HOP Energy

I signed up for the cap price plan right when oil prices tanked during spring. But they just came out on Oct 2020 and charged me 2.29 per gallon and I looked at the whole sale price and it is 1.65 lol. That's 65 cents more per gallon lol...that is money gouging...I will have to talk to them...cap price seems horrible

Automatic TLC energy service is horrible. The only thing they care is to gouge people’s money. On January 31, 2019, after I talked to Richard Johnson JR about heating oil contract, I feel it’s not a good deal and didn’t sign the contract. On 2/23/2019, they came to add 154.7 gallons heating oil @ $4.699 per gallon without my request nor my permission. The market price was about $2.52 per gallon in February, 2019. I called they to refund what they overcharged me, they refused to do so and said their market price is $4.699. They are horrible!

I left couple of messages on hop energy general mail box still waiting ,can somebody call me please, it is regarding dollarwise oil customer service

Review: The current service agreement I have in place with this company includes one annual cleaning of the boiler at no charge. Almost two months ago when I called to arrange an appointment, I was told that the first appointment available was 10/8/2015. At the time, I didn't think anything about it, other than that it was on the late side for when we usually have our boiler cleaned in preparation for the Fall. Today I called to see when my service contract expired, I was told the service contract is set to expire October 1,2015. I asked to reschedule the cleaning to happen before the service contract expired, and was told they MAY be able to send someone out tomorrow 9/9, but before she could schedule could she put me on hold to 'check with her manager?' Why she needs to check with her manager about rescheduling a simple appt. is beyond me, but now I've got the idea something's not quite right. She comes back on the line and asks me if I'm consider NOT renewing my oil contract with them, and I suddenly realize what's going on. I said I wasn't sure if I was going to renew it or not, and she put me on hold again. When she came back on the line, she said unfortunately there actually was NOT an appt. for tomorrow, and there were no appointments available until 10/2/2015 - one day AFTER my service contract expiration. At this point (because I had the intelligence to ask)she had to reveal that, yes I would be charged for the cleaning should I decide not to renew the oil contract because it would be happening after the contract expired. How convenient. Isn't there some kind of law against this? It certainly sounds like entrapment. There's no excuse for this kind of unprofessional business practice.Desired Settlement: I would like the company to schedule the cleaning before my service contract expires on October 1, 2015. That's what I signed up for, and they should be able to accommodate the request. It's over 3 weeks away.

Business

Response:

Spoke to [redacted] and explained that [redacted] was a new CSR and didn't understand all procedures completely and although her cleaning and tune up would take place after her old service contract had expired she would not be charged to have it done and it would fall under last years coverage. She understood and was fine with it.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

Review: I entered into a price capped oil contact with tlc. The first delivery was a low intoductory rate then after that I would pay 2.69 or less if the market price was lower. When I signed up for the contract the salesman quoted me the companies current market price which was very competitive with most other companies. My second delivery was at the capped price even thought most of the other local oil companies were around 20 cents per gallon cheaper. When I called to question the price the first two people I talked to said their current market price was 3.59 a gallon, about 1.10 hire than all other local companies. After speaking with other representative I learned there is no real set price. Since there is no real set price they are free to ensure the price they charge me never drops below the cap.Desired Settlement: Since I have been lied to repeatedly I would like to be let out of the contract with no penalty.

Business

Response:

The Customer

signed a Capped Pricing Agreement for the period of 3-16-15 to 3-31-16. Within the agreement it states that “if our

prevailing retail price for home heating oil drops below the Capped Price (2.69/gal)

during the Pricing Period, then you will pay our prevailing retail price for

the home heating oil.” Our current market price fluctuates daily. As the contract states, there will be an

early termination fee of $200.00. The

early termination fee will be prorated based on remaining gallons to be

delivered. If the customer would like to

terminate the account, a request in writing must be received and the Early

Termination fee will be charged.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Sincerely,

[redacted] my complaint is that when I was being sold the contract, the salesman was able to quote me a market price that was competitive with other local companies. Now that I have signed the contract I have been told that tlc does not have a set market price, and that it varies depending on the program you are in. If there is no set price then they are free to claim the price of oil is always greater than or equal to the capped price. I was misled by the salesman. I never would have agreed to this contract had he been honest about how tlc sets their pricing. Since I was lied to I would like to be released from the contract.

Business

Response:

Revdex.com

Complaint #[redacted]

This account has been researched again and the

following was explained to the customer by his Sales Representative: (1) the variable was $2.699/gal and prices had

been rising since he first signed up. (2) TLC is a Full Service Company, COD

companies charge less because they do not provide full service to their

customers. (3) The Customer is receiving New Customer pricing for the first

year. Our current market price

fluctuates daily. As the contract

states, there will be an early termination fee of $200.00. The early termination fee will be prorated

based on remaining gallons to be delivered.

