Pilot screws the little guy again

[MSinger]

Has anyone been to Pilot lately and observed the new Driver Payback Program.
Now you can earn 1.5 points per gallon of diesel purchased.......IF you purchase at least 175 gallons. Their new system is something like this.....I can't remember the exact numbers but it is something close to this.
0-74 gallons you get 0 points
75-125 gallons you get half a point per gallon
125-174 you get 1 point per gallon
175 and over you get 1.5 points per gallon back to gallon # 1


I sent an email to them to make sure this was not accumulative before I started griping. They didn't let me down. In their nice reply they stated that it was not accumulative and you must purchase at least 75 gallons at a time to earn any points.
I drive a 12' cube C unit with a 35 gallon tank making it impossible to purchase that much fuel at a time. I purchased nearly 5000 gallons of fuel last year but since I don't purchase alot at one time I am not worthy of a customer appreciation card from Pilot.

God, I hate that place with a passion!!!!!

 

[LDB]

I don't go to them more than a few times a year at most. What was the old system? It looks like T/A is getting more and more of my business by default based on the actions of Pilot and J.

Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
Highway Watch Participant
EO Forum Moderator 1+ Years of Service
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[gambler]

YEAH ITS AN EASY CHOICE. JUST STOP GOING THERE. WHEN YOU CAN HELP IT AT ALL. EVENTUALLY THEY WILL EITHER CHANGE THEIR WAYS OR THEY WILL LOSE THEIR BUSINESS.

 

[guest]

Con Way Now gets fuel discounts at TA and Loves. Those are the places I go. Pilot is just a place to park and eat unless I'm sitting on empty.

 

[davekc]

That is the best defense. Take your business somewhere else.



Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[MSinger]

The old system was 1 point per gallon no minimum purchase. Now granted it took forever for me to accumulate any points but at least I was able to get some as opposed to now.

I never went their unless I had to anyway because of the price difference between them and the J plus the extra 5 cents a gallon for using my Discover card.

 

[LDB]

>Con Way Now gets fuel discounts at TA and Loves. Those are
>the places I go. Pilot is just a place to park and eat
>unless I'm sitting on empty.

Landstar has "arrangements" with T/A, Love's, Pilot and Petro as well as a few smaller groups so it's pretty much anywhere except the J to get special pricing. I had usually been a J customer using the Conoco Mastercard that paid a 3% rebate on fuel however I've recently been fueling at the T/A. I still stop at Pilot when I need a place to park and nobody else is in the vicinity or when I want an Arby's or McD's.

Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
Highway Watch Participant
EO Forum Moderator 1+ Years of Service
-----
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Gambler... how've you been? Your presence has been missed!

Usually, I'll go to a Pilot before I go to TA (except in Monroe, MI). Usually, the TA is a couple cents higher, and they don't post it on the street. I like the TA's restaurant. But I like Pilot's prices on smokes, candy bars, and hot dogs. When I'm on the move, nothing beats Pilot's hot dogs. And, they don't charge extra for chili and cheese (like J does). However, TA uses plastic cups for their pop, while Pilot has thin styrofoam.

 

[geo]

when i was running up and down the roads some of the truck stop had a 75 gallon shower policy, for free show told them i only hold 30 gals
and add a 30 gallon tank, and most of time only got 30 gallons and said, this is how many times i have been here, here's the dollar i have left here and just not the fuel etc, was at the detrioter,
they were the first to give a break show them how much we spend at there place and they started giving us a break on the shower's
then the flying j also gave a break with 25 gal for a 1/2 shower and you could work your way up

so if they don't want to give us a break callem and callem them often until they change call the vp and tell

 

[SHARP327]

I just checked out Pilots web site and they're still advertising that every gal.=1 point which =1 cent and free showers for 50 gals. of fuel.

So I wrote them and asked if it was true about the 175 gals. and told them I wanted to hear from them personaly before I posted my feelings about Pilot but between us I can't stand to go there any more! their fuel almost always cost more than the competition, the sales staff(in most stores) act as though you're bothering them and most stations are nasty!

But what made me mad was some marketing genius at Pilot wanted to get fancy and ruined the coffee, well in my opinion they did!



Well I'll wait to see what they say!
and I'll post their reply.

 

[MSinger]

I know. I also checked their website but it has not been updated. The new program was to go into effect on Jan. 9th 2006.

 

[SHARP327]

No reply yet from Pilot!

but I'm not surprised either


Have a good night everyone!

