NC price gouging law in effect ahead of storm

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — A state of emergency across North Carolina means the state’s price gouging law is now in effect.

Gov. Pat McCrory declared the state of emergency for all of North Carolina’s 100 counties today ahead of forecasted heavy rain this week that could be made worse because of Hurricane Joaquin.

“A hurricane shouldn’t be an excuse to rip off customers,” Attorney General Roy Cooper said in a news release about the price gouging law. “Our strong law against price gouging in times of crisis helps protect consumers as well as legitimate businesses that play by the rules.”

Price gouging — or charging too much in times of crisis — is against North Carolina law when a disaster, an emergency or an abnormal market disruption for critical goods and services is declared or proclaimed by the Governor. The law also applies to all levels of the supply chain from the manufacturer to the distributor to the retailer.

Consumers can report potential price gouging to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling (877) 5-NO-SCAM toll-free within North Carolina or by filling out a complaint form at the NC Department of Justice website