MERCER COUNTY, N.J. -- Officials in some cities and counties from New Jersey to Illinois are taking a proactive stance on battling price gouging at the pump.
With gas prices nearing record highs, officials in Mercer County, N.J., are making unannounced inspections to make sure gas stations aren't really taking advantage.
A team of inspectors from the county's Office of Weights and Measures are randomly inspecting all gas stations in the county to prevent price gouging or rip-offs at the pumps, according to a report from 6[image-nocss] ABC Action News.
"Mercer County can't control the price of gas, but we can make sure that all of our residents who fill up at the pumps are guaranteed they get what they pay for," county executive Brian Hughes told the news station.
Inspectors are checking out stations at all times of the day and night, making sure that advertised prices match up with the pumps and that the pumps read accurately--so that a customer who pays for 5 gallons, gets 5 gallons.
A Getty station in West Windsor passed the test. "You're getting the amount you paid for, said Hughes. A little over actually here."
Officials also take samples of gasoline from the pumps and with the help of an octane analyzer test the gas you're paying for. "It tells us on the spot if they're really selling regular instead of premium, said John Worth, superintendent of weights and measures.
Inspections teams will hit about 60 stations from now until Memorial Day and warn they could show up anytime of the day or night. Pumps found in violation will be shut down until they're fixed and the owners fined.
In Chicago, city officials said Friday they are determined to catch stations that may be trying to short-change consumers, according to a report from CBS 2 Chicago.
Standing in front of a pump-testing machine at a Marathon station west of downtown, Norma Reyes, Chicago's commissioner for consumer services, said her department plans to test more than 20,000 pumps before the end of the year, roughly the same number as in 2005.
So far this year, the city has tested 2,400 pumps and cited three station owners for shorting consumers. Inspectors check the pumps at the 500 gas stations in Chicago twice a year.
A pump fails if its readings are off by more than 6 cubic inches per five gallons, which is a little less than one-third of a can of soda, according to the report.
Pumps that aren't properly calibrated are taken out of service until they are corrected. Immediate citations can be issued if a pump is off by more than 12 cubic inches.
Inspectors also make sure pump prices reflect the prices advertised on the stations' street signs, Reyes said. "While we cannot control gas prices, we are working to ensure that drivers receive all the gasoline they pay for, she said.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture conducts yearly tests of all gas pumps except in Chicago and a number of other home-rule communities, said department spokesman Jeff Squibb.
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