sagnat
Champion Author
Riverside
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Message Posted: Dec 20, 2012 12:21:11 PM
Last message I saw was "does this station have different prices for cash and credit". The station I was posting does in fact have two prices listed.
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teddytrow
Rookie Author
Iowa
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Message Posted: Dec 14, 2012 5:18:37 PM
DavisSta: No, I have not turned the feature off. And I post prices all over the state of Iowa. Normally drive about 250 miles a day. And the "Seems to high" and "Seems to low" even come up when posting same price or maybe a penny or 2 difference. It doesn't bother me. Was just pointing it out.
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Don
Moderator
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Message Posted: Dec 14, 2012 11:31:31 AM
I'm not overly familiar behind the makings of the station feature prompts, but I did make an inquiry with one of our developers asking about the prompting limits.
There's no solid "set total limit" or anything, but it is reasonable to say that users may receive up to 2 prompts in a day, the set maximum is one prompt every 6 hours - but this can also depend on your posting habits.
If you update the same stations every day you will probably rarely ever see these prompts, but you could get another prompt only when the answers to the questions start changing (which is based on number of users answering the questions).
After a certain amount of feedback, stations features will be automatically added or removed.
A user won't be asked the same question for the same station within a 6 month period minimum.
Here's a good way to think about the prompts if you're finding these questions inconvenient, if everyone is being honest, you shouldn't see the same prompts ever again (for quite some time, at least, I'm sure there's a "double check" included in the prompts somewhere).
You do have the ability to turn them off.
I hope this explanation helps.
-Don
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DavisSta
All-Star Author
San Francisco
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Message Posted: Dec 14, 2012 9:34:44 AM
teddytrow,
The "seems too high" and "seems too low" questions are generated when the prices you enter are outside the range the site is expecting. They are a separate category from the polling questions that ask about station features for the master station list.
It's interesting that you and RichWLIN Are no longer being asked about station features. Did you turn off the questions in the app settings? I continue to be asked about two such questions per day.
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RichWLIN
Champion Author
Indiana
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Message Posted: Dec 14, 2012 6:21:39 AM
I haven't seen any questions for weeks now, and only saw two to begin with. Strange way of polling.
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teddytrow
Rookie Author
Iowa
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Joined:Jul 2012
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Message Posted: Dec 14, 2012 12:15:52 AM
I hadn't been asked in almost a week and got asked 4 times today. Mostly the "seems to high" of "seems to low".
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2amy
Champion Author
Fresno
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Message Posted: Dec 13, 2012 2:52:16 PM
Yes. I have had the same thing happen when posting regular pricing.
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DavisSta
All-Star Author
San Francisco
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Message Posted: Dec 13, 2012 12:12:49 AM
Based on what I've observed, the limit is clearly more than two questions per member. It may be two questions per member per day.
So far almost all the questions I have been asked are "Does this station sell regular?" However, I was once asked a much more interesting question, "Does this station have different prices for cash and credit?"
Unfortunately, it looks to me like the questions are not asked when one is posting through one's favorite station list. Since I almost always post the stations that have different cash and credit prices through my favorite station list--so that an appropriate comment giving the cash-credit price differential can be automatically added--it looks like I'll only be asked the cash-credit question for stations that have the same price for cash and credit.
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Gas_Buddy
Champion Author
Maryland
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Message Posted: Dec 7, 2012 1:16:19 PM
Seems like a good idea to me, asking presumably reliable members to provide a double check. Personally I would find it an innocuous and quick-to-use action; for whatever inconvenience some may find it, even if it was a more blatant or frequent than the former(?) "That station is far away..." or "Is that price too high/low", its still an easy to answer and inoffensive asking.
Better to be infrequently asked for station or price accuracy than to have as many errors (and follow-up complaints by members) as there have been.
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CC
Moderator
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Message Posted: Dec 7, 2012 11:44:16 AM
This hasn't been discontinued.
In an effort not to spam members, you should only be shown just a few of these questions. I think the limit was just 2 per member, or else another small number.
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RichWLIN
Champion Author
Indiana
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Message Posted: Dec 7, 2012 6:13:18 AM
Haven't seen any questions lately? Has this been discontinued?
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cookieguru
Sophomore Author
Seattle
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Points:557,390
Joined:Jan 2011
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Message Posted: Dec 1, 2012 3:59:05 PM
kwzh: "Ah, right, it's an app feature -- that explains why I haven't encountered the question myself. Maybe you should consider adding it to the main site as well."
I would hope not. The main site is a great way to add bogus information since a station need not be on the MSL or even open for business for someone to report prices. By doing it in-app only you know it's getting applied to real stations. Also, asking something about an ATM or the number of pumps leaves you more likely to guess if you're posting from a PC than from an app, where you are presumably in close proximity to the station.
