Norbert E. Mitchell

Complaint ID#: ***Company Name: Norbert EMitchell Co., Inc.Company Contact Name: *** ***Company Contact Phone: *** Company Contact Email:
***Consumer's Name: *** * ***Revdex.com Staff Member (if you know): *** ***Complaint Information: An account for *** *** was established on 4/20/For the past years of doing business with *** ***, our company has been very accommodating and patient in helping *** *** manage her energy expensesThe reason for the service charge is because service calls from a licensed technician are necessary in order to turn off and turn back on a propane gas meterIf payment isn’t made, the result is that the fuel supply is shut offWhen payment is eventually made, we then have to send a licensed technician again out to the home to turn the system back on, and check the heating system to ensure it has resumed functioningOnly a licensed technician can interrupt and re-activate a propane gas system, so our minimum Service Charge is necessary and appropriate in this circumstanceIn the month leading up to this incident, *** *** was informed multiple times that her meter would be turned off if we did not hear from her regarding her accountWe are in agreement that she did acknowledge our technicians arrival and presence at her home on 3/30/We have documented that our technician arrived at the home at 9:30am and informed *** *** why he was thereShe advised the technician that she did not have the cash to make payment however she would call the office to make payment by phone right awayThe technician agreed and returned to his company vehicle to inform the office and await further instruction*** *** by her own admission states that she called the office minutes later to attempt to make said paymentOur technician was at her home until 10am at which time, no payment was received, and the fuel supply was shut off as directed by our Credit DepartmentWe wish to continue servicing and providing fuel to *** *** for as long as she lives in her homeWe do expect prompt payment for the product that she consumes, but we have been more than flexible since the commencement of her accountTo resolve this situation, we will re-activate *** ***’s meter at no charge as a customer courtesy once she has paid the full balance on her accountWe hope that *** *** will do everything she can in the future to avoid these situations, as we will need to bill a Service Charge for future meter shut-offsSent on: 4/13/10:09:AM

Complaint Information:
text-align: left;" valign="top"> We issued this check on 11/16/2015, which is days prior to this complaintThe check should have arrived at this customer's home already, but if it has not she should notify us immediately so we can resolve the issueRegarding the delay in issuing the refund, we apologize that we fell short of the customer's expectations on thisThe first call we got from the customer requesting the refund was on 10/5/15, but it was unclear to us whether the customer wanted to continue on with us and retain her service contract (which she had not paid for yet)Once we had determined that she did not want the service contract (and was terminating her service) we produced, and mailed, the refund checkWe wish this customer the best of luck, and we encourage her to think of us in the future should she ever need our servicesHappy Thanksgiving!!

