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Author	Topic: Ethics of Price Posting-Acceptable Time to Update Existing Prices	Topic is locked Back to Topics

gaspricepasser Champion Author Miami Posts:4,304 Points:532,655 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Mar 27, 2012 1:31:00 PM Ignore gaspricepasser Report Abuse Maybe I am too old fashioned, especially when I read a lot of the posts here about blatant cheating, faking prices or stealing someone else's posting. But, for the rest of us, how long after prior prices are posted do most people wait before "updating" that particular station. Personally, if the price has changed, I update immediately. Otherwise, I will not regualarly update any station unless the price is more than 12 hours old, and most frequently when the latest price is from the prior day. What do others do?

gaspricepasser

Champion Author
Miami

Posts:4,304
Points:532,655
Joined:Mar 2011

Message Posted: Mar 27, 2012 1:31:00 PM

Ignore gaspricepasser Report Abuse

Maybe I am too old fashioned, especially when I read a lot of the posts here about blatant cheating, faking prices or stealing someone else's posting. But, for the rest of us, how long after prior prices are posted do most people wait before "updating" that particular station. Personally, if the price has changed, I update immediately. Otherwise, I will not regualarly update any station unless the price is more than 12 hours old, and most frequently when the latest price is from the prior day. What do others do?

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bytebug Champion Author Orange County Posts:26,545 Points:4,151,330 Joined:Oct 2001	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 7:49:07 AM Ignore bytebug Report Abuse >> With that said, I do have a new thread to this topic to discuss. Then start a new thread! Let this one die if its question has been resolved. [Edited by: bytebug at 5/5/2012 7:48:44 AM EST]
gaspricepasser Champion Author Miami Posts:4,304 Points:532,655 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 6:18:16 AM Ignore gaspricepasser Report Abuse I regularly get the "price seems high" and "price seems low" messages, especially when there is a significant change in oil/gas prices. But, I particularly find it amusing when GB asks that, when the price you are posting is the exact same price at the same station. Seems "exactly the same" to me.
plastic Champion Author Virginia Posts:46,995 Points:2,865,845 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: May 4, 2012 11:38:33 AM Ignore plastic Report Abuse Dastard, this issue has been brought up several times. The "too low" and "too high" messages kick in to warn you that the price you're about to post is out of range and is giving you a chance to make sure it's correct. It is in now way saying that the price is too low for you to post. Personally I like seeing the "too low" message; means that the prices are dropping quickly! GB has mentioned, in the past, that they're looking into it. Maybe they'll fix it. [Edited by: plastic at 5/4/2012 11:39:46 AM EST]
dastard57 Champion Author Orange County Posts:3,425 Points:653,530 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 4, 2012 11:33:51 AM Ignore dastard57 Report Abuse Alright already! Case closed! Post away, if you see it, post it! The FAQ post by "scoutmaster" settles the argument. With that said, I do have a new thread to this topic to discuss. Has anyone else noticed this annoying little message that occasionally pops up on the mobile app: 'That price seems too low, are you sure this is correct?' I generally get this message when I post a price for ARCO, United Oil or even Costco. Excuse me, but I thought the whole point of GB was to find the lowest gas prices available! At first I thought maybe the last post had been expired for so long the sudden price drop seemed to confuse the system. But then I started noticing it on a daily basis on the same stations. I think GB needs to fix this. Anyone else have a thought? [Edited by: dastard57 at 5/4/2012 11:35:18 AM EST]
plastic Champion Author Virginia Posts:46,995 Points:2,865,845 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 9:00:09 AM Ignore plastic Report Abuse No one said it's cheating. GB clearly encourages you to post 'em when you see 'em. The ethics come in where people, who are concerned about other people and were unaware that immediate posting is acceptable, don't want to step on other people's toes. There are people who care about others and there are people who don't. It's not unethical to post over a recent price with an obervation that you've just made. There are some people who get upset when someone posts over their prices right away. That is their own personal problem though. "Feelingz"?
regulate_now Champion Author Indiana Posts:6,626 Points:1,009,050 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 8:40:29 AM Ignore regulate_now Report Abuse So if the route I drive has recent prices, I should go out of my way to find others or not post that trip/day? Like many others have said, there is no pride or hurt in posting or being posted over... Post em as you see em, when you see em... That's the way the system is set up to work... Ethics??? Posting what you see on your drive IS NOT cheating... [Edited by: regulate_now at 5/3/2012 8:42:39 AM EST]
AccuPrice Rookie Author Oregon Posts:36 Points:68,020 Joined:Oct 2010	Message Posted: May 3, 2012 12:22:43 AM Ignore AccuPrice Report Abuse What ethics? You guys are worrying or getting feelingz hurt over nothing.
PD Moderator	Message Posted: Apr 30, 2012 10:59:32 PM Ignore PD Report Abuse insightcruzer, we've seen situations where prices change twice in an hour. For me, I post the price as I see it, regardless if the past post is 24 hours or 24 minutes old.
miked31784 Veteran Author Tampa Posts:395 Points:295,650 Joined:Apr 2012	Message Posted: Apr 30, 2012 11:46:45 AM Ignore miked31784 Report Abuse I update gas prices, no matter if they are 10 minutes old or 24 hours old.
plastic Champion Author Virginia Posts:46,995 Points:2,865,845 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Apr 30, 2012 11:35:41 AM Ignore plastic Report Abuse When the app was first being developed, the safety issue had been considered. They are under no obligation to protect themselves from any liability. They are probably pretty well insulated from any liability anyway.
Scrapheap Champion Author Virginia Posts:14,697 Points:2,386,755 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Apr 30, 2012 10:54:40 AM Ignore Scrapheap Report Abuse SUVFan wrote > The post I quoted does cause me to hope the site has taken out a huge insurance policy to cover it for a huge damage award that I can see being given to the victims in an inevitable crash caused by a gb (this is NOT directed at that poster, it's just a general reaction) using the mobile app to post prices while they were driving. I doubt they can be successfully sued. I think they know that and don't give a rip about the dangerous actions they are encouraging. All they care about is revenue.
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:14,177 Points:1,661,255 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Apr 30, 2012 10:50:40 AM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse >I post prices via the Android app, as I'm passing the station. If I already have my points AND the currently-posted price is less than a couple hours old AND it agrees with what I see, I don't bother. < Pretty much the same way I do it from my computer, except I have to take one more step and select the actual time I spotted it. The post I quoted does cause me to hope the site has taken out a huge insurance policy to cover it for a huge damage award that I can see being given to the victims in an inevitable crash caused by a gb (this is NOT directed at that poster, it's just a general reaction) using the mobile app to post prices while they were driving.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:82,174 Points:3,281,320 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Apr 30, 2012 5:15:24 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse 1,000% correct dirt girl.
dirt girl Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:36,090 Points:3,099,800 Joined:Oct 2004	Message Posted: Apr 30, 2012 12:28:55 AM Ignore dirt girl Report Abuse gaspricepasser, I think I can safely say that most of the members here only care that what you post is accurate. :)
gaspricepasser Champion Author Miami Posts:4,304 Points:532,655 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 29, 2012 6:31:16 PM Ignore gaspricepasser Report Abuse My concern was originally with the concept of who reports things matters, but since no one seems to care, including me, I am now posting them as fast as I can.
dirt girl Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:36,090 Points:3,099,800 Joined:Oct 2004	Message Posted: Apr 29, 2012 2:54:15 PM Ignore dirt girl Report Abuse Yep, a price that is 5 minutes old is better than one that is 11 hours old.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:82,174 Points:3,281,320 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Apr 29, 2012 6:45:01 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse And that is what Gas Buddy wants you to do gaspricepasser.
WR-INC Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:39,677 Points:3,652,035 Joined:Dec 2002	Message Posted: Apr 29, 2012 3:38:12 AM Ignore WR-INC Report Abuse The fresher the price the better, as long as it's the one you saw.
MARIOWERX Champion Author Vancouver Posts:16,074 Points:1,667,460 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Apr 29, 2012 1:27:21 AM Ignore MARIOWERX Report Abuse I'll take the morally superior high road and post them when I see them.
insightcruzer All-Star Author Oakland Posts:552 Points:191,145 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Apr 28, 2012 7:15:37 PM Ignore insightcruzer Report Abuse i too feel guilty posting over a price that is less than 12 hours old, since prices generall don't change every 12 hours. However, if the price is different, then I will post regardless of the time of the previous post. I'll take the morally superior high road of gaspricepasser
gaspricepasser Champion Author Miami Posts:4,304 Points:532,655 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 28, 2012 2:38:34 PM Ignore gaspricepasser Report Abuse plastic wrote: "Well y'all have talked me down to about 1 or 2 hours. I saw a 16 minute time and a 21 minute time this morning and I couldn't post over them. lol" If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I am now posting everything I see, no matter when it was previously posted.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:82,174 Points:3,281,320 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Apr 27, 2012 4:33:16 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse Post 'em when you see them regardless of the last time the price was updated. Read FAQ #21 and FAQ #22.
plastic Champion Author Virginia Posts:46,995 Points:2,865,845 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Apr 27, 2012 1:06:58 PM Ignore plastic Report Abuse Well y'all have talked me down to about 1 or 2 hours. I saw a 16 minute time and a 21 minute time this morning and I couldn't post over them. lol
GustheCat2 Champion Author Virginia Posts:1,912 Points:440,395 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Apr 27, 2012 12:23:41 PM Ignore GustheCat2 Report Abuse I don't pay attention to when the last update was done. If I see it, I send it.
gaspricepasser Champion Author Miami Posts:4,304 Points:532,655 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2012 1:11:29 AM Ignore gaspricepasser Report Abuse After this discussion, I am posting them as fast as I see them.
EBR Champion Author Greensboro Posts:22,015 Points:3,295,295 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Apr 7, 2012 12:14:34 PM Ignore EBR Report Abuse I post prices via the Android app, as I'm passing the station. If I already have my points AND the currently-posted price is less than a couple hours old AND it agrees with what I see, I don't bother.
dirt girl Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:36,090 Points:3,099,800 Joined:Oct 2004	Message Posted: Apr 2, 2012 11:18:19 PM Ignore dirt girl Report Abuse I guess if you feel guilty for posting over another price then you'll be spending a lot of money on gas and extra time looking for stations where no one has updated the price. Fwiw, the little spare time I have is worth more than that and gas is too darn expensive to waste.
Furball Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:1,532 Points:306,595 Joined:Sep 2003	Message Posted: Apr 2, 2012 5:38:52 PM Ignore Furball Report Abuse <<maybe there ought to be an hour wait, or two>> Why?
plastic Champion Author Virginia Posts:46,995 Points:2,865,845 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Apr 2, 2012 5:34:08 PM Ignore plastic Report Abuse Davegood, I hope you post those prices and adjust the time to correspond with the time that you spotted the prices. Reason being is that you could have seen the price, the price changes right after, then someone updates the price, then you get home and post the old price over the new price.
gaspricepasser Champion Author Miami Posts:4,304 Points:532,655 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 2, 2012 2:53:06 PM Ignore gaspricepasser Report Abuse I don't know why, but from when I first started posting prices, I always felt like it was more of a challenge to find stations that no longer had a posted price, or at least one 12 or more hours old. I fully understand that the concept is to keep posted prices current, but maybe there ought to be an hour wait, or two. Yes, it might take a little more effort, but not much.
davegood Veteran Author San Diego Posts:279 Points:149,425 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Apr 2, 2012 2:48:04 PM Ignore davegood Report Abuse The concept of "stealing" someone's posting is contrary to the philosophy of the site. The purpose is not to "claim" a station as their own with their name on a flag. I take a walk past three stations and post the prices I see when I get home. I do not pay attention to the time of the prior posts.
