Friday, January 10, 2014

W.Va. Attorney General Urges Consumers to Report Price Gouging


The West Virginia Attorney General is warning consumers about people overcharging for bottled water.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey urges people to report instances of price gouging during the state of emergency that was issued in nine counties after a leak that prompted a water emergency.

“It is illegal for any person or entity to inflate the price of water in times of emergency,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “We are hearing reports of price gouging going on already in the region. It is illegal and just plain wrong for a business to take advantage of consumers and West Virginians during an emergency.”

If you are searching for clean water the Attorney General wants to warn you to be safe and double check where the water is coming from.

"If I hear anything about price gouging I will do everything in my power to prosecute people and go after them," Morrisey said. "We are going to show no mercy with people who try to take advantage of citizens this critical time. This is a very serious thing and I want to make sure that all vendors know that you cannot take advantage of West Virginia citizens."

Morrisey encourages anyone who has been charged overly inflated prices to file a complaint with the office’s Consumer Protection Division at 800-368-8808.