By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

With inflation and the Russia-Ukraine conflict already helping to cause an increase of prices at the pump, Livingston County residents are being encouraged to report gas stations that are going too far and gouging customers.

AAA Michigan is reporting that gas prices in southeast Michigan have risen 14-cents since last week, 33-cents in the past month, and are 79-cents higher, on average, than this time last year. With both Russia and Ukraine being major producers of oil, many national experts fear that Russia’s invasion could disrupt supplies and cause a further bump in prices.

Back home, locally, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and her office have released a consumer protection video, discussing the normal fluctuation of pricing, and illegal gouging. She says, in the video, that while swings of 30 to 40-cents aren’t unusual these days, when a gas station charges a price “way above the price at similar stations, that could be gas gouging.” Nessel continued, saying that while gas stations most of the time do sell the correct quantity and quality of gas, her office is there to stop those that try to illegally take advantage of drivers.

See the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjEpD4mqSfo

Anyone with information regarding unfair gasoline pricing practices is being asked to fill out a complaint online, or to contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Team by phone. Call them at 877-765-8388.

Additionally, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has a new one-stop website on gas pumps and resources for use if you suspect that you have purchased substandard fuel or have received an incorrect measure of gas from a pump.

More information on gas pumps can be found here: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/lab/motor/gasoline-information

File an online complaint here: https://secure.ag.state.mi.us/complaints/consumer.aspx