If the customer would like to terminate the account, a request in

writing must be received and the Early Termination fee will be charged.

Revdex.com Complaint

#10589745

The Customer

signed a Capped Pricing Agreement for the period of 3-16-15 to 3-31-16. Within the agreement it states that “if our

prevailing retail price for home heating oil drops below the Capped Price (2.69/gal)

during the Pricing Period, then you will pay our prevailing retail price for

the home heating oil.” Our current market price fluctuates daily. As the contract states, there will be an

early termination fee of $200.00. The

early termination fee will be prorated based on remaining gallons to be

delivered. If the customer would like to

terminate the account, a request in writing must be received and the Early

Termination fee will be charged.

Review: I signed a contract with [redacted]/Hop Energy for automatic oil delivery and furnace service. Prior to signing, I asked and was told that their automatic oil delivery prices would be competitive and it was stated as such on their sales brochure. Before signing, I checked other suppliers prices and it was competitive at the time and the salesman said that it will be competitive like that throughout the contract year. [redacted]Hop Energy failed miserably to deliver on this promise. The initial delivery was the only price that was competitive. I received 3 subsequent automatic deliveries where the prices increased dramatically. Their per gallon price was 25%-30% more (ex.$3.79 other supppliers vs [redacted] price of $4.99) than 5 other suppliers I compared with. In addition, when other suppliers' prices decreased, theirs increased. When I called customer service to address this price gouging, they offered to credit me $315 but said I had to sign a year-long contract in order to get it. In essence, they gouged me and then tried to coerce me in remaining a customer. I was never allowed to actually talk to anyone in management; the customer service representatives always to had to relay questions and get back to me. The business has failed in 3 areas-false advertising (prices not competitive at all), price gouging, and coercion.

Product_Or_Service: Automatic heating oil delivery

Account_Number: XXXXXXX-X

Desired Settlement: DesiredSettlementID: Refund

I would like $315 credited to my account without any contract requirement.

Business

Response:

Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2013/03/28) */

To Whom It May Concern -

First and foremost, I would like to state that [redacted] does not participate in "false advertising", "price gouging", nor "coercion"! We operate with the utmost integrity in all aspects of our business and do our best to assist all of our customers!

With regards to [redacted] Thanh [redacted]'s complaint, the account has been reviewed thoroughly.

A call was placed to our Customer Service Department on 3/7/13 at approximately 9:49 AM at which time a protected price was discussed. In an effort to assist our customer, the CSR did ask upper management what we could do for a price and the price of $3.899 was given and verbally accepted by [redacted] Thanh [redacted]. Had that not been accepted we would have been more then happy to have a manager talk to [redacted] Thanh [redacted], as that is never a problem and Management is always available to speak with and assist our customers. In addition to giving a very competitive price, we offered to adjust the 1/24/13 delivery as well as the 3/4/13 delivery upon receipt of the signed contract.

The contract was mailed and has not come back yet, hence the deliveries have not been adjusted as of yet. In an act of good faith, we will be happy to adjust the two deliveries for [redacted] Thanh [redacted]. Those adjustments will be put through today.

I will go ahead and cancel that Contract going forward since [redacted] Thanh [redacted] does not want to sign a contract for a protected price. His oil account has been placed on Delivery Stop at this time unless we hear back from [redacted] Thanh [redacted] to request otherwise.

If we can be of further assistance, please let us know.

Best Regards,

Customer Service Manager

cc - [redacted]

General Manager

Review: On November 10th, I signed an automatic delivery contract with [redacted] for 800 gallons of oil. I have also seen them called Hop Energy, LLC. I was told that I would have a capped price of $2.34. That would be the most I would pay, but if the daily rate was lower, I would pay that rate. At the time, the price was $1.99, but for 1st time deliveries it was going to be $1.89. I had called multiple oil delivery places, and all were charging about $1.99 for oil delivery at that time. The man I spoke with assured me that the daily rates were comparable to other oil companies daily rates.

My next oil delivery occurred on 12/18/15. I was charged my cap rate of $2.34. I called 5 oil companies in the area and all were charging $1.99 at that time. I then called [redacted] and asked what the daily rate for oil delivery was. I was told $1.99, but for first time deliveries it was $1.49. When I questioned the discrepancy in what I was billed, I was transferred. At that point, I was told that oil was really $2.69, and I was getting a great deal because of my "contracted cap".

I feel that this is a complete scam. My only recourse is to cancel the contract, at which point they would bill me at least $200 for breaking the contract. It is obvious that every oil delivery will be at my capped price, which doesn't make any sense at all. That is not the point of this kind of plan. If I had known this, I would have just prepaid for the amount of oil I wanted.Desired Settlement: I will never do business with this fraudulent company again, but in the meantime, I would like one of two things.

1. I would like to be fairly billed for oil delivery. Their own company said oil was $1.99, but I am being billed my capped price of $2.34 per gallon. Doesn't seem reasonable when oil is the lowest it has been in years.

2. I would like to get out of my contract without being penalized with a fee.

Business

Response:

January 5, 2016

Revdex.com Complaint #[redacted]

Customer #[redacted]

In response

to the Customer’s complaint regarding the capped pricing plan and cancellation

of her account without a fee, her account has been closed with no outstanding

balance.

Review: We were advised by [redacted] sales person and others to replace our old boiler during service calls related to some part repairs. Sales person repeatedly called and showed us the math on how we can help save 30% in oil costs based on past 2 years usage and how these savings alone can pay for the new boiler. Also, this new boiler would not require as much maintenance and service calls compared to old boiler because it had better technology etc. So, we trusted the expert Sales Person and [redacted] and agreed to replace the boiler in July 2013. As of May 2013, we have seen increase in oil usage, 3 service calls in last couple of months, increase in electricity usage (almost double in the winter). I called the [redacted] several times and spoke with Installation Manager, Service Manager and [redacted]. I tried to reach senior executives but no one would connect me to them. During all our conversations, the managers gave excuses after excuses without acknowledging the factual data which shows how my oil usage is up and service calls are high and taking responsibility for their promises/actions. The reasons given by [redacted] managers are:

1. Bad winter: We keep our room temperature below 70 degrees throughout the day. Even if we account for bad winter, there should be some savings using more efficient boiler which we didn't realize.

2. Addition to home: We did an addition but at the same time we completely shut off two out of 4 zones entire winter which should have more than compensated the addition.

3. Hot water usage: We had two less adults NOT living in the house during entire month of December and some part of January. Also, I travel majority of the week days which should actually result in less hot water usage.

4. Indirect Water Heater: 30% reduction occurs only if we install indirect water heater. Actually we had 2 year old [redacted] Water Heater even before changing the boiler which was known to [redacted] before they quoted 30% reduction

5. Company Literature: [redacted] sales person says he was just quoting what was in the boiler literature. Sales Person clearly showed the math from past 2 years usage and how 30 % will save money and can be used to pay for the new boiler. He knew I had indirect water heater (physically saw it) and he know my usage, and he was supposed to be expert in boilers. We relied on his expertise to make our decision

6. Bad Parts: As per [redacted] managers, high service calls are not their fault as the parts like circulator etc. wear down over period of time and they cannot be responsible. I have 4 zones and other circulators didn't break down as often. Also, they replaced a circulator and in 2 days that broke down. I expected them to use good quality products/parts to do the installation and expect them to be backup their work quality including parts.

7. Customer Service: I am disappointed with the way they handled my calls as I felt as all the managers were not focusing on helping my problem. Rather they were trying to defend and deflect blame on nature or parts company before analyzing the problem.

Overal, I feel like I was totally misled by [redacted]. If not for their repeated promises, I wouldn't have changed my old boiler as I was perfectly happy with the boiler. They pursued me repeatedly to change the boiler with more efficient and reliable boiler but in reality I got inferior (if not the same) quality boiler with more or same oil usage and high service calls within one year. I am worried what will happen after one year when the warranty expires. I am worried I will continue to use more oil and pay for more service calls and would be in a worse situation compared to my old boiler.Desired Settlement: I want [redacted] to back up with what they claimed and promised to entice me making decision to replace my boiler. I would like to have the following settlement:

1. Replace the boiler with more efficient boiler at their charge, OR, Discount my oil price in the past and in the future that reflects atleast 30% savings in oil usage,

AND

2. Cover all serivce calls and parts/labor for the next 4 years (Gold plan or whatever) as I was told that the new boiler should be very reliable.

Business

Response:

We are sorry to hear that Mr. [redacted] is unhappy with his recent installation but there were a few factors that were not taken into account in his complaint. The installation sold for only $6109 and not the $11000 that it would have been if the whole unit were replaced. The reason for this lower price was because Mr. [redacted] requested that we re-use all of his circulators, flow valves, oil line and some of the piping in the basement which would have an impact on efficiency. The service issues that Mr. [redacted] notes in his complaint were all related in some way to these items that he requested that we not replace (despite this, we did not charge him for any of these calls). The increase in electricity (which he mentions) could be the bad circulator, which is a part that we subsequently had to replace.

Review: The below describes the issues regarding my fathers account with [redacted] Fuel/ HOP Energy. Name and address was removed for his privacy and replaced with XXX.Hello [redacted],I am contacting you in regards to the calls made on behalf of my fathers account at xxx. We would like some answers regarding the billing and deliveries made to his home for heating oil. Several calls have been made and we have still not heard back.We are going to make a complaint to the Revdex.com for billing discrepancies and price gouging as a variable price contract was never signed for my fathers account. Also, deliveries for 21 and 61 gallons seem silly and not at all appreciated. We want to see a complete billing and delivery history as we are having trouble understanding details regarding the last delivery in December 2013 especially. I have made inquiries with several local heating oil dealers in the area and have found no other prices to be higher than yours. It is very disconcerting that your business practices seem to disregard the plight of seniors in the area and feel it is not necessary to return phone calls when a customer needs to speak to you.If you are not prepared to address our concerns please advise your manager to contact us directly.Sincerely,xxx(on Behalf of my father)Desired Settlement: Courteous follow up and price adjustment for the delivery and correction to billing invoice since no contract was set for variable rate pricing.