 

[gambler]

>Gambler... how've you been? Your presence has been missed!


hello brother. well im sure not all have missed my presence after all some people dont always like to hear the truth hahah but thank you none the less. i have been "lurking" hahah

posted a couple times a while back. dont i have your yahoo messenger screen name?? anyway good to hear from you.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

I can only speak for myself. But your blunt honesty was always something I liked seeing. What is a forum with no intrigue from time to time? I'll tell you what... BORINGGGG! LOL EO has enough soap opera to keep me coming back tho ;-)

I don't go on yahoo messenger. Last time I visited a messenger, I found my wife :7

 

[exTVguy]

Time to call the Federal Trade Commission. That's called bait and switch.

 

[exTVguy]

The screwed us too. We have satellite uplink trucks. Only one of the fleet can hold more the 100 gallons. And to that the fact that we always top them off before putting them back in the barn or arriving on a job site means it will be very rare when we break the 75 gallon rule.

Here's the new points line up:

0 - 74 Gallons = You lose
75 - 99 Gallons = A pathetic 1/2 point per gallon.
100 - 174 Gallons = The old one point per gallon rule.
175+ = 2 points per gallon.

On the same sheet of paper I read the words to the effect of "The rewards program is an entitlement program, not a driver loyalty program."

The people in the Pilot home office really don't have a clue.

 

[Broompilot]

Filth thats how I describe there places of business except the showers are always the cleanest probably because of the fans. I got a Pilot Credit Card thought it would be just like Hess NOPE, no discount like Hess these bull *&^% credits they mail me. Use there credit cards and still get charged for using it. So I have returned it.

Second if Frisco Mike could chime in on this. I read once at a PILOT something like this "Drivers fuel at your own risk fuel makes fueling areas slippery Pilot not responsible for falls." If am gona fall anywhere they got pretty deep pockets and I feel a lawyer would have a field day with there inability to keep there places safe.

Food and resturants that are affiliated with them are not worth my pagtronage.

 

[SHARP327]

Stopped at a Pilot yesterday to relieve myself and found a pamplet about the points as we've talked about in this post and it's true about the point system and needing to purchase 175 gals. and you can receive a shower with 50 gals.

So from now on my truck dog and I will use it as we did yesterday and that's all!

In my opinion that's about all they're worth!

They didn't have the nerve or the concern to answer my e-mail either!

 

[RichM]

In addition to Pilot doing away with points,Subway will no longer give frequent buyer rewards.

 

[BigBusBob]

All I can say to all this is:

somehow figure out a way to get 176 gallons.

With the bus I had 200+ gallons I fueled up.

With the straight trucks it was usually twin 50's.

The busses didn't see me showering much at the truckstops, but they did see not only fuel from me, but on occassion (some J's especially) saw passengers with wallets, and therefore revenue from the store and the fuel. I'd rarely stop at a T/A for fuel with a bus - but the J's and Pilot's I would. The T/A is more of an trucking truckstop. J's are more of a tourist and drivers stop. Pilot's and Love's I've always viewed as being a multi-serving truckstop - tourists, regular gas station, and mini-truckstop.

Now, I'm in 18 wheelers, and it's twin 120's and more...
taking on a minimum of 175 gallons on nearly every fuel stop.

Sounds to me that Pilot is steering towards drivers with more fuel capacity, like 18 wheelers and busses. I know Greyhound stops at Pilots for rest stops. No fuel, but think of the revenue their store makes a day from Greyhound busses stopping in. That's what I see... Pilot wants more revenue, and they're searching for it.

I prefer J's and T/A's myself, simply because there's more room overall to manuever in (usually). The larger lots means more parking spaces, and therefore take longer to fill up than the Pilot's and Love's with fewer parking spaces. I enjoy the Pilot's though from time to time.

That's what's happening though, somebody at corporate at Pilot got smart and clever on how to go after drivers that get more fuel.

The van and straight truck drivers that don't spend alot of time there often (just fuel, shower and leave) don't make them much money... To Pilot, the larger fuel tanks and 18 wheelers that have to fuel nearly 200 gallons or more is where the money is.

Got a straight truck? add another tank or re-configure and/or reconsider the existing tanks you have.

Got a van? well, all I can say there is... stretch that fuel line!

Pilot's getting bigger, and getting bigger means growing pains.
I was just reading an article on how some independant truckstops really took a punch in the gut when cell phones took off, their payphones now mainly collect dust - instead of revenue.

Truckstops are improving - and getting bigger and better - however not without growing pains.