Scrapheap Champion Author Virginia Posts:14,697 Points:2,386,755 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Apr 2, 2012 2:53:40 AM Ignore Scrapheap Report Abuse ziyulu wrote > I've been reporting a price that is significantly lower than other gas stations, but someone keeps on zeroing it out. I've seen that price also been reported by others and a few minutes later, it disappears. Sounds like the absurdity detector is automatically deleting the price. You can contact the mods and ask of this station to be added to the "safe list". That should stop this.
dirt girl Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:36,090 Points:3,099,800 Joined:Oct 2004	Message Posted: Apr 2, 2012 1:19:26 AM Ignore dirt girl Report Abuse gaspricepasser, Post them when you see them. As long as you're posting accurate prices it's good. Something to keep in mind, the object of this site is to save members money on gas. If you're out driving around looking for stations that no one has posted, you're wasting your money. The route I travel is also travelled by several thousand other people during the day (at least 10 or more other GB members). With a few thousand members here, it's almost impossible not to post over someone's prices.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:82,174 Points:3,281,320 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Apr 1, 2012 5:28:01 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse There is never a name associated when someone zeros out a price. Sounds like what kwzh posted.
wingryder92 Champion Author British Columbia Posts:6,100 Points:586,680 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Apr 1, 2012 5:25:53 PM Ignore wingryder92 Report Abuse If I have the time I will pull into a stall & get all the prices as often the other grades have changed, especially the diesel.
gaspricepasser Champion Author Miami Posts:4,304 Points:532,655 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Apr 1, 2012 3:02:32 PM Ignore gaspricepasser Report Abuse ziyulu said "I've been reporting a price that is significantly lower than other gas stations, but someone keeps on zeroing it out. I've seen that price also been reported by others and a few minutes later, it disappears." That seems pretty odd. Is there a name associated with the "zero" price? Otherwise, I would contact the mods. It could be a competitor station trying to keep that price from the GB public.
kwzh Champion Author San Jose Posts:20,790 Points:3,710,915 Joined:Jul 2001	Message Posted: Apr 1, 2012 6:31:51 AM Ignore kwzh Report Abuse That might be the site's automatic removal of suspicious-looking entries. Send a note to the moderators, ideally with a photo of the price board.
ziyulu Champion Author Oklahoma City Posts:8,639 Points:1,630,575 Joined:Aug 2007	Message Posted: Mar 31, 2012 10:56:11 AM Ignore ziyulu Report Abuse I've been reporting a price that is significantly lower than other gas stations, but someone keeps on zeroing it out. I've seen that price also been reported by others and a few minutes later, it disappears.
kwzh Champion Author San Jose Posts:20,790 Points:3,710,915 Joined:Jul 2001	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 3:59:43 PM Ignore kwzh Report Abuse As written in the older unofficial FAQ entry: Don't be upset about your name disappearing from the price board -- this isn't a popularity contest. And if you happen to go out and spot the same station again, you should likewise feel free to overwrite the other person's listing. This is not a zero-sum game. The other GasBuddy members are your partners, not your opponents.
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:14,177 Points:1,661,255 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 1:41:59 PM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse >If you're looking at the price already, does it take that much more of your time to update or repost a price? If your time is that valuable (not said cynically) then why bother to use your time to check the price unless you intended to post a price? < One price doesn't take much time to post. 20 take a while longer and 50 even longer. It adds up with each additional station. Some of the routes I drive regularly have a dozen or more stations, typically at the same price in each given area. When I post, I tend to post all prices that I saw for the station. Why check but not post? I read way faster than I type. So I can scan my fsl in a matter of seconds and just update the stations that don't have anything recent posted and let the more recent prices stand. The other thing that I didn't mention the other day is that if someone posted only the regular price and I have other prices for the same station, I'll over post that regular price as I input the others. Those gaps jump off the page after a while. As for the discussion of civility below, I see a civility side to it as well. I'm sure there are some folks that like to see their screen name on the price boards. If that motivates them, fine. Whatever it takes to get prices on there. I like seeing recent prices posted for all my fsl stations. My overposting the more recent ones when I have them could discourage others from posting those stations regularly.I don't think there's any right or wrong way to do it and I don't believe my method is any better than any other method. It's simply my method. If someone else is wondering about this issue and finds this thread, I hope the combined thoughts posted here help them decide how they are going to post prices.
