Hotels 'cash in' on bomb attacks

[egarrard]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4662809.stm#sad
Hundreds of commuters spent Thursday night stranded in London and some have accused hoteliers of cashing in on the crisis in the capital.

Prices at a number of London's hotels increased by more than double on Thursday night, the BBC has learned.

Lastminute.com was warning customers about the price rises two hours after the first blast.

A Trading Standards Institute spokesman said profiteering after an act of terrorism was reprehensible.

With the transport networks down and no way of returning home, one businessman from Manchester told the BBC he had paid £250 for an £80 room. :cool_shad

[CyberGuy]

Capitalism at its finest! Like up at the tough, drink long and drink deep when the opportunity presents itself.

During the big blackout of 2003 the electric company provided what little intermittent power that was avaliable only to those businesses located on the main highway running through our suburb so they could supply needed gas, water and other necessities to everyone left in the dark.

The gas stations charged a full $1.00 per liter of gas during this time -- gas prices were normally around $0.65. This was illegal for them to do and they were charged by police when everything was over, but it didn't even slow them down from doing it in the first place.

[wazman]

Yep. After the 9/11 attacks, gas prices went up as the gas stations started trying to gouge the people. They even had to go after them in our state legislature for some stations because they found that they did indeed gouge people intentionally.

What people will do... :negative

[Tivon]

Everyone is making more money on this. :Yea right

[Raedwulf]

Everyone is making more money on this. :Yea right

I'm not :(
But at least I can sleep good at night that I didn't cheat some poor bugger when they were down

[Orangepeel]

Prices were up at the pumps here in Toronto yesterday. If I'm not mistaken, they were bumped up a full 10 cents a litre, at least at the PetroCanada near our place.

Gas stations have a steady income. What the heck is their problem cashing in on fear?

Maybe a watchdog community should be set up for instances such as this, take the gougers to the mats and make them give up all that profit to help those who have been injured or killed!!

[Maniacmous]

Yep. After the 9/11 attacks, gas prices went up as the gas stations started trying to gouge the people. They even had to go after them in our state legislature for some stations because they found that they did indeed gouge people intentionally.

What people will do... :negative

We had that happen here too...it was insane...prices went from a dollar something up to 12-15 dollars a gallon at some stations. Needless to say, the operators here too were also fined heavily and then shut down. I believe one station even had one day to sell gas at like $0.50 a gallon or something like that as reparations.

[CyberGuy]

Y'know, people are thrown in jail for robbing gas stations.

I think gas station owners should be thrown in jail for robbing us. Fair is Fair right?

[wazman]

Fair is very fair. I see the prices go up right before holidays, and then go back down a couple days after. Who do these people think they're fooling? They're robbing us and they know we know it. But nobody says or does anything about it, so it doesn't change.