Complaint Information:
text-align: left;" valign="top"> At Mitchell, we take very seriously our role in providing our customers the fuel they need on a timely basis and the high level of customer service that they deserve. We are very sorry that Ms. [redacted] feels that we have let her down in this regard. Ms. [redacted] has had an account with Mitchell since 11/17/97. Her account is currently set up on a prepay basis. This means she must call the office and make a payment arrangement prior to a delivery being made. The delivery in dispute occurred at 5:39pm on 2/4/15 with 293.6 gallons of liquid propane being delivered at $2.69 per gallon. The total amount due for this delivery is $789.78. Our credit and delivery departments are very familiar with Ms. [redacted] account. The typical requests for her account are for 100 gallon deliveries which she calls the office and schedules. Although the delivery was made on 2/4/15, there were prior service appointments involved with this home which directly relate to the delivery. Ms. [redacted] called in for a service call on 2/1/15 due to no heat in the house. A service technician was dispatched and diagnosed the problem resulted from a frozen regulator and the propane tanks were virtually out of fuel. One tank contained 5% of propane and the other two tanks were empty. The technician re-lit the pilot on the furnace and advised the customer to call in for a delivery. A technician was again sent out on 2/2/15 for no heat and we added two 24 gallon temporary tanks and again restarted the system. Both of these service appointments were performed at no charge to Ms. [redacted] as a customer courtesy. This run out was not due to any failure on Mitchell’s part. There are normally service charges for both of these service appointments. There was only a charge for the 48 gallons of propane in the temporary tanks. The delivery on 2/4/15 resulted after the service work was done and the customer made payment for a delivery. The disputed delivery date, time, and amount has been confirmed with our delivery department and driver. This particular driver has delivered to Ms. [redacted] home more than 30 times in recent years. The driver remembers that the weather was particularly bad on this day because of the difficulty in making this delivery to Ms. [redacted] very challenging driveway. The driver decided that it was necessary to completely fill the tanks on this date with 293 gallons instead of the 100 gallon "short" delivery that is normally provided to Ms. [redacted]. Among other factors, the driver made this decision due to the weather conditions on that day and the anticipation of continued bad and cold weather. He thought it was imperative a full delivery be made because we might not be able to get back into her driveway again anytime soon. He was concerned that if only 100 gallons was delivered, the customer would run out quickly or the regulator would again freeze which would result in an interruption in service. After this delivery was made, our credit department was in contact with Ms. [redacted] on 2/13/15 to discuss the fact that this delivery was made and what payment arrangements could be worked out for the extra gallons that were delivered to her. Ms. [redacted] acknowledged the filling of the tanks and agreed to call the office after a planned vacation to work out a payment plan. She again spoke to our office on 4/6/15 reporting that she still needed to make the previously discussed payment arrangement. It was not until Ms. [redacted] daughter called into our office on 4/27/15 that the delivery was disputed. We continued to service Ms. [redacted] by making a subsequent delivery of propane on 2/28/15 of 100.9 gallons when there was no payment arrangement yet made for the previous 2/4/15 delivery, but only payment promises from Ms. [redacted]. According to our records, the last verbal communication regarding the account was on 4/28/15 when again Ms. [redacted] daughter spoke with our credit department to request another delivery. It was explained to her that we needed a payment for this delivery and a request for an additional $100.00 to be put towards the 2/4/15 delivery. Ms. [redacted] daughter said she would speak with her mother and call the office back. Our records indicate no correspondence since. Mitchell diligently works to meet all customers’ needs as quickly as possible and in a professional manner. The driver's intention for this delivery was to act in the customer’s best interest for this specific scenario given the weather conditions, but we do acknowledge that Ms. [redacted] only ordered 100 gallons on 2/4/15. That is why we are willing to be flexible and accommodating to Ms. [redacted] to allow her more time to pay for the extra gallons that we delivered (and that she used) and we are willing to offer a discounted rate on those extra gallons as well. We have reached out to Ms. [redacted] to resolve this misunderstanding as soon as possible, and we are waiting to hear back from her so we can reach a resolution.

Review: I rented a home and I was unaware that the Propane tank was leased by [redacted]. They made several commitments and failed all of them and picked up.

I rented a residence at [redacted] in Redding CT. The house had a modest propane tank with no branding or stickers, I was not aware that it was not owned. Around February 14th I was accused of having it filled from other companies due to the lack of deliveries (that is totally untrue). I then spoke with the sales manager whom agreed to allow the tank to empty and then either replace it with a larger one or refill it at my expense. I had no problem with that. Today instead they came without notice and removed the tank in spite of offering a prepayment on the refill. It was a malicious act that is both unethical and unprofessional. I am simply the tenant and I paid for the GAS in the tank. I am not the tank leaseholder nor am I responsible for not burning enough gas. Now we are unable to cook and the gas was stolen. The owners ignored my letter/fax reaching out to them.Desired Settlement: Immediate return of the tank, recovery of my added costs and losses and most importantly, an apology.

