Deceptive Fuel Ads

[John McGinnis]

Driving 600 miles this weekend we noticed fuel ads on the highway for
Flying J at 2.95 per gallon, but when we pull up to the pumps they
read 3.05. We asked the clerk and was told that sign was for the tax
exempt truckers. Is deceptive advertising a common practice for
Flying J. We didn't notice it the last time we filled up at Flying J,
Piolet read the actual price and so did Loves. So what's up with
Flying J?
John 88FC35 Bird Brains

[Don Bradner]

Where was this? The most common state with a tax exemption for truckers is
Oregon, but the difference there is 24 cents, not 10 cents.

In Oregon, 99% of truck stops, including Flying J, list the cheap price with
"PUC" somewhere usually fairly small, and the pumps themselves in the truck bays
read the lower price, but when you pay you have to give them 24 cents per gallon
more unless you have an Oregon PUC certificate.

In Oregon, at the RV pumps the pumps read the higher price. At "auto-fuel"
stations, where they don't expect fueling by exempt truckers, 99% of the signs
read the higher price, as do the pumps.

In Arizona, the price on the signs and pumps reads 7 cents higher than RVers
normally pay - although it is supposed to apply to anything over 26,000 pounds,
so far my experience is that Flying J always gives me the lower price when I
present my FJ RV card.

At all, or almost all, Flying Js, the sign shows "Cash Price" while the pumps
show the higher "Credit Price." Use an FJ card and you get cash price
regardless, but otherwise you will usually pay the credit price.

In other words, it is extremely normal for there to be variance between signs
and price paid; the only thing unusual about what you were told is that they
said it was 10 cents for tax exempt truckers. Sounds like mis-communication, but
without knowing the state where you paid it and doing some research I can't be
sure.

Don Bradner
90 PT40 "Blue Thunder"
Posting today by satellite from Falcon, Colorado (East of Colorado Springs)

On 10/7/2007 at 4:52 AM John McGinnis wrote:

>Driving 600 miles this weekend we noticed fuel ads on the highway for
>Flying J at 2.95 per gallon, but when we pull up to the pumps they
>read 3.05. We asked the clerk and was told that sign was for the tax
>exempt truckers. Is deceptive advertising a common practice for
>Flying J. We didn't notice it the last time we filled up at Flying J,
>Piolet read the actual price and so did Loves. So what's up with
>Flying J?
>John 88FC35 Bird Brains
>
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

[Don Bradner]

Just had a look at Flying J's website. At all Flying J's in the US, the price
posted will be 6 cents less than the (truck) pump, as that is the Cash discount.

There are just two states with trucker tax discounts, and those are likewise
assumed in the posted price but will also reflect on the pump, so it is still
not clear why you saw the pump as 10 cents more. The two are Oregon, as I said,
where you will pay 24 cents more than the truck pumps say, and Indiana, where
you will pay 6% (not cents) more than the truck pumps say. The latter is because
truckers are exempt from the sales tax.

Don Bradner
90 PT40 "Blue Thunder"
Posting today by satellite from Falcon, Colorado (East of Colorado Springs)

On 10/7/2007 at 8:46 AM Don Bradner wrote:

>Where was this? The most common state with a tax exemption for truckers
>is Oregon, but the difference there is 24 cents, not 10 cents.

>On 10/7/2007 at 4:52 AM John McGinnis wrote:
>
>>Driving 600 miles this weekend we noticed fuel ads on the highway for
>>Flying J at 2.95 per gallon, but when we pull up to the pumps they
>>read 3.05. We asked the clerk and was told that sign was for the tax
>>exempt truckers. Is deceptive advertising a common practice for
>>Flying J. We didn't notice it the last time we filled up at Flying J,
>>Piolet read the actual price and so did Loves. So what's up with
>>Flying J?
>>John 88FC35 Bird Brains

[John McGinnis]

I-65, exit 95, Whiteland, Indiana sign on the hiway read 10 cents
cheaper than at the pumps.>
> Where was this? The most common state with a tax exemption for
truckers is Oregon, but the difference there is 24 cents, not 10
cents.
>
> In Oregon, 99% of truck stops, including Flying J, list the cheap
price with "PUC" somewhere usually fairly small, and the pumps
themselves in the truck bays read the lower price, but when you pay
you have to give them 24 cents per gallon more unless you have an
Oregon PUC certificate.
>
> In Oregon, at the RV pumps the pumps read the higher price.
At "auto-fuel" stations, where they don't expect fueling by exempt
truckers, 99% of the signs read the higher price, as do the pumps.
>
> In Arizona, the price on the signs and pumps reads 7 cents higher
than RVers normally pay - although it is supposed to apply to
anything over 26,000 pounds, so far my experience is that Flying J
always gives me the lower price when I present my FJ RV card.
>
> At all, or almost all, Flying Js, the sign shows "Cash Price"
while the pumps show the higher "Credit Price." Use an FJ card and
you get cash price regardless, but otherwise you will usually pay
the credit price.
>
> In other words, it is extremely normal for there to be variance
between signs and price paid; the only thing unusual about what you
were told is that they said it was 10 cents for tax exempt truckers.
Sounds like mis-communication, but without knowing the state where
you paid it and doing some research I can't be sure.
>
> Don Bradner
> 90 PT40 "Blue Thunder"
> Posting today by satellite from Falcon, Colorado (East of Colorado
Springs)
>
> On 10/7/2007 at 4:52 AM John McGinnis wrote:
>
> >Driving 600 miles this weekend we noticed fuel ads on the highway
for
> >Flying J at 2.95 per gallon, but when we pull up to the pumps
they
> >read 3.05. We asked the clerk and was told that sign was for the
tax
> >exempt truckers. Is deceptive advertising a common practice for
> >Flying J. We didn't notice it the last time we filled up at
Flying J,
> >Piolet read the actual price and so did Loves. So what's up with
> >Flying J?
> >John 88FC35 Bird Brains
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
>

[Don Bradner]

The posted price there should be $2.899, but you should have to pay 3.072 with
the tax, or 3.132 if you had to pay the credit price. Still unclear why it was
10 cents, but there is no question that FJ prices in Oregon, Indiana, and
Arizona are going to be confusing until you are used to them.

