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Wednesday, May 21, 2008 7:40:21 PM
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Welcome to GasBuddy's Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to the GasBuddy FAQ. These are some answers to some of the common question that members might have about the site or about gas prices in general. These are just meant as a guide to help you with any questions you might have. If you can not find an answer to you question here please feel free to
Contact us
through email and we will try to reply with an answer as soon as we can.
We would like to thank member kwzh along with the following members for gathering the majority of the questions and answers for this FAQ.
betybuup
bytebug
CyberBob
JimKelley
kwzh
ratledge
ScroogeMcPump
SilentP
Snowman42
TypeS
VegasGuy
FAQ
Show All Answers
FAQ's about Price Listings
Q:
Can I use the same username on more than one GasBuddy website?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Yes you can. You can use the same username on all of our websites.
Q:
Some gas station websites have their prices listed online. Can I post those prices here?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
No, in no event shall a member post a price from an online source or via telephone without visually recording the price for yourself. These sites are known to be inaccurate from time to time in their prices coupled along with some station address inaccuracies as well. That said, they're just typically not a reliable source.
Q:
I posted a price as a Visitor, but don't see it listed. What happened?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
To view visitor prices, you would have to use the search feature on the left side of the web page. We do not display visitor prices on the main page due to site abuse reasons.
Q:
Why are there two listings for the same station?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
The site attempts to recognize when two entries are actually for the same station, in which case the older one is deleted and the newer is retained. The test is imperfect and sometimes duplicates will happen. If you’re a senior member, feel free to delete the older entry yourself.
Also, if the station brand and area were exactly the same in the two entries, and the addresses were so similar that they should have been caught by the duplicate remover - then you might want to report the failure via the
Contact Us
link.
Q:
How can I correct a price listing?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
To edit an existing entry, click on the price of the listing in question. This will bring up a screen similar to the "Report A Price" section of the Home Page, but with the information from the entry you clicked (except for the price) already filled in. You can enter an updated price, and optionally correct the address listed, but you can't change the station name or area.
Please note that you must have at least 10,000 points or a car icon in order to update prices.
Q:
Should we use the postal address, or the nearest intersection?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
The preference is to list postal address plus the cross street, as in:
123 Main St & Cross St
...or a pair of cross streets:
Main St & Cross St
Although there are many combinations that are all valid addresses, there may be more specific preferences in your individual area. Adhering to those preferences will help reduce duplicate entries. Please check your local category in the Message Forums for discussion on this topic.
Also, in some situations, the postal address resides in a different town than the town the gas station itself physically resides in. In these situations, the physical location is to be used.
Example:
=============
(Mailing Address)
Speedway - 1010 Milwaukee Ave - Deerfield, IL
(Physical Address)
Speedway - 1010 Milwaukee Ave - Buffalo Grove, IL
So you would post this as "1010 Milwaukee Ave (US-45) & Pekara Dr" under Buffalo Grove as the city name.
Q:
Why doesn't GasBuddy use a database of all gas stations, to prevent errors?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
We are currently building a Master Station List of all the gas stations for Canada and the United States. We are relying on GasBuddy members to help to build this list so if you would like to help it would be greatly appreciated.
Please note that you must have at least 10,000 points or a car icon in order to access the Master Station List feature
Q:
I don't use regular. What about listing premium and mid-grade gas?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
We do support other fuel types. Currently you can search and post prices for regular, mid-grade, premium and diesel. On the local level websites you can now click the headers above the prices to switch between fuel types. You can also do this using the search feature on each local website.
Q:
You don't have a listing for the station I usually use, and some of the prices you do have are a day old. Why don't you update them more often?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
All the prices that you see on the site are posted by volunteer spotters just like yourself. If a specific area or station does not appear to have gas prices posted, it is most likely because nobody is reporting prices for that area or station. Perhaps you could help by posting prices for this area or station and help all the rest of the people in your area compare and find where the lowest fuel prices are.
Q:
How do I search the price listings by time instead of price?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
The current release does not let you sort by time, but it does let you select using a cutoff age. Just go to the "Search for Gas Prices" section and select an appropriate number from the "Prices in the last __ hours" menu. If the search is one that you expect to be using in the future, you could either save it as a favorite search, or bookmark the URL in your browser.
