The Propane Man

[chainsawaddict]

So I call the gas company before the holidays, I needed some propane(hear me out) We were having company with baby, and my wife wanted them to be in the basement bedroom since the others were filled with other family. The basement hovers around 50 degrees since the woodstove is on the main level.

Anyway, I ask for 100 gallons of propane for my tank, he says no, they have a 200 gallon minimum for delivery. I say, OK, and told him id find somebody else and/or make due.

So the next night he is leaving our house as I show up. I didnt think much of it, figured he had some left in the truck, and left me 100 gallons. Nope. I get home and there is a bill for 300 gallons stuck in the door. $600 worth of propane. At the rate I use it thats enough for the next 8-9 years. I gave it a couple days and called the office. explained the scenario and told them I didnt want it. they reluctantly said they would send someone out to pump it out. So the SAME driver comes out to pump out the gas. I walk out to talk to him and he says "so I goofed, huh?" I told him" not if you only pump out 200 gallons and bill me for the remaining 100." He didnt like that idea, and told me that he didnt bring enough hose to pump it out. He would have to come back. (same driver)

So fast forward to yesterday, the driver comes back and starts pumping out propane, but cant get it to work only pumps out 55 gallons and says he will have to come back again. and away he goes...

I just got off the phone with a woman at the office, and she said he would come back again, and leave me with 100 gallons, but at a higher rate! (this is after 3 trips to my house!) She then reminded me that they have a 200 gallon delivery limit.

I told her to just pump it all out, and I wont charge them for the headache.

Anyway, I was reminded why I love my woodstove...

 

[sredlin]

good story

 

[jcappe]

Sheesh, what we had to go through before we started burning wood I was just thinking the other day I better check my LP tank since it's still the back up heat source, 62% full.....same as it was the last time I looked.

 

[tatra805]

that is funny!

well, probably not so much for you (i would already be :censored: off)

you just wonder how some companies are able to exist the way they work.

Good luck and enjoy the wood-heat.

 

[coog]

Reminds me of the guy who switched to natural gas from heating oil.Really enjoyed the extra space in the basement after he had his two large oil tanks removed, well at least he did until the fuel delivery made while he was at work! Ended up in court, with the house torn down.I guess there is a reason they put a lock hasp on the filler cap.

 

[chainsawaddict]

Reminds me of the guy who switched to natural gas from heating oil.Really enjoyed the extra space in the basement after he had his two large oil tanks removed, well at least he did until the fuel delivery made while he was at work! Ended up in court, with the house torn down.I guess there is a reason they put a lock hasp on the filler cap.

oh, thats bad...real bad.

The driver did say "well, Mel(the guy who owned the house three years ago) always kept it full.

 

[laynes69]

Yup. Same old BS here. Used less than 1/2 of our 500 gallon tank for the past couple years. Last year they sent a statement, Either pay us 85 for the rental fee, or buy 200 gallons of propane. I argued and said we were being punished for burning wood. 200 gallons wouldn't fit. We came up with a 100 gallon delivery. I paid half that day. The next day the stupid delivery man shows up........195 gallons in the tank! I already paid for half of the 100 gallons, wife was complaining alot. I called them said I won't pay, told you 100 gallons. He decided it was cheaper to give us the fuel, so it came out to 1.35 a gallon, when it was supposed to be 1.95 a gallon. I got almost 100 gallons free! Said it would cost more to come out and pump it than what it was worth. Tell me they don't rape people for propane. Its a monopoly! I'm waiting for the same senario this year. So far so good, we will see.

 

[chainsawaddict]

Yup. Same old BS here. Used less than 1/2 of our 500 gallon tank for the past couple years. Last year they sent a statement, Either pay us 85 for the rental fee, or buy 200 gallons of propane. I argued and said we were being punished for burning wood. 200 gallons wouldn't fit. We came up with a 100 gallon delivery. I paid half that day. The next day the stupid delivery man shows up........195 gallons in the tank! I already paid for half of the 100 gallons, wife was complaining alot. I called them said I won't pay, told you 100 gallons. He decided it was cheaper to give us the fuel, so it came out to 1.35 a gallon, when it was supposed to be 1.95 a gallon. I got almost 100 gallons free! Said it would cost more to come out and pump it than what it was worth. Tell me they don't rape people for propane. Its a monopoly! I'm waiting for the same senario this year. So far so good, we will see.

yep, he has made 3 25 mile round trips, and will make 4 before it is all said and done. He is driving a diesel truck that probably gets 6 mpg. diesel is 2.90 a gal. They lost money by just not delivering 100 gallons. They figured I would just pay, and thats why he came back without enough hose. he figured he could talk me into keeping it. Oh yes, his boss told him propane is taking a huge hike after Jan 1...

 

[November Wolf]

I guess I am going to put a lock on my propane tank. I don't want them rapeing me anymore.

