I would note it down. Then if another identical car came along, I would note down their registration, but change the last number, or in the case of the newer style registration, the last letter.

The company would then run it through and report it to the police, the police would find out that it was the wrong car (or a couple of times 'false plates' ) and it would be dropped.

Now, I know what you are thinking. There are two things in here that make me a complete cunt.
1) I provided them police false information, not only comitting a criminal offence, but wasting their time when they could be doing better things.
2) Some poor innocent sod probably got a nasty letter through the post telling them they were being reported for theft.
And you are correct.

I must say, I did not do this without some regret, all I can put in my defence is that:
1) Most of the time the police didn't bother chasing up bilkins, even the ones where we had the correct information and knew who the driver was.
2) I wasn't going to have about fifty quid (for cars, lorries could be up to £200) taken out of my already pathetic wages.
3) It wasn't long before the owners realised their new approach wasn't working and finally put in more cameras.

So to anyone who got hassled for something they didn't do, I am sorry. I was a cunt that had fuck all money, no backing from the people I worked for and the threat of losing my house if I didn't take home all of my wages.

Also, apologies for the long rambling post. I didn't mean it to go on like that.

* Just to note, these were the people responsible for our safety, left us to work night shifts alone, and didn't wire up the panic button. I had to press it once and then call the police later when no-one turned up.
( VandenPlas can't think of anything clever - no change there!, Thu 10 Jun 2010, 10:55, 4 replies)

Dont know who's worse the bilkers or the boss that makes his staff pay
This happened to my son last night, he works in Dominos Pizza, not a highly paid job to start with. Someone comes in orders £60 worth of pizzas, snatches them off the counter when done and legs it out the door.

Now I suppose my son should have been more switched on & taken the money before putting them up on the counter, but £60 out of his wages isnt funny.

Utter cunts - the thief & the boss who doesnt care coz he got his money....
(SausageWarrior destination Zululand, come on boys jump in the van, Thu 10 Jun 2010, 12:34, closed)

I hear ya on this one! I used to work the night shift at a petrol station as well. They barely made any money at all but they figured by having the garage open 24 hours meant that the building didnt need to be secured!
I had one or two drive offs where I didnt notice or I forgot to charge the driver for the petrol he had took. I'd cover it up by people buying stuff (food, porn, energy drinks etc.) and then cancelling the sale so the tills would be fine!
(discowho?, Thu 10 Jun 2010, 12:35, closed)

Retractable bollards
at the forecourt exit - ideal way to stop bilkins before they can drive away.
(FirstBendBunching All four back please..., Thu 10 Jun 2010, 16:03, closed)

So in the UK, the pumps will operate before you've paid? Every gas station I've been to will not dispense a drop before you've put your card in or given the cashier your money.
(AlfishKK, Wed 16 Jun 2010, 22:37, closed)