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by RandyTravis from Fox5 I-Team

Last Post 8 days, 5 hours Ago


Cheating at Gas Pumps
May 8, 2008 | 6:14 PM
Category: News
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Featured On: MyFoxAtlanta

State agriculture commissioner Tommy Irvin doesn't usually surf the net, but the 79-year-old politician has a problem with Snopes.com.

Snopes is the website you go to when you want to know whether something is an urban legend... or a true story.

This month Snopes posted a story "Cheating at Gas Pumps." It details how a Cartersville, GA gas station set its pumps to show more gas had been delivered than a person actually got.  click here

Mr. Irvin says they checked that station... plus the 686 others they've received complaints about between January and April of this year. He says not one was found out of compliance.

Last year he says they investigated 1415 complaints about quality and possible gas shorting. He says 5% of those complaints were valid.

Overall, they inspected 119,012 pumps in 2007 across the state, most during regular inspection rounds. He says 5,590 pumps were actually out of tolerance, but at least half of those were dispensing MORE gas than they claimed.

The state will send an inspector out for every complaint, but if you suspect a problem make sure you give them the correct address, gas station brand and pump number. Here's the number that can be found on every pump in Georgia: 1-800-282-5852.

As the price of gas rises, complaints like these are sure to rise even faster.

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Member Comments Total Comments: 4
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Cromagnon read my blog view my photos
May 8, 2008 | 9:14 PM

How about some of these stations Advertising 3.60 per gallon and when you get to the pump it states that "MAYBE 10% Ethanol could be in a gallon of gas". So how does that affect the price of gas per gallon? Am I paying $3.60 for a Gallon of Pure gas OR is that the price of a gallon of gas contaminated with 10% Ethanol that I did not agree to purchase?

In other words, If I'm paying $3.60 for a gallon of GAS then that's what the hell it better damn be....1 WHOLE GALLON of un-adulterated GASOLINE....not some mix. And if it is a mix then I want the gas price to reflect it as so. This is dangerously close to FRAUD.
Xterrafirma
May 8, 2008 | 10:47 PM

Truth in advertising
What truth-in-advertising rules apply to advertisers?
Under the Federal Trade Commission Act:
* Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive;
* Advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims; and
* Advertisements cannot be unfair.
cut and paste from the FTC site
As with most laws, enforcement is the problem.

I agree Cromagnon, I want what I pay for. The door is wide open to "water down" the fuel.
Cromagnon read my blog view my photos
May 8, 2008 | 10:54 PM

Thanks Xterrafirma,

For a second there I thought I was taking CRAZY PILLS or something!
traceytarrant read my blog
May 13, 2008 | 5:43 PM

If you want to run your own test, go to the pump and put in exactly 10 gallons. The price should equal 10 x price per gallon.
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RandyTravis

I've been a WAGA reporter since 1990. I joined the Fox5 I-Team in 1994. I grew up in Athens, Georgia, the son of a UGA professor and a hard-working mother of four. And I covered UGA sports during some of the greatest sports years in school history before graduating there in 1982. These days I spend my time traveling across our state, looking for examples of government waste, corruption, consumer fraud and anything else that I think you'll find interesting and important.

Member Since: 2/28/2007


 

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