Q:
I spotted a price two hours ago but just got to the computer now; can I back-date my sighting?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Yes you can. There should be a drop down list just below the Comments field in the Report a Price Here section where you can specify the time you spotted the price. This option is also available to members using an FSL. It is located just above the text boxes where you enter prices into your FSL.
Q:
Should I be logging high prices or low prices?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
We encourage members to report all the prices that you encounter, regardless of whether they're higher or lower. Low prices are useful for determining where to buy, of course, but high prices might be useful for determining which stations to avoid, or just to provide a good estimate of the price range. If you really have to make a choice, then try to report on a station that nobody else in your neighborhood is covering.
Q:
If the actual price is $2.279/86.99, should I log that as 2.27/86.9 or 2.28/87.1?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Since virtually all US gas prices end with 9, that digit is automatically assumed in all US GasBuddy price entries. Just type the 2.27/86.9 part.
Q:
If the price on the sign is $2.279/86.99 but the station offers a 3¢ discount for members to 2.249/83.99, which one should I list?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Please post the price before discount. If you want to mention a discount policy, you can add that to the Comments field, which will add the comment within () parentheses at the end of your address, like this:
"123 Main St & Cross St (-3¢ with card)", or "123 Main St & Cross St (-3¢ cash)".
If the station doesn't sell to the general public at all, then it's okay to post its members-only price, but it's still appropriate to add "(members only)" to the Comments field.
If there is a discount offered at the pump, but the sign price is higher, please post the price listed on the sign, and add the pump price in the Comments field.
Q:
Some other member is listing wrong information! What can I do about it?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
There are at least three ways to proceed:
1. You can try to contact the other person through the forums. One way to do this is to add a reply to an appropriate topic in your local forum category (or to create a new topic there if an appropriate one doesn't already exist) where you politely ask the other person if they could discuss what is being listed, how, and why. By itself, this has a limited chance of success, because the other person may not read the local category, or any of the forums at all.
You can increase your chances by posting a second message, with a link to the first message, in some other topic that he or she is known to read. On the main forum page, there is a box labeled "Search for author". Type in the member name of the person you're trying to reach, click "Messages by this author", and then click the Search button. This will give you a list of topics that the person has posted to in the past.
If there are none, you're out of luck; Try the next method. Otherwise, choose a topic from the list that the person has posted to recently and which doesn't have a lot of replies, and try to also choose one that's somewhat relevant. (This may be impossible; just get as close as you can.) Post a short reply to the chosen topic saying that you are trying to contact this member and asking for a reply in the other topic. (Avoid pleading your case directly in this topic, because others reading it may not appreciate it.)
2. If you can't find evidence of forum activity, or get no reply from your messages, try to
Contact Us
, so we can send an email to the member, asking them to invite them to reply to your original forum message.
3. And, if all else fails, you may have to either correct the wrong information yourself, or ignore it.
Q:
You don't seem to be covering my city! Why not?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
There are several possible reasons for this.
It could be that you're looking on the wrong site — for example; MinnesotaGasPrices.com covers only those parts of the state that are not covered by a more explicit metro area such as TwinCitiesGasPrices.com. So if your city isn't mentioned in the "Area" drop-down menu, check the "Looking for prices ...?" section at the top left of the main page, to see if your city is actually on a different site. (If it's not listed on any of the sites associated with your state or province, then you might want to post messages in the local forum categories for those sites, asking if there's a reason for this; if there isn't one, then it's appropriate to let Admin know.)
If you're sure you're on the right site, it's possible that there are prices for your area, but they're not among the 15 lowest or highest, which are the only prices that are shown in the default listing. In the "Search For Gas Prices" section, if you explicitly specify one or more areas (and/or stations), then you can see all of the matching stations (up to 100).
If there really aren't any current prices for your area, then it may be simply that nobody's been spotting them yet - in which case we need your help! Take a little time to learn the proper format for gas station addresses, then start recording the price for each gas station that you spot.
Also read your local category in the Message Forums regularly to see if any of the more senior members have corrections to offer.
You can find your city at
www.GasBuddy.com
Q:
I'm registered at one site, but I sometimes spot prices that belong in another one. How can I get credit for posting them?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Just go to the other locale's XXXgasprices.com site, and log in with the same user ID and password. You can use any of the sites in the same way as your "standard" one. Once you are a member of one site you can log into any of the sites and post prices and your points will go into your account. If you're not sure of the correct name for the other site, you can start by going to
www.GasBuddy.com
and clicking on the map.