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kwzh
Champion Author
San Jose
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Message Posted: Nov 30, 2012 4:13:17 AM
Ah, right, it's an app feature -- that explains why I haven't encountered the question myself. Maybe you should consider adding it to the main site as well.
I hope that "I don't know" is one of the possible ways to answer.
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CC
Moderator
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Message Posted: Nov 29, 2012 5:49:23 PM
Just to clarify a bit,
This new feature is used to ask trusted members about the validity of certain station features (ie, Does this station have "X"?). Over time, by having one or two short questions like this posed to many different members who have been using the apps in a non-abusive manner, we hope to be able to have the apps sort of self-regulate some things.
If it's successful as we hope for it to work, this would include everything from simple changes to station details to the more difficult task of validating prices (ie, Does this station really sell X grade of fuel?).
This is still very new, but we have high hopes that this will make the apps more accurate and helpful, overall.
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RichWLIN
Champion Author
Indiana
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Message Posted: Nov 29, 2012 9:03:24 AM
MikeCapeCoral said: "One of my stations says they are going to sell "real gas." Marathon R90 with no ethanol. They are cleaning out their diesel tanks to do this. 90 is the octane level. I do not know the price level yet. I will keep this forum updated."
Hi Mike, No need to report non-ethanol gas here. The managers of this site have written that they believe non-ethanol fuels are a thing of the past. You can add it to pure-gas.org a web site dedicated to providing a growing location list and information about stations selling non-ethanol gas.
You can read more about this subject elsewhere in the forum.
I find it interesting that a station would discontinue the sale of diesel in favor of 90 octane non-ethanol gas. I suspect that there are likely many stations carrying diesel that are ill-equipped for serving larger trucks and that they may do a better business selling non-ethanol fuel than they currently do to light diesel burning vehicles. Of course this is speculative, but I have seen a number of stations in my area that sell diesel but are not convenient for semi tractor and trailer traffic.
Incidentally, when the "Does this station sell regular gas" message first popped up, I did a double-take thinking (wishful) that this query was a means to identify non-ethanol selling stations...no such luck.
RG
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ihuey99
Champion Author
Oakland
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Message Posted: Nov 29, 2012 2:57:49 AM
Easy, just mark that you don't want to receive the notification again :)
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MikeCapeCoral
Champion Author
Cape Coral
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Message Posted: Nov 29, 2012 1:02:07 AM
I started getting the same pop-up after one of the last updates. I also have reported regular gas prices from the start. One of my stations says they are going to sell "real gas." Marathon R90 with no ethanol. They are cleaning out their diesel tanks to do this. 90 is the octane level. I do not know the price level yet. I will keep this forum updated.
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kwzh
Champion Author
San Jose
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Message Posted: Nov 25, 2012 1:50:11 AM
I haven't seen such a list, but it seems reasonable to infer that the questions are based on the MSL checkboxes.
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RichWLIN
Champion Author
Indiana
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Message Posted: Nov 24, 2012 9:20:45 PM
kwzh said: "Rich, do you at least agree that a question like "Does this station have an ATM?" is a useful check?"
I don't see any problem with asking useful questions, and I'll sure be glad to answer them.
If a member is willing to report diesel where none exists, it seems likely that this person will enter additional false data as well. Herein lies the problem (pun intended). I suppose this could be useful, that is if the site owners intend to penalize false reporting. But I didn't read that in Don's explanation below.
You mentioned a "set" of questions. I guess I've missed them in another thread. What are they? Or, can you point me to it?
RG
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kwzh
Champion Author
San Jose
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Message Posted: Nov 24, 2012 4:39:59 AM
Rich, do you at least agree that a question like "Does this station have an ATM?" is a useful check? The question about regular gas is perhaps the least useful of the set, but you can think of it as a control question -- it will help determine how many people are giving bogus answers just to vandalize the database.
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RichWLIN
Champion Author
Indiana
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Message Posted: Nov 23, 2012 9:43:54 PM
CK,
I read through the other thread and still don't understand how this feature is beneficial? Most all stations sell regular gas and if a person has just input a regular price, how does asking this question accomplish anything useful?
Hate to seem obtuse, but I'm really not getting this one?
RG
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RichWLIN
Champion Author
Indiana
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Points:636,915
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Message Posted: Nov 23, 2012 9:30:39 PM
Hi Don,
Sorry I didn't understand your answer below. Could you elabotate please.
The reason that I'm still curious is because the last station that the question popped up on was on one of my regular routes. It has been a Swifty station and selling regular for many years.
RG
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CampKohler
Champion Author
Sacramento
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Message Posted: Nov 23, 2012 8:14:14 PM
Rich: You should read this previous topic about the same subject. (More incognito changes.)
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Don
Moderator
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Message Posted: Nov 23, 2012 12:47:52 PM
Hi RichWLIN,
Essentially this part of the app will be prompting and asking users questions about the station's details.
After a certain amount of feedback, stations features can be automatically added or removed.
-Don
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