Tech News, Magazine & Review WordPress Theme 2017
  • Supply Chain Updates
  • GLOBAL NEWS
  • REGIONAL NEWS
  • Industry Buzz
  • CURRENT ISSUES
No Result
View All Result
  • Supply Chain Updates
  • GLOBAL NEWS
  • REGIONAL NEWS
  • Industry Buzz
  • CURRENT ISSUES
No Result
View All Result
United States Supply Chain Management Council
No Result
View All Result
Home Supply Chain Updates

750,000 medical masks sit in Houston warehouse

usscmc by usscmc
March 26, 2020
750,000 medical masks sit in Houston warehouse
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

HOUSTON — As Texas Medical Center hospital workers and first responders are dealing with a critical shortage of personal protective equipment, there are 750,000 medical-grade masks sitting in a Houston warehouse in limbo.

The masks were up for auction until Tuesday when a stop was placed on their distribution due to allegations of price gouging by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

The auctioneer said he is now caught in the middle and wants someone to tell him what he is supposed to do with nearly a million masks.

“The people that need them, we’ve got to get it to them,” auctioneer Tim Worstell, of Houston’s Auctions Unlimited, said. “To me, that’s 99% of the buyers in this sale.”

Worstell said he and his family have received death threats since he was consigned to perform the auction of the surgical and N-95 masks and sanitation products.

He said the handful of sellers who contracted him are reputable businesses but they do not want to be identified publicly. Worstell said he has done business with them before and has even auctioned lots of surgical masks for them in the past.

This auction was different.

“If I’d have seen it coming I definitely wouldn’t have done it,” Worstell said. “This is a small percentage of my business, and it has not been worth it, to say the least.”

The final prices of the lots were varied but all of them sold above retail value.

Worstell said his commission for the sales would have amounted to close to $40,000, but in retrospect, he still would not have done it.

He isn’t able to collect a dime from the buyers for the sellers, and the masks can’t be given to the winning bidders or anyone else who needs them for that matter.

KHOU spoke with several of the auction winners Wednesday who asked to remain anonymous.

Each of them said they bought the masks to give away to local hospital workers, nursing homes, first responders and at-risk family members.

They aren’t happy.

“Now, the problem is all of these people who desperately need them … They (the masks) could have been on these peoples’ faces already, protecting them, and they are just now sitting in our warehouse,” Auctions Unlimited office manager Shannon Stone said.

Worstell received a demand letter from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Office on March 20, instructing him to discontinue all sales of the masks.

The letter accuses Worstell of price gouging during an emergency.

Worstell said he has been calling the investigator to find out what he is supposed to do with all of the masks now that the auction is closed.

He said nobody will call him back.

“We’re just waiting on the attorney general’s office,” Worstell said. “Can we let these facemasks go to the people who desperately need them, or can we not?”

KHOU called the Texas Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday to find out what the auctioneer should do with the critical PPE now in his possession.

The AG’s Office could not confirm or deny any ongoing investigations, a spokeswoman stated in an emailed response, which states the office has received a total of nearly 2,200 COVID-19-related price gouging complaints.

Worstell said he’s cooperated with the Houston Police Department which came to his business to create a report and take photographs.

Without answers, Worstell is sitting and waiting with 750,000 medical masks.

Send us a news tip | Download our app | #HTownRush Newsletter

RELATED: Katy woman sewing face masks to help health care workers fighting COVID-19

RELATED: VERIFY: CDC, WHO do not recommend homemade masks

RELATED: 10-year-old girl sewing face masks during coronavirus crisis

usscmc

usscmc

No Result
View All Result

Recent Posts

  • Supply Chain Issues Delay Michigan Statehouse Welcome Center
  • Last Mile Delivery Market Size, Growth And Forecast
  • High shipping rates could increase inflation by 1.5%: IMF
  • Coast Guard responds to adrift cargo ship off California
  • Underinsurance as a Persistent Driver of Cross-Border Antibiotic Procurement in U.S. Border Communities

Recent Comments

  • Top 5 Supply Chain Certifications that are in high demand | Top 5 Certifications on Top 5 Globally Recognized Supply Chain Certifications
  • 3 Best Procurement Certifications that are most valuable | Procurement Newz on Top 5 Globally Recognized Supply Chain Certifications

Archives

  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019

Categories

  • Global News
  • Supply Chain Updates

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
United States Supply Chain Management Council

Categories

  • Global News
  • Supply Chain Updates

Tags

APICS Globally Recognized Supply Chain Certifications IIPMR Certifications International Institute for Procurement and Market Research (IIPMR) ISM Next Level Purchasing Top 5 Supply Chain Certifications top supply chain certifications

Trending

No Content Available
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Antispam
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact Us

© 2022 www.usscmc.com

No Result
View All Result
  • Supply Chain Updates
  • GLOBAL NEWS
  • REGIONAL NEWS
  • Industry Buzz
  • CURRENT ISSUES

© 2022 www.usscmc.com

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT