Osterman Propane

Zero stars...
A while back we ran out of propane because we weren’t notified that they took us off the automated delivery. I have two younger kids in the house & I complained about the unknowing switch to will call & had us put back into the automated system
Recently...December 31st, we ran out of propane again! When I called January 1st, the woman in the office was rude (talking over me, being condescending)& told me it was due to the drop in temperature. Don’t they take that into account when determining their deliveries? They came out that day but I think they had bumped up their price per gallon to $3.69, when averages were closer to $3.10 at that time.
Now...January 19th...no heat. One tank is empty, the other full. My house smells of propane and I sent my young son out of the house (no heat, no gas to use the stove).
They said the second tank might not have been turned on when they last filled it on January 1st.
No eta was given until after I persisted (4-5 attempts of getting an idea of ETA).
I am VERY dissatisfied with this company & the crap I’ve gotten from the office staff. (Btw...drivers have been good).
I have two young children in the house & shouldn’t have to worry about the heat running out, especially when we are never late with a payment.
I will research switching to a new company.

I found that this company has no problem over pricing propane and when it cam time to remove tanks for over pricing they tacked on service charges well over what would be charged example I payed 4.75 a pound they picked up my tank with 70 pounds and after two weeks of waiting found they will pay230 back to me the rest service charge and its after the ten days that they charge extra for ROBBERS ALL

I found that this company has no problem over pricing propane and when it cam time to remove tanks for over pricing they tacked on service charges well over what would be charged example I payed 4.75 a pound they picked up my tank with 70 pounds and after two weeks of waiting found they will pay230 back to me the rest service charge and its after the ten days that they charge extra for ROBBERS ALL

My review is specific to the Plainfield Office for Osterman Propane.
There are two women in the office where I have done business over the past 10 years. It is in the last two years that I find two women to be utterly unsympathtic and completely uncaring toward any issues I may have had with this office. These women are condescending in their attitude toward me. They are curt in their manner and very rude as they interrupt and talk over me as well. They immediately tried to bully me and place me on the deffensive. They are most unpleasant in their phone manners, if they have any phone ettiquite at all. It's like having to deal with a mean and nasty old lady who has no time for you, and your concerns, because she is so wrapped up in her own world, you couldn't possibly mean a thing to her. You will be a pain in her rump in a day where she already has too many problems to begin with anyway. Or, like dealing with a woman who temper is so short, it must be that her hormones are raging and you just happen to be in the way on that particular day.
I have been in business over 30 years and deal with customers every day. If I treated my customers like these two women treat me over the phone, I would have been out of business 29 years ago.
I would advise NOT to use them, because if you have a problems, you will have to deal with these two women, and it will not likely be a very pleasant experience.
CAVEAT EMPTOR

I left this same review on Yelp but wanted to leave it here also because it needs to be known how terrible Osterman is. If Yelp allowed the possibility of giving 0 stars then I would. My wife deals with them over the phone and every time she has to call them she dreads it. They're incredibly rude over the phone and are not informed of their own business apparently. They put you on a "payment plan" to make your payments less that you get to spread out within a 10 month period. But to only have a different person tell you it doesn't work that way and then expect almost a GRAND up front to continue having the tanks filled... I work for a company that has phone reps and was one for almost two years, if we ever showed any sort of rude tone or spoke rudely back to the customers for absolutely no reason we'd basically be fired. Why doesn't Osterman follow this model? Because they don't give a crap about their customers, they just care about taking your money. Sure they're a business and like any business they want your money but heat is a necessity, treat the people who need it with some respect since you're gouging us with your ridiculous prices in the first place. Hire phone reps that are polite and helpful. Just stop being an all around sy company Osterman because there may only be 4 reviews on here (5 now with mine) But clearly you're terrible and you've made a bad impression on me, these 4 other people and I'm sure many MANY others who just aren't willing to go out of their way and write how terrible you are. Fix your business model or just go away.

Changed from auto-delivery to will-call w/o notification. Ran out of propane, and they did not show up with propane. After 5 days, charged fee.We had been customers of [redacted] propane which was acquired by Osterman Propane within the last few years. We had been on automatic delivery since we moved in in 2006.On the weekend of 3/29 we noticed the strong smell of propane in our house. Upon checking the gauge it appeared we had between 1-2% remaining in a 500 gallon tank. The gauge does not have markings under 10% so this measurement was nothing more than an estimate, and an overestimate as it turns out.We had been auto-delivery since starting with the company. Upon calling On 3/30 (Monday) I called [redacted] at Osterman Propane and informed them of the situation of low propane and the smell in the house. I was told exactly that we would be "put on the schedule for this week". Each day we looked to see if propane had been delivered but nothing had. On 4/3 (Friday) I called again. At this time, and not when I called earlier, they informed me that they have 5 business days starting from the day after we call to deliver the propane and the earliest they would be in the area was Monday 4/6. They also informed me at this time the manager had moved us to "Will Call" for propane delivery. I told the person on the phone that we were not aware we were on the "Will Call" list and had no idea how this worked. WE DID NOT AUTHORIZE THIS. They mentioned that we would need to monitor our tank and call when we were at 30% full. This had never been explained to us and we were also not informed of safety issues that would occur if we ran out of propane.Later that day our house was cold and the furnace did not appear to be turning on. I realized we had run out of propane and I called Osterman back. I said we need a delivery today. They said there would be a $175 charge for the emergency delivery. Having two small children at home I realized I did not have a choice so I accepted the charge at that time (and prepaid the entire amount including the fee). I asked if we could discuss waiving the fee and she said we would have to talk to the manager who was in a meeting for the rest of the day. I requested a call back from the manager but did not receive a call.Osterman did deliver exactly 250 gallons which brought the tank to 50.1% full (proving that there was no propane remaining in the tank upon delivery). The driver checked only our thermostat. According to Osterman's website, "...a propane retailer or qualified service technician must perform a leak check of your propane system before turning the gas back on." This was not completed inside our home.We did run out of propane, and I had to relight the pilot light on our water heater multiple times due to air in the lines. According to Osterman's website, "If your propane tank runs out of gas, any pilot lights on your appliances will go out. This can be extremely dangerous if not handled properly." The water heater stopped working and needed to be replaced after that.On 4/6 (Monday) I called again. I explained that we did not receive a call back from the manager. I was told again that the manager was in a meeting, again. I explained the situation again and left multiple numbers to receive a call back at.On 4/7 (Tuesday) I called again. I mentioned again that I had not received a call back from the manager. The representative told me they had spoken to the manager and that they would not waive or refund the fee. The representative, [redacted] at the [redacted] location, specifically told me that because we requested "same day delivery" that they would not be able to refund the fee. I explained again that I only requested same day delivery because we had run out of propane. I told them if they had said they would not have been able to deliver for 7 days we would have asked them to deliver sooner so it wouldn't have been "same day" request. The representative seemed uninterested in hearing the information about our account.Desired SettlementWe are requesting that Osterman Propane refund the $175 emergency delivery fee that would not have been a "same day delivery" if they had told us the correct delivery date when we called on 3/30. We also would never have waited for our tank to be empty before requesting a "will call" delivery if they had informed us our delivery had been changed and educated us as to the proper process for "will call" customers.Business Response Customer called for delivery at 2:30 on Friday,4/3/15 to advise propane tank had just under 5% remaining and was requesting delivery ASAP. Customer service rep advised customer that he was now on a will-call delivery status and customer had been mailed notice of this delivery status change. Customer was concerned of possible run out as was Easter weekend and still requested delivery immediately even after we advised there would be a delivery charge of $175. We delivered 250 gallons that same day and tank was not empty at the time of delivery so no leak test was required. Since customer was obviously not aware of change of delivery status, we will waive $75.00 of the delivery charge and there will be a credit placed on customer account today.

I left this same review on Yelp but wanted to leave it here also because it needs to be known how terrible Osterman is. If Yelp allowed the possibility of giving 0 stars then I would. My wife deals with them over the phone and every time she has to call them she dreads it. They're incredibly rude over the phone and are not informed of their own business apparently. They put you on a "payment plan" to make your payments less that you get to spread out within a 10 month period. But to only have a different person tell you it doesn't work that way and then expect almost a GRAND up front to continue having the tanks filled... I work for a company that has phone reps and was one for almost two years, if we ever showed any sort of rude tone or spoke rudely back to the customers for absolutely no reason we'd basically be fired. Why doesn't Osterman follow this model? Because they don't give a crap about their customers, they just care about taking your money. Sure they're a business and like any business they want your money but heat is a necessity, treat the people who need it with some respect since you're gouging us with your ridiculous prices in the first place. Hire phone reps that are polite and helpful. Just stop being an all around sy company Osterman because there may only be 4 reviews on here (5 now with mine) But clearly you're terrible and you've made a bad impression on me, these 4 other people and I'm sure many MANY others who just aren't willing to go out of their way and write how terrible you are. Fix your business model or just go away.

There ia a minimum usage fee. I called to have tanks filled. They never showed up and charged me the minimum usage feeLast year I was charged $160 for not using the minimum gas usage. I called the Co and asked please call me in September to remind me to fill my tanks. They called me in September and I told them my tank was 65% full. They told me I needed to be at 40%. I used my gas as much as possible and emptied my tanks. They never showed up to fill my tanks and charged me the min usage fee of $160. There was a representative there I spoke to several times. I feel they want to charge the min usage fee to as many customers as they can, and would rather get paid for doing nothing. Extremely rude as well!!Desired SettlementI just don't want anyone else to get burned like I did.Business Response We do not try to create min use charges for customers as we would rather sell propane than bill charges. When customer completed the original application and agreement, he stated he would use 500 gallons of propane per year and also agreed to the min use charges that would be charged if warranted. We do not charge monthly tank rental charges but instead expect customers to utilize one tank of propane per year regardless of size. We agreed to set 2 - 120 gallon water capacity tanks which means customer only has to use 240 gallons annually. Customer did not use 240 gallons annually IN 2013 or 2014. We will mail a copy of this agreement to consumer and will also forward to Revdex.com for their records and charge will remain.Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)I have no problem with the min usage charge. I do have a problem of calling Osterman to fill my tank and they never showed up! I then called and Osterman told me to pay the non usage fee and fill your tank for the next year. That was unacceptable! I know there is a female employee at Osterman that is spoke with several times, that can vouche for all my phone calls!Final Business Response We have spoken directly to customer and agreed to waive charges due to delivery misunderstanding. Customer advised he would contact Revdex.com to advise ok to close complaint. Final Consumer [redacted] I am. Thank you!

Changed from auto-delivery to will-call w/o notification. Ran out of propane, and they did not show up with propane. After 5 days, charged fee.We had been customers of [redacted] propane which was acquired by Osterman Propane within the last few years. We had been on automatic delivery since we moved in in 2006.On the weekend of 3/29 we noticed the strong smell of propane in our house. Upon checking the gauge it appeared we had between 1-2% remaining in a 500 gallon tank. The gauge does not have markings under 10% so this measurement was nothing more than an estimate, and an overestimate as it turns out.We had been auto-delivery since starting with the company. Upon calling On 3/30 (Monday) I called [redacted] at Osterman Propane and informed them of the situation of low propane and the smell in the house. I was told exactly that we would be "put on the schedule for this week". Each day we looked to see if propane had been delivered but nothing had. On 4/3 (Friday) I called again. At this time, and not when I called earlier, they informed me that they have 5 business days starting from the day after we call to deliver the propane and the earliest they would be in the area was Monday 4/6. They also informed me at this time the manager had moved us to "Will Call" for propane delivery. I told the person on the phone that we were not aware we were on the "Will Call" list and had no idea how this worked. WE DID NOT AUTHORIZE THIS. They mentioned that we would need to monitor our tank and call when we were at 30% full. This had never been explained to us and we were also not informed of safety issues that would occur if we ran out of propane.Later that day our house was cold and the furnace did not appear to be turning on. I realized we had run out of propane and I called Osterman back. I said we need a delivery today. They said there would be a $175 charge for the emergency delivery. Having two small children at home I realized I did not have a choice so I accepted the charge at that time (and prepaid the entire amount including the fee). I asked if we could discuss waiving the fee and she said we would have to talk to the manager who was in a meeting for the rest of the day. I requested a call back from the manager but did not receive a call.Osterman did deliver exactly 250 gallons which brought the tank to 50.1% full (proving that there was no propane remaining in the tank upon delivery). The driver checked only our thermostat. According to Osterman's website, "...a propane retailer or qualified service technician must perform a leak check of your propane system before turning the gas back on." This was not completed inside our home.We did run out of propane, and I had to relight the pilot light on our water heater multiple times due to air in the lines. According to Osterman's website, "If your propane tank runs out of gas, any pilot lights on your appliances will go out. This can be extremely dangerous if not handled properly." The water heater stopped working and needed to be replaced after that.On 4/6 (Monday) I called again. I explained that we did not receive a call back from the manager. I was told again that the manager was in a meeting, again. I explained the situation again and left multiple numbers to receive a call back at.On 4/7 (Tuesday) I called again. I mentioned again that I had not received a call back from the manager. The representative told me they had spoken to the manager and that they would not waive or refund the fee. The representative, [redacted] at the [redacted] location, specifically told me that because we requested "same day delivery" that they would not be able to refund the fee. I explained again that I only requested same day delivery because we had run out of propane. I told them if they had said they would not have been able to deliver for 7 days we would have asked them to deliver sooner so it wouldn't have been "same day" request. The representative seemed uninterested in hearing the information about our account.Desired SettlementWe are requesting that Osterman Propane refund the $175 emergency delivery fee that would not have been a "same day delivery" if they had told us the correct delivery date when we called on 3/30. We also would never have waited for our tank to be empty before requesting a "will call" delivery if they had informed us our delivery had been changed and educated us as to the proper process for "will call" customers.Business Response Customer called for delivery at 2:30 on Friday,4/3/15 to advise propane tank had just under 5% remaining and was requesting delivery ASAP. Customer service rep advised customer that he was now on a will-call delivery status and customer had been mailed notice of this delivery status change. Customer was concerned of possible run out as was Easter weekend and still requested delivery immediately even after we advised there would be a delivery charge of $175. We delivered 250 gallons that same day and tank was not empty at the time of delivery so no leak test was required. Since customer was obviously not aware of change of delivery status, we will waive $75.00 of the delivery charge and there will be a credit placed on customer account today.

Very aggressive credit/collection culture and attitude. Received certified mail letter threatening to lock our tanks and shut off service with a $200 reactivate fee all over a $200 unpaid balance. I doubt the $200 fee is even enforceable since it appears to be a contract penalty. Previously, we were customers of [redacted] (Osterman purchased [redacted] propane business) and never experienced this kind of crap.

My review is specific to the Plainfield Office for Osterman Propane.
There are two women in the office where I have done business over the past 10 years. It is in the last two years that I find two women to be utterly unsympathtic and completely uncaring toward any issues I may have had with this office. These women are condescending in their attitude toward me. They are curt in their manner and very rude as they interrupt and talk over me as well. They immediately tried to bully me and place me on the deffensive. They are most unpleasant in their phone manners, if they have any phone ettiquite at all. It's like having to deal with a mean and nasty old lady who has no time for you, and your concerns, because she is so wrapped up in her own world, you couldn't possibly mean a thing to her. You will be a pain in her rump in a day where she already has too many problems to begin with anyway. Or, like dealing with a woman who temper is so short, it must be that her hormones are raging and you just happen to be in the way on that particular day.
I have been in business over 30 years and deal with customers every day. If I treated my customers like these two women treat me over the phone, I would have been out of business 29 years ago.
I would advise NOT to use them, because if you have a problems, you will have to deal with these two women, and it will not likely be a very pleasant experience.
CAVEAT EMPTOR

I canceled my service Now they are charging me with a fee to remove their propane tankon 12-9-2014 I payed in person a low usage fee of $85.63 and asked to have tank filled as it was near empty I ran out of propane fuel no fuel for cook stove or tub/shower Had to use microwave and hot plate to cook Used back up heat for heat for tub/shower Was out of propane until 5-19-2015 when I changed propane company Had to call twice to have their tank removed took a long time for them to do itDesired SettlementDUE NOT WANT TO PAY FEE FOR CANCELED SERVICE AND HAVE TANK REMOVED Cause they let me run out of propane fuelBusiness Response We have waived the tank retrieval charge on customer's account on 10/7/15 and any finance charges that had accrued. Customer account is now reflecting nothing due.

