Propane Co,--- what would you do????

Got home from out of town a couple of weeks ago to find that the gas man had stopped by and filled my propane tank from 40% back up to more than 80%, while I was gone. They then sent me a bill for nearly $600. I had told them about 3 years ago that I was no longer using the tank for heat and that the tank never needed to be filled more than maybe 50% as all I used it for now was drying clothes and cooking.

That said, I"ve been waiting on nearly $8000 worth of billed invoices to come in, and some are late, so I"ll admit I am running a bit behind getting unexpected crap like this paid on time. Thing is it has never been a problem before with the gas company, so don"t know why it is now. Problem, ((well not anymore...LOL))) is that I got home Friday evening to find a note on my door telling me that my propane has been "disconnected". Further if I want it hooked back up I"ll have to pay them right at $120, that it might take 3 days for them to get around to it, after they get paid, and it will also have to be during the week. In other words, "we unhooked it on Friday so you"ll do without over the weekend, and it might take even longer for us to hook it back up...even if your a good boy and pay us on Monday.....so, we"ve really screwed you."

Here"s what really pi$$es me off. The 40%, or nearly 100 gallons in the tank when they put in more, has been paid for for quite a while. In fact we"ve used less than 20% in well over a year, maybe closer to two, since the last time the gas guy stopped by to add some. Now they think they have a right to keep from me the gas I have already paid for, all because I didn"t pay for product I didn"t tell them to put in, and further had explicitly told them not to put in.

Now I can understand them sending a truck back out and drawing the product they had put in back out, because they haven"t been paid for it yet....and I would have no problem with that....Thing is for them to "disconnect" and "deny access" to product I have already paid for, that did nothing but make me mad. Needless to say you don"t want to mess with a mechanic. It took me all of 5 minutes to find the right size easy out and get their little "tamperproof" piece of crap out of the valve, and hook the regular back up....So, who"s getting the last laugh now???

Monday morning I plan to put a locked chain between the tank and the tree it sets beside, as well as one on the tank valve cover. Then I"m going to take their little "tamper proof" plug down to their office and give it back to them. For the grand finally I"m going to tell them that since they can"t follow the simple instructions I had given them several years ago, and that since they thought it was such a good idea to keep me from using product I had already paid for.....and especially since they did it in such a way that they thought would "scare" and "inconvenience" me the most, that they can come get their tank..., oh, and that I will gladly unlock it from the tree and let them have it back when I get a check for the 40% of product that was in it, before the fill, that I had paid for a long time ago.....

Do you think I would be pushing it to tell them that they can kiss my a$$ on ever seeing the $120 reconnect fee, but that I will gladly disconnect it for them for free, and let them have their tank back.... after I get my check for the gas I in it that I have already paid for?????? LOL

Can"t wait for Monday...or should I let them stew for a year of two until I use up my 40%......decisions, decisions....LOL

In the end, what would you guys do when a company did their best to screw you over like this. Oh, before you respond, let me tell you this. They let my Mom run out over the winter. The delivery guy saw the For Sale sign in the yard and decided that since the place was for sale that he didn"t need to fill the tank...and dispatch told him that it was OK.....never a thought given that there was a 65 year old woman in the house alone, without heat, because of his stupidity. Then, after she called and raised he!!, and they finally got the tank filled, they wanted to charger her some exorbitant amount to come out and relight the pilot light on the water heater, etc. Funny how they can NOT fill a tank they are supposed to, but CAN fill a tank they aren"t supposed to....and then want to charge a huge price to so something that takes all of 2 minutes...and wouldn"t need to be done were it not for their ignorance......

In the end I look at it like this. I"ve now got a 30KW diesel generator for backup power, so when it comes time to replace our burned out gas pack, and the gas drier that"s decided to become problematic, and eventually the stove/oven too.....I"m going with all electric this time.......Til then I can get a tank big enough to fire the stove and dryer for awhile, keep it filled myself at one of the local places that fill tanks, and the gas company can "kiss my gas"... LOL

You are finding out one of the reasons I bought my own fuel tanks(gas,diesel and propane)thirty years ago. I am not on any kind of auto fill. I watch my tanks and when I need fuel I call several of the local suppliers an buy from whoever is cheapest that day. Pay them when it is delivered. No fuss no bother.

As for how they treated you. Check and see if they are regulated by your state's PUCO. If they are then there are a whole set of rules they have to go by when disconnecting utility service.