Q:
When I perform a search, there are too many results returned. How can I refine my search?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
On the left side of the main page, near the top, is a section called "Search for Gas Prices". You can choose to view only your favorite brand(s) of station, or only those in certain area(s), or only those that have had a price sighting within a certain number of hours, or any combination of these. (To select more than one station or area, use the Ctrl key as you click them.)
Q:
I posted a price, and then later on someone else posted over it!
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
That's the way it's supposed to work. If the price at that station has changed since you submitted it, then your old listing contains wrong information (through no fault of your own), so of course it's inappropriate for it to remain on display. And even if the price hasn't changed, the new listing tells people of a more recent sighting, which is useful information. Don't be upset about your name disappearing from the price board - this isn't a popularity contest. If you happen to go out and spot the same station again, you should likewise feel free to overwrite the other person's listing. By having thousands of prices entered daily this is how the process of a "real-time" gas price information system works. In the end, everyone wins at the pumps!
FAQ's about Points and Point Standings
Q:
How can I earn points?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Members can earn point by posting gas prices, posting messages in the message forum, voting in the weekly opinion polls, reading the recent news items, using the tell a friend feature to email friends and becoming a member of the website. Members can earn the most points by posting gas prices. There are some limits to earning points. Most days are limited to a total of 975 points. For more information, please see the
Member Info
page for more information.
Points Earned
Member Activity
150
Post/Update A Gasoline Price
100
Vote In The Weekly Opinion Poll
80
Use The Tell-a-Friend Feature
20
Post a Message In The Message Forum
25
Read a Recent News Item
100
Becoming a Member
Q:
What are these points good for?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Points are used to participate in website contests. We give away hundreds of dollars in free gas and other prizes each quarter.
The Prize Give-Away! section is located on the left hand side of your browser, near the bottom just below the Pump Price Graphs section, and just above the This Week's Opinion Poll section. It is marked by a large red gas can.
FAQ's about Miscellaneous
Q:
Why can't I access the Master Station List?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Please know that you must be a member with at least 10,000 points in order to access the Master Station List. This is done in an effort make the list as accurate as possible. Please note that you can reach 10,000 points in about 9-10 days of regular posting.
FAQ's about Price Listings
Q:
I posted a price earlier, but now it's gone!
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
There are at least six explanations for this general situation.
1. Maybe it's not actually gone. The default display shows only the top 15 and bottom 15 prices, so anything in the middle zone will be hidden. (You can test this by doing a search for the specific area or station brand.) Also, the price display shows only regular gasoline or diesel; If you posted some of each, you can't see both at once.
2. Maybe it expired naturally. Prices are only kept on the board for a certain number of hours (the exact number depending on your location, and also depending on whether you're looking on a weekday or on the weekend).
3. Maybe it's been superseded by a newer posting. Usually in this case you'd see the posting that replaced yours, but not always; for example, a station that has more than one plausible value for "Area" or "Station" or "Address" might have been re posted differently, and then your older posting was deleted. In this case you might simply fail to recognize it with the new data, or it might not even be on the display at all if you're doing a station - or area-specific search that doesn't match the new value.
4. Maybe the system software deleted it automatically because the info was considered untrustworthy according to the current heuristics. These heuristics are especially tight for "Visitor" posts, and still somewhat snug for those who've been members for less than a week. We're all sorry that it has to be done that way, but there have been problems with vandals, and this seems like the best solution.
5. Maybe it was manually deleted because your entry had some problem that you're not aware of. Read your
local forum
(you'll find it on the main forum page, at the bottom of the first section of categories) to see if anybody has given a reason for the deletion. If not, consider posting the question there, and see if anybody admits to it.
6. Maybe it was maliciously deleted. This tends to be the first thing that people think of, but it should be the last one to be considered. If you've been a member for more than a week, and the price you're posting isn't substantially lower or higher than the other stations in the area, and it's happened several times, and you've asked in your local forum and haven't gotten resolution - then it might be time to
Contact Us
to a potential vandal. Collect all the data you have (date/time of original posting, and a time window during which it must have been deleted). Speculation should be clearly labeled as such. We can check the server logs to find out who really did it.
FAQ's about Points and Point Standings
Q:
What's the deal with the car icons?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Members earn a car icon for achieving certain points levels. Car icons are displayed near gas price entries and message forum posts, and they show a members seniority on the website. See the table below for points levels required to get a car icon.
