| NEWARK
— With average gas prices in New Jersey
hovering near the $3 per gallon mark, Attorney
General Zulima V. Farber and Consumer Affairs
Director Kimberly Ricketts today announced
that the State Office of Weights and Measures
will be stepping up monitoring of gas stations
to ensure that station owners and attendants
are adhering to consumer protection laws.
“Our
actions serve to warn gas station owners
that they need to comply with state laws
and not make a bad situation worse by taking
advantage of consumers who are already feeling
squeezed at the gas pump,” Attorney
General Farber said.
According
to the Oil Price Information Service, today’s
statewide average gas price for regular
is $2.73 per gallon as compared to $2.31
a month ago and super is at $3.04 per gallon
versus $2.58 last month.
Attorney
General Farber and Director Ricketts said
that Weights and Measures inspectors will
be visiting gas stations to ensure that:
- Gas
prices are not being changed more than
once in a 24-hour period;
-
Posted per-gallon price displayed on
the roadside sign matches the per-gallon
price sign displayed on the pump as
well as the setting in the pump;
- Octane
levels are accurate; and
-
The stations are properly registered.
Complaints
can be made to the State Office of Weights
and Measures by calling 732-815-4840.
“We
expect that New Jersey’s gas retailers
have not forgotten the lessons learned last
fall in the wake of Hurricane Katrina,”
Director Ricketts said. “Our response
to violators will be swift.”
Consumers
can also help themselves by:
- Looking
for the blue Weights and Measures sticker
on the gas pump, which verifies that
the pump has been inspected and is in
proper working order.
- Making sure that the
price display on the gas pump is set
to zero before the attendant starts
the pump.
- Verifying the price
the attendant tells you to pay by checking
the display on the pump.
For
more tips, log onto www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov.
Click on “Dealing
with High Gas Prices.”
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