hurricane sandy

Long Island Gas Rationing Ends, Price-Gouging Suits Begin

Continuing the crisis-tapering-off trend for consumers, Nassau and Suffolk counties have said odd-even gas rationing would end by midnight Friday. And now that things are getting back to normal, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has started taking stations to task for allegedly engaging in price gouging during the height of the crisis. The A.G.’s office is suing thirteen stations, one of which allegedly charged as high as $6.75 a gallon, but to us, this bait-and-switch allegation from Queens is the most galling, per the New York Times: “One of the stations accused of price-gouging, a Mobil on Crescent Street in Long Island City, Queens, posted a price per gallon of $3.89 at the roadside, but charged $4.89 a gallon at the pump, Mr. Schneiderman’s office said.” Once you wait in line for an hour you’re unlikely to turn away because the fuel is a dollar more expensive, but damn, that’s cold all the same. Anyway, depending on your license plate number it may be worth the trip to Long Island or New Jersey if you really have to fill up, as New York City’s gas rationing is set to stay in effect until further notice, a mayoral spokesman told the Times.

L.I. Rationing Ends, Price-Gouging Suits Begin