Graphic Displayed
After 90 Consecutive days
Points Needed
None
None
0 - 9999
10,000 - 34,999
35,000 - 99,999
100,000 - 199,999
200,000 - 349,999
350,000 - 499,999
500,000 - 749,999
750,000 - 999,999
1,000,000 - 1,249,999
1,250,000 - 1,499,999
1,500,000 - 1,749,999
1,750,000 - 1,999,999
2,000,000 - 2,249,999
2,250,000 - 2,499,999
2,500,000 - 2,749,999
2,750,000 - 2,999,999
3,000,000 - 3,249,999
3,250,000 or More
Reserved for GasBuddy Organization Employees
Q:
Why didn't I get my points?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
First off, make sure that you check today's
points statistics page
There are several possibilities.
It may be that the action that earns points isn't what you did. In several cases, there are links on GasBuddy that are similar to those that earn points, but aren't.
The news links that earn points are under the heading "Recent News" on the left side of the Home Page. The links labeled "What's New" and "In the News" at the top of the page do not earn points.
The polls that earn points are under the heading "This Week's Opinion Poll" on the left side of the Home Page. The link labeled "Member polls" that occasionally appears at the top of the page does not earn points.
The option to tell a friend that earns points is under the heading "Tell a friend about our site!" on the left side of the Home Page. Simply sending an e-mail message on your own does not inform GasBuddy that you've done so, and so does not earn points for you, even if your friend later signs up.
Or, it may be that you weren't logged in at the time. It is possible to post prices, read news items, and use the Tell-a-Friend feature without logging in, in which case no one gets credited with points. It’s also possible that you got redirected to another GasBuddy site on which you aren't logged in (perhaps by clicking on a link in a Forum message), or that you logged in without checking "Remember My ID and Password", and then went too long without doing anything on GasBuddy and the system logged you out. You should refresh the page and check for the words "Logged in:" and your member name at the very top before doing something to earn points.
Or, it may be that you earned the points, but the total you're looking at isn't current. In particular, news items open in a new window, but the GasBuddy window is not updated to reflect the points earned by this, so when you close the news window, you will see the old total until you refresh the page or do something else on GasBuddy.
Or, it may be that you've exceeded the point limits. To prevent abuse, there are limits on how many points members can earn in a given time period. Answering a poll will only earn you points the first time you do so each week. Other points-earning activities will only earn you points the first five times you do each of them each day. The Tell-a-Friend feature will only earn points fifteen times total for each person's account, and is also limited to the first five times you use it each day.
Or, it could be a problem with the GasBuddy site itself. Even when you do everything right, sometimes the site really does glitch. In which case, you should send Admin an email via the
Contact Us link
.
Q:
Why can't we have more ways to spend points?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Trading in points for objects of actual value (either directly or via a raffle) depends on someone contributing those objects first. If you know of some company that might consider donating their product in exchange for being mentioned on the site, please feel free to contact them!
Q:
If I spend my points, does my point total go down?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
No, by "spending" your points on contest entries, you will not affect your points total or points standings. Your point total and all associated information, such as your membership rank and icon will stay the same. The only thing that decreases is your "point balance" (the number of points earned but unspent), which is not visible to other members.
Q:
Why do some people on the 30-day points standings have more points than should be possible?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Ignoring the limited points (initial signup and Tell-A-Friend), a member can earn 975 points per day, plus 100 more per week for the opinion poll, which would seem to put a limit of either 29,650 or 29,750 (depending on which day of the week you look) for the 30-day limit. And in fact you may note that there are quite a few people with that "ideal" score.
The 30 day points standings are calculated down to the second. You can actually have 31 days worth of points in the points standings, depending on what time of the day you posted 30/31 days ago. With this in mind, and if it was a new member signup who maximized all possible points earnings in their first 31 days it is possible to achieve 32125 points on the 30-Day Points Leaders Table!
Q:
What's the status of the latest prize give-away?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
For previous prize give a ways, see the
What's New page
. For a prize giveaway that's in progress or recently closed, watch the "Prize Give-Away" area on the left side of the main page. The winners are never announced until after they've been contacted and arrangements made for the awarding of the prize, and this always takes longer than people expect.
