Robert M. Nicol, Sr. – 3/11/07

This page was last updated on March 11, 2007.

Stop gouging us at the pump; Robert M. Nicol, Sr.; Beaver County Times; March 11, 2007.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“In my opinion, we are being severely gouged at the gas pump.”

[RWC] I believe Mr. Nicol’s definition of “being severely gouged” means paying more for gasoline than he wants to.

“At my local gas station, the price of gas was $2.39 a gallon the middle of the week. Then, on a Friday, it was increased to $2.49 a gallon. As I passed this same station at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, the price had increased to $2.55 a gallon.

“Two increases in three days, and I’d be willing to bet that this station didn’t receive more than one shipment of gas in three days to warrant the two increases.

“It appears they are just raising their prices whenever they feel like it and whatever price increase they feel like. They don’t raise it a couple of pennies, but it usually jumps 10 cents or more at a time.

“When the price of a barrel of oil decreased in price not long ago, these same stations only lowered the prices a couple of cents at a time, if they even lowered them at all. And if they did, it was several days apart or even weeks apart. But they jump at any chance they can to raise prices 10 cents or more.

“Its time for our state attorney general’s office to start looking into some of these stations’ pricing habits. I, for one, am tired of getting gouged at the pumps.

“I am going to contact my local senator to see what can be done to have these stations’ price-increase changing investigated.”

[RWC] The states and the feds have conducted investigation after investigation for over 30 years in an effort to find some evidence of collusion/price fixing. To date, every investigation determined legitimate market forces drove the price swings, not collusion.