I’m from a US state where we don’t pump our own gas. Since I don’t pump my own gas regularly - only when I’m out of state - I’m not exactly sure when this happened, but all gas pumps seem to play ads now while the pump runs. At least the states adjacent to mine. Like can I not even pump gas in peace? Stop trying to manipulate my purchasing decisions 24/7.

Edit: ok I get it, there’s a mute button. I appreciate the tip, but people are already reporting that it only sometimes works. Knowing there’s a mute button that sometimes functions doesn’t make me less infuriated

  • ThePowerOfGeek
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    01 month ago

    It started happening a few years ago in my area. Maybe like right before the pandemic?

    For a while some of the stations had a hidden option where you could hit one of the unmarked selection buttons and it would at least mute the ads. But starting around the end of last year they took that option away.

    The only stations I know of that don’t show ads are Costco (and I assume Sam’s Club too, but idk). Plus they have slight discounts on gas because they are member only. But my local Costco station is such a headache to get through these days - even at around 9pm after the main store closes - that I not just go to a local Shell or Valero and resentfully try to ignore the fucking ads that always play.

    • Mose13OP
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      11 month ago

      It’s crazy how there are just more and more reasons popping up to go to Costco (e.g. supporting DEI, infinite return policy). I’m gonna get a membership.

  • @[email protected]
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    11 month ago

    Yep. And a lot of the gas stations in my area have the auto-hold latches busted or removed, so you have to stand there and have a super loud ad screamed in your face. Which is why I now have a pack of reusable zip ties in my car that I will slap on the fill handle if I come across a pump like that. And no, that’s not dangerous - the stop mechanism in the pump handle operates such that the handle depresses further when the auto-shutoff engages, so it does not disrupt the safety of the filler mechanism.

  • greenfire
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    01 month ago

    Can one accidentally disable the annoying shilling screen whilst jostling the nozzle toward the intended vehicular orifice?

    • @[email protected]
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      11 month ago

      Press and hold two buttons in each corner. If those don’t work, try the other two. Keep iterating through pressing and holding one button on either side of the screen. Eventually, you will open a diagnostic menu. You can’t do anything here without a passcode, but it will stop the ad.

      I’ve only come across a few pumps where I could not figure out the combo before I finished pumping.

    • sunzu2
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      191 month ago

      Look at this pedon thinking that he is entitled to dignity

      Cute

    • @[email protected]
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      31 month ago

      Use ads negatively, it makes ads fun.

      See an ad? Pledge to never buy that product. My black book is full of spite.

    • @[email protected]
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      21 month ago

      Unfortunately gas stations don’t actually make much money from selling you fuel. Most of the money is made from the attached convenience stores.

  • @[email protected]
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    281 month ago

    Lol, imagine thinking you’re allowed a momentary reprieve from advertising in this hellscape of a world we’ve built.

    • Sixty
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      101 month ago

      They’ve stopped using exposed speaker grilles so you can’t shove a screw driver into the speakers anymore :(

      Ad blaring pumps are in Canada too. Shell is the most obnoxious.

  • @[email protected]
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    51 month ago

    The button second from the top on the right hand side of the screen is the mute button(usually).

  • @[email protected]
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    241 month ago

    So, most pump POS used to have a labeled or unlabeled mute button. That has become rare.

    So far, I’ve been able to kick all of them into a diagnostic/trouble menu by pressing pairs of keys on each side of the monitor in sequence from the top.

    Some of them have a timeout on this screen, but the counter resets when you hit a key.

    Passwords can be entered from the keypad, with ok/enter also working. I bet the passwords are the manufacturer default, probably a 5-7 digit number. I was able to find partial training manuals and setup docs from one of the POS vendors but I didn’t find a default password or deeper technical docs for the one brand I looked into.

    Fucking ads in my face fucking piss me off.

    • @[email protected]
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      229 days ago

      I just have a rubber handle icepick in my glove box that works wonders on gas station speakers.

      Can’t play an ad if there isn’t a speaker.

    • @[email protected]
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      101 month ago

      12345 works as a default a surprisingly large amount.

      2580 is another one I’ve used with success.

      • @[email protected]
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        11 month ago

        12345 works as a default a surprisingly large amount.

        That’s amazing! I have the same combination on my luggage!

      • @[email protected]
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        51 month ago

        Had an Android tablet that sat in a lost and found for like three years with no claims. Finally decided to mess around with it. After charging it up there was a password screen. Tried 1234. No dice. 2580 and it opened right up.

  • JackbyDev
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    201 month ago

    Typically the button on the right, second from the top mutes. It depends on the model, but it works on some.

  • @[email protected]
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    11 month ago

    Small knife/chopstick etc through the plastic grate in front of the speaker does the job too