Business

Response:

Sorry for the misundestanding as I have tried days ago to respond and I guess we sent it to the wrong address. We have looked into the the complaint and have some confusion over the claims being made. We are in possession of the signed contract from the customer for variable rate. The customer did indeed recieve a first delivery at the introductory rate of $2.999 and subsequint deliveries at the variable rate. As far as " frequent silly" deliveries we had no history for this new customer and were simply trying to establish their usage. Since this complaint the customer has been contacted and offered a fixed rate for the year at $3.749 but the complaintant said that price was too high and refused so we are releasing her / him from his contract with no penalties or further obligation.

Review: Last April (2015) we signed a contract with [redacted] stipulating that we were going to get the capped oil price of $2.99/gallon and if we paid an additional fee of $224.00 (based on our previous years oil consumption), we would also be guaranteed the lowest price per gallon if the prices went below $2.99. We paid and when the prices plummeted and everyone we knew was getting oil for under $2.00/gallon, the lowest price we ever saw was $2.89 for ONE delivery. All other deliveries were at $2.99. We think this appears to be a scam. There is just no way that when everyone else was paying far less than us, that we never saw any benefits to a program we had to PAY to get into. We have selected a new full service oil company and are getting our oil at $1.79/gallon. This same company told me that their last year lock in capped price was $1.79 but when the prices dropped they brought the capped price down to $1.50!!! [redacted], in our opinion, should have, at the very least, given us back the money we spent trying to get the lowest price possible. Additionally we wanted to put our home back on the market this year and our realtor told us to try to get the lowest possible oil price to help sell which obviously never happened. We guess more than anything we feel that many people are getting equally impacted by this. The program seriously does appear to be a scam.Desired Settlement: We have already discontinued our service with them so we are now getting the best oil prices.

Business

Response:

We have reviewed Mr. [redacted] account and see he entered into our Capped agreements twice in 2015 (1/8/2015 -program fee $70.00 and 4/1/2015- program fee $140.00). The terms of our contract state "if our prevailing retail price for home heating oil drops below the Capped Priced during the Pricing Period then you will pay our prevailing retail price for home heating oil." Our retail price did not drop below the Capped Price during the timeframe Mr. [redacted] was under agreement (outside of the one delivery he mentioned in his complaint). [redacted] Express is a full service home heating oil company and our rates reflect 24/7 emergency service, worry free automatic delivery and experienced licensed heating and cooling service technicians. With that being said, we are sorry to see Mr. [redacted] leave us as a customer and as a good faith gesture have credited his account $210.00 (total for program fees). Thank you.Sincerely,Barbara [redacted]Customer Service Manager[redacted] Express [redacted]

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

Hi, Thank you for assisting in getting us a refund of the money we spent to receive the lowest possible prices. We are fine with them returning that money to us as long as it's in the form of a check and not a credit with their company since we are no longer customers there. Sincerely appreciate your help. [redacted] and [redacted]

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

A refund check in the amount of $269.98 will be issued to the customer. They should receive this check in the mail by the end of the month (February). Thank you.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

Review: see Attached documentDesired Settlement: see Attached document

Business

Response:

Response:

Review: Furnace related repair issue. January 6, 2014 a service tech. came to our home, found the the EWC damper actuator switch to our second story damper duct was broken. On checking he told us there were no replacement parts due to its age (about 18 years). They would order a new damper assembly and I signed a form authorizing them to order the parts. January 16, 2014 I called customer service explained the issue. They attempted to call the service supervisor, but there was no answer. They promised to leave him a message to check on the status and call me back. January 27, 2014 I called TLC and customer rep. [redacted] said they put in an order but had to send a man out to measure the duct. Question. How could they put in the order without this information back on January 6? Had they been doing anything sine January 6? A tech stopped by and measured the duct that night. February 12, 2014 I called again and was transferred to [redacted] in the Service Area. She said the part was ordered and she would let the supervisor know we are waiting for the fix. April 12, 2014 I called for the fourth time and talked with [redacted] in Customer Service. She checked the log and said that the service supervisor [redacted] had apparently checked on the status recently. She called him, but there was no answer. She said she would leave him a voice mail and an email asking him to call me that day, or the next day. No contact has been received. It has been almost 4 months with no follow up contacts with us to explain the situation and present a reasonable solution. In the meantime I must go into the basement to manually adjust the damper in our two zone home to apportion the heat. I am very tired of this and need assistance.Desired Settlement: Tell us the exact part/repair status, what, if anything has been ordered and whether the parts/repair will ever be done. Outside of the significant inconvenience of manually adjusting the damper we are left in the dark about whether to stay with TLC or go to another company if they cannot do the repair work. We need answers so we can decide what to do. Thanks.

