24 Jan 2006

Officials assure American Samoans they'll clamp down on price gouging

10:27 am on 24 January 2006

The Bureau of Consumer Protection in American Samoa is pledging that it will do everything within its power to protect residents, and asks the public to report any price gouging incidents to their office.

The Fono is current reviewing legislation to prohibit price gouging and unfair pricing practices before, during and shortly after a state of emergency is declared.

As American Samoa is well into the hurricane season, Mike Keyser, the bureau's director, says the possibility for local businesses to charge a premium on items of necessity greatly increases.

He says that although a recent tropical storm missed the islands, in the days preceding the storm, many local stores quickly ran out of basic emergency supplies such as batteries.

Mr Keyser says in the event of a major hurricane, stores may decide they can turn a hefty profit by overcharging for items such as plywood, water, flashlights, batteries, and canned foods.

However he says the Bureau will do everything within its power to protect the people of American Samoa and prevent price gouging.

The price gouging bill being reviewed by the Fono allows the court to impose on violators a civil penalty of not more than US$1,000 per violation, with an aggregate total not to exceed US$25,000 for any 24-hour period.