At the least I would dump them as my supplier.

Oh man! You will get an ear full about how propane companies have started acting. It's a nation wide problem. Amerigas has bought out about 100 companies near me. Several had been under same ownership for over 50 years. The service changes overnight. It may not help but before you carry out your plan (which I believe is a good one)attempt to calmly discuss it with the manager. Explain your position and ask that they either alow you to pay it out as you use it. The driver can check to see you don't get ahead of them. That is to say before it reaches 40%,they will have been paid. Otherwise they remove thier gas and everyone calls it a mistake and learn from it. You could also offer to store their fuel until you can use yours,then they can pick their tank and fuel up. If they can't handle that,I agree with your reasoning.

Are you on an automatic fill contract or a call when you want it type deal? If they filled it more than 80%, you could report them. That's a BIG no no! Do you have a history of not paying them? Are you a COD account? If not, they have no right to disconnect it. I think maybe there's more to it than you're telling. We used to use propane and the propane company would come out and check things without charge if we had a problem. Customer service seems to be lacking just about everywhere nowadays.

Dad saw through their schemes many, many years ago. He bought his own tank and refused to sign any contract so they didn't have a hold on him. He'd call when we needed gas; if they didn't show up, he'd cancel and call someone else.

We found that a COOP was the most reliable source with no scheme to rip us off so they've had the business for a long time now.

I do not see how anybody could do a better job of telling them! You will do well.

I finally had the propane company remove their tank and I bought my own now go down to the coop and have it filled.My problem with them was they said the tank would be rent free no matter how much (or little) I used as I told them I heat mostly with wood.After getting the 2nd bill for $135 for a year's rental I just told them to come get their tank.

Simple
Buy a tank have 40% pumped into your new tank out of the first one and call up the first supplier and tell them to pick up their tank. You should be able to get by with a 250 or 360 gl tank.

A few years ago they filled my tank by accident. This is on a 1,000 gallon tank. I called and told them to pump out there propane as it was spring and I didn"t need any for the next 6 months as I had about 20% in it. I also told them I was hurting for money and I was not on a keep full plan. I did not own the tank at that time I do now. About an hour later they called back and substantially discounted the bill and offered 6 months no interest payment. I was happy and accepted.

There was one winter when my supplier was over $.25/gallon higher than the competitors, so I then bought my own 1,000 gallon tank. (About 10 years ago) I then told my supplier that I would call them whenever I needed them and not to fill it until I needed it. See, the cheapest propane prices are normally at the end of June and that's when I normally have them fill it up. After that, my supplier seemed to be on the habit of always driving on my place and checking how much propane I had in the tank. When I asked him why he did that, he just said he was checking on how much I had, but that he wasn't going to put any in it. After the third time of doing that, he finally got the hint that I was serious when he found that there was a padlock on my tank. Now the supplier only comes to my place when I call them.

I know your frustration. In our house and my moms we have used propane for a long time. I don't understand the attitude of these company's. As it stands for you now, they think you have been bad, and you aren't getting any gas. I think it would be more fun to not go down to tell them ........ Just go on using it till you get your 40%, then call and tell them come and get your tank and what's left and ........

When I was on propane, I found that suppliers luv to top off your tank in spring while prices are high. You might as well tell them you want current market price for your gas.

We switched to natural gas eighteen years ago and haven't looked back.

If you are not on a contract then calmly discuss with manager. Then threaten to have driver arrested for trespassing.

I had almost the same thing happen to me. I was not on automatic fillup,but the crooks kept filling it ever time a truck came by. Sometimes the bill was less than a hundred bucks. Then something woke me up one Sunday morning. It was them filling the propane tank. I ran out and asked the driver what in the He-- he was doing. He said he was an off duty fireman and only worked for the propane Co. on weekends and he was filling everyone up. I told him I was not on automatic fill up.He said his boss told him to fill all the tanks in the area.I called his boss on Monday morning and gave him a good cussing and told him that I was not paying for the gas that he had put in the tank. He said he would send someone down to put a lock on it and disconnect it if I didn't pay. I told him if I caught him or any of his employees on my property I would get a warrent for him for tresspassing, that I already had 350 gals of propane in the tank that was paid for and he couldn't lock that up.They never came. I eventually paid the bill about 6 months later, emptied the tank and called them and told them to get it the He-- off my property.