Business

Response:

We have taken corrective action by replacing the defective zone damper. Mr. [redacted] is now satisfied based on the end result.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

I received a call from the TLC Service Manager Friday, April 4, 2014. As I was out, the call went to voice mail. Having checked voice mail after their business hours I called back and left him a voice mail. Monday morning, April 7 we discussed the situation by telephone. Due to the long wait on our part he considered the repair/service call charge a “wash” resulting in no charge to us. He offered to have a technician come to our place Monday afternoon. The technician arrived at 1 pm, looked at the damper on the furnace, called his office and left to pick up the new damper/actuator motor. He returned with the part and had it in place and running by 3:30 pm Monday. So far the furnace damper appears to be working correctly.

I forgot to mention in the previous email the technician also said there would be no charge. The technician was friendly, helpful in explaining the two zone damper operation, and left no mess on his departure.

Sincerely,

Review: I have been a loyal propane and oil customer of [redacted] Oil's for a number of years (since 2006). I have always thought their customer service was excellent up until about a year ago. The subject of my dispute is my oil bill (dated 1/28/2015). The amount due on that invoice is $732.17. This balance is based off of my contracted rate of $3.65 per gallon (at that time). I signed my contracted agreement in October of 2014. After careful review of my contract, it clearly states that if the “…prevailing retail price for home heating oil drops below the Capped Price during the Pricing Period then [I] will pay [the] prevailing retail price for home heating oil.” Knowing that this is the reason I signed my contract back in October, I emailed [redacted] Oil (twice before a response) via [redacted]’s web site, to ask why I’m still being charged $3.65 per gallon, since [redacted] has dropped their “prevailing retail price” to $2.69 a gallon at that time.

After some time, I finally receive a call back from a woman on Friday, February 13, 2015 at approximately 5:15 p.m. in the evening. I explain my confusion. She states that the “retail price” in question is “[redacted]’s retail price,” and that this rate essentially never drops. She explains this is because their company has the forward thinking to have email, a web site, and the ability for their employees to work from home. This response from the company is to say the least, ridiculous. To insinuate that I am being charged a higher rate because their company operates, as most do these days, with email and a VPN connection, is laughable. I’m sure that if the owner of the company heard this woman say this to a customer, they would cringe, because that’s not a good enough explanation, not to mention these “enhancements” are nowhere mentioned in my contract as being the reason I paid close to $1,000 to fill my oil tank, instead of $500 or $600. I allowed the woman to finish her “speech” and thanked her for her time; she was clearly a bit ignorant to today’s business standard operating procedures. In short, she admits on the phone to me that this “retail price” mentioned in my contract never drops – but then how could you write that into my contract? Interesting.

My second attempt for some clarification came from a phone call my husband made to the Portland office, on the morning of February 16, 2015. He speaks with a woman that is down-right offensive and rude, when all he was doing was asking a simple billing question. My guess is by this time, they have received many calls concerning their supposed “retail price” and she had already heard this question from other upset customers and decided to take it out on my husband. The explanation he receives from this woman is that the “retail price” that I previously received from one of their representatives ($2.69) on the phone was for new customers only – although the other representative never mentioned that. She also stated that there was a different “retail price” for people already in contracts – but she refused to give him that figure. If this price was $3.69 or higher, why wouldn’t she provide it?

I find it both interesting and ridiculous that this company is trying to dupe long time customers. This is what I think happened: 1.) [redacted] Oil/HOP Energy purchased my contracted 950 gallons of oil at approximately $3.69 back in October 2014; 2.) They did not foresee an extreme drop in energy prices; 3.) Now they are trying to keep from losing money by refusing to adjust their contracted customers “retail price” to $1.99 or $2.69 a gallon.

In conclusion, I would have never signed a contract for the 2014 - 2015 season if it wasn’t for that one liner that the contract states: “…if our prevailing retail price for home heating oil drops below the Capped Price during the Pricing Period then you will pay our prevailing retail price for home heating oil.” There is no explanation in my contract about daily rate verses contracted rate verses new customer verses old customer. All of this double-talk is simply that.

I am asking that my account be honored with the per gallon price of $2.69 for my January 28th, 2015 bill, along with the appropriate and fair retail price going forward (until my contract ended in October 2015).

Something to consider: [redacted] Oil’s web site as of Feb. 17th, 2015 stated that Capped contracts should be receiving the lower “market” price, which is not what their representative’s suggest. I have documentation to prove this, as well.

