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Attorney General sues propane company for overcharging customers

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Attorney General Bill Schuette is suing propane company AmeriGas for violating the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. Schuette says AmeriGas overcharged customers in the winter of 2015-2016. The lawsuit claims some were charged more than $3.00 per gallon of propane when the going rate was between $1.63 and $1.71 per gallon. Schuette says the overcharging was done to offset discounts given to new customers.

The lawsuit also accuses AmeriGas of failing to refund customers for unused propane when they end their service; of charging HazMat and Fuel Recovery fees that are not required by the state; and of allowing customers served by its Schultz Bottle Gas subsidiary's auto-fill program to run out of propane during the winter of 2015-2016.

This is the second time Schuette has sued AmeriGas for overcharging customers. The first suit was settled in October of 2014 for more than $550,000. He is asking the court to find AmeriGas in violation of that settlement.

An AmeriGas spokeswoman tells wilx.com it has not been served with the lawsuit yet. She chose not to comment on the allegations until the company has been served.