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The state Division of Consumer Affairs already was sending 82 cease-and-desist and warning letters to businesses following complaints from customers, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.
The number of complaints more than doubled in just five days, when customers in New Jersey had filed 270, Grewal said.
Retailers are accused of unfairly raising prices on surgical masks, hand sanitizers, disinfectant sprays and wipes, as well as food, bottled water, and other items that customers are buying to protect themselves from COVID-19, the attorney general said.
Some businesses have generated several complaints and some complaints haven’t included enough information to identify the particular retailer, he said.
The DCA has completed at least 159 inspections, and has or will soon issue 13 subpoenas for additional information, Grewal said.
investigators from various offices and bureaus of the DCA have hit the street to help the state Office of Consumer Protection get the work done, he said – among them, members of its Professional Boards Enforcement Bureau, Office of Weights & Measures, and Bureau of Securities.
“We are taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to consumer complaints about price gouging and other abuses related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Grewal said. “People are looking to us for guidance and for protection, and it’s our job to be there for them in every way we can.”
“As public concern grows, we have made it our top priority to use the Division’s resources to address emerging issues to protect consumers,” Acting DCA Director Paul R. Rodríguez said.
“Whether it’s protecting consumers from merchants who seek to prey on them financially or providing information and guidance to the licensed professionals they rely on for health care, we’re looking out for them,” Rodriguez said.
Gov. Phil Murphy triggered the state’s price gouging law on March 9 when he declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
New Jersey's price gouging law prohibits excessive price increases during a declared state of emergency and for 30 days after its termination.
A price increase is considered excessive if the new price is more than 10 percent higher than the ordinary price before the emergency.
Convicted price gougers face civil penalties of up to $10,000 for the first violation and $20,000 for the second and subsequent violations, state authorities said.
They may also be required to pay consumer restitution, attorney’s fees, and investigative fees and more.
Each sale of merchandise is considered a separate violation, Grewal said.
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IF YOU FIND PRICE GOUGING: Contact the state Division of Consumer Affairs at (973) 504-6240.
Investigators are regularly checking a special voicemail box that has been set up to address coronavirus-related complaints of price gouging – even after hours, Grewal said.
Leave your name, contact information, nature of the complaint, and the name and location of the business. Noe the price of a good or service being sold and, if possible, the price before the declared state of emergency.
You can also file a complaint online: https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/COVID19/Pages/default.aspx
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