Terrible and sketchy looking. MUCH darker and scarier looking than the one on Lincoln/Venice. Filled up, asked the attendant to turn on the air machine. He said it was "out of order". Yeah right. I asked if I could use my credit card to operate it. Clearly it would work. So I asked him to turn it on, and referred to the 1999 California law mandating free air and water for filling customers. He then got very aggressive, clearly Xposed. WTF? Hey, it's a safety hazard and waste of fuel to have underinflated tires. If you want to break the law when there's a giant sign telling you not to, to try and make $1.50 off of someone, at least have a less lame excuse.
I chose this gas station *knowing* that the air pump on a different Chevron I frequent was broken, paid all the gas, and still didn't get the air. (You might ask, why not pay and just get it over with: Half the time these things are broken or don't fill up properly, also I want these stations to follow the law, if they're going to troll me on all sorts of other things). And knowing the guy, if I paid, he might just shut everything off on me because he's bored. Eventually I wandered around to a 76, where I asked for change for the machine, and the attendant just turned on the air despite me buying nothing. WTF.
Read the law:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/99-00/bill/asm/ab_0501-0550/ab_531_bill_19990930_chaptered.html
This bill would require that these air and water services be made
available at no cost to customers who purchase motor vehicle fuel, as
defined. The bill would require service stations to place and
maintain a specified sign regarding these services.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/csp/mediapool/sites/PressDemocrat/News/story.csp?cid=2230750&sid=555&fid=181
Yet many gas stations in California still charge customers up to $1.50 to inflate their tires with air, despite a little-known 1999 law that requires them to provide free air and water to customers who have purchased gasoline.
Many drivers don't know they are entitled to free air and water when they buy gasoline, and they end up paying extra for the service, consumer advocates say.
"I do think it is a widespread rip-off by an industry that is already ripping us off at the pump," said Jamie Court, president of Los Angeles-based Consumer Watchdog. "I'm shocked that this hasn't been litigated. It's a deceptive practice that is costing consumers money."
In Santa Rosa, 17 of 23 gas stations surveyed by The Press Democrat last week had installed coin boxes that allow them to charge customers for air or water. Fees ranged from 75 cents to $1.50.
Each of those stations had posted a sign required by the law informing customers that air and water is free with a purchase of gas. But in many cases, those signs were small and difficult to read.
Upon request, each station agreed to provide air and water at no charge, even without a gasoline purchase.
Gas stations that charge customers for air and water after a fuel purchase can be fined up to $250 for each violation. Consumers can file complaints with the state Department of Food and Agriculture on its website, www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/dms/aw/.
I guess this shows how weak these agencies are. read more