I made a phone call last month my propane company to begin our seasonal propane deliveries. 8 days later, They delivered 122 gallons of propane to my residence. On the delivery ticket was the normal delivery info: gals, delivery charges, taxes, etc...and one charge I was not prepared for...a will call charge of $12.

During my subsequent phone conversation with the dealer, the nice gal told me that since I had stopped regular delivery way back in May, I would now be subject to a [will call fee] because I was no longer considered to be on their regular delivery route.

Regular meaning, they would top me off at their convenience whether I needed it or not, because the driver was in the area.

I reiterated to her that I stopped that because I did not want a surprise huge propane bill. I wanted some control so I could budget as the weather turned colder. That made perfect sense and she agreed.

She then went on to say that the will call fee is based on the fact that I was not on the regular route and they had to make a special trip.

When I asked why it took 8 days to deliver the fuel from the day I called, she responded... (here goes...)

"Because that's when the driver was going to make deliveries in your area."

Ok.

That's your propane logic lesson for today.

I fail to see the logic and I realize that was your point.

Well put.

This is the kinda crap that boils my butt. You call them to deliver, they wait til it's convenient for them, then they charge YOU a convenience fee.

I switched companies this year. I think you have the one I had. I went strictly on price per gallon. You should have heard them when I asked them to come and get the tanks. They even had to estimate how much was left in them and I got a credit. It was at last year's prices, but, oh well. You have to watch out man. Profits are harder to come by. Won't be long and they'll be tacking on a truck fuel surcharge.

I guess I should consider myself fortunate. I have the natural gas that's piped into the house and they just come read the meter once a month.

My bill in the summer is usually 10-15 dollars. In the winter it can get as high as 70-75 dollars.

But I must agree that would really piss me off.

That bills gonna be higher this winter. The avg gas price has gone up 58 Per cent this year.

I think A consultation with Hank Hill is in order...... 😉

hANK'S NOT TAKIN CALLS ANYMORE!

that sucks..........wait a minute while I light my cigar with this natural gas lighter.

You know.....I love the way the house feels with all the heaters on FULL BLAST with the windows wide open in the winter........warm and toasty with a cool draft...............aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh.

(free natural gas)

I suspect there ain't nuthin' natural about it... and you certainly pay for the fuel that produces it.

while I do produce copious amounts of methane, the utility value of said gas is far outweighed by the entertainment value of seeing people's reactions to it's odor.

When we were using propane, we were on their "auto-fill" program for about 8 months. They'd always come and top off our tank the day AFTER a price hike. They wouldn't top off our tank for 3 or 4 months, and then they'd top it off after a price hike. Then 3 weeks later they's top it off again at an even higher rate (even though they had let it sit for 3 or 4 months before that).

If you can, buy your own tank and play them against each other.

"You know.....I love the way the house feels with all the heaters on FULL BLAST with the windows wide open in the winter........warm and toasty with a cool draft...............aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh."

Andy you sound like the people that used to live in an apartment complex I use to patrol

The got free gas heat.. You would walk into their apartments in the middle of january and they would be siting in their underwear with all the windows open and you could roast a pig in there.

The lived the high life until the rental agents got wise and no longer footed the bill for the heat.

The next year you would walk into the same apartment and they would be all bundled up and the thermostat was set on 55 degrees. Then they would complain that they should get free heat for the rent they are paying.

I get free gas because I have a gas well on my property.

I just got my first big gas bill for the Nov - Dec billing cycle ($211). Based on my normal useage and the current cost, I'll have $350 to $400 gas bills in Jan, Feb, and March. I live in Virginia, hate to see the bills for you northern folks.

Yeah, we had to switch companies last March after they let the tank go empty for the fourth time that winter, even though we were on the "keep full" program. I'd finally had enough when it ran empty during an especially cold snap in February (and me with an 18 month old and a three week old newborn in the house).

Their excuse? No one else in our area just SE of town used their service, so it was kind of out of the way for them and they didn't make it a regular part of their rounds....well, now they don't have to worry about it.