I don't use much propane, mostly coal and oil. Last fall when the price went up so much I had an offer for substantially less from the company that the town uses because I volunteer for the town. So I called my supplier who is Amerigas and they matched plus $.20 better, but I had to agree to a year contract. Now it appears that we all need to avoid buying from Amerigas or they will be the only source available and prices will skyrocket.

Something is coming cause that little "issue" is going around.
Year ago, with the gas company being s@#$y, I decided to buy my own tank and then use the pre-pay program. Buy when the year's worth when prices are low and the compsny is looking for income. You have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you own the tank and then they'll sell to you. Long in December the orginal company-knowing they no longer have my account-filled the tank. Now they KNOW there is no propane account. This spring I get the last fill from the pre-buy along with a bill for "fuel adjustment". I was about to start cussin' then remembered that honey works too so called and asked nicely what this was about since I had already paid for the product. They removed the charge because "the computer made an error".
In your case I think I would just call and remind them of the instructions, which the dispatch knows, and then nicely suggest that you will use the product you have already purchased and that then they can come get the tank. And then get it used! Or maybe get a tank and draw your product off. Tell them, at the beginning of a month, to come get the tank and at the end of the month tell them you are going to start charging rent for storing their tank.
Be ready for a fight as they will claim all the gas is theirs; so you need proof. Like the bill for this last fill which will have the gallons delivered.

Best reason I know to go total electric.

15 years ago the natural gas co. jacked their rates plus surcharge fees plus monthly fees. I have both a gas and electric water heater next to each other. Still use the gas furnace as an air handler for A/C.

Since you have getting the gas, I believe I would use what is yours and then call them to get the tank off your property and get a different propane company.

Make sure that you talk to a manager, and not
just some clerk or Office girl. (the manager is
the one who's not in the office, but is at "HIS" table, at the local café sucking coffee with his
buddies)

they all eat their young.

Too much to read here.

Simple solution. Call the manager and pitch a fit. If they do not agree to your demands then buy a 5 gallon BBQ tank and hook that up to run your stuff.
I had a problem with a local propane clown, he didnt want to come down the driveway cause says the trees needed to be trimmed. (but I just had Propane delivered 3 month earlier.....WTF?)
I called the manager and said, hey Pal....Do you sell Propane or excuses? He said he would come over my house and check out my driveway. (never got a call from this guy so I guess he never looked at it) I got a new propane supplier, I own my own tank too......Easy to switch that way.

ncwayne I spent 14 years in the business. I'll tell you the same thing I told everyone back then. BUY YOUR OWN TANK, but If you are NOT on a keep full basis, don't call me if you run out after I get off for the weekend. I'll be back in the office at 6:00 am Monday and I'll take care of my keep full customers first. I cant begin to count the number of times I've driven right buy someones place and gotten a call at 2Am later that same night wanting me to run right out and put 50 gallons of gas in their tank. If people can't budget their money and figure the cost of LP in their monthly living allowance, I did not need them as a customer.

Too bad you didn't have the tank locked up BEFORE they refilled. I mentioned to the wife about locking ours being as the company will want to top it off while the price is high, but I've neglected to do it.

Why don't you write out instructions to the propane delivery man that this is not an automatic fill up and do not put gas in the tank? Laminate the note and fix it right on the fill valve. Take the note off when you call to have them come fill it. An additional level would be to chain the valve closed and lock it. Again remove only when you want it filled.

Had a similar problem except they wanted to charge me $100.00 because I wasn't using enough gas. My propane is backup for my Geothermal heat and while I need it for backup, I have never used it. Our cookstove is propane and a tank lasts several years. I purchased my own tank and parked it next to their tank, called the propane company and told them I wasn't paying the $100 and also told them that if they had a problem with that they could pump my gas into my tank and take theirs back. Haven't hear a word in over a year.

I would suggest you all do some serious research before you switch over to electric. You are going to be in for a serious shock when you get your first electic bill. Price of electricity in this area has almost tripled in 4 months. Electric stoves, water heaters and dryers, and electric heat eats electricity like a politician spends tax money.

the company will view it as their tank, their gas and their lock-out device. they will consider it as thief of services with the full force of the law on their side. might be best to approach them with hat in hand instead of a high hat.

