COBB COUNTY, Ga. — If you see a problem at the gas pump, state inspectors are urging you to reach out to them and report it.
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Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper says with more than 200,000 pumps in the state and a limited number of investigators, the fuel and measures division relies on Georgia consumers to report when they see an issue.
“Obviously, we’re not at every gas pump every single day. So, if you come across something you see is suspicious, please reach out to the Department of Agriculture. We’ll ensure that we get our team out there,” Harper told Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray.
Gray followed along with Inspector Bobby Hyde on one of the inspections.
Inspectors check that the price is accurate, that the pump is dispensing the accurate amount and test the quality of the gas.
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“When you pump it in your car, you don’t know how much is in your car. There’s no way to know,” Hyde said as he checked to see if five gallons of gas was truly five gallons.
Finesse Lee spotted an issue at a DeKalb County station. The price advertised on the sign for cash was different from what he was being charged at the pump.
“This was just blatant, because the sign said $4.19, and they were charging me $4.24 for cash if I didn’t notice, if I didn’t pick it up,” Lee said.
It is the kind of concern that Harper encourages consumers to report to his office. The number to call is on a sticker on any pump.
“We’ll send out an inspector into the field to look at that and ensure that the price that you pay is for that gallon is actually the price that’s posted,” Harper said.
Inspectors also check for water in the tanks and send gas samples back to the lab to be tested.
With gas prices so high and going higher, Lee says it’s only fair that you should get what you pay for.
“If it happened to me, it’s happening to some older people. It’s happening to disabled people. It’s happened to the elderly. It can happen to anybody who comes up there to the pump,” Lee said.
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