As people in the southwest region of the United States prepare for Hurricane Irma to hit, Amazon is suffering backlash after sellers hiked up the price of bottled water.
As reported by PEOPLE, some buyers noticed that cases of bottled water, which normally sell for around $10, were being priced at around $100.
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One Twitter user brought this to the website’s attention, tweeting, “Hey @amazon @AmazonHelp, you should monitor the price gauging going on right now … $100 for 24pk of water that is usually about $10 ???”
Another user, referencing a roughly $25 case of water, wrote, “So disappointed with @amazon can’t believe they are price gouging!! @MiamiDadePD.”
Amazon: price gouging water for Florida residents when the governor just declared a state of emergency a few days ago. #smh
— Franklin De Jesus (@Zuesdagod) September 6, 2017
A spokesperson for Amazon made a statement, saying they “do not engage in surge pricing.”
“Amazon prices do not fluctuate by region or delivery location. Prices on bottled water from Amazon, and third-party sellers that are doing their own fulfillment to customers, have not widely fluctuated in the last month,” the spokesperson added.
Florida’s Gov. Rick Scott recently released a statement on the impending landfall of Hurricane Irma.
“If you’re told to evacuate, get out quickly. We can expect additional evacuations as this storm continues to come near our state,” Gov. Scott said.
“A storm of this size can have effects statewide, and everyone must be prepared,” Gov. Scott added.
Hurricane Irma is considered to be “the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history,” and is expected to hit the continental United States within the next week.
