High Grade Gas Service, Inc.

High Grade Gas Service makes it clear
to every renter upon account setup that the equipment maintenance fee
comes due once per yearThose on fixed incomes or tight budgets are
encouraged to apply payments as credits to their account in
anticipation of the yearly feeShould the fee become past due we
make collection attemptsWe are not a loan company and it is not
our responsibility to idly sit by and wait for customers to send in
payments in good faithThe residents need to take some
responsibility into their own hands and be proactive in their
handling of finances
I am unsure of what Ms*** is
referring to with her remarks about unlawfulnessWe have
confirmed all of the information in my first response with State of
Connecticut employeesWe have spoken to a Mr*** upon others
within the *** ***'s office and Department of *** *** who have confirmed that we may take necessary actions to
collect payment
It is clear that the customer is
frustratedI would suggest she try to do more research in what may
be available through social security or related programs to help her
if with the payment if she needs itUnfortunately our fee will not
be waived as it is essential to our business operation at the complex
and we require bills to be paid on time as most businesses do

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
Sincerely,
*** ***

Mr*** signed a contract with High Grade Gas
Service on April 10, 2014. Please see
the attachment on his signed agreement which clearly states the $tank
removal charge of $150.
Also note
section “Section Termination” which says the customer agrees to give High
Grade Gas Service thirty days written notice prior to service termination
(which Mr*** did NOT do). It also
states that the customer shall use all propane in the tank, otherwise all
remaining propane in the tank upon removal shall become property of High Grade
Gas Service. Mr*** did not adhere
to any of the conditions in the termination clause of his agreement
Also note on Mr***’s contract that the equipment
provided under the lease does
include blocks on which the tank sits.
My service technician clearly attests when disconnecting the previous
company’s tank, also moving the pre-existing blocks aside and setting new
blocks from our yard to support our tank.
Whatever may have happened to the pre-existing blocks is unknown, but I
am certain that the concrete blocks on which our tank sat was ours and is
included in the lease agreement as such.
Please note on the attached invoice that Mr*** was billed for the
missing blocks
The final gauge reading on the invoice (see attached)
was 28%. Frankly, the website Mr
*** lists that he used to calculate the gallons left in his tank is a very
elementary, inaccurate way of calculation.
But being so close to the holidays, the last thing I want to do is argue
about a few gallons. So I have refunded
Mr*** for gallons of gas, less his tank removal charge and missing
blocks. I will send him a refund check
for a grand total of $19.10. I will be
including all of the attached documents for Mr*** in case he has any
questions.
Let it also be noted that this customer has been at
best a very contentious and combative gentleman to deal with. Best
wishes to the newest company that has taken him on. I don’t believe it will be long before they
too end up on Mr***’s list of “no-good rotten’s” along with us and his
previous company…

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:[redacted] Betts  has no clue about what transpired when the tank was set.  Why would they use new blocks?  There was a stack of blocks next to where the tank was dropped.  The tank that brought to me was the same size as the previous tank.  I was the one that set the tank with my backhoe on the blocks that were there.   Its my word against theirs.  When I called to disconnect I was told that the call was sufficient.  In response to the accusations  about me being "  very contentious and combative gentleman to deal with."   I would like to remind them that I was on automatic fill.   I ran out of propane because some one wasn't paying attention.  When I called, I was told that they would not be in my area until next week.  If I wanted a delivery there would be an extra charge because it was not a scheduled delivery, even though it was there fault.  They seem to have forgotten that customer service and being polite is what is all that anyone is looking for.  ...Socontentious and combative you bet.  A better way to put it is standing up for oneself.  They can keep their refund.  Its not that important at this point.   So this issue stands unresolved.  Hygrade is the only one on my “no-good rotten’s” list.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

We are sorry this customer feels this way.

In response to Ms. [redacted]'s complaint
on our meter shutoff notification, I would first and foremost like to
make clear that High Grade Gas Service is NOT a utility. We are a
service provider under contract with [redacted] Housing. We
have many tens of thousands of dollars in equipment...

within the
apartment complex that we own, service, and maintain. Yearly testing
and maintenance are done on tanks, gas lines, and meters whether or
not the residents are aware of it. We are under contract to provide
fuel at a fixed rate above supply. We charge a yearly maintenance
fee to each account supplied by it's own meter. Every resident is
informed at the time of initial account setup that this charge occurs
yearly and those on fixed incomes are highly encouraged to send in
monthly payments over the summer months to apply to their account.
 
So what is the difference between what
we do and what a utility does? Utility accounts such as electric or
natural gas are guaranteed payment utilities in that if they fail to
collect from a customer, they have financial backing from state or
federal government, municipalities, or private investors. Employees
still get paid and work continues to be funded. We on the other hand
are a family owned and operated company, built from a backyard with
no funding available other than what we collect from the customers we
service. If we fail to collect we go out of business. Furthermore,
our equipment maintenance fee is much lower than any other utility
when broken down into a monthly figure. Our $7.50/month is very
reasonable when compared to natural gas customers that pay about
double that figure per month and Eversource customers which pay
nearly 3x that figure PER MONTH for service fees.
 
Why aren't our voices heard?
The man hours behind the service and maintenance of the equipment are
great. The energy and materials spent billing and collecting is
huge. The time spent on the phones and with the state for government
assistance payments on behalf of many of the residents is
overwhelming. And yet we are still met with not gratification, but
dismay, complaints, and at times threats. One resident even went so
far as to threaten one of our office staff with a weapon if further
collection attempts were made. As far as we are concerned we are the
ones being treated unfairly.
 
In conclusion, Ms. [redacted] and all other
residents at the complex will continue to pay yearly for an equipment
maintenance fee. If all collection attempts are exhausted with no
success, further actions may be taken as needed.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: They clearly state that it is ok to make monthly payments! That's what I was doing! 3 installments! I have NEVER been late paying a bill and even had a credit at the beginning of this season which means I OVERPAID at one point! So...why do I get threatened a shut off???!! Does it really matter if I make payments BEFORE the bill is sent out or AFTER?? Either way your getting your money! Regardless...I am on Social Security Disability and threatening to shut off my heat in the middle of NOVEMBER because I made monthly payments is against the LAW! I checked! You might think I owed you hundreds and hundred of dollars! They have caused me great anxiety and made me sick over this!
Sincerely,
[redacted]

It is our company policy to always use our own blocks when setting our tanks, which is why it is included in the contract as part of the "equipment to be provided" section.  Again, I would like to point out that this is all in the attached document that was signed by the customer upon account setup. Mr. [redacted] fails to mention that he had a different source of fuel as his main heating source.  He was very unpredictable in when and how he would use the propane as heat.  We make clear to customers that go on automatic that any dramatic change in usage pattern that the customer does not notify us of is then the customer's responsibility.  I am sorry Mr. [redacted] feels that we are responsible for predicting when he decides to use oil for heat and when he decides to use propane.  In addition, we had to make special arrangements every time Mr. [redacted] received a delivery to have a gate opened which additional time and effort for our office staff and drivers.  Mr. [redacted]'s refund check for $19.10 was sent out via US postal service yesterday.  Whether the customer decides to cash the check or not will be left up to him.

On behalf of High Grade Gas Service, I apologize that this customer feels the way he or she does.  Unfortunately the increase in meter maintenance charge is solely a contractual issue between the managing company of the apartments and High Grade Gas Service.  High Grade Gas Service is not...

in the position to discuss this contractual issue with any tenants individually.  If said customer wishes to have his or her attorney contact us or the managing company of the apartment in which he or she rents, we would be happy to discuss the legal implications.