You may be asking yourself where I’m getting $2.69 from. Well, this can be answered simply. I phoned [redacted] Oil on February 13, 2015 to ask them what the current “prevailing retail price for home heating oil” was and I was told that the price was $1.99 for a one time purchase, and $2.69 for a contracted rate. Clearly this is lower than $3.65 per gallon that I was being charged at the time.Desired Settlement: I am asking that my account be honored with the per gallon price of $2.69 for my January 28th, 2015 bill, along with the appropriate and fair retail price going forward (until my contract ended in October 2015).

Business

Response:

In response to Revdex.com Complaint #[redacted], this account has been terminated per the Customer. There was a pricing plan in place throughout 2015 and the customer received oil deliveries based on the pricing plan without question regarding price. There is a $0.00 balance on the account.

Review: For my first delivery of home heating oil I was charged over $4.60 per gallon which I felt was outrages. Checking with other suppliers the average was around $3.61 per gallon. I feel I was taken advantage of since I received earlier this fall a advertisement from HOP Energy for new customers at $3.60 per gallon. Thank god I am still gainfully employed and not a senior citizen on a fixed income. This type of price gouging is a disgrace and needs to be investigated.Desired Settlement: I would like to be invoiced at the going rate of $3.60. I have since changed my home heating oil company. I have paid half of the existing invoice.

Business

Response:

On behalf of CT Refining , As a courtesy, we have issues a credit of $188.81 for 11/30/13 delivery of 189 gls based on 3.60 per gallon. A statement was sent with the new balance of $230.40 .

Sincerely,

Customer Service Manger

CT Refining Company

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

Review: I was contacted by an account manager by the name of [redacted] who offered me a promotional program for home delivery of heating oil. I told him I was not interested due to the people I know who have had bad experiences with their particular oil supplier contracts. I told him my concerns of not wanting to be locked into a "fixed price program" because oil prices could be dropping. He told me not to worry because by the time my contract becomes effective he will lock me in a rate that I will not go over in case prices sky rocket. I reiterated that I do not want a "locked-in" price, but he assured me that I will still have the Variable price program and it is more so for insurance than the actual prices I will be paying. So once I was assured of my flexibility with pricing via good or bad, I signed a "Promotional Variable Price Program" to have heating oil delivered to my residence. Dates of Contract are 3/28/14 to 3/31/15. In June of 2014 I received another contract similar to the one I signed, this time with one change in the contract "fixed price program" and the amount to be delivered which is 850 gallons. I signed it, assuming this is the price lock that [redacted] had previously talked to me about so that I could lock in my price as a worst case scenario. So, currently I have two contracts one with Variable Pricing signed on 3/28/14 and one with Fixed Pricing signed on 6/19/14. Now the billing nightmare begins...I received one delivery on 3/29/14 and paid a promotional price of $3.199/gal for 217.7 gallons. I received another delivery on 9/15/14 for a promotional price of $3.199/gal for 197.3 gallons. I received another delivery on 12/3/14 for a price of $3.499 for 206.2 gallons. I received another delivery on 12/31/14 for a price of $3.499 for 161.8 gallons. So far, according to contract I have a total of 783 gallons delivered out of 850 to fulfill my quantity amount. I noticed oil prices were dropping and contacted the [redacted] in [redacted] about why my billing is so high. While dealing with an account representative I learned that my first two deliveries did not count because they were at the promotional rate. I was surprised and tried to explain the oil was delivered after the contract was signed and should count towards my quantity obligation. I pretty much got nowhere, so I requested to talk to the Account Representative and left my name and phone number on 12/24/14 for [redacted] to call me. I never received a phone call after about a week. I called again on 12/30/14 and was told [redacted] was on the phone and that he would call back after I again left my name and phone number. Still no response. I felt that I was being avoided so I called again, and told the operator that I am a new customer and I was referred to [redacted]. Immediately he picks up the phone and starts his sales pitch and we talk and we get to the point where we are talking about my address and he sees that it is already it the system. I proceed to tell him my issues with both my contract and delivery amounts. He agreed that my "Fixed Price Program" contract was not right remembering the conversation that we had previous to me signing anything. He confirmed that there is no reason that I should have the fixed price program and it seems to be an error with Corporate. "From time to time" these things happen and he will get it straightened out. He promised that he will call me if nothing else but as a courtesy understanding my frustration to see whether or not he heard back or not. That call was never made and I told him on the phone that I will be withholding payment until my contract discrepancy is resolved and he had 100% agreement in me doing so. Fast forward to 2/17/15, I notice my house is freezing and check my oil tank and it is empty. I call for emergency service to relight my furnace and get me through the night. There was a bill for $331.52 for the emergency service. The next day 2/18/15, someone (I think her name was [redacted] or [redacted]) from the creditors department told me that they have been trying to contact me, which was never true. I assured her I have been waiting on their call for over a month. We start getting into contract talks and she told me that the fixed price program is the current contract. I pleaded my case with her pretty much stating, I see no where on the second contract (fixed price program) that I give up liability from my first contract. I also stated that, my initial contract should take precedence over anything else subsequent to it. I pretty much left her with the notion that [redacted] covered themselves in two ways, one you have me with the Variable Price Program so if the prices go up they can "choose" to honor that. If the prices go down, which they currently are, they can "choose" to honor the Fixed Price Program. I told her if your staff member/my account manager is stating that is an error on [redacted]'s part, what is so difficult in rectifying the situation. I assured her I want to pay my bill, I have excellent credit. I don't expect to get something for nothing. I have honored everything in my initial contract but they have yet to. Even looking at initial emails about promotional price of $3.199 that is pertinent to the Variable Price Program not Fixed in my email correspondence with the Account Manager, so how all of a sudden you honor some of my contract but not all.Desired Settlement: I want to pay fair market value for the goods that I received on the days that I received it. I called other oil companies to see what their pricing was on particular dates to get a ballpark figure of what I should be paying on certain delivery dates.

