$6 a gallon in Fort Collins, Colorado, according to my sister in law. This is no rumor, a gas station worker reported recieving an email informing her to jack up prices to $5 a gallon in Coloado City/Pueblo area beginning at 5 am tomorrow (9-12-01).
My local news just announced a location in Indianapolis was up to $4.79 a gallon.
What a shame…
It’s sad to see Americans profiting by the death of their fellow citizens.
Sad, sad, sad.
Gas got up to $5.00 a gallon in OKC.
Gov. Keating stepped and put his foot down on that right quick.
The lines to the gas pumps were crazy yesterday. There were 30+ vehicles lined up to get to the pumps at every station I passed on my way home from work yesterday. In the town I live in the price was up to $2.49/gallon!! There were only two stations that I know of that kept their price at $1.69, which is what the price has been for about a week. It was up to $4.00/gallon in Topeka!! Unfreakin’ believable. Prices are now at $1.79/gallon at most stations.
Our Attorney General came on the news last night and said that “under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, it is unconscionable to grossly exceed the price at which similar property or services are readily available. She said that charging exorbitant amounts for gasoline that retailers have already paid for is a shameful to attempt to make an immoral profit from a national tragedy.”
There is also a 1-800 number to call if anyone feels that they were overcharged. I’m getting ready to call it right now and I’m also going to write letters to the editors of a few local newspapers. My SO went and filled up his truck last night and it cost him $34.00 for 13 gallons of gas!! He has a 25 gallon gas tank and it usually costs $40 to fill it up when it’s on empty!! How ridiculous. There are about 5 gas stations in the town I live in and every single one of them raised their prices yesterday. You can be sure I’m never getting anything from those stores again. I’ll get my gas on my drive home from work at one of the stations that didn’t try to ream me.
Gas prices are up .10-.15 at all the stations here in Indiana, PA. Execept for the SHEETZ outlets, holding steady at $1.39. Go SHEETZ! I knew I gave them my business for a reason. If I wasn’t a loyal customer before, I am now.
The operators of a St. Louis area gas station have been charged with price gouging ($5/gallon).
I haven’t noticed any price gouging in Texas. The lines have been long in some places and I have great difficulty two nights ago finding a station that had diesel fuel. Of course, it’s always hard to find a station with diesel fuel. But the first station I went to had signs up that they were out of gas on some of the pumps.
Governor Rick Perry has set up an 800 number for consumers to call to report businesses that are jacking up prices.
Prices are dropping back to about normal in Lansing, MI area. The average price for unleaded regular was $1.59-$1.65 per gallon on Monday. Yesterday I saw one station selling the same grade at $1.89. Today the same place is back to $1.65.
Our state Attorney General has sent notices to some stations that they will be investigated for price gouging. I’m sure this helped bring some sanity back to the situation.
One station owner was cornered by a news camera in front of his station, and mumbled an excuse that his suppliers told him that prices were going to go up, supplies would be down, etc. Sorry, I don’t remember the location or price he was charging. Another report showed a woman in a station getting a refund for gas for which she paid $4 or $5/gallon the previous day. I think the owner got a little nervous about being prosecuted.
Update: The Illinois Attorney General’s office discovered, much to its dismay, that price-gouging isn’t exactly illegal in Illinois. So they’ve filed a “violation of consumer protection laws” lawsuit against the Casey General Store gas gougers in Peoria and other places.
And AG Jim Ryan (who incidentally is running for governor) promises that just as soon as he gets a minute, he’ll change the law. Really.
http://www.sj-r.com/news/friday/o.htm
Prices here in Decatur held rock-steady throughout the crisis, at $1.88 or so.
Today in the Mpls Star-Tribune, one of the smaller chains (Qwik Trip) took out a full page ad apologising for overreacting and/or gouging… They promised refunds to anyone that had a receipt…
I was impressed that the larger chains held out, and on the 12th had actually lowered their prices a few cents… We’re currently at 1.649, down from 1.689 last weekend when I filled up…
Gas prices seem to remain stable around here in MOnterey ($1.75, which isnt unusual since earlier in the year, regular gasoline was at $1.95 or so). I think if they tried to gouge, there’d be people with torches ready to burn and blow up the stations :).