Business

Response:

Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2013/05/01) */

On August 2, 2012, the owner (and landlord) of this home informed us that she was renting her home to the consumer who filed this complaint (the "Tenant"), and that she had advised him that he needed to set-up an account directly with our company for propane. On that same day, we mailed a letter to the Tenant at the home which included all of the necessary information to set-up an account with our company and continue service. We allowed our propane tank to stay at the home at this time as a courtesy to give the Tenant an opportunity to set-up an account (or find another company). We had no contact phone number for the Tenant from the Landlord at this point. On February 8, 2013, we contacted the Landlord to inform her that we had not received a response from the Tenant, and to see if she had been given any phone numbers for him. She supplied us the contact numbers that she had for him. We advised her that we would attempt to contact the Tenant again, but if we did not have an account set-up for the Tenant we would need to remove the tank from the property. The landlord confirmed that she understood, and reiterated to us that she did not want the tank to be on her account. On that same day, we called the Tenant and informed him that an account needed to be set-up in order for him to maintain our propane tank at the home. The Tenant was not happy with that requirement, and demanded to speak to management. The customer service rep provided the message to management and further informed the Tenant that we would give him an additional 2 weeks to decide whether to set-up an account with us or not, but after that time we would need to pick up our tank if he did not set-up an account. At this point, the Tenant threatened to report our company to the Revdex.com. Our Sales Manager called the Tenant back on February 11, 2013 to discuss the situation and reiterated the need to set-up an account with us in order to maintain our tank at the home. The Tenant said that he wanted to continue using the gas in the tank, and may want a bigger tank later if he adds another propane appliance. The Sales Manager acknowledged that we may be able to put a bigger tank there down the road, but we still needed an account set-up at this time to keep our tank there. The Sales Manager let the Tenant know that setting up an account is easy and can be done over the phone in a couple minutes. The Tenant was traveling and said he did not have time to do it and would call back in. On February 13, 2013, we sent another new customer packet in the mail in attempt to get the Tenant to establish an account. On February 27, 2013, we attempted unsuccessfully to contact the Tenant via phone and still had no response from prior messages. On April 10, 2013, having allowed adequate time for the Tenant to establish an account (8 months) we sent a letter to the Tenant advising him that our propane tank would be removed if we did not hear from him. We waited 2 additional weeks for a response. On April 24, 2013, having received no response from the Tenant, we sent a service technician to remove our tank. At that time, the Tenant then called in, demanded to speak to management and then hung up the phone. The Tenant called back in again and spoke with the Sales Manager. The Tenant offered to set-up a Cash On Delivery (COD) account, but advised our Sales Manager that the Tenant would be reporting us to Revdex.com and pursuing legal action. The Sales Manager informed the Tenant that we do not have COD accounts for propane (our employees do not carry cash/checks) and that we would be removing the tank, which we did. We then informed the Landlord that the tank had been removed, and she advised us to send her the credit for the propane that was left in the tank ($57.48).

Contrary to the Tenant's complaint, more than adequate notice was provided regarding the ownership of the tank and many opportunities were afforded to establish an account with us (or find another company) prior to removal of the tank. Furthermore, the Landlord is the account holder on record for this home and the person who is our customer in this situation. She made it clear to us that she no longer wished to have our propane tank on her account with us. We then allowed the Tenant to have 8 months to establish his own account, which he refused to do.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2013/05/08) */

(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT ACCEPT the response from the business.)

The reply above is, as always from this company, falsehood. The most notable and disturbing statement is that on April 10th they notified us of the intention of removing the tank. This is simply untrue as I would've engaged another company in a timely manner to ensure continuance of service.

The reply is outrageous anyway as I kept records of all our phone calls to them, correspondence and recordings of calls. They failed to process our original oil and propane application in September, they failed to return my calls in February and they failed to keep their commitment. Even when I spoke with them on the day of the tank removal I was asked for my cell phone number so they could call me back and, they never did. I reached out to their senior management for days afterwards via phone, fax and e-mail and they never reached back to me.