Q:
What are consecutive days standings/totals?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
The consecutive day count keeps track of how many days you have earned points on any GasBuddy site. Please note that you do not have to earn the max points for each day you just need to earn at least one point per day. For example, if you read 1 news item per day your consecutive day count would increase. When you reach 90 consecutive days you will get speed lines behind your car icon. If you miss a day of earning points your consecutive day count will start back at zero.
FAQ's about Message Forum
Q:
How do I enter a cent sign or other symbol in the message forum?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Although some system configurations will have keyboard combinations that will allow you to enter a literal 8-bit character directly, it won't work on all platforms. But that really never was a good way to enter characters anyway, even though it usually happens to work - there have been (and might be again) conditions such that those characters would look okay in the input field, but would display incorrectly after being posted.
To display the "¢" symbol in any Web Page, whether as part of the GasBuddy message forum, or on one of your own design, you should use the entity notation ¢ (and don't forget that trailing semicolon — sometimes it works even if you omit it, but not always).
If you want to talk about eating jalapeños in Québec, you should type the words as jalapeños and Québec. And if you want to tell people how you're doing it, you should use & in those instances where you want a literal "&".
You can also enter them using their (decimal) numeric codes, such as × instead of × for "×", but the symbolic versions are easier to remember, when they exist.
The
Web Design Group
is one of many places to find
reference lists
of symbolic and numeric character entities. However, not all of them work in all browsers, and those that do will only work for GasBuddy in forum messages, not in price postings. This is because the price lists have their own interpretation of what the "&" character means. To use a cent sign there, you would have to resort to direct entry, or just substitute a lowercase letter "c".
If you must know how to get "¢" out of your keyboard:
On a Windows machine, hold down the Alt key, use the numeric keypad to type 0162, and then release the Alt key. Key combinations for other symbols can be found with the Character Map accessory.
On a MacOS machine, hold down the Option key and press the (regular) number 4 key. Key combinations for other symbols can be found with the Key Caps utility.
Q:
How do I search the forum to see if something is already being discussed?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Except for the "Search For Author" form (which searches across all forum categories for all messages contributed to by, or originated by, the single selected member), the current version of the forum software does not support a built-in search feature. A more powerful search feature might be considered for a future release.
You can use a search engine like Google to search the forum. If you wish to search the forum for Electric cars, you could try typing in the Google Search box: "site:www.LosAngelesGasPrices.com/forum_msg.aspx electric cars", or
Click here
to perform this search Make sure you substitute your GasBuddy site for "LosAngelesGasPrices.com"
Q:
Aren't some of these topics posted to the wrong category?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
If you think that a topic should belong in another category please feel free to use the report abuse link on it. We are very busy and this is a very large forum so we are unable to monitor all the topics that are posted. If you use the report abuse feature you can suggest it to be moved to a different forum and even suggest which forum it should be moved to. You can also leave us a comment on why you think it should be moved, which works well if the reason for reporting is not one of the options listed.
Q:
Someone's posting bad messages! How can we stop it?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
If it's bad enough, you can contact the moderators and ask them to take action (ideally through the "Report Abuse" link that appears next to the message). But for mild annoyances, it's usually better to just ignore the person — either in the traditional sense of refusing to react, or by using the "Ignore" link next to the offending message, in which case all messages from that member will stop being displayed to you.
Some people like to post messages specifically to cause people to react with extreme emotions. These persons are known as ("
trolls
") in internet jargon.
The best way to deal with "trolls" is to limit your reaction and simply ignore their posts.
Q:
I made a mistake! How can I delete or edit it?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
If you want to edit your post you can just click the edit link on you message and you will be able to edit what you posted. Please note that there is a time limit of 5 minutes for you to edit your post then you will not be able to edit it again. If you would like a message or topic deleted please use the report abuse feature on it even if it is your own and we will remove it for you.
Q:
The "Just For Fun" category is just noise! Why does it exist?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Before that category existed, much of the same content (or non-content) was posted to other categories, such as "General Gas Talk". This diminished the value of those other categories, and so it was decided to create a separate area for the "fluff" in order to minimize the contamination of the more serious areas of the forum. Many people dislike the "Just For Fun" area, but nobody is forced to go there.
Q:
There's a lot of junk in the forum! Why don't you delete it?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
If it's actually disruptive to the membership at large, then we will often lock the topic to prevent new contributions. (And then that topic will eventually fall out of view from the chronological list, as newer discussions appear above it, in essence this is a form of deletion.)
