Gas price complaints inundate AG's office

Gas prices across Cherokee County began showing signs of a slow retreat Monday and Tuesday in the wake of a severe run-up last week that caused panic at the pumps.

Still, consumer anger over the run-up remains evident. State Attorney General Henry McMaster's office had set up a special telephone number and e-mail address last Friday for people to report price gouging and consumers weren't shy about reporting suspected abuses.

"We're probably well over 3,000 complaints and inquires at this point," spokesman Mark Plowden said on Tuesday. "We've received in excess of 2,500 e-mails and 900 phone calls."

While North Carolina's Attorney General sent subpoenas to several gas retailers to answer for alleged gouging, McMaster's office is taking a different approach at the moment.

Plowden said the office issued four civil demands for information on Monday and eight more civil demands on Tuesday.

At least one of those civil demands was going to a gas seller in Cherokee County, he confirmed.

"I can't tell you specifically who they've gone to," he said. "We see this as a request for information. Nobody's being accused."

In addition to Cherokee County, McMaster's office has issued civil demands for information from gas sellers in Florence, Colleton, Abbeville, Anderson, Greenville, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, Sumter and Aiken counties.

"That's not the only locations or entities we've talked to," he said. The Attorney General's Office already has been calling locations to get answers as well.

Though the situation appeared to be quieting down on Tuesday, Plowden said: "That still doesn't excuse anybody who may have tried to abuse their customers. The actual price may come down, but our review and inquiries will continue for some time."

In addition to the special telephone number and e-mail address, the Attorney General's Office had recommended Friday that consumers contact their local police with complaints, too.

Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton said his office is looking into several allegations.

"We got a bunch of complaints but they were really on three stations in the county," he said.

Two of the stations that were the subject of the consumer complaints called into the sheriff's office are located on Highway 11, while the third is located on S.C. Highway 18 South, Blanton said.

"We'll take pictures of the prices, gather some information, and send it all to the Attorney General's Office," he said.

McMaster invoked the state's price gouging law on Friday as prices rose dramatically and many stations ran out of gas.

Price gouging, loosely defined as the "charging of an unconscionable price not attributed to additional costs or market fluctuations," is punishable by civil penalties of up to $5,000 and criminal penalties of up to $1,000 and up to 30 days imprisonment.

Gas stations are allowed to pass on their increased costs to consumers, and that's what many stations reported doing on Friday as the wholesale cost of gasoline skyrocketed by as much or more than $1 a gallon.

Concerns about fuel supplies really began in earnest last Thursday when reports of climbing gas prices and shuttered pipelines ran rampant across the Southeast. At least 14 major refineries in the Gulf Coast had been shut down due to Hurricane Ike.

Some gas stations on West Floyd Baker Boulevard that had raised prices above $4 a gallon were back down into the high $3 range on Tuesday.

One local gas station did raise its prices, however.

Johnny Little's service station on North Logan Street weathered the Friday and Saturday rush for petroleum without raising its $3.42 a gallon price, which for a time was more than 40 cents a gallon cheaper than almost any competitor. The station was selling gas for $3.69 on Tuesday, but it still was one of the best bargains in town.