$30 For Hand Sanitizer: CT Goes After Coronavirus Price Gougers

CONNECTICUT — The state Attorney General's Office on Tuesday said it has received dozens of complaints of price gouging and travel problems amid the coronavirus pandemic. One consumer reported seeing a bottle of hand sanitizer selling for $30 and another said it cost nearly $500 for two packs of face masks selling online.

The office's Consumer Assistance Unit received 71 coronavirus-related complaints as of Tuesday afternoon and expects to receive more as the situation continues, Attorney General William Tong said.

"Bad actors are using this pandemic to take advantage of the vulnerable and those who fear for their health and safety," Tong said. "We will not tolerate price gouging during this public health emergency, and we will take aggressive action to stop it."

Among the price-gouging complaints are heavy markups on items including hand sanitizer, N-95 face masks and toilet paper. The office has worked to secure refunds for consumers on things such as cruises and flights.

Price gouging is illegal in Connecticut during public health emergencies. Price gougers can be subject to penalties from the Department of Consumer Protection and the state Attorney General's Office can file lawsuits. Price gouging involves consumer goods being marked up beyond normal market fluctuations.

Consumers are encouraged to file complaints online and include the location of the store or online vendor, the date of the instance, and any pictures that show suspected price hikes. Calls can be made to the office if consumers are unable to file online. The number is 860-808-5318.

The state Attorney General's Office reported the following consumer complaints in recent days:

1. A consumer recently went to a local gas station to purchase a 2 oz hand sanitizer bottle. The price for each of the hand sanitizer bottles was $10.20.

2. A consumer recently went to a supermarket and the grocery store was completely sold out of hand sanitizer. The consumer then tried to purchase hand sanitizer from a dollar store near the supermarket where a small bottle of hand sanitizer with 70 percent alcohol was selling for $2.49 and the hand sanitizer with 100 percent alcohol was selling for $5.49. The consumer also filed a complaint that in addition to selling hand sanitizer for more than its value, the dollar store retailer was selling rubbing alcohol for three times the amount.

3. A consumer recently went to purchase 9 rolls of toilet paper from a local market. The consumer was charged $15 for the toilet paper.

4. A consumer recently went to a wholesaler in Connecticut to purchase toilet paper. A package of 30 super mega rolls was selling for $39.99. (To stay on top of real-time coronavirus updates in your town and Connecticut sign up for Patch’s free newsletter here. )

5. A consumer recently went to purchase two packs of masks from an online vendor. One pack was retailing for $39, the other $49. After adding them to her cart and proceeding with her order, shipping for the face mask packs were $160 and $199.99 respectively. Instead of the order totaling close to $100, the order total was almost $500 for two packs of face masks.

6. A consumer went to go purchase medical face masks online and claimed a vendor was selling the face masks at more than 10 times their value.

7. A consumer went to go purchase hand sanitizer at a local gas station, but the hand sanitizer was selling for $29.99.

8. A consumer recently went to purchase hand sanitizer from a dollar store where the hand sanitizer was retailing for $30 for 1 bottle, and two small hand sanitizer bottles were selling for $24.99. The dollar store was also selling cleaning wipes for $7.99 a bottle.

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Travel-related coronavirus complaints

1. After the coronavirus outbreak, an elderly couple sought to reschedule a cruise they had previously booked to Asia, starting in Hong Kong and ending in Singapore. The cruise line refused the seniors’ request to rebook the cruise and did not want to cancel the reservation or provide a refund.

Our office was able to step in and mediate the situation. Not only did the cruise line cancel the trip and provide the couple with a full refund, but the company also offered a future cruise credit and coverage of airfare penalties.

2. A consumer recently booked a cruise for three people, two of whom suffer from serious health issues. The cruise was set to depart to Dubai on March 18, 2020 and planned to stop at various countries that have a number of reported cases of COVID-19, including Italy, over the course of 22 days. However, the doctors of the two consumers with underlying health problems strongly urged them to cancel the trip. The consumer called the cruise line to explain their medical situations and concerns, but the cruise line refused to provide the consumer with a refund or future cruise credit in the amount they paid in total.

3. A consumer was set to fly out of JFK to Rome on April 1, 2020 with a return flight of April 10 with her two minor daughters. After the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy, the consumer contacted the airline multiple times expressing concern over the coronavirus. The airline refused to refund the consumer her money for the trip. The airline only offered to waive her change fee and make a one-time change by rescheduling the trip to use within one year of the date of purchase of her original tickets. Our office was able to step in, call the airline and secure a full refund for the consumer.

4. After a couple had planned a trip to Paris, France on March 13, 2020, they began to become concerned about the spread of Coronavirus. Due to the extenuating circumstances, the couple thought they might be able to reach out to the airline and receive a credit for their tickets for another flight. The airline denied the couple a credit because of the airline’s policies on epidemics.