WTLV reports that Georgia state inspectors discovered that all three gas stations at the Camden County Cisco Travel Plazas (off of I-95) have been shortchanging their customers for the last eight years. A superior court judge ordered an attorney (yes, a lawyer) to take over the stations' management and seize any profits. District Attorney Stephen Kelley says the dramatic steps were taken "without warning- so no one could spend it away or hide it." While Kelley admits that "juries might have to decide who's innocent and who's not," he points out that one of the former station owners has a history of rolling back odometers. Another former owner, yet to be located, "missed a court appearance in Missouri this week." If the state finds that the stations cheated customers, Kelley hopes the seized assets can be converted into "massive" refunds. And if not?
Saaaave those receipts!
I can just hear the strains of the “I-95 Asshole Song” in the background.
I saw the headline and I had to read the story just to make sure the stations were in Georgia and not Tennessee.
Wanted for questioning – Earl Hickey.
Yes, because gas station owners are all billionaires. I’m sure those massive refunds will be about $2.44 per customer.
dwford :
March 13th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Yes, because gas station owners are all billionaires. I’m sure those massive refunds will be about $2.44 per customer.
Well, after you take out the 65% attorney fees and miscellaneous taxes, the settlement will probably amount to pocket change for each customer.
Class-action suits are made by and for law firms, and nobody else.
There was a similar case in LA a while back. The fuel stations had installed a hidden switch that controlled the pump.
When the LA County Weights and Measures truck shows up to test and certify the pumps, the manager would switch the pumps to “normal” mode. As soon as they were gone, they switch the pumps back to “cheat” mode.
It took an undercover investigation to catch them in the act. That, and a couple of clerks came forward to testify about the switch they have to use when Weights and Measures showed up.