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  1. #11
    Senior Dog Bamps's Avatar
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    Heating oil. We don't have that here that I know of. We did have a nasty propane company that I politely told to suck rocks and sip sand, but we are all electric these days and I supliment it with a woodstove.

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    janedoe (02-07-2015)

  3. #12
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by voodoo View Post
    I miss having choices. I am stuck with city/state gas meter/bill. I dont even think they read the meter anymore but charge me averages every month.
    They charge us an average monthly then read quarterly when the weather is nice. They claim they rectify the bill based on that but I'm skeptical about that.

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    janedoe (02-07-2015)

  5. #13
    House Broken Sir Winston's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Meeps83 View Post
    They charge us an average monthly then read quarterly when the weather is nice. They claim they rectify the bill based on that but I'm skeptical about that.
    My gas company allows you to submit your own meter reading online if you don't want to go with the estimated usage. At some point I'm sure they have to check it to make sure you're not committing fraud, but that seems like a reasonable approach.
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    janedoe (02-07-2015)

  7. #14
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    Our new oil company is great. Just in time for more really bad weather. That was much to stressful.

  8. #15
    Senior Dog Scoutpout's Avatar
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    Thats wild. I grew up in a family business that was home heating oil. and service (furnace, airconditioner). started in about 1908 as coal and ice. Around here, there aren't many truely "independants" left anymore. the smaller companies were getting bought out by the larger companies, and becoming part of a "chain" if you will. When we were still in it (dad sold when he retired, company still exists, and is still an independant), some of the "branded" (think esso, shell etc) were actually independant companies, owned and operated by real people, they just sold the "branded" fuel.

    friends are on oil, and the company they use I remember being an independant, but they were bought out 3 yrs ago, the owner is now an employee for the big company from Calgary, running what used to be his business. It has changed, not nearly as bad as yours! but the customer service has slipped for sure.

    about that mis-fuel at the school - we had one, and thank god only one, of those happen, but it was a doosey, cost an awful amount of money for the cleanup, then insurance increased for a couple of years. One of the customers on automatic delivery was a beautiful old home. it was being totally remodeled and renovated. So the driver takes the normal delivery, and thank goodness knows how much that place normally would take on a scheduled delivery (normally anywhere from 3/4 to half tanks). he pumps more than expected, then stopped. he thought it odd that they were taking more, even with the renovations (often when houses are being renovated they go thru more fuel, because windows are being replaced, doors open and close with contractors in and out all day, the walls may be down to the studs so no insulation..etc etc) He called back to the office to see if we could contact the owners. we did. they had REMOVED THE OIL TANKS without telling us! and not capped off the fill pipes! all that oil had been pumped into the (thankfully old and unfinished) basement!

    Oil companies use "degree days" to calculate when to deliver fuel for customers on automatic delivery. When we'd get a new customer, or a customer moved to a different house, we would be very conservative for the 1st 3 or 4 deliveries, delivering early, nothing worse than a good customer running out of oil because we didn't figure that they would need oil yet. Those degree days are published now, but I remember dad checking our hi-lo thermometer at home and writing down the high and the low in the degree day book he kept, then resetting the thermometer with a magnet and then doing the same at the office (country vs city so he had a good average to use for all the customers). That book was SUPER important. and dad didn't leave the reading to anyone else in case a mistake was made. I can't remember the formula now, but he figured it every day.

    glad you have choices, and have a company that treats you decently now!

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    janedoe (02-10-2015)

  10. #16
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    Oh no! The old company showed up today and tried to fill our tank! My husband turned the driver away then we get a phone call from yet someone else. Why don't we want our oil? And he reads our neighbor's address back to me but uses my name. Then he asks who I talked to last week and claims that one of the two people doesn't even work there. Finally he says he'll cancel the account. So now we'll have to send a certified letter just in case they show up and fill when we're not here.

    What is wrong with these people?

  11. #17
    Senior Dog Scoutpout's Avatar
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    oh my goodness! yes, by all means send a Registered letter to your old company, giving your account number, your physical address (was that correct on your account info from them? seems weird when that guy called with your name by the neighbour's address...) and the effect date (which was a few days ago) and state that you've cancelled it with the 1st person, and then that fellow that called today. Also require a response from them saying that they've received your account cancellation.

    Thats just nuts! if you can, put a very clear note in a ziplock baggy and tape/tie/attach it to your fill pipes, just saying something like "XX Company DO NOT DELIVER OIL" make it clearly visible thru both sides of the baggie, just in case.

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    janedoe (02-12-2015)

  13. #18
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scoutpout View Post
    oh my goodness! yes, by all means send a Registered letter to your old company, giving your account number, your physical address (was that correct on your account info from them? seems weird when that guy called with your name by the neighbour's address...) and the effect date (which was a few days ago) and state that you've cancelled it with the 1st person, and then that fellow that called today. Also require a response from them saying that they've received your account cancellation.

    Thats just nuts! if you can, put a very clear note in a ziplock baggy and tape/tie/attach it to your fill pipes, just saying something like "XX Company DO NOT DELIVER OIL" make it clearly visible thru both sides of the baggie, just in case.
    Thank you so much. I wrote the letter, detailing all of the interactions and I realized that they're all behaving badly. The delivery manager knew exactly where the driver was sent. Heck, there's a six foot wall of snow between our properties. Where could the confusion possibly be? I'll definitely put that sign on the fill pipe. That's a great idea.

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    Scoutpout (02-13-2015)

  15. #19
    Senior Dog Scoutpout's Avatar
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    If you're really concerned about them filling without authorization, you could ask your new company if they sell or having locking fill pipe caps, you and your oil company of choice get the keys, no one else can put anything down the fill pipe.

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    janedoe (02-13-2015)

  17. #20
    Senior Dog JackK's Avatar
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    Typically a sign that they are on shaky ground when they play games like you found. Some oil delivery companies here try to play the futures market. They buy oil futures gambling that the price of oil will go up during a bad winter. In a year such as this, that would have been a really bad bet. Sometimes they go under as a result of these bets. On the other side, some customers drag their feet paying for their oil usage. The small delivery guy ends up with a big outstanding collectible but no money to eat.

    I would have done like you did and found another company pronto.

    On the filling without authorization ... here in MA I believe you can refuse to pay and consider it a gift. That used to be a scam played by copy supply places. They would send in packages of crappy copy paper and follow them with a bill and collections services. Scam !

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    janedoe (02-14-2015)

 



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