Beware this NJ gas station scam: Not getting what you paid for

⛽ A Mercer County resident is warning others about a scam at a gas station

⛽ Other people shared similar experiences at other locations

⛽ How to report possible scams or mistakes at gas stations

Drivers have been urged to pay attention at the gas pump after one person shared her experience while paying cash.

A Hamilton resident using the NextDoor community app said that she asked for $30 cash at the Shell station on Quakerbridge but didn't get what she paid for.

The woman said the pump read as if it had dispensed $20 and the attendant asked if she wanted the rest.

After pulling away, she figured out that she had actually only gotten about $10 worth of gas based on her vehicle’s dashboard data.

She said after she returned, the attendant quickly refunded her $20.

A phone number publicly listed for the gas station was out of service when New Jersey 101.5 tried to call.

A number of NextDoor users said they had similar experiences at different gas stations, going back years.

The most common advice was always asking for a receipt and paying attention to the gas pump as a tank was being filled.

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⛽ Who is responsible for checking to make sure gas stations aren’t ‘cheating’?

The Mercer County Division of Consumer Affairs/Weights and Measures reported that as of May 15, they had received no complaints about that business.

“The Division further advises consumers to be vigilant. When buying gasoline, make sure prices shown on the pump and street signs match, and make sure the pump is set at zero at the start of the transaction,” Mercer County spokesman Michael Boonin said in a statement to New Jersey 101.5.

They advise consumers who have a complaint about a Mercer County business to file a written complaint with their office by visiting the Mercer County website and going to the Consumer Affairs/Weights and Measures “File A Complaint” page.

There, an online complaint form can be filled out and submitted electronically.

Consumers also can submit a complaint via email to consumeraffairs@mercercounty.org or call the Division office at 609-989-6671 for instructions or to make an appointment.

The Division said that in the 16 months since Jan. 1, 2022, they had received about 40 complaints about gas stations —out of about 120 gas stations in Mercer County.

Typically, as gas prices go up, complaints go up, Boonin said.

For contact information at each county's offices of weights and measurements, click here.

Speaking of paying at the pump, how much did gasoline cost the year you started driving?

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Places in NJ where gun owners have sued to carry a legal gun

New Jersey passed its own law in December, trying to ban legal guns from “sensitive places.”

A federal judge found many of those spots to be legally protected on grounds of armed self-defense, noting in her opinion, “Crowded locations are not sensitive places."

As of June, a federal appeals court granted the state attorney general's request to keep part of the law that bars people from carrying handguns in “sensitive places” in effect.

The decision means handguns cannot be carried in places such as zoos, public parks, public libraries and museums, bars, and health care facilities.

The law bars handguns from being carried in those places as well as schools and child care facilities. The lower court's May injunction did not specify those locations, and the appeals court also didn't remove the prohibition in those places.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt & The Associated Press