Expat is baffled by something at servos: ‘It's a bit annoying’
- Replies 13
When you've lived in a country all your life, it's easy to take the everyday norms for granted.
But for expat Tate Duane, a simple trip to a servo turned into a cultural conundrum that left her scratching her head.
Duane shared her confusion about the Australian way of filling up a car with petrol in her video online.
It wasn't just the lack of 'clicky things' to hold the pump in place or the absence of pay-at-the-pump options that puzzled her, but the entire process of refuelling.
In the video, she expressed her bewilderment.
'Australia, I love you, but I’m so confused. I’m at the petrol station pouring [petrol] into the car for the first time by myself…Tell me why you guys don’t have those little clicky things that hold it [the pump] in place,' she said
‘You have to really stand here the whole time, which is a bit annoying.'
Her confusion deepened when she tried to prepay for her petrol, a common practice in the United States.
The attendant's response left her flabbergasted: she was told to start filling the car.
This led her to question what happens when someone needs petrol in the middle of the night, and there's no attendant on duty.
'Also, what do you guys do when you’re trying to get [petrol] in the middle of the night, and no one’s working at this service station inside?’
‘Are these things just open 24 hours? Because in the United States, you can literally just go tap your card on the machine right there, pump and drive away, and it’s locked until you do that, so you can’t steal [petrol],’ she added.
Duane's video sparked responses from her followers, with some seizing the opportunity to tease the expat playfully.
One user joked, 'We used to have those clicky things that hold the trigger down, but after a series of events where kangaroos kicked the pump handles…' while another quipped, 'Fuel is free over here just fill up and drive off.'
Others offered more serious explanations, stating that the 'clicky things' were removed for safety reasons.
‘You fill up your car, then you go inside and pay. There are surveillance cameras. If you don’t pay, they’ll report you to the police,’ one person said.
‘We are trusted here to pay after putting fuel in,’ added another.
However, some Aussies would prefer the American way.
‘It’s the only thing America does right. Pre-paying stops drive-offs and allows unmanned fuel stations to continue servicing customers,’ said one.
‘I wish we had the card swipe thing. I hate going inside to pay,’ agreed a second.
Several users also couldn’t believe Duane wasn’t called out over the loudspeaker for using her phone to film the video while filling up.
You can watch Duane’s video below:
Credit: @twaynne / TikTok
Duane isn't the first expat perplexed by the Australian petrol station experience.
South African expat Mahle Majola also expressed her surprise at the self-service nature of Australian petrol stations, questioning how Aussies could be 'so trusting'.
‘How are there no petrol attendants?’ Majola asked in her video.
‘There is no one here. You basically fill the tank yourself based on how much petrol you want, and then you go inside and pay.’
However, that’s not always the case.
In a previous story, a mum was dragged out of her home for failing to pay the car fuel for $58.
She explained her Apple Pay didn't work, but later, she received a court notice. She thought if she paid, she wouldn't have to go to court, and the matter would be resolved. You can read more about this story here.
What do you think, members? Which way do you prefer to fill up your car? Let us know in the comments below.
But for expat Tate Duane, a simple trip to a servo turned into a cultural conundrum that left her scratching her head.
Duane shared her confusion about the Australian way of filling up a car with petrol in her video online.
It wasn't just the lack of 'clicky things' to hold the pump in place or the absence of pay-at-the-pump options that puzzled her, but the entire process of refuelling.
Tate Duane was confused about how fueling up cars works in servos. Credit: @twaynne / TikTok
In the video, she expressed her bewilderment.
'Australia, I love you, but I’m so confused. I’m at the petrol station pouring [petrol] into the car for the first time by myself…Tell me why you guys don’t have those little clicky things that hold it [the pump] in place,' she said
‘You have to really stand here the whole time, which is a bit annoying.'
Her confusion deepened when she tried to prepay for her petrol, a common practice in the United States.
The attendant's response left her flabbergasted: she was told to start filling the car.
This led her to question what happens when someone needs petrol in the middle of the night, and there's no attendant on duty.
'Also, what do you guys do when you’re trying to get [petrol] in the middle of the night, and no one’s working at this service station inside?’
‘Are these things just open 24 hours? Because in the United States, you can literally just go tap your card on the machine right there, pump and drive away, and it’s locked until you do that, so you can’t steal [petrol],’ she added.
Duane's video sparked responses from her followers, with some seizing the opportunity to tease the expat playfully.
One user joked, 'We used to have those clicky things that hold the trigger down, but after a series of events where kangaroos kicked the pump handles…' while another quipped, 'Fuel is free over here just fill up and drive off.'
Others offered more serious explanations, stating that the 'clicky things' were removed for safety reasons.
‘You fill up your car, then you go inside and pay. There are surveillance cameras. If you don’t pay, they’ll report you to the police,’ one person said.
‘We are trusted here to pay after putting fuel in,’ added another.
However, some Aussies would prefer the American way.
‘It’s the only thing America does right. Pre-paying stops drive-offs and allows unmanned fuel stations to continue servicing customers,’ said one.
‘I wish we had the card swipe thing. I hate going inside to pay,’ agreed a second.
Several users also couldn’t believe Duane wasn’t called out over the loudspeaker for using her phone to film the video while filling up.
You can watch Duane’s video below:
Credit: @twaynne / TikTok
Duane isn't the first expat perplexed by the Australian petrol station experience.
South African expat Mahle Majola also expressed her surprise at the self-service nature of Australian petrol stations, questioning how Aussies could be 'so trusting'.
‘How are there no petrol attendants?’ Majola asked in her video.
‘There is no one here. You basically fill the tank yourself based on how much petrol you want, and then you go inside and pay.’
However, that’s not always the case.
In a previous story, a mum was dragged out of her home for failing to pay the car fuel for $58.
She explained her Apple Pay didn't work, but later, she received a court notice. She thought if she paid, she wouldn't have to go to court, and the matter would be resolved. You can read more about this story here.
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