Anapol Weiss has filed a class action lawsuit with attorney Michael J. Cefalo in Luzerne County court alleging Uni-Mart LLC gas stations have engaged in deceptive business practices.
According to the complaint filed on March 31, 2016, a Pennsylvania resident paid for 4 ½ gallons of gas with a debit card at a West Wyoming Uni-Mart in January, but he was charged the higher credit card price.
The complaint alleges that Uni-Mart violated the state’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law by failing to distinguish whether the higher credit card price per gallon of gas applied to customers using both credit and debit cards, or simply credit cards, thereby causing consumer confusion.
According to the complaint, “Uni-Marts’ deceptive pricing scheme advertised a discounted ‘cash’ price as compared to the credit price but was silent as to the price-per-gallon charge for debit card purchases.”
A spokeswoman for the state Attorney General’s Office told The Citizens’ Voice that, businesses can violate the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law “… by failing to disclose they are charging extra fees to credit or debit card users. They could also be in violation for failing to differentiate between the fees charged for different types of cards.” If it’s in any way confusing, she said, “then it would be a violation of the Consumer Protection Act.”
The class action is open to others who have had a similar situation occur with Uni-Mart. Those who paid with a debit card but were charged the credit card price are urged to contact Anapol Weiss for assistance.