An Invisible Storm

Last night I got a couple a calls that gas was running out and prices would rise when the stations get resupplied. Luckily I’ve been relying on my little 4 cylinder Dodge D50 for the bulk of my traveling. I’ve been able to drive to across the state to Memphis on one tankful with the little puppy. It’s white, got a little age on it and creaks every once in a while. I guess it could have been my character if I was in the movie Cars. I couldn’t have started driving it again at a better time.

Watching and reading the news today about the current gas scare and seeing the lines at the stations this evening I began to wonder why the stations don’t try to ration gas purchases. A couple of the larger gas outlets in the area are asking people to use normal purchasing habits to keep from having shortages. With these computerized pumps of today it wouldn’t be a big deal to trim it down to ten gallons per purchase for the next few days. If the big gas stations really don’t want to see prices escalate, it would show a good faith effort. It would certainly help to defend claims that there is price gouging. Corporate responsibility doesn’t end with a well time press release.

Here in Tennessee, the Tennessee Regulatory Agency has an online form to file complaints for consumers in these cases. Most states have some information online about reporting price gouging. I’m not encouraging filing frivilious complaints and clogging up the system, but I’m sure someone has run across a rogue vendor. If you were going to complain, be sure to have all your ducks in a row with photographs, dated receipts and etc. and remember that filing a false report is a crime itself.