Q:
I'm new here! Could everyone say "hi" to me?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Yes, we're happy that you've joined GasBuddy, but if you feel a need to post a greeting (or just practice posting a message), please do it in the "Just For Fun" category, or in your local category (which is the first forum listed in the group of listings).
Q:
My forum postings show me as being from the wrong place! How can I make it show my actual city?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
First, let's clarify what that field is for. It is intended to reflect your "home" GasBuddy site, not your residence address. So someone who lives in Cupertino, CA, which is considered part of the San Jose metro area, would normally be registered at the San Jose site - and it's intentional that the forum postings show San Jose in that case. If you wish to change your "home" GasBuddy site, please
Contact Us
.
Q:
How do I post a link in the message forum?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
A link has two components: the description, which is the text you want to appear highlighted in your message, and the URL, which is where you want to send someone who clicks on it.
First, type your message into the input box as normal, up to the point where you want to provide a link. Then click on "Insert Link" next to the text area. A dialog box will appear. Type (or paste) the URL into the dialog's input field making sure not to end up with two copies of the http:// prefix!.
Then, type in the description and click "OK". Now you're back to your regular message input, but some magic text has been added that encodes the link information. Type the rest of your message as normal.
(Tip: If you're linking to something within the GasBuddy system itself, such as a forum message, then delete the prefix http://www.XXXgasprices.com/ from the beginning of your URL. That way, anyone who clicks on it will get the link through their own GasBuddy host instead of yours.)
Q:
Can I get my signature automatically added to all my messages?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
This option is not available. Member identifying information is automatically displayed along the left side of each message post and in general adding it to a message post is not needed.
Q:
I posted a suggestion/complaint, and haven't gotten a response from the moderators.
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Please be patient with us. We receive hundreds of emails every day and we make every effort to respond in a timely manner. However, we have limited resources, so sometimes it may take several days or more for us to respond to you.
Q:
How can I get in touch with another member?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
We now have a private messaging system on the website.
After logging, you should see a small envelope icon at the top of your screen. Clicking on that takes you to the Private Message area.
While in the Members Messaging Area there should be a link for "Help" just above your buddy list. Any instructions you may need can be found there.
FAQ's about Fuel Prices in General
Q:
Why do US gas prices have that 9/10 cent added on?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
The short answer is that it's a marketing ploy, just like any other price that ends in 9.
Google Answers
has a more detailed discussion of this.
Note that this fractional-cent scheme does not "cheat" you as a customer, unless for some reason you always buy exactly one gallon of gas. When you choose to fill up, the amount of room in your tank is effectively random, and you're going to get the same rounding effect no matter how many digits of precision are in the price. If you want to avoid rounding, just pump to a price of your choosing instead of a volume. (Many people already do this anyway.)
Q:
Do prices change based on the day of the week? Why?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
This isn't universal. You should check the "Pump Price Graph" section to see whether your area has obvious spikes at 7-day or 14-day intervals. (Note the contrast between the Twin Cities and Austin, for example.) It seems that this behavior is highly correlated with a certain retailer having market dominance, and when that retailer changes its prices according to this pattern (presumably because more people fill up just before a weekend than just after it), the other stations do so as well.
As a savvy GasBuddy member, you can make this work to your advantage. If the chart shows that prices in your area tend to reach a minimum on Tuesday and a maximum on Thursday, then just set aside time to fill up on Tuesday!
Q:
Why are prices so high? Whose fault is it?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
The components which go into the price of a gallon (or liter) of gas are many and complex.
First, the basic economic laws of supply and demand play a large part. For several months after 9/11, auto gas hit very low prices. Since air travel was dramatically reduced for months afterward, refiners produced less jet fuel, which freed them to use more of their oil supplies and production capacity to make gasoline. Supplies of gas went up, and so the price of that gas went down.
As an example of the opposite effect, Hurricane Katrina severely disrupted both the pumping of crude oil from wells in the Gulf of Mexico and operations at the Southern US refineries that would normally make that oil into gasoline and other products. Supply went down, so prices for the supply that was available went up - sharply.
Gasoline production requires a massive, complex, and expensive infrastructure to take the raw oil from the ground, ship it to the refineries, process it to create gasoline, transport the finished product to filling stations, and pump it from the underground tanks there into your vehicle. Those involved in this supply chain wouldn't be doing these things if they weren't able to make money doing them, so at each step in the process, a fee called profit is added, to make each of these activities worthwhile to those performing them.