Their way of doing business sucks. By luck maybe you called them on your cell phone and have a record when you noticed and notified them that they had re-filled without permission or an auto-fill service contract? Isn't 20% the norm? Also, they should have sent you a statement with a past due notation on it after 30 days. 45 days a notice and courtesy phone call. Really simple - communication.
Your being a good customer that pays on time should have been a flag to the credit manager that something was wrong. Most businesses that extend open credit have a blind faith that most people's word is their bond - if not do business on a COD basis. Again, simple. Hopefully, your state doesn't have a mechanic's lien or theft of services law in order for them to try to get the "last laugh" back. You might want to deal with them by certified letter so that you have proof of communication on this since their word obviously isn't their bond. Good luck, stay cool and look for a new supplier.

"BUY YOUR OWN TANK".

When I purchased this home, the folks that we purchased it from told us that they owned the tank, the tank came with the house, the tank was ours. Their supplier was Amerigas. Back then the cost of Amerigas was higher than other suppliers, so we shopped around and told two other suppliers that we owned our own tank. Both said that they would NOT use our tank. They said that they would not fill our tank and then assume responsibilities for things that could go wrong like leaks, defective regulators, and so on. We went with one of them, a company called Franger in northern Indiana, because their prices were the lowest at the time, and we got locked in contractually at a certain lower price, and they delivered their own tank. In the meantime, we were notified by Amerigas that they were going to pickup thier tank that was about half full, so since the two tanks were setting pretty much next to each other, I shut off the franger tank, unhooked it, hooked the line back up to the Amerigas tank, and did what I could to use as much of that gas up before they came to pickup the tank that I could find no documentation on, saying that it was mine. In the house sales/purchase, I couldn't find anything saying that I owned the tank, no reciepts from the home sellers. I couldn't prove that it was my tank, so Amerigas came, unhooked it in time, took it away, I hooked back up to the Franger tank. But anyway, two suppliers told me that they would NOT fill a privately owned tank, at least residential, so... Oddly enough though, there is a regulator on the tank that Franger owns, but up at my house is a separate diaphram, or whatever they call it, that I own that they didn't change out. They have been known to go bad too.

I have looked at other tanks, 100 gallon, 500 gallon for the concrete floored barn that I do most maintenance in, and thought of paying someone other than the two that said they would NOT fill them, and bite the bullet on the cost and get them filled, which wouldn't be often, for heat in the cooler months, like this past winter that actually was winter for a change.

I'd like to own my own tank too, but can be a sticking point with some suppliers.

Related but unrelated, you're a gas guy, or were. I ran into an old, near retirement natural gas company guy that told me, "...back in my day, we made it work. Was none of this having the wrong parts, we made it work...". The fella used to do new construction back in the day in Chicago, and probably near by areas. So, these days new houses go up, everyone gets their own meters, regulators, diaphrams, pipe from the main. But back in the day, there were and still exist entire city blocks that have ONE regulator shared by the entire city block, buried in a vault near some intersection, that was plumbed off to everyone's meters. You get the idea. And every couple or few years, some story makes the national news where some entire city block is leveled by a gas explosion, which is traced back to at least the shared regulator that used to be buried under an instersection that is now a big crater in the gournd with firemen and gas company inspectors standing around shaking their heads. Whay comes to mind, is that old fella telling me, "...if we ran out of the right sized main, we'd reduce it down an inch from maybe a 4" to a 3" (whatever they used), run the pressure up higher than normal, and make it work. There was none of this stuff about waiting for parts to come out the next day, we were there, started the job, finsihed the job and moved on". In the overall sceme of things, I have to wonder how much of that went on. How many of those exist in say, NY, LA, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and other large cities jus waiting to go off like time bombs and make the national news. Eveytime I hear or read about some old construction city block being leveled in a gas explosion, what comes to mind...common regulator, ran out of the correct sized pipe, made it work be extending the next size smaller pipe available, and ran the pressure up to compensate for the smaller pipe, and overtime as things degrade, KABOOM, a mushroom cloud from two blocks over, raining wood splinters and debris from what once were houses.

Mark

George, heating with electric when natural gas is available is a classic case of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Sounds like maybe you got hoodwinked by one of the "customer choice" gas suppliers like we have here in Michigan. My father-in-law got taken in by one who gave him a hundred bucks to switch. The next year, his gas prices tripled.

When I lived in Cherokee Co. 15 Miles from Murphy, I had all kinds of problems with propane suppliers. From Tank Rent to not using enough gas, and wanting better access to tank(4 foot from driveway. but over a bush). Finally I told them to come get their tank and I would get my own. After three months and no tank retrieval I told them 3 days or I will roll it down the hill into the trees, it was gone in 2 hours. Got own tank and no one fill it. They only filled their own tanks. Only;y way was to bring the tank in on a truck. Well, that was the end of my propane heater in house.

