Refused fuel because combi can is not GREEN!!

[Sciadopitys]

I was refused fuel in a BP petrol station in London the other day because my combi can was not green plastic, but a white, kind of transparent plastic. I asked the guy, who could barely speak English, what legally a fuel container needed to have so i could fill it. He did not have a clue!! He just pointed to his lovely shiny brand new green fuel cans on his shelf, as he clearly wanted me to purchase one! I didn't! I am not sure if i was in the right or not, and i am hoping someone will enlighten me to the laws regarding what legally needs to be printed on a fuel can to get it filled at a petrol station in the UK.

 

I demanded a phone number for customer services and then parked the truck over the exit of the petrol station and locked it and left it there whilst i made the phone call. The guy was not impressed!! I told him we needed fuel, fill the can and i'll move the truck. This guy was stubborn and still refused. I eventually got through to the customer services and told them the same! Fill our can and i will be on my way! She told me it needed to clearly state that the contents were fuel, and it was flammable. My can did (IN GERMAN!!!!). She said if it did not say it in English, then it could not be filled! I was getting quite angry by this point as i have filled these cans up all over London at BP garages hundreds of times with no problem!

 

Anyway, we had been there almost an hour by this point and i found an old battered fuel can, (RED) with English writing on! I took it into the manager! He said, NO, it has to be green! I rung the customer services back and told her and this time she backed me up and personally rung the idiot on the desk and ordered him to allow me to fill the can! He turned the fuel pump on, i filled BOTH cans, paid, told him i was going to make a written compliant, and that he obviously needed more training!

 

As annoying as this whole experience was, wasting well over an hour trying to get fuel for your chainsaw. Is it legal to fill my combi can (German made with German writing)? Or is this country that damn anal now that i need to get some English translations printed and stuck on my cans to prevent this kind of thing happening again?

[Mozza]

I think you need a holiday mate

[Daniël Bos]

Sounds like you had fun!

The traditional "proper" jerry can (metal 20L) is allowed as far as I know. It has no markings on in any language.

U215970_petroleum-faqs.pdf

Edited March 13, 2012 by Daniël Bos

[niftysteve]

i had the pump switched off at my local tesco last week filling my shiny new combi can from jonesies she came out read all the labels then agreed to let me fill

[Rupe]

Legal? What do you mean? Do you mean will the police mind?

 

It sup toi them what they want to tell you can or cant do, tomorrow if they tell you its pink buckets only then its pink buckets only.

 

They were bieng idiots, there are guidlines that say "suitable container" but its up to them what they deem suitable. MAybe they had an incident in a filling staion with an innaprpriate container and a memo has been passed round to be strict about this or lose your job, so he was doing what he was told.

 

I fill up 20L jerry cans and have never had a problem, I know they are suitable containers but sounds like BP wouldnt agree. Maybe its different in London too? We can get red diesel in some pumps as well!!

[Pedroski]

It makes me wonder.... why is it that someone who can barely speak English is allowed to operate a fuel station, with all the potential health and safety risks associated with it?

[treebloke]

Well done mate, I have been in a very similar situation and know how frustrating it is.

 

I was standing upright filling a GREEN petrol can and the cashier turned the pump off and said over the tanoy 'you must put the can on the floor', I said 'I have a bad back and cannot bend to the floor' which was true at the time, there are some complete ass holes in this country and I have a knack for finding them or they have a knack for finding me, not sure which it is.

[Rupe]

At one station I go to they turn the pump off if the car door is open, so if you have a can in the boot, take it out and put it on the floor but leave the boot (estate car) door open they turn the pump off and shout over the tannoy!

 

Never seen/heard that done at any other garage though. Apparantly, you get back in the car, light a fag and blow up! The fact that its a works vehicle and smoking would be illegal (yes actually ILLEGAL) doesnt matter.

[Sciadopitys]

Forgot to say, the combi can was brand spanking new! It was a second can we just picked up as we were doing a big fell and needed two cans worth of fuel with us! I think the guy just took a dislike to us because we were in a white transit van and my hair is getting a bit long and i hadn't shaven in a while! :-) But seriously, we just filled the diesel tank on the truck and paid with a BP card! We were obviously legit, and the can is obviously "fit for purpose"! Every customer who came into the petrol station why i was having the LONG debate with him, i asked " Excuse me, what is this?" They all looked a bit confused, but said "its a fuel can"! I said, "did u hear that mate? This is a fual can!!!" He was not impressed! Anyway, i got my fuel in the end!

[mendiplogs]

HI MATE yes i no i was refused in sainsbury:lol: the chap come out you can not use that can i said it ok:laugh1: it a stihl combi can, i said your pulling my leg mate o no he said so i ring my stihl dealer and they said he pulling your leg:lol: in the end it was ok all the best jon