Inspectors Look To Fight Gouging At The Pump
CHICAGO (CBS 2) - There is no question that everyone is feeling pain as they fill up but the last thing we need is gouging at the pump.
The City of Chicago is doing what it can to prevent gouging, to make sure that you get what you pay for when you fill up.
CBS 2's Mike Parker reports that on Tuesday, a city inspector descended on a Shell station at Grand and Ashland with wanting to know two things; Is the consumer getting a full gallon at the pump and is the price on the big sign outside match the price at the pump?
The inspector pumps 5 gallons of gasoline into a specially calibrated container called a "prover." Then he checks the accuracy. A supervisor announces, "The pump is perfect, right at zero which means exactly 5 gallons, so the customer is not being cheated at this pump."
Consumer Protection Commissioner Norma Reyes said the goal is simple, "If you're paying $3.59 or $3.69 a gallon, then you'd better be getting a gallon."
The most common violation is when the price per gallon on the big visible sign overhead is lower than the actual price per gallon listed at the pump. Everything was okay at this Shell station, but motorists should always keep their eyes wide open.
"If you think you're being gouged, if you think you're not getting what you paid for, please call 311. That's why we're here," Reyes explained.
98% of Chicago gasoline retailers are scrupulously honest but when gas stations do fail to play fair with consumers, they can be hit hard by citations. The tickets can be expensive, with fines as high as $2,000.
