Texas stores gouging prices during Harvey: Gas for $20 per gallon, bottled water for $99.
As thousands of Texans flee the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, hundreds of businesses have reportedly been caught jacking up prices on evacuees.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told CNBC this week that his office received more than 500 complaints of price gouging over the weekend alone.
One convenience store in Houston was selling gas for $20 per gallon, Paxton’s office told the automotive news website Jalopnik on Tuesday.
One hotel located about 20 miles from Corpus Christi tripled its room rates after the storm made landfall, according to KXAN-TV.
The hotel was charging $321.89 a night for a room with two queen beds that was listed at between $120 and $149 a night before Harvey hit.
The TV station’s investigation into that hotel’s price gouging led the business to give refunds to 40 guests after Paxton’s office found out what they were doing.
Clint Davis is a reporter for the Scripps National Desk.
Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis.
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