First let me start off with apologizing. If this sounds a bit like a rant, it is. As I sit here writing this I am shaken and fighting back tears. And my goal for today is to give all of a warning so that it doesn't happen to anyone else.
I stopped in to the Arco Am/Pm for gas at 5665 S. Pecos Rd LV 89120 on the corner of Pecos and Russell. I wanted to put $15.00 worth in the tank and in the beginning everything went relatively normal. I paid outside at the kiosk and then proceeded back to my pump to get my gas. It was pump # 2, something you should definitely remember. I kept my hand on the lever and did not lock it in place. I wasn't filling up, so I figured why bother. As the pump approached the $15 mark, I stopped holding the lever on the nozzle down...it kept pumping. I tried squeezing it and releasing it several times but it just kept pumping. I then proceeded to try and wiggle it a bit thinking it might jar it free but the worst happened instead. The nozzle broke free of the car and was spraying a full stream of gasoline everywhere. There was gas all over the me, the car and a growing puddle all over the ground. The nozzle dropped from my hands, probably from fear and after a second, I picked it up and wrestled with the lever once again...it finally clicked and the gas stopped.
Taking a moment to process what just happened and to answer nearby customers concerns for me, I then pressed the call button for assistance. A woman answered and I explained to her what had just happened, her response, "What do you want me to do?" I was speechless for a moment, I couldn't believe what she had just said. I responded with a recap of the story, stressing that there was gas all over the lot and the potential danger for the next customer. Once again she said,"I heard what you said, but what do you want me to do about it? Do you want me to come out?" Everyone surrounding me just looked at me and continued to ask if I was okay. Experiencing some small amount of shock, my primary thought was to get home because my legs were burning and frankly being covered in gasoline was very frightening. I grabbed some towels and wiped down the car and then not satisfied, I grabbed the squeegee you use for the windows and did it again with water. I had this awful vision in my head of someone throwing a cigarette and igniting the car. Like I said...a small amount of shock. I then went to the garbage and grabbed a crumpled McDonald's bag and wrapped the nozzle on the pump the best I could. Hopefully I would save the next person from having to go through this. I got home and washed using two different soaps but I still wreak of gasoline. My clothes went in the washer and my flip flops are out in the garage. I tried calling the store to speak with the manager but somehow she had stepped out and the clerk just set the phone down and left me hanging. I know this because I could hear people coming in and out and her servicing them. I then called corporate and I am awaiting a return call to my complaint.
I didn't cry until I had gotten home and the reality of what just happened took hold. I'm calming down now, writing really is cathartic. But please do not go to this gas station, or at the very least if you do go because of the low price, remember...pump # 2.
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