City Cracking Down On Heating Oil Overcharges
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Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the city is getting serious about making sure residents get their money's worth when it comes to home heating oil.
In his weekly radio address Sunday, the mayor praised the Department of Consumer Affairs, which oversees a team of inspectors that checks every truck delivering home heating oil to make sure consumers aren't being overcharged.
"Sometimes when the equipment on the truck is faulty, or has been tampered with, too much air flows through the meter. And when that happens, the air is registered as fuel and you get charged for it. That shouldn't be," said Bloomberg.
Bloomberg says the city has already suspended 64 trucks for not meeting the recently-enacted fuel delivery standards.
The mayor also suggested ways New Yorkers can drive down their bill, including sealing up drafty areas in the home, and checking the retail history of their heating oil distributor through 311.