I had an issue several years ago, told them not to put any more in the tank until we called in the summer. They came and filled tank , sent us a bill . I called them and asked what the heck they did that for after specifically telling them not to, they got crappy and said tough you have to pay. I said tough for you , you have to come and get your now full tank out of my yard and I will never do business with them again.

Am I missing something here.

They filled the tank, sent a bill, and two weeks later locked your tank.

Where there no conversations in between?

I like your style. I would do exactly the same thing if I already had another source and tank lined up. Sounds like you could get by with a couple hundred pound bottles anyway.

I agree. I think there's more to this than we're hearing. I had a business law professor in college who spent an entire semester hammering on the point that there are always at least two or more ways of looking at any situation.

I've owned my own house tank for 15 years and have had no problem with the local Co-op filling it. Last July, I contracted 1000 gallons at $1.40 per gallon and they keep my tank full.

The tank by my shop is on a "call" basis, at whatever the price is.

A couple of weeks ago, there was a consignment auction that had a couple of 500 gallon tanks on it. I thought about buying one for my new shop that's still a work in process. I called the propane manager at the Co-op and asked him about it. He said he had no problem as long as I gave them the option of checking the tank before the first fill and installing a new regulator. Which is understandable. They don't want to accept the liability for filling a tank that might be decrepit and a danger to the person who owns it.

Turned out on the auction both tanks sold for within $100 of what the Co-op could sell me a refurbished tank for, so I passed on them. But as I said above, we may not be hearing the whole story on this or on others that have been recited. There shouldn't be that much animosity between customers and suppliers unless there's a reason.

I'd have them pump out the exact same amount that they pumped in. The "40%" idea won't fly. 40% of what, and with a gauge of questionable accuracy - it's too loose of a measurement for anyone to run with.

These propane horror stories are good for me. I'm getting to the age where I'll someday have to think about another heat source besides wood. It definitely won't be propane!

Wayne, I am judging from your post
#1 You don't OWN your tank!
#2 You have had a (to keep full) order at some time!
#3 Call you local LP co. & simply straighten it out
#4 get them to come back out and pump out the tank them put back the appropriate amt For now
#5 Smile sweetly, Play Nice FOR NOW!
#6 Go Buy Your Own Tank get off the Rent Deal! It is nothing to up keep over the Long haul.
#7 after New, or New to You tank is acquired, Get it ready fore use, Service head, new valves, etc.
#8 Burn Old rent tank Dry
#9 R & R Old with New tank. Call you LP Supplier and get Just what you want put in,& pick up old tank, and Let them know You will call when You NEED More LP or get a new Supplier. Owning your own tank allows you to shop all suppliers in the area.
Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.

I have had ZERO issues with propane suppliers. I own my tank, get bids from three each year and pay them promptly. They want the business and work with me.

There always at LEAST two sides to every story.

I would not be afraid to have propane.

Good Luck getting a check for the 40% that was previously in it but if you do, be sure its at todays high price, not the cheap price you paid long ago. You might as well make a little for your frustration.

I'll print this thread off to show to a couple Amish families- they like to laugh at English high tech problems. Another family made it through this winter with a wood stove only after removing LP/Propane furnace- the use of clothes line down front hallway handle the clothes drying details. If you still have the propane equipment and want a alternative source of fuel? (Teasing Alert!) Try using a Methane generator/Manure digester - especially good in election years when a lot of Bull Sh*t available from the politicians.

David, I have also had zero issues with my propane supplier, but as we know, a new manager or a new driver, or even a new secretary can turn everything upside down. One person in the chain is all it takes. As an old man who's looking at a major investment for "old folks" heating equipment, propane is not on my list of fuel choices. The major price swings that we heard about last winter reinforced my decision. I own my tank and buy all of my propane "summer fill", but those recent price stories make me suspicious that there's some kind of malarkey going on in the industry, and I don't need to be a part of it.

Disclaimer - we only use propane for cooking and night time water heating.

