Robert M. Nicol, Sr. – 5/15/09

This page was last updated on May 16, 2009.

Gas price hikes can’t be justified; Robert M. Nicol, Sr.; Beaver County Times; May 15, 2009.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“We are being totally ripped off by the gas stations.”

[RWC] With minor differences, this letter is a repeat of Mr. Nicol’s 3/11/07 letter entitled “Stop gouging us at the pump.”

“On the morning of May 5, I stopped on my way to work to get gasoline. The price was $2.07 a gallon. On my way home, it was $2.11. The following morning, the price was $2.15. Three days later (May 9), it was $2.25, and two days after that it was $2.29.

“This amounts to four increases in seven days. I’m sure the station didn’t get four tankers of gasoline in that time to warrant all these increases.

“I believe this is being done by a number of them. It seems stations are raising the price of gasoline whenever they feel like it, and nobody seems to care.”

[RWC] Did Mr. Nicol contact the gas station owner and ask him what was behind the price increase?

“I always thought prices couldn’t be increased until a new shipment of gasoline that cost more was purchased, but this is not happening now.”

[RWC] Where did Mr. Nicol get that idea? As the value of their inventory decreases/increases, all businesses – not just gas stations – routinely change the selling price.

“I call this an injustice to the paying public. I called U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire’s office and filed a complaint about this. I’ll be waiting to hear from his office to see if they have investigated my complaint.”

[RWC] In his previous letter Mr. Nicol told us he was “going to contact [his] local senator to see what can be done to have these stations’ price-increase changing investigated.” I found no subsequent letters telling us how that went.

As a reminder, every time someone investigates pricing complaints like that of Mr. Nicol, the result is always the same. No one did anything illegal.

Finally, why do folks like Mr. Nicol believe the government should have any say about how businesses price their products?