I never intended to pay COD because I understand the limitations of field staff but I requested a copy of whatever paperwork they needed for the contract for my immediate review (via fax, or e-mail) so that I could handle this in a matter of 5 minutes or less, they told me that they don't have any "paperwork" and that I would essentially "sign up" on the phone without knowing what I am signing up for. I then offered for them to give me an exact figure for a tank rental fee and full tank of gas so that I may provide a corporate card and prepay that to put everyone at ease (me knowing what I am spending and them knowing that I am fully prepaid), once again I was told that this was not possible because I mentioned that I would take legal action...

This is very unethical and unprofessional. We had no gas for a week and we had to incur unexpected expenses to have a tank installed and we had no way of cooking at home so we had to visit restaurants and order food delivery. I will annex this response as soon as I receive the transcripts of the phone calls from the third party provider that we engaged while preparing for legal action.

Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2013/05/21) */

It seems clear from the consumer's recent response that our record of events differs dramatically from his. From a company improvement standpoint, we would welcome any information, recordings, etc. that the consumer may have to share related to this issue. We have earned a near perfect record with the Revdex.com after 68 years of business by listening to feedback no matter where it comes from and we will, of course, do the same in this situation. However, the status of our relationship with this consumer is still the same as it was 9 months ago: he is still not a customer of ours. His landlord was our customer, she paid us for the propane gas that was in that tank, and when we picked the tank up from the home we issued the landlord a credit for the gas that was left in the tank. If the consumer has paid the Landlord for the gas then we recommend that he contact her for reimbursement. That arrangement is between landlord and tenant, and separate from the Landlord's relationship with us.

If the consumer would like to open up an account with us, then we would ask him to click the link below and complete our online account application:

https://access.nemitchell.com/customersignup

If the consumer does not want to submit this electronically, he can print it out, complete it and mail it to us. We could also hand-deliver an application if the link above is not satisfactory to the consumer, or we can take his information over the phone. His application will be processed immediately and, if the consumer meets our credit criteria, we will schedule a time to install a tank at his home right away. If we are just hooking our tank up to the existing gas line that is at the home, then the installation will be at no charge to the consumer. The consumer will be responsible for the cost of the gas when we fill the new tank, and for all deliveries going forward.

For nearly 70 years, we have built lasting relationships with our customers by delivering exceptional service and being as flexible as possible with our customers. The situation with this consumer has been difficult for us to understand because consumers find ways to sign-up with our company every day. Some do it over the phone, some by internet and some send in our paper application, but somehow we make it possible (and easy) for them to do business with us. However, although we are not sure where the communication breakdown was in this circumstance, we know that its the consumer's perception of a situation that matters most, and this consumer is clearly not very happy with us. We would like to extend our hand in friendship to this consumer and invite him to become a customer in whatever manner he prefers. Then, we can begin to meet his energy needs.

Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2013/05/22) */

(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)

I am amazed at the response received. Not only did I offer to prepay when they showed up, I was specifically told that due to my suggesting that I would allow my attorney to take on the matter AFTER I paid and did what was necessary to ensure that the tank would not be removed, the "sales manager" maliciously refused to accept the money and the signup.

On that day and for the following 4 days I have faxed the executives at [redacted] and nobody followed up or attempted to aid in resolving this situation.

While the recordings of the calls that occurred on my company provided phones are the property of the company and will be used in legal proceedings, there will be a time at discovery for them. I do not object to providing detailed phone logs showing the frequency of my calls and the voice mail messages left when your "sales manager" continuously failed to return calls as promised.

As the CEO of a far larger organization I understand that my company's reputation is the foundation of our success and that the customer's perception is the reality no matter what. As a CEO, to receive 4 faxes inviting me to come up with an amicable resolution and to completely ignore them (not to call back, return fax or have the attorney/counsel return the message) is a very poor business practice. To suggest a MONTH later that I sign up for an account is pathetic, I have 2 children at home, one disabled whom had an incredibly hard time having to go out to restaurants for 6 days just to eat). There was never a doubt in this process that I can afford the tank, the gas and as your own driver was stating to your sales manager on his cellular phone in my driveway (in my absence but recorded in the video and audio monitoring system at the house.... the house is huge and there is even a $200,000 AMG in the driveway....) amazing comment to make on the phone and it's actually a $289,000 car.

