kmapjr
All-Star Author
Detroit
Posts:830
Points:57,875
Joined:May 2011
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Message Posted: May 11, 2013 5:28:43 PM
Honestly if I did put in the wrong info, which has happened twice to me, same station very close together, I'll pull over put the price in & when I noticed the mistake, I just went back to the listing right away & re-entered the corrected price to match the correct station. ALWAYS post CASH prices "per Gas-Buddy", here in Mi. It's still different prices for credit & cash, which I have noticed ppl still posting credit prices, which can be in the comments, as well as stations that are cheaper with a car wash, that cheaper price for the wash could go in the comments if one desires.
And yes for now I just watch for the "Cheaters" & report per the FAQ'S
FAQ'S For GB, Some may know & others not
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rjhenn
Champion Author
Des Moines
Posts:22,430
Points:2,228,500
Joined:Aug 2005
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Message Posted: May 4, 2013 9:37:10 PM
cupboy - "Can these people really be that dumb or are they just trolls?"
Probably some of both.
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scoutmaster
Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:81,213
Points:3,251,670
Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: May 4, 2013 7:39:29 AM
If you are 100% sure the wrong price has been entered, delete it and notify the moderators.
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cupboy
Champion Author
Salt Lake City
Posts:2,780
Points:1,120,165
Joined:Nov 2005
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Message Posted: May 3, 2013 11:40:36 PM
There's a horrible station here that has a huge sign that says $3.59 and below that $3.66. The lower price is for cash, but some price posters put the $3.59 in for regular and $3.66 in for mid-grade. Really annoying. Can these people really be that dumb or are they just trolls?
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rjhenn
Champion Author
Des Moines
Posts:22,430
Points:2,228,500
Joined:Aug 2005
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Message Posted: May 3, 2013 5:39:03 PM
I'm still thinking that the system could be designed to help detect such patterns.
I just corrected a number of posts for gas prices that were either for the wrong grade or for grades the stations don't sell.
[Edited by: rjhenn at 5/3/2013 5:40:41 PM EST]
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lonewolf2nv
Rookie Author
Cleveland
Posts:16
Points:161,005
Joined:Sep 2012
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Message Posted: May 3, 2013 1:48:14 PM
I personally have accidentally updated prices a few times because for Instance there are tow Sunoco stations near my house on the same road but at a different cross road. I try to pay attention but I know for a fact I have updated the price at the wrong station because on both stations it lists the major road (which they are both on) first.
But I do agree there are more than a few people who update prices that they do not know, most likely for the perfectionists badge is the only reason I can think of.
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kwzh
Champion Author
San Jose
Posts:20,643
Points:3,681,490
Joined:Jul 2001
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Message Posted: May 3, 2013 2:44:30 AM
It *is* possible for "prices that don't exist" to be an honest mistake -- for example, making a note of the premium price (or the credit price) and believing that it was the midgrade or diesel price. Or simply logging the wrong station.
The telltale sign of deliberate misposting is that it's not a once-only deal, but continues to occur day after day. It's good to keep notes so that if this is happening, you can let the moderators know that it's not an isolated incident.
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BarbieLoveJax
Rookie Author
Jacksonville
Posts:73
Points:127,575
Joined:Jul 2011
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Message Posted: May 2, 2013 9:20:33 PM
I was at BJ's yesterday and when I started to update the gas prices I was SHOCKED to see prices listed for mid-grade and diesel. This is ridiculous since BJ's has never had either. They only carry regular and premium. People who post things that are so blatant should be banned. Anyone can make an honest mistake, but there can be nothing honest about posting prices that don't exist.
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delgadobb
Rookie Author
Nevada
Posts:14
Points:2,170
Joined:Apr 2012
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Message Posted: Apr 30, 2013 7:57:04 AM
I'd like to see a solution for this as well. As someone who frequently travels cross-country, I rely on this site for gas prices. FAR too often I'll adjust my travel to exit where a price has been 'recently' reported, only to find it's incorrect. There are times I notice the price for multiple stations of the same brand in proximity are posted within 1-2 minutes by the same person - my first impression is it's either the owner of a group of stations or a shill of the owner trying to attract business. I've made the effort to find each station & of course, each is a higher price than posted. When I find a station(s) like this, I update the prices immediately & deliberately avoid giving them any business. I'll either keep traveling or if I'm low enough on gas, I'll go across the street to their competitor.
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Gas_Buddy
Champion Author
Maryland
Posts:25,964
Points:3,033,090
Joined:Aug 2004
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Message Posted: Apr 29, 2013 2:37:02 PM
BarbieLoveJax
As I frequently am in the Jacksonville area and post fuel prices, I've found that several members have posted erroneous prices, generally for Valero and/or Kangaroo stations, inadvertently (inadvertently, apparently, because they've acknowledged it when they've been contacted) by confusing station locations (which are near each other). As an aside, I've noticed more Valero stations and Kangaroo station being located near each other (and on the same main street) as other stations with the same brand than I have noticed in the metro DC area, among other places). The confusion doesn't seem to happen at, BJ's stations, for example. The other problem seems to be that members are posting to their Favorites list and confusing those stations with stations they've actually passed (and for which they noted prices).
While the moderators say to not contact the offending members directly (in order to not start confrontation), I've done so in the past (for Jacksonville and surrounding areas) and have received positive responses from the "offending" members who apparently didn't realize their mistake. I'm not saying you should do that, but I am saying what's worked in the past, as those members don't seem to be making such mistakes that I've noticed (when in the Jacksonville area).
I haven't noticed any stations that "rarely updates its signs in a timely manner) but have you noted it to the station management, or to station management and not just to the station attendant? No station wants to take a chance of being fine or losing it's franchise or license to operate because of slowness to change pricing signs. Also, note that there's at least one Citgo that I've been to (I believe it was on San Jose Blvd.) that displays the cash price on the overhead street sign but the credit price on the pump, and when you enter that your'e paying cash, the pump price changes to the lower price.
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scoutmaster
Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:81,213
Points:3,251,670
Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: Apr 29, 2013 7:42:32 AM
"If someone appears to be deliberately posting incorrect prices, about all you can do is report them to the moderators via "Help" / "Contact Us"."
If you are 100% sure the price is incorrect, you should also be deleting the price.
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rjhenn
Champion Author
Des Moines
Posts:22,430
Points:2,228,500
Joined:Aug 2005
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Message Posted: Apr 29, 2013 2:18:11 AM
If someone appears to be deliberately posting incorrect prices, about all you can do is report them to the moderators via "Help" / "Contact Us".
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kwzh
Champion Author
San Jose
Posts:20,643
Points:3,681,490
Joined:Jul 2001
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Message Posted: Apr 28, 2013 11:43:47 PM
If the pump price is higher than the sign, then you should be able to get them to sell to you at the sign price -- otherwise, they're running a bait-and-switch scam.
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BarbieLoveJax
Rookie Author
Jacksonville
Posts:73
Points:127,575
Joined:Jul 2011
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Message Posted: Apr 28, 2013 10:16:03 PM
I totally agree, if it's intentional. One person has posted a specific station 10 cents a gallon too high for several days in a row. Various posters correct it, but then he re=posts incorrect. Is there any way to address smething the looks suspiciously intentional.
There is a station near me that rarely updates its signs in a timely manner. It's a Citgo station and everytime I've pulled in the parking lot to check the prices on the pumps, they never match the sign. I always note this in the comment section when posting.
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BigDartMike
All-Star Author
Ohio
Posts:573
Points:116,350
Joined:Dec 2011
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Message Posted: Apr 22, 2013 9:01:56 AM
Have a station that's always at least $.10 lower than 2 across the street, then you drive there and it's not true, didn't save any gas and mad. ignore listed that one...
