Most of us think of pumps as cold machinery, but the truth is quite different. These pumps to which we scarcely give a thought actually have a heart. And its less colder than the Billionaire Oil Sheikhs. Take the three pumps at Vashon Island's Engels Repair & Towing for example. The maximum that they can sell fuel at is $3.99 a gallon. Purchased in 1995, they simply cant set prices higher than $3.99. The owner has been asked to wait for 15 weeks for new gears which shall allow him to adjust the new fuel prices on to the pump.
The pump problem hit Engels about 10 days ago, when he boosted his diesel price to $4.25 to keep up with the competition. He said he planned to raise prices Thursday for all three grades of gasoline, as well as diesel, to more than $4 per gallon.
Engels and his son, Paul, are handling the situation by posting the correct price on large signs, then explaining to each customer -- before pumping -- that the amount pumped must be multiplied by the current price.
Customers have taken to filling up in multiples of 10 to keep it simple. About 12 stations, mostly rural, have been reported as having the same problem as Engels.