Propane Ripoff

I worked for a propane company in Maryland for two years. I left them recently. They are ripping us all off. I left on good terms but could not take the rip off any longer. It is not the refineries that are the problem. This company I worked for was making over a $1.00 a gallon after their expences. The top three raked in large paychecks and paid the rest of the employees little. This company paid the top three tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses each year. The only way to get a better price from them is to call them and tell them you are going with another company. If they give you a better price it will be for one fill. Good luck.

titleist1 wrote:
They just don't want to cut you a check for the unused propane!!!

Uh...The tank is still here...I guess they think if they leave it here I'll "give in" and start using propane again, instead of that outdated, filthy, dirty, smelly coal.

my guess is that they'll pick it up in the fall, at exactly the same time they get a new customer in your neighborhood that wants a tank installed.

UPDATE:

The tank was never picked up, Suburban Propane is still billing me for the "minimum service charge" plus late fees.

I just wrote them a letter telling them, once again, to cancel my service and pick-up the tank (still full).

I wrote instead of calling, I figured a call is too easy to forget about.

Keep a copy of your letter so when they take you to small claims court you will have the evidence.

rberq wrote:Keep a copy of your letter so when they take you to small claims court you will have the evidence.

Already done.

I'd follow it up with a certified/registered letter informing them that if they don't remove it in two weeks you will assume the property abandoned and will have it removed yourself and be will forwarding the bill to them. If you have buddy with garage, you can talk to him. They can usually charge storage fees if they want it returned.

I'm not lawyer and I really don't know what you're legal options are here but that should get them going.

Richard S. wrote:I'd follow it up with a certified/registered letter informing them that if they don't remove it in two weeks you will assume the property abandoned and will have it removed yourself and be will forwarding the bill to them. If you have buddy with garage, you can talk to him. They can usually charge storage fees if they want it returned.

I'm not lawyer and I really don't know what you're legal options are here but that should get them going.

Good idea, if I don't hear from them in short order I will do that.

Tank was finally picked up yesterday.

Somebody plant some flowers where it used to sit? Scott

I'm still waiting for the check for the unused propane that was in the tank.

Three or four years ago, when I first installed a wood/coal outdoor boiler, I had a unused surplus from my pre-season prepurchase of propane.. the profane company would not evaluate the surplus untill the end of the season, even though when they filled my tanks [against my wishes] in March they took only a few gallons each..
So I had to wait till they 'evaluated' my surplus/unused prepaid gas... THEN I had to wait till AUGUST for the refund check.. They had my money a full year, August to August. And we aren't talking peanuts either,, the prepurchase was $5600, and the refund was $2600..

What a rip off .

Greg L.

FYI update on propane cost per gallon in our area for the curious....

We just topped off for $2.05 / gallon. We own our own 1000 gallon tank so we can shop for price. Prices per gallon during my phone call survey ran from $2.05 - $2.97 at different dealers. We use propane for the dryer, HW, cooktop and backup furnace; we use about 400 gallon per year for those uses.

Using the home heating fuel cost calculators in another thread, that translates to $24.95 for propane vs. $11.24 for coal at $210/ton. Although we have cooked on our Mark III a few times, the propane cooktop & electric oven are still the preferred cooking appliances in the house!

I just took a look at this thread >>>>

I had Suburban, but changed to a local propane dealer. The new dealer brought their tank and hooked it up. I had 50/100 (whatever they measure on the tank ..%?). I called Suburban to pick up the tank and asked about credit. They said they would pick it up and then refill it to determine it's contents to calculate credit. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> That was three years ago Just last week, I disconnected the new tank and hooked the Suburban tank back up to burn off the propane. I doubt that Suburban will ever pick up the tank.

For all the guys with tanks not picked up maybe you should invoice them a storage fee. it's thier equipment stored on your property!