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knoxcounty
Rookie Author
Knoxville
Posts:8
Points:2,230
Joined:Apr 2013
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Message Posted: Apr 18, 2013 9:31:33 AM
Good comments
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TNT2EC
Champion Author
Wisconsin
Posts:4,984
Points:1,511,635
Joined:Oct 2008
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Message Posted: Apr 17, 2013 6:47:51 PM
I really am pissed everything I see someone posting a gas price for a product that the station does not even sell. I really wish that GasBuddy would tie price input with the station set product in the Master Station List. Stop allowing input of boggus prices.
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krazkar
Veteran Author
Calgary
Posts:278
Points:273,610
Joined:May 2012
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Message Posted: Apr 17, 2013 1:51:47 PM
Everyone will post a wrong price some of the time. You can even type in the wrong price. What I don't like is those who seem to always put in a wrong price every time they update or even update prices for grades that don't exist. Some people update at stations that are under renovation or are closed. These are the problem people. Have they even been to the station that they are updating?
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rjhenn
Champion Author
Des Moines
Posts:22,430
Points:2,228,500
Joined:Aug 2005
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Message Posted: Apr 17, 2013 1:39:29 PM
Yeah, actually deducting points with some kind of automation seems too likely to cause more problems than it solves.
OTOH, being able to flag an update as a correction, and using that to send a notice to the previous poster, could do a lot to improve the quality of price postings in general.
Particularly in areas like Iowa, which has some unique variations from the norm.
That could be as simple as a checkbox, or could include a pulldown to select a more specific type of correction.
It would also make it easier for the mods to detect patterns of persistent misposting.
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kwzh
Champion Author
San Jose
Posts:20,643
Points:3,681,490
Joined:Jul 2001
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Message Posted: Apr 17, 2013 3:09:19 AM
I'm reasonably sure that the "downside" that's to blame for the feature (of not allowing posts to stations that don't sell the fuel) not already being implemented is simply lack of resources.
As for deducting points, I don't think that would have any significant benefit. if someone is deliberately cheating the system and ignores the warnings when called on it, then they'll get banned.
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GoGoGoodyear
Champion Author
Los Angeles
Posts:2,049
Points:506,355
Joined:Mar 2010
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Message Posted: Apr 15, 2013 4:00:03 AM
rjhenn,
RE: it could be nice if allowable price posts were tied to the MSL. Not sure about any downsides.
The only downside I can see is if a station that (for example) is marked in the MSL as not selling diesel suddenly starts to, nobody could report the price until someone updated the MSL to show that the station sold diesel. Since numerous members now have access to the full site via their smartphone in addition to a desktop computer, updating the MSL shouldn't cause much delay to reporting the new price.
[Edited by: GoGoGoodyear at 4/15/2013 4:00:58 AM EST]
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GoGoGoodyear
Champion Author
Los Angeles
Posts:2,049
Points:506,355
Joined:Mar 2010
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Message Posted: Apr 15, 2013 3:48:55 AM
scoutmaster,
RE: deducting points for deliberately incorrect posts.
but who determines (and how) that a wrong price post was accidental or deliberate? Someone (or the site) would need to track each member's price posts and how often each member's posted prices don't agree with correct prices. If it's the site, we'll be waiting a v_e_r_y long time for that programming change.
Maybe an easier site change would be to send a reminder message to the member that their bad price was zeroed out by some other member, and the site could keep a log for mods to reference if punitive action was needed.
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rjhenn
Champion Author
Des Moines
Posts:22,430
Points:2,228,500
Joined:Aug 2005
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Message Posted: Apr 15, 2013 1:33:59 AM
Not accepting a zero to remove a bad price posting only seems to be happening on the maps. It's still working for me on the regular price updates (when you click on the price on the Search Gas Prices page).
Yeah, it could be nice if allowable price posts were tied to the MSL. Not sure about any downsides.
