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NY Attorney General Subpoenas Craigslist For Post-Sandy Price Gougers
TheSync writes "In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the New York State Attorney General has subpoenaed Craigslist, demanding that the site identify more than 100 sellers whose prices on post-Sandy gas, generators and other supplies were of an 'unconscionably excessive price' during an emergency. AG Eric Schneiderman said: 'Our office has zero tolerance for price gouging [and] will do everything we can to stop unscrupulous individuals from taking advantage of New Yorkers trying to rebuild their lives.'"
Yeah, its about time. You know what happened in NJ? a day or two so before the storm, guys with a pickup truck or van went and bought several generators each from HD, Lowes, etc. It was not any coordinated attack or such, but such scum do know how to do these and together. Others (say, folks with day jobs, working in NYC, etc) when they went to buy one generator for their family, there were none in HD, Lowes, etc. craigs list was the *only * place where you could get them pretty much.
Many a-holes were selling them at double the price, some triple. I saw ppl selling them from backs of trucks etc. What's unsold, these guys will simply return to HD if needed. Several even posted in CG showing their hoard.
So, my free market morons, the authorities are perfectly right in going after these a-holes. these guys caused the shortages in the first place, and had the option of returning what's unsold after the storm. In other countries, 'freemarket consumers' will take care of them and may be some of them would end up with a broken leg or arm. In the cultured US you cannot do that, right? So let the law pursue them. If this happens in NJ, I would be happy to pass on the names and emails and phone numbers of several who responded to my mails with high prices.