CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -
North Carolina's price gouging law went into effect Monday hours before Sandy made landfall. Attorney General Roy Cooper notified businesses and consumers just before 5:00 p.m. after the Governor extended the state of emergency to the western part of the state, to include areas affected by the snowstorm.
"We're
warning price gougers don't use a crisis as an excuse to make an unfair profit
off of consumers," said Cooper.
Price gouging—or charging too much in times of
crisis—is against North Carolina law when a disaster, an emergency or an abnormal
market disruption for critical goods and services
is declared or proclaimed by the Governor. The law also applies to
all levels of the supply chain from the manufacturer to the distributor to the
retailer.
Cooper
has enforced North Carolina's price gouging law (NC General Statute 75-38) in
the past to win thousands of dollars in refunds for consumers and penalties
from violators.
"Most
businesses pull together in a time of trouble to help their community," Cooper
said. "If you think that someone is trying to use this storm to justify
ripping you off, let my office know about it.
Consumers
can report potential price gouging to the Attorney General's Consumer
Protection Division by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM toll-free within North Carolina
or by filling out a complaint form at www.ncdoj.gov.
Copyright 2012 WBTV. All rights reserved.