[Edited by: rjhenn at 4/15/2013 1:34:58 AM EST]
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PaylessKY
Champion Author
Kentucky
Posts:8,715
Points:1,580,475
Joined:Oct 2008
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Message Posted: Apr 15, 2013 12:51:06 AM
I noticed the same thing as rjhenn. I would like to see the boxes greyed or blacked out for stations that do not sell diesel.
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scoutmaster
Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:81,213
Points:3,251,670
Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: Apr 14, 2013 7:00:03 PM
Actually, GGG, prices are pretty stable right now.
I fully support deducting points for deliberately incorrect posts.
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GoGoGoodyear
Champion Author
Los Angeles
Posts:2,049
Points:506,355
Joined:Mar 2010
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Message Posted: Apr 14, 2013 12:55:14 AM
After having a chance to think this through as a computer logic problem I changed my opinion on my idea of using a 'majority vote' function to counteract wrong price posting. The effect of a sudden price change which seems to happen more frequently these days when almost any bad news from around the globe causes prices to spike upward would delay or prevent the most recent, much higher or lower price from being posted until several members had posted the same price. The idea sounded ok at the time based on how well it works for websites like wikipedia and wiktionary.
Until GB can make use of artificial intelligence technology we will need to continue to rely on members noticing wrong price entries and correcting them, along with reporting those who seem to habitually post wrong prices or prices for non-existent grades. Members local to an area are still the most likely to know a station's price and display sign policies and are best suited to noticing when something is not right.
Deducting points however doesn't seem like a good idea since it can be abused by one member against another. In other words, 'who watches the watchers?' so more than likely the best way is to rely on other members to zero out bad prices or post correct prices to override them.
I like the idea of the system sending a short message to a member if their price was zeroed out by another member. Just as a reminder that they may have made a mistake.
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rjhenn
Champion Author
Des Moines
Posts:22,430
Points:2,228,500
Joined:Aug 2005
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Message Posted: Apr 13, 2013 3:13:07 PM
OK, now GB doesn't seem to be accepting 0 price entries to delete bad prices.
How about a checkbox for 'Correction', and automatically send the poster a note that includes the comment posted with the correction?
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bthor76
Rookie Author
New Orleans
Posts:64
Points:10,025
Joined:Mar 2011
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Message Posted: Mar 27, 2013 7:39:44 PM
Delete rogue members who intentionally post prices at now extinct stations.
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redx590
Sophomore Author
New Jersey
Posts:122
Points:27,055
Joined:Mar 2013
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Message Posted: Mar 19, 2013 4:02:01 PM
yea and also a way to let people know that that gas station charges more when using credit cards, some are the same price but some charge 10 cents more
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scoutmaster
Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:81,213
Points:3,251,670
Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: Mar 16, 2013 8:48:38 PM
I'm thinking stricter enforcement. Maybe if a member is reported three times for reporting bogus prices, they are suspended from reporting prices for 90 days.
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rumbleseat
Champion Author
Winnipeg
Posts:22,918
Points:3,529,335
Joined:Oct 2002
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Message Posted: Mar 16, 2013 8:39:31 PM
drgeeforce says: "I agree, there should be a penalty."
You really don't think there should be allowance made for an honest mistake, a typo?
Perhaps the poster meant to post a different location for the same brand that did carry diesel, you only know if it is posting for points if the person posts that diesel price for non-existent diesel daily, in which case you report it to the moderators.
The problem with a penalty for cheaters is it has to be applied to everybody, and a penalty for a typo, which we ALL make, would sure as heck turn me off.
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rjhenn
Champion Author
Des Moines
Posts:22,430
Points:2,228,500
Joined:Aug 2005
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Message Posted: Mar 16, 2013 6:28:55 PM
I'm not at all sure that there should be an automatic penalty. I'd just like to see a mechanism to help detect patterns of bad behavior.
Of course, then we'd need to try and track bad corrections....