On 10/7/2007 at 5:52 PM John McGinnis wrote:

>I-65, exit 95, Whiteland, Indiana sign on the hiway read 10 cents
>cheaper than at the pumps.

[Pete Masterson]

The clerk told you wrong. The signs an Flying J display the _cash_
price. The pump has the credit price. If you pay cash, you pay the
cash price. If you pay with a credit card, you pay the credit price.
I was in a Flying J in St. George, UT two hours ago, and there was a
small sign on the pump that explained the "posted price" is the cash
price and the "pump price" is 6 cents more as the credit price. It
was clear and concise. I imagine that similar notices are on pumps in
other Flying J stations. No deception involved.

The good news is, with a Flying J "R.V. Real Value Member" card
through FMCA, you can get the cash price but pay with a credit card.
You use the Flying J card to 'release' the pump, answer "cash" for
payment and answer any other questions the card reader asks (It asks
me my "unit number" (I enter 95WL), my 'hub odometer reading' (I put
in some numbers approximating my current mileage) and my license
plate number and state then it tells me the pump is ready).

I then fill up and pull forward clear of the pumps (to let the next
guy in) then go inside and pay at the "fuel desk" with my credit
card. No questions asked and I get the cash price and (usually) a
small additional discount (some "franchise locations" don't give the
extra discount) for my "frequent fueler" card.

You can also get an RV card or a frequent fueler card direct from
Flying J at any of their stations or order online from their web
site. It gives you a small discount, but I don't know (for sure) if
it guarantees the cash price.

I will say that in _Oregon_ most of the truck stops advertise a "tax
exempt" price that's about 10 cents per gallon less than the price
that most people pay. There's usually a "PUC Exempt" note under the
posted price.

Pete Masterson
'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
aeonix1@...
On the road at Hurricane UT (Zion NP)



On Oct 6, 2007, at 9:52 PM, John McGinnis wrote:

> Driving 600 miles this weekend we noticed fuel ads on the highway for
> Flying J at 2.95 per gallon, but when we pull up to the pumps they
> read 3.05. We asked the clerk and was told that sign was for the tax
> exempt truckers. Is deceptive advertising a common practice for
> Flying J. We didn't notice it the last time we filled up at Flying J,
> Piolet read the actual price and so did Loves. So what's up with
> Flying J?
> John 88FC35 Bird Brains



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[bloomas]

----- Original Message -----
From: Pete Masterson
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 7:15 PM
Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Deceptive Fuel Ads
I also use the Flying J "R.V. Real Value Member" card
at the pump and use a credit card at the pump.
Bob Loomas 1985 PT 36


The clerk told you wrong. The signs an Flying J display the _cash_
price. The pump has the credit price. If you pay cash, you pay the
cash price. If you pay with a credit card, you pay the credit price.
I was in a Flying J in St. George, UT two hours ago, and there was a
small sign on the pump that explained the "posted price" is the cash
price and the "pump price" is 6 cents more as the credit price. It
was clear and concise. I imagine that similar notices are on pumps in
other Flying J stations. No deception involved.

The good news is, with a Flying J "R.V. Real Value Member" card
through FMCA, you can get the cash price but pay with a credit card.
You use the Flying J card to 'release' the pump, answer "cash" for
payment and answer any other questions the card reader asks (It asks
me my "unit number" (I enter 95WL), my 'hub odometer reading' (I put
in some numbers approximating my current mileage) and my license
plate number and state then it tells me the pump is ready).

I then fill up and pull forward clear of the pumps (to let the next
guy in) then go inside and pay at the "fuel desk" with my credit
card. No questions asked and I get the cash price and (usually) a
small additional discount (some "franchise locations" don't give the
extra discount) for my "frequent fueler" card.

You can also get an RV card or a frequent fueler card direct from
Flying J at any of their stations or order online from their web
site. It gives you a small discount, but I don't know (for sure) if
it guarantees the cash price.

I will say that in _Oregon_ most of the truck stops advertise a "tax
exempt" price that's about 10 cents per gallon less than the price
that most people pay. There's usually a "PUC Exempt" note under the
posted price.

Pete Masterson
'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
aeonix1@...
On the road at Hurricane UT (Zion NP)

On Oct 6, 2007, at 9:52 PM, John McGinnis wrote:

> Driving 600 miles this weekend we noticed fuel ads on the highway for
> Flying J at 2.95 per gallon, but when we pull up to the pumps they
> read 3.05. We asked the clerk and was told that sign was for the tax
> exempt truckers. Is deceptive advertising a common practice for
> Flying J. We didn't notice it the last time we filled up at Flying J,
> Piolet read the actual price and so did Loves. So what's up with
> Flying J?
> John 88FC35 Bird Brains

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Don Bradner]

That was the odd part - the situation was in Indiana, the only other place with
an exemption, where truckers with an ICC permit do not pay sales tax.

The sign should have said $2.899 for cash. The (truck) pumps should have said
$2.959 (credit). The RVer should have paid 3.073 (2.899+6%)

On 10/8/2007 at 5:15 PM Pete Masterson wrote:

>I will say that in _Oregon_ most of the truck stops advertise a "tax
>exempt" price that's about 10 cents per gallon less than the price
>that most people pay. There's usually a "PUC Exempt" note under the
>posted price.