Oakland County Gas Station Engaged In False Advertising: Schuette

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — An Oakland County gas station has been sued by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette for falsely advertising gas prices. Owners of the gas station are accused of only advertising only the lower cash price for fuel, not the higher price it actually charges for customers who pay by credit.

“When a driver shops for gas, they make their buying decision based on advertised roadside prices,” Schuette in a statement. “The law is clear that when prices differ for the same grade of motor fuel, the highest price should be clearly displayed. Great Lakes continually and repeatedly deceived its customers, and now they will be held accountable for that decision.”

Schuette believes the company violated the state’s Weights and Measures Act. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is responsible for gas station inspections.

The lawsuit filed by the Attorney General at the request of MDARD is seeking civil penalties, reimbursement of investigation expenses incurred by MDARD, and recovery of the economic benefit Great Lakes has received due to its violations of the Weights and Measures Act.

Great Lakes Gas & Mart is a Sunoco retail gas station on Joslyn Road in Orion Township that sells multiple grades of gasoline, as well as diesel fuel. It has two roadside signs on which it advertises the price of fuel that it sells, one for “regular” fuel and one for diesel fuel. Both signs accommodate only one price per side even though Great Lakes offers both a cash price and a credit price for regular fuel and diesel fuel.

These violations occurred repeatedly for more than a year, with the first documented occurrence in April 2016 when an MDARD inspector conducted an audit of the retail pricing practices at Great Lakes. The audit, Schuette says, revealed that Great Lakes was in violation of the Weights and Measures Act.

Consumers driving by on the road only saw the lower cash price on the sign, but when they pulled up to the pump they were confronted with a higher credit price for the same grade of motor fuel.
While the violation was temporarily corrected in the presence of the inspector, multiple subsequent inspections of Great Lakes revealed continued noncompliance with the law.

After Great Lakes ignored repeated requests by the state to correct the problem, the case was ultimately sent to Schuette’s office. The attorney general sent a letter to Great Lakes identifying the ongoing violations and requested that it come into compliance for roadside signage.

Subsequent inspections revealed that Great Lakes did not comply with the request. To date, Great Lakes has not paid any fines or money for its violations.

Photos courtesy of the Michigan Attorney General's Office