Two sides to every story...Side one propane dealer are lazy incompetent bottom-feeding mouth-breathing thieves, side two their corporate office sets quotas on how much they are to steal each quarter, if you don't make your quota you might have to get a job like a lawyer or used car salesman where you have work for what you steal. My last run in with the propane supplier was fees and charges they wanted me to pay on a bill I had already paid. Local office wouldn't do a thing about it, they threatened to sue, I said fine you can sue, I'll counter sue and you'll loose, I'll win you'll have to eat all your fees AND pay me money. They finally calmed down and asked for a copy of the check, I explained that my credit union truncates checks, meaning I don't get the check back I can get a copy of the check but it costs me. Offered to order a copy of the check but if I was right I would expect them to pay for the check and my time in getting it. At that point the clerk figured out if she was wrong she'd have the devil to pay getting their corporate office to pony up the $5.00 for the check plus what ever costs I incurred. She also knew since the tank was on the Air Base if they didn't pay the IG and base commander could make life very difficult for them so only then she decided to get off her fat lazy incompetent half moons and look. She found the transaction, they'd posted my payment to someone else's account. Was able to switch to natural gas a few months later (but after I had to pay another year's rent on the tank) my intention was to let the nearly empty tank set until the year's lease ran out as the lease clearly stated no refunds. They picked up the tank before the lease was up but did refund me on the rent and paid for the gas still in the tank (probably only about 1/2 the gas), guess the folks at the base had a heart to heart with them and explained that if they wanted the tanks back they'd have to refund rental or wait until the lease was up so they could come and get them in the middle of the winter shovel the snow out of the way and take them. Also heard rumors that once the last trailer hooked up to natural gas they might not let them back on base.

The issue is they are a business that wants to keep their customers captive, meaning their customers are tied to them and only them for that service. Entering into a business relationship under those terms is an invite to be abused. Cable TV and telephone used to be that way, I tolerated the phone company's BS but didn't have cable for many years. Finally went to a pay TV service after they went digital with TV and we could only get one broadcast TV station. We now have Mediacom cable, they are purported to be the worst cable TV provider in America, they are 5 times better than Time-Warner was when we last had them in the early 1990s. You'll find similar problems with Elevator and fire alarm services, you pay a lot for very little, poor service, inflated fees and incompetent employees. When I cared for buildings had an instance with an elevator that cost us like $1,200. Elevator quit, called for service drive time, mileage service call fee and employee time was $500, came determined it was a blown fuse, left drove 60 miles back to their home office to get the fuse, second service call was $500 plus $100 for the blinking fuse (regular Buss fuse), asked why they couldn't source the fuse locally, get a story that the fuse is "special" and "certified" and their mechanics weren't able to purchase parts. Folks it was a standard Buss fuse, after this fiasco I went to Graybar and bought a box and I'll admit we broke the law and violated the Wisconsin Mechanical code by having mere mortals (like myself or my maintenance techs) change the fuse when it blew.

Sorry for your hassles.

How many days late were you when they plugged the tank?

That is absolutely a move that a company does to make you miserable when they unhook you on a Friday afternoon. It is usually done to a customer they are tired of dealing with. I heard that straight from the guy who pulls electric meters on Friday afternoons!

I think you may be better to at least play nice at first to try to fix the problem.

I had the opposite happen this winter. Our tanks are on a "keep full" schedule but when propane got scarce and expensive the driver was instructed by the coop to only fill to 40% so the customers were not freaked out at the cost. The driver wanted the coop to include a note in the bill saying that is what they did and to keep an eye on the tank. Nobody got a note... We had a tank run empty and it took a while to figure out what happened!!! New installation, not full to begin the month. The coop rushed right out to fill it, checking for sure it was okay first, and luckily it was before the huge price spike.

I did not lose my temper, they fixed it fast, good company, just a mix-up.

What they did was wrong and what you did was illegal. Good luck.
Frank

No auto fill contract that I have ever known of. Like I said, even if I had one once upon a time, which I"ve had this same tank for nearly 15 years, I notified them almost three years ago that I didn"t need more than 50%. In other words even if they had me on "auto fill", FULL on my tank would be only 50%, NOT 80%. To that end I have had no problems with them overfilling it for the last three or so years, until now.

Beyond that, like I stated in the original post, I have been forced to be late on the payment and pay at the 45 day point, etc in really tough times past (not within the past three years though)and that was the very reason I told them to keep me full at only 50% so I never had to worry about getting hit with a huge, unexpected bill again and be put in that position. I really don"t like to pay my bills late, but when you are self employed, an are relying on others to pay you on time in order for you to get your stuff on time, crap often happens. Heck I have a very good relationship with our bank when it comes to getting things like the mortgage paid. If I"m going to be late because of the way my jobs fall in relation to beign able to complete and bill them out, all I do is call and let them know when the payment is going to be sent.