 

[MATTYB11]

Reminds me of the guy who switched to natural gas from heating oil.Really enjoyed the extra space in the basement after he had his two large oil tanks removed, well at least he did until the fuel delivery made while he was at work! Ended up in court, with the house torn down.I guess there is a reason they put a lock hasp on the filler cap.

That sounds like one big mess! I believe that anyone around here who removes these oil tanks are required to remove the filler neck also.

 

[Ske-bum]

I can see your point about not wanting the propane and them delieving it anyway, that would piss me off also.

However not all propane guys are evil. My granddad and grandmother owned a big propane business in Nothern Wyoming. I can still remember my grandma getting calls on Christmas Eve when someone had screwed up and ran out of propane in the middle of a Wyoming blizzard. You haven't seen a blizzard until you have seen a Wyoming one. Anyway, either her (in her 60s at the time) or her right hand man (granddad was dead by this time) would go out in the middle of this blizzard to bring these poor souls propane. Her comment to me was it is just good business to help these people.

 

[darren_nh]

I had a recent run-in with my propane dealer too. We had an ice storm a few weeks ago and I have a propane fired standby generator. I also use propane year round for hot water and cooking, and a little more in the winter for a radiant heat floor in the kitchen. Anyway, the generator was running for about three days straight when I checked the level in the tanks. They were about 50% full, so I called to see when I was due for a delivery. I am on automatic delivery. They said there would be a $300 up charge to deliver before we were due in about four days. They said automatic delivery doesn't apply to customer's with generators, which I can kind of understand, except I am not just a generator customer. We just made it with the propane we had when they sowed up with our "regular" delivery. It cost more for my propane from the propane guy, buying 130 gallons then it cost on a per gallon basis to fill my 20 pound tank at the local hardware store!!!! AND on the way to fill the 20 pound tank I saw one of their trucks go past the end of my street!!!!

Needless to say I will be switching to a different propane company in the spring.

 

[modn]

These people sound like Suburban Propane to me.........

 

[chainsawaddict]

yes, there really is nothing like a good propane bashing thread! :greenchainsaw:

 

[Metals406]

We have propane Nazi's here too...

 

[ShoerFast]

No bashing here, sorry to hear of the jokers that are providing you with there version of business. Some time the more mom-n-pop or independent propane sellers are better in the long run.

When I first started shoeing, propane was $0.17 cents a gallon, by the time i had a propane forge it shot up to $0.23 cents a gallon, I thought I was being ripped off!

Dead of winter is never a good time to call out a truck, I paid $2.00 a gallon on Saturday, it's a racket.

 

[logbutcher]

Propane is the Mafia of the fossil fuel biz. Here in Downeast Maine we have no natural gas....yet, except in Bangor --the big big city. It's the reverse of sustainability, renewability, and greenhood: the more you use, the less per gallon you pay. We're in the ghetto class using < 200 gallons/year. paying the most. The use is the Rinnai on-demand water heater ( great for the back ), gas clothes dryer ( used as little as storms allow since she like to air dry ), the cook stove, and a space heater used in 1/2 the house when we're off in winter weekends.
The Propane game is a real pi__off. I'm pi__ed off, the SWBMBO is Pi__ed off. What to do, what to do ---they have you by the short hairs. And here we are: Mr. and Ms. Green using wood for 99 44/100 % of heating !!!

 

[Labman]

I don't think you are obligated to pay for unordered goods.

 

[darren_nh]

No bashing here, sorry to hear of the jokers that are providing you with there version of business. Some time the more mom-n-pop or independent propane sellers are better in the long run.

When I first started shoeing, propane was $0.17 cents a gallon, by the time i had a propane forge it shot up to $0.23 cents a gallon, I thought I was being ripped off!

Dead of winter is never a good time to call out a truck, I paid $2.00 a gallon on Saturday, it's a racket.

I wish I paid $2 a gallon. Mine was $3.03/gallon! I wasn't calling out a truck. They had at least a few days to try to get here. I am giong with someone more local. After hearing my story, my neighbors a re switching too.

 

[maplemeister]

I might as well offer up my propane tale while your all on the subject. I had been using the same supplier for 17 consecutive years last fall and had gone with the pre-pay plan for the last 3 years at that time. When I inquired about getting on the pre-pay last fall they told me I wasn't eligible because I didn't use enough propane. I had been averaging around 300 gallons annually for several years. I cook with propane and have a propane boiler for my wood backup when needed. There are several people who live on the same road I do that also use propane and the truck goes by on a regular basis. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper with this development but as things turned out, they ended up doing me a big favor when the prices dropped dramatically. Switching suppliers is not really an option here as the state has initiated new installation requirements that can easily eat up $300.00 or more when you switch companies. Also, as L.B. noted, the less you use, the more you get socked per gallon. The only realistic gain I can make at this point is to burn wood full time and use the propane as judiciously as possibly. Ain't it grand'''

Maplemeister: