Last May, my propane company decided to come to my house and fill up my propane tank. I had an automatic refill agreement with Aero and only use gas for a fireplace. You can understand then why I was a little miffed when, after allowing my tank to run dry in mid February, they came at the beginning of summer to give me propane for gas logs. And we all know how high the price was then.
Needless to say, Aero is no longer my gas provider. I have done some inquiring to other companies trying to find out what is the best price and options for me. A couple companies will run me a line to my grill at no charge, other companies will only do this if you are "a friend of a good ole boy". Anyone will run this line for a steep price. If it was easy for me to handle the portable tanks, I would keep it as is, but this really takes a toll on me.
What I would like to have for now is a line run to my deck with 2 outlets for my grill and fryer. I need an above ground tank installed and filled with propane at an affordable price. I don't want automatic delivery, instead I'll call when I'm in need. I thought the increase in the amount of gas I used in cooking would offset any charge for the installation, but I guess I was wrong.
I would appreciate all your feedback. I'm not interested in what your buddy at company A does for you. That will only work for you. I also would like to hear what companies to stay away from (like AERO). As most of you know, I am a disabled vet on a very fixed income. Just like everyone going through hardships, I need to watch every penny. Thanks in advance for your advice. I'll let everyone know who I chose when when I'm up and running again.
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21 comments:
Stay away from Suburban in Fruitland. I left them for Aero and have had great customer service ever since with Aero.
Sharp and United Propane's current rate for a tank refill just for a Fireplace now is well over $5.50 a gallon. That's because it is for a Fireplace and you don't use the propane for anything else. Not on automatic delivery as they say.
I would like to find a company that does not care if I am on automatic delivery and call them only when I need it too. BUT charge me what they charge everyone else does. The product is the same. Sharp and United will not get my business anymore. If anything they should charge less since they don;t have to waste their gas coming out to my house as often!
Anyone know a fair Propane company?
There are plenty of good companies out there that you can choose from, including Aero. The problem you are going to face is that every company out there is in business to make a profit. Otherwise they wouldnt be in the business at all. All the propane companies discount their pricing based on the amount of gas you will burn througout the year. A fireplace only account is not a profitable account for any of them. You have to consider that any company that sets their tank at your home has a considerable expense in that equipment. In your case they have every bit of 4-500 invested in the equipment they provide you so you can burn the gas. Any company needs to see a return on their investment or they will be closing the doors soon. Neither Aero, or any other company out there has a crystal ball in which they can look into and tell you what fuel prices will be in the future. It was only a few short months ago that the leading "experts" were forecasting $190/barrel crude oil with gasoline costing us $5 minimum right now. At the time your tank was filled you were most likely charged a fair rate for the gas you were delivered.
As for them filling your tank in May, they have to do this for one simple reason. Propane companies "earn" the right to buy propane in the Winter based on the propane they buy in the Summer. Most of the time this is a 2:1 ratio, winter to summer. If they don't sell any in the Summer months they won't have any to sell you in the winter when you need it most. Also, historically the least expensive time to buy the gas is in the Summer as well and all indications in May pointed toward much steeper prices right now than we are experiencing. Had the predictions held true you would most likely be thanking your supplier for the early fill up.
The grill line itself is another expense that the companies should absolutely pass on to you. Depending on the length of the piping, and the fact that you inquired about a grill line and a fryer line (which operate under two seperate pressures and require two seperate pipe lines and sets of pressure regulators) that installation will easily cost any company $300+ in materials and labor. I don't know about the rest of you but I might fill my grill tank 3 times a year. At 4 gallons per fill up it is obvious that it will take quite a bit of time for the company to re-coup that cost. I think the best thing to do would be continue on the way you have been if the expense of the grill lines is not in the budget. Even if you get it "free" ask yourself how many times somethign is actually "Free". They will make their money back somewhere. I suggest you call around and find a company that will NOT charge you a delivery fee, HazMat fee, or any other bogus fee when they make a delivery and stick with Automatic Delivery. Allowing them to schedule the deliveries enables them to be more efficient and keep pricing down. There are actually many companies that will not take you on as a customer if you want to call for your deliveries because it then becomes the "tail wagging the dog" and that is never good.
Cato is less than $4 for fireplace only and they don't charge me any extra fees. They don't accept Call in Customers unless you own your own tank though, which my parents do, and you have to show proof of ownership. Owning your tank lowers the cost drastically (they just paid 1.85 per gallon for a fireplace. Good luck finding someone who will sell you a tank though! I have tried. Remember that along with ownership comes the upkeep and maint on that tank which can get salty!
Whoever you choose, if you make a deposit to them, KEEP THE RECEIPT!!! My supplier has lost all records of my $300.00 deposit and so have I.Sounds like buying a 100 gal. tank may be well worth it according to 4:47, you just need to have it inspected and/ or Hydro tested every 3-5 +/- years I would think. There are good Mechanical contractors out there that run gas lines and regulators according to the code; Wilfre is my favorite. You may find a lot of mechanical workers these days looking for side jobs if they are on layoff, as I am, and get a good job done at a good price. As long as they do it to code and do a leak check, you should be good to go. 4:29 is right, though, you have to understand that these companies have a lot of overhead in equipment and vehicles, and the most expensive commodity; quality manpower. You have to pay for that, like it or not. These guys do good work in order to feed their families (and workman's comp, FICA, the state, county, and city tax base, contractor risk ins. the list goes on..)
I use charcoal....tastes better.
I'm using Valley Gas , they seem to be pretty good. I've had them for years and they have given me much better service and price than Suburban or most other companies.
Your usage will dictate the price
with all companies.
I get good service out of Mrohs Gas out of Crisfield. Very nice people to work with. Ask for Dan or Doug.
I use Mrohs Gas. Good to deal with.
Stay away from United they raise customers prices based on how much they use it. So if you are like my mom and you only use the gas occasionally for a gas fireplace then they up your gas to over 7.00 a gallon..if you use alot of gas they ill cut you a break. My mom plced several calls and the manager was always "busy" and would have to call her back. So after over a week of no return call and then the manager lying and saying he had called her back when he never attempted to, the United tank is now sitting next to the house disconnected waiting to be picked up. Unless you want to be scammed for you oil then go with another company! She chose Cato.
owning your own tank is the key. period.and that isn't a cheap option if you use anything other than a grill- then you can call whoever you want when you want it. there is a company in town who used to "local" but the parent company has taken over-moved as much manpower to the other side of the bay and let the eastern shore people go. I work here and prefer to spend my $$ here. I did give it a chance-but the ones you have to talk to over the phone now, IF YOU CAN GET THRU are arrogant & ignorant. When they come to fill my tank again-they will find theirs disconnected and someone else's set. they can do what they want-i will not deal w/them EVER AGAIN.
I agree that United isn't exactly the most competitive propane distributor in town. I became suspicious when refills were made, but the price per gallon was never on the yellow carbon paper they leave in your door.
It's not listed on your bill they send you either. After pulling out the trusty calculator and seeing that it came out to nearly $5 a gallon, I called around and got much cheaper quotes. I'm talking a couple dollars a gallon here. That's when I found out I'd been had. Not real happy about that, and I can't recommend them to anyone. Stay away from United Propane.
I echo the sentiments on Mrohs. This is a family business that still subsrcibes to the customer service theory. Something unusual in todays big company world.
When I first moved into my home 3 years ago, there were at least 6 homes around me that used Aero. But when the truck came for refills, they only did one home at a time. Now I know that everyone uses at a different rate, but you would think that there would be some type of coordination between the deliveries to cut company expendatures.
No I didn't get the summer rate when they filled my tank at the end of may. They charged me the high winter rate.
Sharp will run all the lines I want for grills or whatever because they understand that my usage will go up. Other companies want to charge a lot of money. As much as I wish I could afford to pay everyone's highest price, I lived on a very fixed income and once my medical costs come below $10K a year, I'll think about it.
Does anyone have info on Taylor? How about more on Cato?
I haven't seen Mrohs around my area, do they come to the Mardela area?
I am a very loyal dedicated customer. I don't often change my suppliers. I've been with the same insurance company for 20 years. That's 2 years longer than I've been married. :)
My Grandad used to say, "Beware of anybody who offers their service for free - they alone know what it's worth."
The only free lunch is in a soup line.
Be leary of Sharp. I had them at one time and they dangle a low price out there until they have you and then when you see thier bill they charge you a delivery fee, & HZMT fee on each delivery. If you only get 40 gallons that works out to be about an extra .25 per gallon you are being charged. Cato installed a grill line for my brother. I think he paid $125 for it. At first he thought that was high until he found out that the pipe used cost 2.50 a foot. When he did the math on the line he realized Cato only covered their cost on the materials when they billed him. I think that was very fair, especially since the price he pays per gallon is over a dollar less than what Sharp was charging him.
Mardela -- I think the point being made about the Summer vs Winter rate was that there wasnt the "usual" drop off this year in pricing. It didnt come until October when pricing usually starts to climb. It's not that you got charged a "winter" rate, you were charged the "current" rate which this past May was still high. I think in another post you said you have been with the same company for many years. Look at past years and see if you don't notice a price drop from your winter deliveries to your early summer deliveries. If not then you should have looked for a new supplier then. If you search historical data on the web you can see the rise and fall of pricing over the years and you will see how that just didnt happen this year.
"I also would like to hear what companies to stay away from (like AERO)."
I have to agree with you. I quit using AERO after a comment I heard from that little smart ass that works at the fire department in Salisbury for his full time job.
STAY AWAY FROM PENNINSULA OIL!!! Run as fast as you can! They are the biggest crooks on the shore. Their billing is horrendous and the owner (the grandson of the original owner) has NO business skills and could care less about customer service... We finally fought with them for the last time and went with Sharp... At least they answer their phones!
Taylor is a good company which I have had no issues with. Highly recommend them.
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