gaspricepasser Champion Author Miami Posts:4,304 Points:532,655 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 12:56:02 PM Ignore gaspricepasser Report Abuse Well, I guess that I will now adjust my reporting, and just hammer in as many as I can when I am out driving. There are a lot of stations down here in Florida, which is why I had been hesitant to post over someone elses previous recent reporting, since there are always stations around with no price at all, or 12-24 hours old that I could choose from.
buckeyecountry Champion Author Ohio Posts:8,193 Points:727,905 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 11:57:56 AM Ignore buckeyecountry Report Abuse Went on errand at 8:30 this morning and went by nearby station and came home and posted. Just got back from a walk and went by station again and came home and posted, never looking at what was already posted.
Gas_Eyes Champion Author Dallas Posts:2,817 Points:672,560 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 11:18:50 AM Ignore Gas_Eyes Report Abuse I have seen the actual price at stations change more than one time in a day. So the fresher it is the better. The value of GB is being able to help people find the best price.
plastic Champion Author Virginia Posts:46,995 Points:2,865,845 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Mar 29, 2012 5:14:39 PM Ignore plastic Report Abuse Fresher is better, yup! It's just that I remember the days when there were multiple complaints of people getting "posted over". I guess I shouldn't feel bad about posting over someone who just posted 20 minutes ago but I do.
PD Moderator	Message Posted: Mar 29, 2012 5:07:23 PM Ignore PD Report Abuse Personally, I update a price no matter if it was 4 hours ago or 4 minutes ago. Fresher data is always a win no matter what.
gaspricepasser Champion Author Miami Posts:4,304 Points:532,655 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Mar 29, 2012 4:44:13 PM Ignore gaspricepasser Report Abuse I guess that when I started this thread, I was thinking more in practical terms, of why bother updating a price an hour or two old. Some people clearly think that every price should be updated every minute, if someone sees it. I just thought that it was somewhat pointless to update a price that was just posted. Yes, theoretically, it could make a difference if 23 hours later, no one else has updated that price, which might now survive one more hour due to the update, but again, I see that as an exercise of limited value. I guess that I will now qualify for posting at a lot more stations.
Gas_Buddy Champion Author Maryland Posts:26,202 Points:3,061,725 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Mar 28, 2012 1:19:35 PM Ignore Gas_Buddy Report Abuse Two comments: First, civility has nothing to do with posting gas prices as you learn them (assuming you're correctly indicating the time of the sighting) unless you believe that you're offending the member who previously posted a price. To me, posting a price (regardless of what the price is) starts the clock as to how long the price will remain for viewing by other members. I would rather be able see a price than have it expire because no member wanted to update a current price until it disappeared from the screen. Second, regarding the post that read: "I figure it's not worth my time to update a recent price -- it has nothing to do with manners in my view." If you're looking at the price already, does it take that much more of your time to update or repost a price? If your time is that valuable (not said cynically) then why bother to use your time to check the price unless you intended to post a price? Am I missing something obvious to others?
gaspricepasser Champion Author Miami Posts:4,304 Points:532,655 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Mar 28, 2012 1:06:14 PM Ignore gaspricepasser Report Abuse Well, I am glad to see that this question actually produced some iteresting discussion of the topic.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:82,174 Points:3,281,320 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Mar 28, 2012 12:57:02 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse If both are polite, then why the statement "Gasbuddy supports the former while civility supports the latter." And what does politeness have to do with posting prices?
plastic Champion Author Virginia Posts:46,995 Points:2,865,845 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Mar 28, 2012 12:14:48 PM Ignore plastic Report Abuse Strictly by definition, scout. Politeness. That said, I feel the need to clarify to you that it's not impolite to immediately post over someone.