Whilst walking locally (Farnborough Hants) I have been accosted twice in the last 2 weeks by a guy carrying a green plastic petrol can in a plastic carrier bag, accompanied by a girl friend.
The line was "My car's run out of petrol, can you spare some change so I can get some petrol at the garage?"
In retrospect I'm sure it was the same couple/same words and I should have responded more robustly, but being taken by surprise I didn't.
Not that I don't have sympathy for my fellow motorist in distress you understand ...
Oz (as was)
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I have never come across this one before. Seems very fishy to me.
Most people who have a petrol can would not carry it in a plastic bag. They would most likely just go to the petrol station and fill it up, then either let the attendant know he has no money or more likely, do a runner.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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Sounds like the man who walks up and down the queues at Calais ferry terminal who "had his wallet pinched" and needs to buy a ticket to the UK.
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Aye, had the exact same thing happen to me. Naturally I declined their request!
Also had the "I've broken down and need to call the AA, please can I borrow your mobile?" Errr - no. For a start, where's your car???
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Lots of beggars at my end of town, some shameless professionals whom one learns to ignore, others people with mental, drink or drug problems for some of whom one can feel a measure of sympathy.
A year or so back a new, very active one appeared: young, fit, cleanly dressed, of Irish extraction and with a strange (for inner London) whiff of the remote countryside about him.
His thing was to approach you in the street asking for the loan of a pound to make a phone call to his father, who would then come to pick him up and pay the pound back. I asked why he didn't make a transfer charge call to his father. He looked very upset and followed me up the steps in front of my house repeating his story in utter bewilderment. Eventually I gave him a quid to make him go away. He immediately asked for another and I refused.
The next day I was waiting in the car for my wife to come out when I saw this guy heading for me. I made a gesture of irritated dismissal, he recognised me and sheered off towards my wife, who had emerged.
She told me the guy had come up and asked her for a favour. She had replied briskly: 'No favours,' and he had gone away.
I am often brought to realise that women are more sensible than men most of the time.
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whiff of the remote countryside about him
Just been to the wardrobe to sniff my suit.
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I refuse to give money to any beggar, whatever their reason for asking. The money will rarely be spent on the essentials of life.
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L\'escargot.
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I was approached by a young lady outside shops walking from my car into work. She had a very plausible story for desperately needing money for petrol. I even changed a £10 note into two £5 to give her some money - along with my name and address scribbled on a bit of paper along with the words " restore my faith in human nature and let me have it back". I watched from my office window as she legged it. Needless to say I will not be so foolish again...
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A friend of mine was approached by a particularly skinny and shabby beggar one night in town, begging for "..a few coppers for something to eat, I haven't eaten for days guv...." - my friend walked on but a few minutes later on passing a chip shop his conscience got the better of him, bought a fish supper and went back to give it to the beggar. He got soundly abused for his trouble for, as the beggar pointed out " I can't buy smack with a fish supper..." - he ignores them completely now.
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There used to be a very pretty, polite and friendly one on Marylebone High Street outside that posh supermarket. Needless to say, I ended up sleeping with her one weekend when my x-wife went to her mothers.
We have the petrol scam here in Poland with Eastern salaries and Western petrol prices, but they actually do it at the petrol station to give their story more merit. Or maybe their stories are true, I don?t know. Another one is to wait till you?ve loaded your shopping into the car then offer to push the trolley back for you and keep the coin. I used to be very generous until my car was vandalised but I?ve sworn never to give another penny since then. Although I can?t resist the pretty ones.
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I just respond to all beggars in the same way - "Parlez vous francais?"
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Although Ican?t resist the pretty ones.
BBD, where on earth do you find pretty ones?
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I refuse to give money to any beggar, whatever their reason for asking. The money will rarely be spent on the essentials of life.
Same here - though I must confess that a few weeks ago a young lady approached me and asked to borrow 80p for the bus home. I followed my usual policy, though afterward I wondered if she was genuine and felt guilty for hours!
Back to motoring ...
In Romania a few years ago there used to be a couple of well spoken young men with a flash car with German registration who would hang around near the Hungarian border and approach any foreign registered car with a story about needing to buy petrol, but having nothing smaller than a 100 Euro note, and asking if one could give them change.