Business

Response:

Revdex.com #[redacted]

Customer

signed a Promotional Variable Price contract on March 28, 2014; he then signed

a Fixed Price Agreement to lock in his price at $3.499/gallon on June 19,

2014. The second contract is the most

current contract on file. A signed agreement

is in place and the fixed price per gallon of $3.499 will remain in place.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Do not agree with HOP's position. "Current" does not mean only. I never released liability of my first contract. So legally they are both current, it is just left to HOP to decide what contract they will use. I do not see an agreement that releases me from my initial contract. There seems to be unethical business practices in which, a business has a customer under two contracts when the customer clearly stated what their intent was and was promised as such. There was a verbal agreement, then an initial contractual agreement, then a misrepresented contractual agreement where a company representative stated was a mistake on their part. My intent was to give HOP reliable business, their intent is to take advantage of the business they get from me.

Review: Entered into Capped Price Oil Delivery Contract from 8/11/2015 to 8/31/2016. Capped price is not to exceed $2.299 per gallon however if prevailing retail price for home heating oil drops below the Capped Price of $2.299 then customer will be charged the lower retail price.

I have had 5 oil deliveries (approx 500 gallons) since inception and all were charged at the Capped price of $2.299. This would be acceptable if the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection - Connecticut Heating Oil Regional Retail Prices were not reflecting significantly lower retail prices! The average retail price for my region is below $1.899 per gallon. http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=4120&Q=481616.

Furthermore, [redacted] affiliate [redacted] pricing is currently $1.599 on a day when my oil delivery slip is reflecting $2.899 from [redacted] and being charged at the Capped price of $2.299. I called [redacted] to ask how they determine "their" retail pricing and was told they could not provide that information. My 5 deliveries have all ranged from $2.599 to $3.19 in handwritten retail price amounts. When I originally spoke to my [redacted], I made it very clear that I was a former [redacted] customer that left because of price gouging and unethical practices on behalf of [redacted]. I had been utilizing the delivery service from their affiliated company [redacted] since that time and I explained to him that since I am a net 10 paying customer I would only switch back to [redacted] if the retail pricing was aligned with [redacted] for which I was told yes it was. THAT WAS A CLEAR LIE AND MISREPRESENTATION.

This contract is deceitful as I signed what I was led to believe was a "Capped" pricing structure where I would be charged the lower of $2.29 OR the retail rate. I am clearly being charged a FIXED rate of $2.29 per gallon regardless of retail pricing trends Connecticut-wide or retail pricing being charged by their affiliate company, [redacted].

I emailed [redacted] with these concerns with no response.Desired Settlement: I want my oil delivery contract immediately terminated without being charged a pro rated early termination fee.

I want to be refunded for the overpayments made by my being charged a fixed rate of $2.29 per gallon when published Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection Heating Oil Regional Retail Prices were well below $1.899.

500 gallons X ($2.299 - $1.899) = $200

I also entered into a [redacted] service contract at inception. I expect this to run until 08/31/16 without reprisal

Business

Response:

Revdex.com

Complaint #[redacted]

Account

#[redacted]

This Customer

has received five (5) deliveries since the capped contract was signed in

October. The October delivery was made

at $1.699 price per gallon, the November, December and January 11, 2016

deliveries were made at $2.29 price per gallon and the January 28, 2016

delivery was at $1.99 price per gallon. The current price per gallon on the account

is $1.99. [redacted] is a COD company

and the prices are different than a full service company. The Customer has been billed a lower amount

than the capped price as the contract stated.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Review: CRC installed a new gas furnace for me in December of 2013. Earlier this year my furnace stopped working. CRC refused to come out and take a look at it saying it was because I was late on my payments (by that time the account was PIF). I had another company come out to look at it and they told me that there is no liner in the chimney and debris clogged the opening to the furnace. I checked my paperwork from CRC which stated that a liner would be installed. I feel like I got scammed-this is something that I would never have thought to check on if there wasn't an issueDesired Settlement: install the liner as promised

