Watch: Faulty gas pump in LA County overcharges, man claims

Amid skyrocketing gas prices which analysts say are likely to remain high for now, Californians are feeling the pain at the pump. 

Not only is the rise in gas thefts increasing, but now do we also have to worry about faulty gas pumps overcharging?

That's the claim by a FOX 11 viewer who shared video showing a pump at the ARCO on Long Beach and Firestone allegedly doing just that. According to the viewer, he paid with a debit card and was charged an extra $6. 

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"This is crazy, gas price is high enough already," he said. 

The video shows two separate incidents - one on Sunday night and the other on Tuesday morning. According to an employee at the gas station, an apparent hose leak is the cause of the issue.

"The pump is currently closed and has been looked at by a technician. The pump apparently has a hose leak which caused that issue. We will be reaching out the customer as well and we welcome Weights and Measures to stop by & inspect all of are pumps so the community of South Gate can feel safe and happy when fueling at our location," the statement read.

FOX 11 has reached out to ARCO for comment.

The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline shot up a whopping 79 cents over the past two weeks to a record-setting $4.43 per gallon as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is contributing to already-high prices at the pump.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said gas prices are likely to remain high in the short term as crude oil costs soar amid global supply concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In Los Angeles County, the average price has risen 4.3 cents over the past four days following 13.3-cent increases last week, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It has risen $1.04 over the past 20 days, setting 20 consecutive record highs.

Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.

 

The Associated Press and CNS contributed to this report.

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