KTRK takes on gas pump irregularities

Have you ever suspected your local gas station was ripping you off, either by not giving you as much gas as the pump said or selling a lower-octane type of gas for a higher-octane price? Thanks to KTRK, there's a chance you could find out. The station's investigative team is offering several reports about problems with local gas stations: which pumps were put out of order in 2004-05 because of one problem or another; octane inspections and their results and all Houston-area gas station inspections between 2001 and 2005. That's a lot of reading, trust us.

What may be more interesting is a list of complaints Channel 13 forwarded to the state after the station ran a story on gas price irregularities last fall. Some ended up being false alarms, but quite a few were actual problems. Houstonist doesn't know whether we'd even realize it if we got the shaft at our neighborhood gas pump, but if you're suspicious, leave a comment at KTRK's website or call the Texas Department of Agriculture at 800.TELL.TDA.