Hurricane Harvey Update: Price-Gouging Is Becoming a Problem in Texas After Disaster
It's not just the floodwaters that rose in Texas at the height of Hurricane Harvey's transit. Prices for daily necessities, like potable water and gas, saw unprecedented levels as well, in some instances, as reports of price-gouging surfaced from the worst-hit areas in Houston.
Some cases reported exorbitant prices in areas most affected by the hurricane, including accounts of a case of water going for $99, and a gallon of gas being sold for $20, according to the Business Insider. These are just some of the reports coming in from areas hardest-hit by Hurricane Harvey.
Since Thursday, Aug. 31, the Texas attorney general's office has gotten complaints about predatory price hikes in some of the worst-hit areas in the state. The Consumer Protection Division, in particular, has gotten more than 500 reports of price-gouging, with more coming in as the attorney general, Ken Paxton, spoke out about the fraudulent practice last week.
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Marc Rylander, communications director for the state's attorney general, warned retailers that "Texas law protects consumers from fraud in Dallas and other parts of Texas outside of the governor's declared disaster areas."
"If Dallas consumers are victims of fraud by gas stations, we urge them to contact our agency's consumer protection hotline so that we can investigate and take appropriate action," the statement added, encouraging victims to report by calling the attorney general's Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-621-0508.
Consumers can also file a report online by emailing consumeremergency@oag.texas.gov, where they can add photos to support their complaint.
While most reports complained about prices ranging from $6 to $8 for a gallon of gas, one convenience store in Houston as allegedly been taking $20 for gas per gallon. The vendor also sold water at $8.50, or a case of water at an exorbitant $99, according to the attorney general's office.
The national average price of gasoline per gallon is about $2.59 on Saturday, but some outlets apparently took advantage of the disaster to hike up their prices. An evidence was posted on social media by Mark Elliott, president of nonprofit research group Mobility, on Saturday, Sep. 2.