Profit in itself isn't bad, but if those in the supply chain appear to be taking more than their fair share, it can arouse the ire of end consumers, and, in some cases, legislators, who may step in and regulate the amount of profit one can take. Governments also impose taxes on gasoline, usually to cover the costs of running street lights and traffic signals, and building and repairing roads. These tax rates can vary significantly from place to place, affecting the final price you pay.
In addition, some factors, such as the production levels that OPEC sets for crude oil, are outside the control of any single corporation or government. The political climate within a foreign country could also be a factor, if war or terrorist actions in an oil-producing region threaten the reliability of that production.
Gasoline pricing is a delicate balancing act between the forces of supply and demand, the costs of production, the desire for profit, and the unpredictable. Oil companies have, by and large, become very good at managing all these factors, developing very sophisticated pricing models which allow them to maximize their profits without being seen as too greedy, while still covering their costs.
One way they do this is by charging different prices in different areas, which is the main reason for GasBuddy's existence! The one thing you can do as an individual to keep gas prices low is to use GasBuddy to seek out the lowest price stations near you and to patronize those stations.
Q:
Is it true that there are places where self-serve is illegal? Why?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Yes, there are two U.S. states, New Jersey and Oregon, where there are no self-service stations.
There are several theories as to why:
It may be that it was intended to create jobs.
It may be that it was considered a safety issue, in that only "trained operators" should handle the pumps.
It may be that these states were simply slow to respond to the price pressures that made self service commonplace, and now people who've lived their whole lives without ever operating a gas pump are disinclined to let the law be repealed.
It is also illegal in Richmond, BC. The municipality decided that in order to protect the jobs of those working the pumps they would adopt a municipal bylaw which forces all gas stations to man the pumps during business hours. Business licenses are revoked for any site not following the bylaw.
Q:
Is it true that gas stations aren't allowed to quote prices over the phone?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
Some people have claimed that there's a law against it (or that the person who answered the phone at the gas station said there was a law against it). More likely, it's just that gas station or chain's private policy not to waste time and money by answering price questions from non-customers (who could in fact be competitors).
Q:
I heard about a gas boycott — should I participate in that?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
There are four kinds of "boycott" commonly proposed:
1. Pick a day and don't buy gas on that day.
2. Pick a company and don't buy gas from that company.
3. Do something to cut down on gas usage (walk, bike, take the bus, car pool; drive at a more efficient speed; combine several short trips into one).
4. Use the GasBuddy Websites to purchase gas only from the lowest priced station in your local area. Regardless of how many people you can get to participate (even 100% participation), options (1.) and (2.) have limited impact, since in the end you will need to fill your tank with gas. Option (3.) has potential to be more effective and in any case it reduces your personal gas bill for immediate short-term gain.
The urban-legend clearinghouse
www.snopes.com
(a useful resource to check whenever you receive any letter that urges you to "share it with all your friends") discusses the futility of both
day-based
and
brand-based
boycotts. We sometimes think of the GasBuddy websites as a type of boycott..by always purchasing fuel from the lowest priced stations it is, in essence, a boycott of high priced stations. In the end it works to promote competition in the marketplace and sends a message the consumers will not tolerate high fuel prices.
FAQ's about Miscellaneous
Q:
I hate these pop-up ads! Why do you have them?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
The GasBuddy Web site does not use pop-up ads.
If you are seeing pop-ups while using GasBuddy, they are coming from an outside source. The most likely source is spyware or adware that has found its way onto your computer — probably without your knowledge. These are programs which run in the background, monitoring your computer usage, and serving up ads at what they consider appropriate times.
There are programs out there that remove spyware and adware, such as
Spybot Search & Destroy
,
Ad-Aware
, and
Pest Patrol
. You may want to try one or more of these programs.
Also, GasBuddy has no control over the content of outside links (such as the daily news items), so it's possible that you could get a pop-up while visiting one of those pages.
FAQ's about GasBuddy Maps
Q:
Why do I get the message "Station not mappable due to insufficient address detail." on the map after clicking a "Map It" link?
Show Answer
Link to This
A:
The price entry that you are trying to view currently does not have a descriptive enough address in order to geocode and place a station marker on the map.
GasBuddy prefers that prices reported are submitted either as a pair of cross streets "Main St & Cross St" or using a postal address plus the cross street, as in "123 Main St & Cross St ".
"Consumers working together to save on gas"
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