BP gas station near Detroit Metropolitan Airport issued notice for price gouging

Amelia Benavides-Colón, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·2 min read
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A BP gas station near Detroit Metropolitan Airport is accused of setting prices as much as $2 per gallon higher than competitors.

In a cease-and-desist order issued to the business on Middlebelt Road, just south of I-94, in Romulus, the Michigan Attorney General's Office said agents in two checks five days apart this month discovered pump prices were about $4.74 per gallon for regular gasoline. On Dec. 20, the day of the second check, the investigator found another gas station about a mile away was selling the same grade gasoline for $2.75, the order said.

The checks were made based on consumer complaints that prices at the station were more than $1.50 per gallon that nearby competitors, Assistant Attorney General Darrin F. Fowler said in the cease-and-desist order.

"One of the complainants alleged that you are taking advantage of your location near the car rental return at Metro Airport," Fowler said. "A review of GasBuddy.com reveals similar allegations have been made in the past against your station related both to its pricing and Airport car rental proximity.'

“It is my hope this gas station will take this notice seriously and no further action will be necessary,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a news release. “My office stands ready to investigate reports of businesses that attempt to take advantage of residents, especially during the holiday season.”

Michigan's Consumer Protection Act protects consumers from unlawful price gouging above the local average. The gas station has until January 8 to respond to the notice or further action could be taken.

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An index of consumer alerts, which prompted the investigation, by the department's Consumer Protection Team is available online and consumers are encouraged to place reports.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: BP station near DTW issued cease and desist for price gouging