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drgeeforce
Rookie Author
Los Angeles
Posts:22
Points:87,365
Joined:Oct 2011
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Message Posted: Mar 16, 2013 2:45:13 PM
I agree, there should be a penalty. I went to a little out of my usual route to get a cheaper price, but what turns out was that the station didn't carry diesel at all. I wasted fuel thinking I was going to be saving money. If a gas buddy posted a fake report just to get points, that person should get those points taken away. I regularly map the stations to see if they actually carry diesel before I trust a reported price.
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rumbleseat
Champion Author
Winnipeg
Posts:22,918
Points:3,529,335
Joined:Oct 2002
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Message Posted: Mar 13, 2013 9:07:01 PM
Anybody can make a mistake. Some time back I accidentally posted a price for a Shell station I had never seen (and was wrong), the price was supposed to be for a Co-Op. Nobody noticed until the next day when I saw it, and zeroed it out.
If I had been caught out and deducted points for what was a simple mistake, I would have been thoroughly disgusted.
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Boilermat
Veteran Author
Indiana
Posts:395
Points:574,900
Joined:May 2011
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Message Posted: Mar 13, 2013 8:22:53 AM
seems like this would be difficult to monitor. What if a person "fat finger" an entry...honest mistake. Is he/she penalized?
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rjhenn
Champion Author
Des Moines
Posts:22,430
Points:2,228,500
Joined:Aug 2005
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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2013 11:32:07 AM
Even a checkbox for "Correction" would be nice. Might help alert mods to posters who have a pattern of misposting.
I always leave a comment when fixing a post, such as "doesn't sell reg" (around here Murphy, Costco, Flying J and Pilot don't, but people still post prices for it) or "mid not reg" when they post the midgrade price as regular.
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ohrocker
All-Star Author
Ohio
Posts:544
Points:62,050
Joined:Mar 2013
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Message Posted: Mar 10, 2013 6:17:41 PM
I agree with Iarrgh2, I really dislike dishonest people or those who post just for the points.
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scoutmaster
Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:81,213
Points:3,251,670
Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: Mar 8, 2013 6:51:02 AM
rjhenn is on the right track. Around here, it's mostly people posting a grade a station doesn't carry or posting all grades when the street sign only has one grade posted.
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Wanda127
Champion Author
Florida
Posts:2,489
Points:913,055
Joined:May 2010
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Message Posted: Mar 8, 2013 1:08:05 AM
They should add a category for E-85 along with non-ethanol fuel. But of course you will have people that only want the points posting wrong prices in the slot like they post mid-grade for Sam's Club & they don't even carry mid-grade.
I hate it when the wrong prices are reported & you go out of your way to the station only to find the prices were posted wrong.
[Edited by: Wanda127 at 3/8/2013 1:08:59 AM EST]
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rjhenn
Champion Author
Des Moines
Posts:22,430
Points:2,228,500
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Message Posted: Mar 7, 2013 9:52:32 PM
How many reasons are there for deciding a post is wrong. If not too many, perhaps you could select a reason off of a dropdown list.
Around here, the one on top of the list would be "Midgrade, not Regular", since many people never notice that the cheapest gas, and usually the first, possibly only, price on the sign, in Iowa is Midgrade, so they post it as Regular.
Another might be "Station doesn't sell this grade/diesel".
Maybe "Not cash price" or "Discounted price".
[Edited by: rjhenn at 3/7/2013 9:53:43 PM EST]
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Sneakers55
Champion Author
Houston
Posts:51,279
Points:2,141,975
Joined:Nov 2005
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Message Posted: Mar 5, 2013 11:23:51 PM
How do you determine the difference between a human typo and a deliberate miscasting?
Not even the sanity checks work well when you have crazy gas prices like we have recently!
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SmartShopper520
Veteran Author
Ontario
Posts:498
Points:72,145
Joined:Feb 2013
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Message Posted: Feb 27, 2013 6:36:43 AM
0's posting is meaningless to fellow gas buddies whom really are interested in checking out fuel prices city wide.
