A Houston resident confronted a man who apparently was trying to profit off the disaster preparations underway in Texas on Friday by selling water to Texans getting ready for Hurricane Harvey at more than two times what he paid for it.
A man who identified himself as Marcus Griffin live streamed the encounter on Facebook.
‘I’m going to show you why nobody has any water,’ an angry Griffin says as he narrates the video, which shows scenes from a Houston-area parking lot.
The camera then shows a red pickup truck whose trunk is loaded with about 20 cases of bottled water.
‘Look at this,’ Griffin said. ‘In a time of crisis, they buy up all the water and now they’re selling it at 500 percent higher than the markup.
A Houston resident confronted a man who apparently was trying to profit off the disaster preparations underway in Texas on Friday by selling water to Texans getting ready for Hurricane Harvey at more than two times what he paid for it
The vendor was accused of buying up dozens of cases of bottled water and then selling it at a substantial markup
‘People are struggling for water, struggling for water, and now they’re marking the price up.’
Griffin then approaches a man who is holding up a sign that says ‘WATER.’
‘Sir, you know it’s illegal, right?’ Griffin says to the man.
‘It’s a time of crisis and you’re buying up all the water and selling it this high.’
The man dismisses Griffin’s suggestion, saying: ‘How do you know what I buy it for?’
A man who identified himself as Marcus Griffin live streamed the encounter on Facebook
‘You definitely didn’t buy it for what you’re selling it,’ Griffin replies.
‘You marked it up like 500 percent. This water’s like three dollars. That’s why nobody can find water. It’s because of people like you who are trying to profit off a crisis.
‘You should be ashamed of yourself!’
The two men then exchange a series of insults and profanities.
The practice of price gouging during times of natural disasters is common.
In November 2012, the state governments of New York and New Jersey launched a number of investigations against local business establishments who were accused of raising prices for goods and services during and after Hurricane Sandy.
In Paterson, New Jersey, one gas station was accused by the state of increasing the price of gasoline by $2.05 per gallon, or 59 percent, in the immediate aftermath of Sandy, according to CNN.
Other gas stations also faced complaints from motorists after they hiked prices by between 17 percent and 34 percent.
During the storm, many gas stations in New York and New Jersey went out of service and fuel shortages forced authorities to institute rationing.
Texas’ Attorney General’s office issued a warning on Thursday urging locals to be vigilant in spotting vendors who are engaged in price gouging, according to Texas Public Radio.
The state’s consumer protection division says that whenever a governor has issued a disaster proclamation, it is illegal to significantly hike prices at on ‘items of necessity’ such as fuel, food, or medicine.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster for 30 counties in the Lone Star State.
They include Aransas, Austin, Bee, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, Brazoria, DeWitt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Harris, Jackson, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kleberg, Lavaca, Liberty, Live Oak, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, Waller, Wharton and Wilson Counties.