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I live in remote countryside near the top of a steep valley. Some years ago someone called to say his car had stalled on the hill because his petrol was low and had run to the back of the tank. He hadn't any money or a can.
I leant him my full spare can.
Next day he re-appeared and returned me the can, refilled.
Don't worry about the occasions when people aren't so honest:-
Time wounds all heals.
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"Most people who have a petrol can would not carry it in a plastic bag."
Course not ... would n't it leak out of the plastic bag?
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IanS
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Course not ... would n't it leak out of the plastic bag?
Memories from school days of carrying petrol down the street in a brimming plastic washing up bowl, to re-fill the becalmed school minbus.
Pouring it in was the easy bit, because the bowl could be deformed to make a funnel.
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veering wildly off topic here - We needed enough petrol to get home having bought a car at auction. The only container I could find was a polystyrene cup, which instantly dissolved when I syphoned petrol into it.
Isn't polystyrene and petrol a primitive form of Napalm?
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Even further off topic ........When my grandparents Morry 1100's radiator overheated on the way home from a shopping trip the only fluid available was a bottle of Pomagne (remember that stuff?) which they had just purchased so in it went. Did n't seem to do any harm.
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IanS
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I refuse to give money to any beggar, whatever their reason for asking. The money will rarely be spent on the essentials of life.
Booze? Dope? Fags? Many would regard one or more of these as essentials. Organic vegetables and improving books are all very well but people can die of boredom as well as the more usual diseases.
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Begging for Organic vegetables, there's a thing.
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There used to be a high class street drunk in Bristol who used to beg for £2 "for a cup of coffee and a croissant". When he had enough, he would pop into Threshers for a decent claret.
One Christmas me and some mates from Uni bought him a bottle of Chateauneuf as a present. He stopped the traffic by putting the bottle in the middle of a busy junction and dancing round it, giving little whoops of delight.
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I heard a story that Tommy Cooper was once accosted by a beggar with a scruffy mongrel and asked to spare some change for a bite to eat only to get the response 'Eat the ****** dog'. My sentiments entirely.If they cannot afford to eat , how can they look after a dog?
I have never and would never give money to a beggar for petrol , food or anything else because it will go on booze or drugs.
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Well done Lawman. Very charitable. If he was that high class though he would have made his way to Avery's which was quite traditional until very recently...
Helicopter: I seldom give beggars anything for booze or drugs as they may waste it on food, petrol or some other bourgeois luxury which they obviously can't afford...
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Last year we were walking out of a local Chinese restaurant after a good meal and I happened to have in my hand the segments of fresh orange that had been supplied gratis along with our bill.
Then beggar right outside the restaurant asked for some food money. He was somewhat surprised when I gave him real food instead - the orange pieces. I wish I'd had a camera with me to catch his expression.
At least I can be sure that wasn't used for booze, smoking or similar vices.
Chris Muriel, Manchester
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Booze? Dope? Fags? Many would regard one or more of these as essentials.
Yes, m'lud! ;-)
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L\'escargot.
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I'd rather they were begging than stealing or burgling. And if they can't get any money from begging, then they probably will.
I never give anything to the scammers, but sometimes to beggars, it depends.
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I posted some time ago a tale of being approached at a filling station by a young man who wanted £3 to buy petrol and would leave his wife's rings as security. I declined.
I never give to beggars. I give to charities at a time and place and an amount that I consider appropriate.
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I give to charities at a time and place and an amount that I consider appropriate.
........and tax deductable.
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And now back to motoring. DD
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A subject like this always brings out the moralists.Would anyone want a rider with their wages telling them what they cannot spend it on?More like an excuse to be tight.If someone is a heroin addict or alchoholic they need their hit like we need air,denying them a quid is not going to affect them,us or society.
Many years ago,when I lived on the Gower peninsula,we walked to the village pub one evening for a few pints.On the way we passed a 'gentleman of the road'and his labrador.On leaving the pub they were getting themselves comfortable in the brick bus shelter outside.I nipped back into the pub and got the last roll on the counter and a bottle of brown ale and took them out to the shelter.The'paraffin lamp'took them,gave the roll to the dog and supped the brown.
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