State Charges Medford Gas Station With Price Gouging

A Medford gas station is one of the 13 stations facing “enforcement proceedings” under New York’s Price Gouging statute, the State Attorney General said on Thursday.

USA Petroleum on Route 112 was the target of a consumer complaint claiming the station charged $5.50 per gallon of gas, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said.

"Today's action is the first in a series of steps my office will take as we continue to actively investigate the hundreds of complaints we've received from consumers of businesses preying on victims of Hurricane Sandy,” he said. “We will do everything we can to stop unscrupulous individuals from taking advantage of New Yorkers trying to rebuild their lives."

According to Schneiderman, the 13 gas stations identified are the first of what is expected to be a series of actions taken in a wide-ranging investigation launched in the wake of Hurricane Sandy for price gouging. 

New York’s Price Gouging Law prohibits merchants from taking unfair advantage of consumers by selling goods or services for an "unconscionably excessive price" during an "abnormal disruption of the market." The price gouging law covers State vendors, retailers and suppliers, including but not limited to supermarkets, gas stations, hardware stores, bodegas, delis, and taxi and livery cab drivers.