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stormrider_1
Champion Author
Wichita
Posts:16,219
Points:2,931,770
Joined:Mar 2005
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Message Posted: Feb 23, 2013 7:41:44 AM
I agree with banning users posting erroneous prices, but there needs to be a way to ban them by IP or Mac ID.
There is a user in my area who has been banned twice under different IDs yet continues to make false postings under new user names. I zero out his false postings and report it to GB. He continually posts diesel prices for stations that don't and never have sold diesel and is now posting for other grades not sold.
I believe he has at least half a dozen or more IDs now -including Gasbuddy IDs created on GB sites around the country.
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kwzh
Champion Author
San Jose
Posts:20,643
Points:3,681,490
Joined:Jul 2001
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Message Posted: Feb 23, 2013 12:00:41 AM
There was evidently a communication failure related to the question of whether the member with the wrong price should lose points, vs whether the member who corrects it should gain extra points. (In theory, either or both could be implemented.) And the latter could be further broken down as to whether the correction was to zero it out, or to enter a new price.
Historically, the system *did* give points for any price entry, including a zero. I sometimes made use of this while on vacation, by finding duplicate entries and clearing them. (This was before the MSL.) Since this sort of garbage collection was in fact improving the site, it seemed reasonable to me that it would earn points.
Anyway, on the original issue -- the moderators have stated in the past that they're strongly against the idea of negative points. Simply canceling out points that were unjustly earned is a weaker form that might fly, but it seems to me that banning the member is a better way to deal with it anyway.
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scoutmaster
Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:81,213
Points:3,251,670
Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: Feb 22, 2013 6:07:56 AM
I know rumbleseat. I was referring to CampKohler's post where he stated
"Say I report that there is mid grade sold at a station. You zero out the mid grade price because you think that there is no mid grade sold there and further there is a mechanism for you to report that you are correcting me and you in fact use it to say that you are correcting me. How does the system know if you are right in order to award the points?"
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rumbleseat
Champion Author
Winnipeg
Posts:22,918
Points:3,529,335
Joined:Oct 2002
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Message Posted: Feb 22, 2013 3:47:11 AM
"No one should get points for zeroing prices."
We don't.
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kwzh
Champion Author
San Jose
Posts:20,643
Points:3,681,490
Joined:Jul 2001
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Message Posted: Feb 22, 2013 2:38:01 AM
suchont: As scoutmaster sayus, you should post the cash price. Set the comment field to something like "+6c credit; -15c w/ car wash" to provide the additional information. When you post an Arco station, set the comment field to "cash only".
If we ignore the comments, then yes, it's "unfair" to credit card users that Arco is showing up as lowest. But the alternative of posting the credit price would be equally "unfair" to cash users. Until we have a better way to deal with cash/credit input, we have to use what we've got. Make proper use of the comment field, if you can do so!
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scoutmaster
Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:81,213
Points:3,251,670
Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: Feb 21, 2013 5:22:28 PM
Cash Price.
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suchont
Veteran Author
Los Angeles
Posts:308
Points:166,715
Joined:May 2012
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Message Posted: Feb 21, 2013 4:36:10 PM
one of the gas station in my area has 3 prices
regular prices - highest
cash prices - mid
price with car wash - lowest
which on should i use to report? what about arco? it doesn't accept credit card, so it always has lower price in any area. not too fair.
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scoutmaster
Champion Author
Pittsburgh
Posts:81,213
Points:3,251,670
Joined:Mar 2003
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Message Posted: Feb 21, 2013 6:40:50 AM
I don't think there is a foolproof way to determine is a new price posted over an old one is to correct a bad price posted.
No one should get points for zeroing prices. If a price is zeroed out then the offending poster who's price was zeroed would have 150 points deducted from their total. That said, I can see this being abused.
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