State Sues Oakland County Gas Station For Duping Customers Who Use Credit Over Cash

ORION TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - The Michigan Attorney General's office is suing an Oakland County gas station for displaying the wrong price for gas.

The lawsuit, filed in Ingham County Circuit Court in Lansing, claims Great Lakes Gas and Mart in Orion Township charges customers who pay by credit more than what is advertised on the roadside sign.

The state says the station displays its cash price on the sign, and then charges a higher price for credit transactions. Michigan law states that the higher price must be displayed on the roadside advertising.

The Attorney General's office says the violations have happened over the past year. State inspectors have asked the station owners to make the change, but that hasn't happened.

"When a driver shops for gas, they make their buying decision based on advertised roadside prices," Bill Schuette said in a statement. "The law is clear that when prices differ for the same grade of motor fuel, the highest price should be clearly displayed. Great Lakes continually and repeatedly deceived its customers, and now they will be held accountable for that decision."

Case Background

Great Lakes Gas & Mart is a retail gas station that sells multiple grades of gasoline, as well as diesel fuel. It has two roadside signs on which it advertises the price of fuel that it sells, one for "regular" fuel and one for diesel fuel. Both signs accommodate only one price per side even though Great Lakes offers both a cash price and a credit price for regular fuel and diesel fuel.

These violations occurred repeatedly for more than a year, the state says, with the first documented occurrence in April 2016. Consumers driving by only saw the lower cash price on the sign, but when they pulled up to the pump they were confronted with a higher credit price for the same grade of motor fuel.

While the violation was temporarily corrected in the presence of an inspector, multiple subsequent inspections of the station revealed continued noncompliance with the law.

The lawsuit is seeking civil penalties, reimbursement of investigation expenses, and recovery of the economic benefit Great Lakes has received due to its violations of the Weights and Measures Act.