New Jersey residents have called in numerous reports of price gouging in the days after Hurricane Irene wreaked havoc in the state and all along the East Coast.
According to Allstate New Jersey Insurance Co., customers have called in complaining that they’ve been charged thousands of dollars to have their basements pumped when it should have cost a fraction of that. One senior was reportedly charged $6,500—including $1,000 that had to be paid in cash—when the job should not have cost more than a couple hundred. Other consumers have been vastly overcharged for necessities such as gasoline and bottled water.
You may not know that it is against New Jersey State law to raise prices more than 10 percent during or after an emergency. The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs is investigating consumer complaints, so if you were ripped off in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, please call them at 1-800-242-5846 or file a report online.
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