One gas station to avoid and others that try to scam motorists
I know it's in Orlando, but hopefully the blogosphere can work to force this gas station out of business.
The Landing Strip gas station is located on Semoran Boulevard, just north of Orlando International Airport.
The problem is that there are no signs displaying the prices at this particular gas station. The local news station WKMG asked station manager Bob Barnes how he can get away with charging the prices when other gas stations are offering $2.60 or $2.70 a gallon.
His response: "Well, mainly it is volume. As you can see, the pumps are practically full. Everybody knows what the price is because they have to hit the little lever and they see the price above the lever. And that is how you get away with it."
Is this illegal? Nope. According to the state, the high prices are not illegal. Businesses can charge whatever the market bears for gasoline, unless the governor has declared an emergency.
Also, there is no state law requiring businesses to erect gas signs showing how much customers will pay.
* * * * *
Basically, the gas station owner is betting that when you drive up to the gas pump, lift the lever, and see the high price, you would still go ahead and fill the gas tank up, or perhaps partially, because it would be inconvenient to stop and drive to another gas station nearby.
Since his station is next to the Hertz and Thrifty rental shops, and are the last pumps before the airport, I bet most customers are rental car users. They could be in a hurry to catch their flight, and they are willing to pay the outrageous price.
Honestly, if any Ohio gas station tries to do the same thing, just pass the word, and boycott them.
Comments
Posted by: Jeffrey Quick
Posted on: September 4, 2007 12:05 PM
Is it a boycott when you're just too cheap to pay the price? I'd be tempted to go there just to honor the guy's chutzpah, but I'm not interested in honoring it $4.99 worth.
Posted by: James (Author)
Posted on: September 4, 2007 12:22 PM
Well, one could assume and hope that the gas stations at one particular intersection are offering gas prices within 5-10 cents of each other. But if you got one station charging $1.00 or more in difference, then the measure of saving money versus convenience is considered.
I think it's just poor taste for the owner to do such a thing.
Posted by: bob
Posted on: September 6, 2007 08:09 AM
Rental car companies charge incredibly high prices for gasoline if you do not return the car with a full tank.
I'm betting this guy's prices are below the rental car companies. As such, he is providing a valuable service and actually saving people money.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztravel/2005-10-03-rental-gas-usat_x.htm
Posted by: James (Author)
Posted on: September 6, 2007 08:29 AM
Yes, rental car companies would charge a surcharge if you bring a less than full gas tank, generally it would range from $1 to $3 higher than what you pay for unleaded gas.
But it would seem that the owner is not even lowering gas prices when the market demand goes down, so I think in part he is trying to make more profit. The rental agency also has variable surcharge rates depending on what current price is being afforded at area gas stations.