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Updated: 11:00 PM Sep 25, 2008
Local Businesses Under Investigation for Price Gouging Complaints
Is the pain at the pump worse in the Brazos Valley than elsewhere across the state? It's a question you our viewers answered a resounding yes to-- just last month.
Posted: 6:20 PM Sep 25, 2008Reporter: Kristen Ross Email Address: ross@kbtx.com |
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Is the pain at the pump worse in the Brazos Valley than elsewhere across the state? It's a question you our viewers answered a resounding yes to-- just last month.
Thursday morning, according to the Texas Gas Prices website, College Station had among the highest reported gas prices in the state, coming in at $3.89 a gallon.
News 3 has just learned there are multiple gas stations and other businesses being investigated by the Attorney General's Office. Thirteen to be exact, all coming from price gouging complaints some of you have filed with the Attorney General's Office.
Places in Bryan, College Station, Madisonville and Franklin are under investigation.
We first contacted the AG's office last month after many of you at home began noticing gas prices here in B/CS and surrounding communities as higher than those in nearby Houston and even Dallas.
Since the AG's investigation is ongoing, details about the specifics, such as what stations or businesses are under a watchful eye, are not being released and neither are the dates that those complaints were filed.
So it's unclear if they came in before or after Hurricane Ike, for which the AG's office is currently looking into more than 900 complaints of price gouging.
Many of you at home have had concerns about whether gas prices here rise when college students return to town.
But is that price gouging? Ultimately it will be up to the AG to decide.
News 3 has filed an open records request with the Attorney General's Office to get our viewers more information.
We've also asked officials with Valero's Corporate Office in San Antonio why prices in the Brazos Valley may be so much higher.
Here's what they said:
-In smaller communities, stations aren't as big, and therefore don't buy in volume.
-Prices can vary depending on real estate in the area.
-Pollution standards can make a difference, such as buying gasoline with ethanol can make prices lower versus buying gasoline without ethanol.
-And, of course, natural disasters such as a Hurricane can drive the prices up.
Latest Comments
I was in San Antonio this past Saturday and bought gas at a Shell station for $3.49 a gallon. The Shell station on University Dr. directly across from TAMU is selling it for $3.79 a gallon. This is ridiculous!
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Just a note. I work in the automotive service industry and will tell you that the non name brand fuels are not what you want to put into your autos. The places like walmart, sams, H.E.B........, not only is it cheap, bad gas, those places do not maintain the in ground fuel tanks like the big names do. You will get dirt and debris, and worse, water. These will then get pumped into your car and cost you alot of money in the future. You will have to spend money to clean out your fuel injection system sooner then you should, or, and I have seen it more times then I can count, you will have to get your car towed to a service facility because the water in your tank has caused the electric, in tank fuel pump to short out and go bad. Very costly and something that should not happen. I understand it might be easy to be able to fill up after you get your groceries but, might get a bit frustrating soon after. People, do not waste your money. Better fuel milage, less repair costs. No brainer to me.
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"the "big name" fuel distributors are a small bunch, and very likely willing to protect their margins." Which is what I said; the money is going to the DISTRIBUTORS or possibly the COMPANIES running the Hearne terminal, not the stations (except for the stations owned by the distributors and oil companies). And as for the variation by brand, I've run that route 5 days a week forever, and I don't bother to monitor when there's a strong head or tail wind, and discard the runs where I've got to drop off the cruise control. But when I get 8 of 10 Kroger runs at 17.9 or 18.0 while 9 of 10 Shell runs are 18.4 or 18.5 and all 10 of the Exxon runs are 3 18.5 and 7 18.6, the standard deviation is pretty small. The AC and temp variations are inconclusive (so I'm OCD; I've recorded every fillup and mileage since 2001... although the gage lets me do a whole new level of detail). And before you hammer me for driving a truck, find me a hybrid that will pull a 4 horse and I'll trade tomorrow...
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