DOWNRIGHT nasty - that's how some pump-and-flee petrol cheats behave when caught by attendants.

Some scream abuse, some try to bargain and others simply ignore the attendants' pleas to pay up.

Petrol theft in Singapore is a long-standing problem that rears its ugly head whenever petrol prices soar.

Prices have been going up since April. Last week, the cost of petrol went up to more than $2 a litre.

A former Tiong Bahru pump attendant, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ganesh, 22, said some disgruntled customers even shout at staff when they are forced to return to pay up.

He said: "One customer was unhappy because he lived in Pasir Ris. He said he had to 'waste petrol, waste time' to return to our station."

The customer owed about $100 in unpaid petrol for his Toyota Camry.

Another attendant, who wanted to be known only as Mr Guo, 60, said: "Some customers, who are contacted by the police, will try to bargain with us when they return.

"One said he had not asked for a full tank of petrol, which cost $80, and wanted to pay us only $10."

He recalled asking another customer, who was about to drive off, if he had paid for his petrol. The latter "pretended to be talking to his grandchildren" and left without replying.

Despite the bad attitudes of errant customers, petrol station staff make sure they still treat them well.

As Mr Ganesh, a pump attendant for three years, said: "We are in the customer service line. The customer is always right.

"We say sorry for causing them inconvenience, offer them a free drink.

"It's better that we pay $1.50 for their drink than $70 for their petrol bill."

It also doesn't help that some pump attendants have to pay for the theft out of their own pockets.

Mr Guo said: "Even rich people who drive Mercedes (Benz cars) also want to 'eat money'."

But attendants at some petrol stations are fighting back. Wielding pens and notebooks, they copy the licence plate numbers of every vehicle that pulls up.

Yes, the tactic is old-school, but this "security measure" saves them from having to foot the bill when petrol cheats strike.

Our checks showed that several stations, including those of ExxonMobil and Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC), have turned to the mighty pen.

TROUBLESOME, BUT USEFUL

Mr Guo said: "It is a little troublesome having to copy licence plate numbers. But at least we don't have to pay for the loss if we have the numbers of the 'runaway cars'."

He said before this measure started a month ago, the cashiers and pump attendants had to share the "loss" in unpaid petrol bills.

Former pump attendant Tham Long Kong, 70, also had to copy the licence plate numbers of unfamiliar vehicles.

He said: "There are close-circuit cameras, but some drivers will park out of sight of the CCTVs.

"With the licence plate numbers, the police can contact the drivers and we don't have to pay."

Petrol companies here said CCTVs are installed in all their stations and their staff are trained to be vigilant.

A cashier at a Chua Chu Kang petrol station had to pay about $100 to cover the losses from three petrol thefts since July, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

She earns only $4 an hour, or $32 a day, so the sum amounted to more than three days' wages.

The cashier, who wanted to be known only as Madam Zheng, 44, said two petrol cheats even left their handphone, NRIC and licence plate numbers with her.

But they ignored her calls and never returned to pay.

She said: "We often work the night-shift to supplement our household income. Our hard-earned money disappears just like that when people run off."

Both SPC and Shell declined to comment on who foots the bill in cases of petrol theft.

But a Chevron spokesman said staff at its 33 Caltex stations do not have to pay.

She said: "On occasions where our customers drive off without paying, Chevron will bear the loss... In most instances, our customers genuinely forget to pay and will return."

Under a new alliance, NTUC FairPrice now operates ExxonMobil's 74 Esso and Mobil stations here.

A FairPrice spokesman said: "If the vehicle registration number in a pump-and-run case is captured, no compensation is necessary by the contract staff at our stations."

Otherwise, he said it is up to the contract station managers to "review and decide who and what amount to compensate on a case-by-case basis".

Mr Guo said his last brush with a petrol cheat was two weeks ago.

All he had to do was submit the culprit's licence plate to the station manager.

If the driver can't be contacted through the customer database, the matter is referred to the police.

"When the police call the drivers, they return immediately to pay their bills," said Mr Goh.

The police do not maintain statistics on petrol thefts.

The FairPrice spokesman said each of its 74 Esso and Mobil stations sees an average of "one to two cases of drive-offs" a month.

ALMOST ALL PAY UP

He said: "For cases referred to the police, almost 100 per cent of the drivers were eventually contacted. We appreciate the police's efforts in this regard."

Chevron Singapore's 33 Caltex stations encounter 10 to 15 such cases a month, while the SPC said the number of cases is "not significant", reported The Straits Times.

Shell's retail general manager, Mr Henry Chu, said there have been "few instances" of such cases since security measures were tightened.

He said all 67 Shell stations have a "unique pump light system", which tells staff whether the bill for each pump has been paid.

He added: "Shell is working closely with the police to publicise that stealing petrol is a crime. Posters have been placed at all our stations to drive this message home to the public."

IT'S A CRIME

Anyone found guilty of petrol theft may be jailed for up to three years or fined, or both.