Basically I have never had a problem with any utilities or anything else in relation to not paying, or having them turned off, and never in my years with this gas company have I had a problem, until now. Like I said, I can understand them coming out and taking their product back, but not blocking my service to product I had already paid for, regardless of the situation. You can call it what you will, but to me it amounts to nothing but an attempt to intimidate me by an industry that seems to enjoy doing it, and I"m not that easily intimidated......

Ask the sewer company at out rental house. They demanded I pay the sewer bill because I still had the water on to the property. The water was on because I had to pressure wash and clean up the outside of the house......fluid that was not going down a sewer drain. They huffed and puffed, and said I had to pay, because the service was available/usable, and that was that. I flat out refused and told them that if I didn"t want water, power, or natural gas service the company would have it turned off....and it wasn"t my problem they didn"t have sense enough to put a valve in the line to prevent their service from being used by someone who didn"t actually need it. It took them a month, and supposedly a call to their home office, but they eventually put a valve in the line so the service couldn"t be used...and I never paid them dime for the use of a service I didn"t need.....

Seems to me you're in the right... You didn't order the product. I'd think they can either wait for you to pay when you can or remove the product that you didn't order. Either way they should 'reconnect' you and get rid of the fee since you weren't in the wrong to begin with. I think I'd be nice about it first and if they get ignorant, then Mr. puncture wound would appear.

Rod

That will get you arrested!

LOL

Please explain how hooking my tank back up to allow me to use the 40% of the tank's volume that has been paid for, for well over a year, is in any way illegal. That said even if the tank is a rental, it is here at my request, and at my convenience, as long as I have paid for it, therefore it is basically MY tank to 'protect' and do with as I please until such time as the lease/rental period is expired. In other words if I lock it up, chain it to a tree, or anything else but blow it up/damage it, sell it, etc, there isn't a dang thing they can do about it.

Think about it this way. How would you feel if the cable company hooked you up for basic service, and then 'upgraded' your package and started charging you the higher price without your approval. Your stuck with the upgrade until they remove it, something they can easily do at any time, and at the same time are expecting you to pay for the whole shooting match. Then because you don't meet their demands they disconnect you completely, even though you've consistently paid for the basic service, and deny your access to that you have already paid for.

In the end it's nothing but an intimidation tactic for them where the average homeowner would have no recourse at all to comply with their demands. Unfortunately for them I'm not the average homeowner and their little 'tamperproof' plug was in no way tamperproof, so my gas was hooked back up, and I was once again able to use the product I have paid for, within about 5 minutes of seeing what they had done.

when i bought some property in the country, dassel's, our local gas co. gave me the choice of renting for 135 per yr or buy 250 gal tank for 500.00 i bought the tank. at first they pulled the once a mo surprise 100.00 plus refill bill. i called them up and told them i will request when i want more. now i plan on getting it filled 8 weeks after i have paid for it. they really teed me off a few years back so i asked another co to fill it and they told me they can't fill other co's tank, told them it's my tank, they said don't matter, wrong color can't fill.

Like I said what they did was wrong. It could be different in your state but around here it is illegal to tamper with someone else's propane tank. Whether you or I think it's justified is beside the point.

This is really interesting to read! You have "NEVER" had any issues with your propane provider until this and now you are going ballistic! If you are on an automatic fill contract you should have a copy of that contract. Conversely, if you told them that you would call them, then they should have mailed out a new contract stating that you were on a 'call-in' basis. If you didn't get a contract or you didn't sign it then the previous contract is still in force! A simple call to the branch manager should be all that is needed. Tampering with their equipment is a HORRIBLE idea! That is their equipment even though it is on your property and they have the right to check their equipment any time they want during business hours or in the case of an emergency, just read your lease agreement. Hope the house doesn't start on fire when you are gone and the neighbors call the fire department and the fire dept calls the gas company and when they get there the tank is chained to the tree so they can't get the tank out to avoid the tank blowing up and leveling your house and every other house within 300 yards! I have to say that people can get pretty emotional about things and make some really bone-head and dangerous decisions. Calm down and call your company, speak to the manager calmly and it will work out. A 500 gallon 'bomb' sitting close to your house is not something to be toying with!