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SPRINGVILLE — An American Fork man stopped at a Springville gas station to fill his tank and almost left before realizing he had paid $1 more per gallon than what was advertised.
Alan Lovelady decided to gas up at the Flying J just off I-15 in Springville when he saw gas advertised as $2.72 per gallon. He opted for mid-grade, he said, because the gas was so cheap.
"I saw the price on the sign and thought with that cheap of gas, I'll go ahead and put mid-grade in instead of the cheapest," he said.
Lovelady didn't notice anything unusual until his tank was almost full. He paid had over $80.
"It was supposed to be $2.82 per gallon and I paid $3.82 per gallon," he said.
After he realized the mistake, Lovelady went inside the Flying J to talk to the manager. The manager apologized for the mishap and gave Lovelady $20 in cash to make up the difference. According to the manager, he made a mistake while changing the prices on the pumps the night before.
"The more I thought about it on the way home, if he had made it wrong the night before, how many people paid more per gallon all day long?" Lovelady said.
The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food is investigating the gas station's mistake after Lovelady made a complaint.
"We will probably go out and look at this particular station," said Larry Lewis, spokesperson for the department. "But if the pump prices are accurate when we see it go out there, then there is no issue and nothing we can do."
If motorists see problems at the pump they should report them right away, Lewis said, adding that stories like this should remind people to watch the gauge at gas stations and check their receipts.
