Attorney general: Businesses to pay restitution

Melissa Dunson
The Joplin Globe

The Days Inn in Joplin will pay $7,373 in restitution to more than 330 customers who were overcharged for hotel rooms during the January 12-14 ice storm that hit Southwest Missouri.

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon announced Monday that the Joplin Days Inn is one of seven Southwest Missouri businesses, including four hotels, that will pay a total of $92,754 in the latest restitution for price gouging during the winter storm.

The attorney general’s office found that the Days Inn in Joplin was charging $35.99 for a room before the storm and $92.99 during the storm. The Days Inn also will pay $3,000 to the Merchandising Practices Revolving Fund and a civil penalty of $2,500, with the understanding that if the Joplin Days Inn is ever found to engage in price gouging in the future, it will pay an additional $7,500 civil penalty.

Attempts by the Globe to reach Joplin Days Inn officials Monday were not successful.

Missouri price-gouging law prohibits charging excessive prices for necessities in the wake of a natural disaster.

“This sends a clear signal that when retailers take advantage of a situation like this, it is appropriate for the attorney general to get involved,” Nixon said. “Hotel rooms became a necessity when the power went out. It wasn’t an option to sit out in the cold. It’s an unfair trade practice.”

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