As customers of Osterman Propane we are set up to receive propane only when we call. We are on a limited budget and can not afford to have deliveries whenever the truck is on our area. Recently when we ran out of propane we contacted the company are were told we would have to wait for over a week for delivery, despite the fact we were still in cold weather. They then agreed to deliver the propane for a surcharge of $250! While we understand a small delivery fee may be necessary this is, in my opinion this fee is outrageous. The delivery was made and we had propane for 10 days. At which point all of a sudden the tanks were on zero and we had no propane. Now typically we get a delivery approximately every 3 months, this was 10 days. They sent a tech out to investigate and we were told there would be no charge because the tanks belong to the company. The tech came out and claimed the tanks were shut OFF. What is strange is the fact that the tanks were reading zero and we had propane for 10 days, then all of a sudden, nothing. Where did the 10 day supply come from? I am not certain what the issue was but I do not believe we should have been charged an additional $60 for this service. We clearly feel as though this company is overcharging fees at every opportunity. We find it difficult enough to pay for the deliveries, the fees are too much.Product_Or_Service: propaneOrder_Number: XXXXXXAccount_Number: XX-XXXXXXDesired SettlementWe would be willing to pay a $50 delivery fee, which seems more than reasonable. We do not feel as though we should be held responsible for the tech visit.Business Response We would recommend this customer utilize our automatic delivery plan coupled with the monthly smart pay - budget payment option which would allow them to pay a consistent monthly payment amount. As a will call customer, it is the customer's responsibility to monitor the tank and order propane prior to running out to avoid additional off route delivery charges. This customer was advised of how much the delivery charges would be and agreed to them prior to the delivery on March 16, 2015. The customer's propane system ran fine and without issue from March 16th until March 27th and we certainly did not shut off their propane system as we are busy enough and do not need extra work. We will agree to waive the $60 service charge for the 3/27/15 call. There was also still plenty of propane in the system as of 3/27/15. We look forward to hearing from this customer regarding our monthly budget and automatic delivery option to avoid this in the future.Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)It was extremely cold when we ran out of fuel. Considering that fact we did not have much of a choice as far as the delivery. We could not be without propane for over a week which is what they were claiming it would take for them to come out otherwise. We still can not understanding the exorbitant fee. It appears a large company is taking advantage of customers who choose not to adhere to the company's choice of rules. We do not live on a set income, even their suggested payment plan is not an option for us. Our income is sporadic at best. As far ad waiving the fee for the tech; we were clearly told when we went into the office that there would be no charge for the visit. Seriously, the tanks were working fine according to them and then when the tech appears he states they were shut off? Why in the world would we choose to turn the tanks off of our own free will. There is clearly an issue here. Final Business Response We will contact the customer directly to work through this situation. It is unfortunate the monthly level pay plan does not seem helpful to them as it assists many customers in budgeting their energy bills whether it is propane, nat gas or electricity.Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)I waited for a week after receiving this notice to see if the company would in fact be in touch with us. To date we have not received any correspondence from them except another bill for the delivery fee. I do not wish to close this case until an agreement has been reached.

They came out and took tank and broke my flower bed siding and pipe to hook up tank. They sent invoice and 2 to 3 days later took the tank. I just got propane filled in December and 2 months later they came and took the tank. I have not been under contract with them because they agreed from the beginning 4 or 5 years ago to not charge me service charge.They sent me a statement and 3 days later took the tank. They say on the paper to call make arrangements to pay and get tank back yet when I called they said they are not that I have to wait til it gets in collections. I dont want them ruining my credit but they don't care. It's not right that they do this to me. I have been a great customer from the beginning.Desired SettlementThey busted my siding and flower bed. They made it impossible to hook up another tank. I want them to come out and repair the pipe siding and flower bed.Business Response We did not damage the flower bed nor did we make it impossible for another propane company to hook up tank for future service. We have photos to prove this fact and they will be sent directly to the Revdex.com so they can review to confirm these facts for themselves. Of course, we are happy to share with the [redacted] at her request.Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)I have pictures of the damage they did. Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)In the picture you can see its the corner and you can see the indents in the ground where they came around the corner. The corner is very close to where the tank was. They had to pull it straight out then round the corner. They need to admit what they did and fix it. Final Business Response We were able to contact customer directly and resolve complaint. Customer will be contacting Revdex.com to advise same.