Business

Response:

Review: We bought our home just over 1 year ago. We have had prior experience with [redacted] when we were renters. It only seemed right to continue my service with [redacted] because I had built a solid relationship with my account manager, [redacted] set up our budget plan at $250.00 per month, which we came to together by looking at the prior homeowners usage and my other monthly expenses. Upon [redacted]'s departure from [redacted] my budget plan was supposedly re-assessed and was increased to $340.00 per month, a $90.00 change that I can not afford. I was not informed that [redacted] was leaving, which is not a big deal but I should have been informed that his departure would greatly impact my monthly budget plan. I just continue receiving bills from [redacted] that I can barely pay as well as past due notices and late fees.Desired Settlement: I would like [redacted] to honor my existing budget plan of $250.00 per month as well as them to adjust the extra payments that I have been able to scrape up and a refund of any and all late charges. I would also like a signed formal apology in writing. I will also be closing my account with [redacted] once my now $1300.00 bill is paid up.

Business

Response:

Please see the attached response to Ms. [redacted] complaint and account activity breakdown. Thank you.

Review: I had a prepay contract with [redacted] for 800 gallons of fuel oil for this last heating season. All 800 gallons were delivered by March, including an additional 34.8 gallons of oil for which I was charged an outrageous $5.28 / gallon. I paid for this additional oil and thought that I was done with TLC for the season.On May 9, 2014 [redacted] delivered an additional 176.5 gallons of fuel oil. I did not ask for this oil and since I have a 550 gallon tank, I certainly don't need the oil. The price charged was $4.899 / gallon. I spoke to an [redacted] representative earlier last week and she told me that this can be reduced to $3.89 / gallon but only if I enter into a new prepay contract for next year. I checked the spot price of heating oil and as of today it ranges from $3.35 to $3.39 per gallon delivered. I believe that I am the victim of unethical business practices and price gouging by [redacted] .Desired Settlement: 1. I want a refund a refund of the price charged over market for the 34.8 gallons of fuel oil delivered in March and the 176.5 gallons delivered in May.2. I want to cancel my automatic delivery contract with [redacted] and obtain their agreement not to deliver any oil to my residence in the future.3. Given the number of recent similar repetitive complaints against Automatic TLC, I would like to have the Revdex.com downgrade their rating of this business.

Business

Response:

To whom it may concern,

Per customer desired settlement , [redacted] issued a credit in the amount of $254.79 for 34.8gls and 176.5gs. Account has been cancelled and a final statement has been sent.

We thank Mr.[redacted] for his past services and wish him well in his new endeavor.

Best Regards,

[redacted] Customer Service Manager

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

Review: During this past heating season I purchased 350 gallons of oil at a pre-buy price of $3.69/gallon. I am also setup to have automatic delivery so I do not have to worry about running out of oil. On sunday March 16th my girlfriend and I came home to a very cold house and found that our oil tank was indeed empty. I immediately called [redacted] about this issue and was informed someone would be out shortly. The service technician did arrive within the hour and provided 10 gallons of "emergency" oil and started the furnace. The next day I called [redacted] to verify there would be no charges due to this being their mistake. I was told the service was free but I would be charged for the 10 gallons of oil. I informed them I was not going to pay for additional oil since I had already purchased 350 gallons, and that they could subtract 10 gallons from what I previously purchased. I still believe this to be unfair since it was their fault for not monitoring my oil needs close enough. Then on March 24th I received a bill for $231 for filling up my tank after they had let it run dry. The reason for the bill was due to their not being enough pre-bought oil to cover filling the tank. They charged me for 43.6 gallons of oil at an outrageous price of $5.29/gallon. I immediately called them to complain because I did not ask for them to fill my tank with oil I had not previously purchased. I was told that they could reduce the price to the current pre-buy price of $3.91/gallon and that I would be able to make two payments. One payment of $100 by April 15th and the remaining $71 by May 17th. Regardless of what [redacted] did to try and right the situation I am still completely unsatisfied and outraged by their terrible customer service. They still have not provided an explanation for why they let my oil tank go empty even though I have automatic delivery. And then they have the nerve to deliver oil I did not request and significantly overcharge me for it.Desired Settlement: I believe that I should be refunded for the 43.6 gallons of oil that I never asked for [redacted] to deliver.

Business

Response:

To whom it may concern,

On behalf of [redacted] Energy, as a courtesy, we have credited [redacted]'s account in the amount of $226.56, leaving a zero balance. [redacted]s account is currently terminated.

Best Regards

Hazel [redacted]

Customer Service Manager

[redacted] Energy