The Revdex.com process is quite long and often a very time consuming process, that's why few people bother to use it and your rating is high. If you take the time to review other sites using Google you will find a large number of complaints, even on the yellow pages site for just about the same reasons.

If you truly cared about business improvement you would have returned my calls, you would've reached out upon receiving the first fax, instead you arrogantly expected that I would simply go away. That is not professional nor ethical.

I will have an associate or myself drop off detailed phone logs in a sealed envelope with a privacy and non-disclosure cover on the outside. Please take a look at how many times I tried to contact your office and how long I have spoken with your staff, you may see this from a different angle. Perhaps not my angle, that of someone that unknowingly rented a home with a non-owned tank (that is also unmarked) and that upon learning of this in February came to an agreement with your sales manager that was later breached. From the prospective of a single father with a disabled child whom one day sees a truck pulling up his driveway without any notice and removing the gas tank necessary to cook. From the angle of a business owner that in spite of calling you, the owners, and sending you faxes for 4 days your ignored knowing all too well that you did so maliciously. And from the angle of the parent that for 6 days struggled to take his kids out to eat a warm meal... This is what your company is about.

Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2013/06/04) */

As parents, we understand the challenges that we all face in trying to provide for our children every day. As a company, we have worked along side our customers for decades to help them thru difficult times and give them options to keep their families comfortable. We realize how this consumer feels about this situation, but we have an almost 70-year track record of service to our community and that is what our company is "about."

We would propose the following steps to try to resolve this situation:

1. With respect to the consumer's demand for "added costs and losses", we suggest that the consumer provide us whatever documentation (taped phone calls, letters, etc.) he has that shows that we made a commitment to him to allow him to keep our propane tank on his property without establishing an account with us. Regardless of what our records show (letters mailed, repeated calls, etc.), if someone at our company made a commitment to this consumer that he could hold on to our tank without setting-up an account, then an apology will certainly be in order as will reimbursement for reasonable expenses that the consumer may have incurred as a result of his reliance on that commitment.

2. With respect to the return of our tank to this property, the consumer will need to apply for an account with our company. For obvious safety and billing purposes, this has to be the first step. The owner of the property has made it clear to us that she will not be responsible for the tank, so we can not place our propane tank and equipment back onto this property without having a direct customer relationship with the tenant. Once the tenant is approved for an account with us, we will get a tank out to him.

3. With the respect to the gas that was in the tank at the time of removal, credit for that gas has already been issued to the homeowner, as she is the customer who paid us for that gas. We recommend that the consumer contact his landlord for that amount.

We hope this provides a reasonable path to resolution of this issue. Regardless of how this consumer may feel about us, we still wish him and his family the best of luck in the future.

Review: Our heat went off on our year old propane system on Friday night, January 3. Mitchell said that they would charge a minimum of $171.00 to check plus parts as they had installed the tank and lead in to house but not the system. The people who put in the system came out that afternoon and checked everything. By mid afternoon, the system was then working. They said that the regulator outside - on the side of the house - had frozen and then thawed in the afternoon sun. By this time, Mitchell was closed. I called them Monday to report this. They said that it would require a new regulator and the first time they could get there would be Thursday. I pointed out that we were continuing to have 0 or below weather and that it would go out again and they said that was the first appointment. The system went down again last night around 8:00 PM. So once again in a severe cold snap - polar winds - my husband and I are without heat. I find this unacceptable.Desired Settlement: Pay for the service all on Saturday and give us a settlement for the discomfort we have endured.

Business

Response:

Response:

We have contacted the customer,and the issue has been resolved.

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.

Mitchell Company was diligent and sincere in resolving this. I will continue to use and recommend them with confidence.

Sincerely,