Office of the Attorney Genera
Published: 10-09-08
Report Price Gouging To Complaint Hotline
This week Gov. Perry extended the Hurricane Ike disaster declaration through Nov. 6 for 90 Texas counties. Texans who live in the affected areas may continue to report price gouging complaints to the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Complaint Hotline at (800) 252-8011.
Hotline staff is available between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to receive price gouging complaints. Information collected is relayed directly to agency investigators.
Since Gov. Perry’s hurricane disaster declaration the OAG has received hundreds of price gouging complaints from around the state. Most complaints allege price gouging on gas and lodging; others report price hikes involving food water and power generators. The agency is investigating some consumers’ claims that they were unlawfully charged inflated prices for necessities including fuel hotel lodging and other necessities.
A disaster declaration triggers heightened enforcement authority for the Office of the Attorney General under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. This authority protects Texans by prohibiting exorbitant prices for necessities such as drinking water food batteries and generators. Although state law prohibits vendors from illegally raising prices to reap exorbitant profits during a disaster it does allow retailers to pass along wholesale price increases to customers. Thus in some cases increased prices may not necessarily signal illegal price gouging.
Texans should keep written records and receipts of any transaction they believe constitutes price gouging. If speaking directly with the service provider does not resolve the dispute Texans should call the toll-free complaint line or if Internet service is available file a complaint online at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.
The governor’s extended disaster declaration includes the following counties: Anderson Angelina Aransas Archer Austin Bell Bexar Bowie Brazoria Brazos Burleson Calhoun Cass Chambers Cherokee Collin Colorado Comal Coryell Dallas Denton Ellis El Paso Fort Bend Franklin Freestone Galveston Grayson Gregg Grimes Hardin Harris Harrison Henderson Hill Hopkins Houston Hunt Jackson Jasper Jefferson Johnson Kaufman Lamar Lavaca Leon Liberty Limestone Lubbock Madison Marion Matagorda McLennan Milam Montgomery Nacogdoches Navarro Newton Nueces Orange Panola Parker Polk Potter Randall Robertson Rusk Sabine San Augustine San Jacinto San Patricio Shelby Smith Tarrant Titus Tom Green Travis Trinity Tyler Upshur Van Zandt Victoria Waller Walker Washington Webb Wharton Williamson Wise and Wood.