Very aggressive credit/collection culture and attitude. Received certified mail letter threatening to lock our tanks and shut off service with a $200 reactivate fee all over a $200 unpaid balance. I doubt the $200 fee is even enforceable since it appears to be a contract penalty. Previously, we were customers of [redacted] (Osterman purchased [redacted] propane business) and never experienced this kind of crap.

I left this same review on Yelp but wanted to leave it here also because it needs to be known how terrible Osterman is. If Yelp allowed the possibility of giving 0 stars then I would. My wife deals with them over the phone and every time she has to call them she dreads it. They're incredibly rude over the phone and are not informed of their own business apparently. They put you on a "payment plan" to make your payments less that you get to spread out within a 10 month period. But to only have a different person tell you it doesn't work that way and then expect almost a GRAND up front to continue having the tanks filled... I work for a company that has phone reps and was one for almost two years, if we ever showed any sort of rude tone or spoke rudely back to the customers for absolutely no reason we'd basically be fired. Why doesn't Osterman follow this model? Because they don't give a crap about their customers, they just care about taking your money. Sure they're a business and like any business they want your money but heat is a necessity, treat the people who need it with some respect since you're gouging us with your ridiculous prices in the first place. Hire phone reps that are polite and helpful. Just stop being an all around sy company Osterman because there may only be 4 reviews on here (5 now with mine) But clearly you're terrible and you've made a bad impression on me, these 4 other people and I'm sure many MANY others who just aren't willing to go out of their way and write how terrible you are. Fix your business model or just go away.

As customers of Osterman Propane we are set up to receive propane only when we call. We are on a limited budget and can not afford to have deliveries whenever the truck is on our area. Recently when we ran out of propane we contacted the company are were told we would have to wait for over a week for delivery, despite the fact we were still in cold weather. They then agreed to deliver the propane for a surcharge of $250! While we understand a small delivery fee may be necessary this is, in my opinion this fee is outrageous. The delivery was made and we had propane for 10 days. At which point all of a sudden the tanks were on zero and we had no propane. Now typically we get a delivery approximately every 3 months, this was 10 days. They sent a tech out to investigate and we were told there would be no charge because the tanks belong to the company. The tech came out and claimed the tanks were shut OFF. What is strange is the fact that the tanks were reading zero and we had propane for 10 days, then all of a sudden, nothing. Where did the 10 day supply come from? I am not certain what the issue was but I do not believe we should have been charged an additional $60 for this service. We clearly feel as though this company is overcharging fees at every opportunity. We find it difficult enough to pay for the deliveries, the fees are too much.Product_Or_Service: propaneOrder_Number: XXXXXXAccount_Number: XX-XXXXXXDesired SettlementWe would be willing to pay a $50 delivery fee, which seems more than reasonable. We do not feel as though we should be held responsible for the tech visit.Business Response We would recommend this customer utilize our automatic delivery plan coupled with the monthly smart pay - budget payment option which would allow them to pay a consistent monthly payment amount. As a will call customer, it is the customer's responsibility to monitor the tank and order propane prior to running out to avoid additional off route delivery charges. This customer was advised of how much the delivery charges would be and agreed to them prior to the delivery on March 16, 2015. The customer's propane system ran fine and without issue from March 16th until March 27th and we certainly did not shut off their propane system as we are busy enough and do not need extra work. We will agree to waive the $60 service charge for the 3/27/15 call. There was also still plenty of propane in the system as of 3/27/15. We look forward to hearing from this customer regarding our monthly budget and automatic delivery option to avoid this in the future.Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)It was extremely cold when we ran out of fuel. Considering that fact we did not have much of a choice as far as the delivery. We could not be without propane for over a week which is what they were claiming it would take for them to come out otherwise. We still can not understanding the exorbitant fee. It appears a large company is taking advantage of customers who choose not to adhere to the company's choice of rules. We do not live on a set income, even their suggested payment plan is not an option for us. Our income is sporadic at best. As far ad waiving the fee for the tech; we were clearly told when we went into the office that there would be no charge for the visit. Seriously, the tanks were working fine according to them and then when the tech appears he states they were shut off? Why in the world would we choose to turn the tanks off of our own free will. There is clearly an issue here. Final Business Response We will contact the customer directly to work through this situation. It is unfortunate the monthly level pay plan does not seem helpful to them as it assists many customers in budgeting their energy bills whether it is propane, nat gas or electricity.Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)I waited for a week after receiving this notice to see if the company would in fact be in touch with us. To date we have not received any correspondence from them except another bill for the delivery fee. I do not wish to close this case until an agreement has been reached.

As customers of Osterman Propane we are set up to receive propane only when we call. We are on a limited budget and can not afford to have deliveries whenever the truck is on our area. Recently when we ran out of propane we contacted the company are were told we would have to wait for over a week for delivery, despite the fact we were still in cold weather. They then agreed to deliver the propane for a surcharge of $250! While we understand a small delivery fee may be necessary this is, in my opinion this fee is outrageous. The delivery was made and we had propane for 10 days. At which point all of a sudden the tanks were on zero and we had no propane. Now typically we get a delivery approximately every 3 months, this was 10 days. They sent a tech out to investigate and we were told there would be no charge because the tanks belong to the company. The tech came out and claimed the tanks were shut OFF. What is strange is the fact that the tanks were reading zero and we had propane for 10 days, then all of a sudden, nothing. Where did the 10 day supply come from? I am not certain what the issue was but I do not believe we should have been charged an additional $60 for this service. We clearly feel as though this company is overcharging fees at every opportunity. We find it difficult enough to pay for the deliveries, the fees are too much.Product_Or_Service: propaneOrder_Number: XXXXXXAccount_Number: XX-XXXXXXDesired SettlementWe would be willing to pay a $50 delivery fee, which seems more than reasonable. We do not feel as though we should be held responsible for the tech visit.Business Response We would recommend this customer utilize our automatic delivery plan coupled with the monthly smart pay - budget payment option which would allow them to pay a consistent monthly payment amount. As a will call customer, it is the customer's responsibility to monitor the tank and order propane prior to running out to avoid additional off route delivery charges. This customer was advised of how much the delivery charges would be and agreed to them prior to the delivery on March 16, 2015. The customer's propane system ran fine and without issue from March 16th until March 27th and we certainly did not shut off their propane system as we are busy enough and do not need extra work. We will agree to waive the $60 service charge for the 3/27/15 call. There was also still plenty of propane in the system as of 3/27/15. We look forward to hearing from this customer regarding our monthly budget and automatic delivery option to avoid this in the future.Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)It was extremely cold when we ran out of fuel. Considering that fact we did not have much of a choice as far as the delivery. We could not be without propane for over a week which is what they were claiming it would take for them to come out otherwise. We still can not understanding the exorbitant fee. It appears a large company is taking advantage of customers who choose not to adhere to the company's choice of rules. We do not live on a set income, even their suggested payment plan is not an option for us. Our income is sporadic at best. As far ad waiving the fee for the tech; we were clearly told when we went into the office that there would be no charge for the visit. Seriously, the tanks were working fine according to them and then when the tech appears he states they were shut off? Why in the world would we choose to turn the tanks off of our own free will. There is clearly an issue here. Final Business Response We will contact the customer directly to work through this situation. It is unfortunate the monthly level pay plan does not seem helpful to them as it assists many customers in budgeting their energy bills whether it is propane, nat gas or electricity.Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)I waited for a week after receiving this notice to see if the company would in fact be in touch with us. To date we have not received any correspondence from them except another bill for the delivery fee. I do not wish to close this case until an agreement has been reached.

Very aggressive credit/collection culture and attitude. Received certified mail letter threatening to lock our tanks and shut off service with a $200 reactivate fee all over a $200 unpaid balance. I doubt the $200 fee is even enforceable since it appears to be a contract penalty. Previously, we were customers of [redacted] (Osterman purchased [redacted] propane business) and never experienced this kind of crap.

Very aggressive credit/collection culture and attitude. Received certified mail letter threatening to lock our tanks and shut off service with a $200 reactivate fee all over a $200 unpaid balance. I doubt the $200 fee is even enforceable since it appears to be a contract penalty. Previously, we were customers of [redacted] (Osterman purchased [redacted] propane business) and never experienced this kind of crap.