Osterman Propane

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

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

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.

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.

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.

On 10-14-14 I called Osterman Propane and spoke to the office [redacted]. I told [redacted] to take me off of automatic delivery, and not to make another delivery to my home. I will call you if and when I decide to purchase more gas from your company. In the meantime I found a company that would sell me gas at a much lower rate, of 2.50 a gallon verses 4.00 a gallon Osterman charges. On 10-16-14 two days after speaking with [redacted], Osterman Propane made a unwanted delivery.I called the office after receiving the statement and spoke with [redacted] again. I told her they made a delivery. She said, she forward the information to the neccessary persons not to deliver to our home anymore. She stated they shouldn't have made the delivery.Now, I am being charged for gas I did not order. I called them again and told the company I should not have to pay for this delivery seeing I cancelled service and did not order it. I mailed them a note saying I would be willing to pay what I was quoted by the new company I'm dealing with but apparently that is not acceptable to them. On top of that they are charging a delivery charge, which they do when they are not delivering the minimum amount. It was not even time to receive another delivery had I not cancelled.I was a loyal customer for approx 20 years with Osterman. To be treated like this is very poor buisness on their part.I would greatly appreciate if the Revdex.com can look into this, and help me resolve this issue.Sincerely,[redacted] P. [redacted]Product_Or_Service: Gas Order_Number: XXXXXXAccount_Number: XX-XXXXXXDesired SettlementEven though they made a delivery after I called and cancelled. I can't send the gas back of course, but I'm willing to pay the lower rate that I was quoted by the new company I'm dealing with. Thank you.Business Response We have credited Mr.[redacted]'s account for the price differential, the delivery charge and accrued finance charges. We have picked up the tank and will be issuing a refund to customer that he will be receiving by end of January. It was not our intention deliver unrequested propane and have now made the situation right.

Without being in arrears or requesting service. Gas tank was disconnected and I am left unable to use my stove. No notice from company given.Approximately a year and a half ago my propane supplier [redacted] energy was taken over /merged with ostermam propane. I had it arranged that every April and October gas would be delivered. When osterman first took over I was being serviced out of their Maine office and received a delivery from them. A few days later I got a letter from the Methuen off ice asking to make an appointment because they wanted to change my tank out before refilling and somebody needed to be home for it. I called and asked what was going on since someone was just there a week ago to fill my tank. Since I work nights having someone home during the day was not a problem. I did not see or hear from them again. on may 1,2015 I called them to let them know I was out of gas. After being put on hold for 10-15 mins I was told I was not out of gas they came yesterday and took the tank since I had not called for a refill I must not have needed it anymore. Osterman never sent me a notice concerning this move nor did anyone leave anything on the door that my tank was removed. I now have no way to use my stove and will be forced to eat out for a week until I can get another company in.Desired SettlementI want to be reimbursed for the gas that was left in the tank at the rate it is going to cost me to replace it. Currently at $5.069 per gallon. I also want to be reimbursed for my family to eat out for the week and for any food I will have to throw away because it cannot be cooked.Business Response Refund check was mailed to customer on 6/1/15 for exact value of gas that was originally sold. We will not reimbursing customer for food as we attempted to contact customer several times regarding the removal/exchange of the propane tank for safety reasons. We never received a response from customer to remedy this situation. Also, these days there are alternative ways to cook food in any home.

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.

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

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 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

Customer Service reps are the worst I've ever dealt withSwitched propane companies. Contacted Osterman to remove their tank (of which there is a $159 removal fee). Two weeks later tank still not removed. Contacted CS, I was told their tech burned hand and they don't have anyone to send to remove tank. Couldn't give a date when they would get to it. Also due a refund which can't be refunded until tank is picked up. Perhaps I should charge them for storing their tank on my property. Customer service was beyond rude.Desired SettlementI want the Osterman tank removed immediately and I want the refund due me in a timely manner based on the date I contacted Osterman to remove their tank. I want them to credit me for the time their tank has sat on my property.Business Response We have completed the tank retrieval from the customer's address and have issued customer a refund for the account credit. Consumer Response Osterman did come & pick up my propane tank and refund my overpayment. They did not, however, ever return my phone call.Thank you,[redacted]

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.

Complaint entails billing as well as contract and customer service issues.Repeated telephone and written requests of Osterman regarding:1. level of pricing per gallon propane2. termination of service agreement/purchase of buried tank on my propertyOsterman has admitted that I was "incorrectly charged" a higher rate per gallon due to my account being mis-categorized by them. I've repeatedly requested the following all of which has repeatedly been ignored:1. pricing adjustment for entire time I was incorrectly billed (I've received only one to date) - I wish to pay my bill in full however I cannot as it is still incorrectly billed and by my calculations I am still due a substantial credit. Meanwhile Osterman continues to assess a finance charge for the time which I have been seeking resolution - and that they've been ignoring my request.2. price structure/agreement going forward at correct rate should I elect to continue service with Osterman3. price to purchase tank should I elect to terminate service - Osterman verbally quoted $4800 which is approximately double the commercial value of tank and the declared value which Osterman has attested to for the purpose of personal property taxes to the Town of [redacted] I requested further information and documentation to support this price which I have not received. My service agreement has no provision for purchase of tank upon termination of services. The above is documented by my prior written communications to Osterman which have gone without response.Product_Or_Service: PropaneDesired Settlement1. Further credit price adjustments correcting past bills to the appropriate "commercial pricing level" (as stated by Osterman) which my account should have been billed at.2. Fair market value price to purchase tank commensurate with value that Osterman has declared to Town of [redacted] upon my termination of services with Osterman.Business Response We are working with MR. [redacted] through another CT agency that he contacted in addition to the Revdex.com regarding the same concerns he referenced in this complaint. We have responded to Mr. [redacted] and are currently awaiting a decision as requested in our response. Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)I have received the reply from Osterman to which I've replied. I am presently waiting for their response.Final Business Response We will be mailing a response to MR. [redacted] directly on April 24th and I believe we are close to resolution. Final Consumer Response Thank you for your letter of April 27, 2015. I am attaching herein my check [redacted] in the amount of [redacted] as well as an executed sales agreement for the propane container and appurtenances. Please return one fully executed copy of the sales agreement to me at your earliest convenience. Thank you for working with me too resolve this matter - upon receipt of this fully executed agreement I shall consider it closed.Very truly yours,[redacted]

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.

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.

Without being in arrears or requesting service. Gas tank was disconnected and I am left unable to use my stove. No notice from company given.Approximately a year and a half ago my propane supplier [redacted] energy was taken over /merged with ostermam propane. I had it arranged that every April and October gas would be delivered. When osterman first took over I was being serviced out of their Maine office and received a delivery from them. A few days later I got a letter from the Methuen off ice asking to make an appointment because they wanted to change my tank out before refilling and somebody needed to be home for it. I called and asked what was going on since someone was just there a week ago to fill my tank. Since I work nights having someone home during the day was not a problem. I did not see or hear from them again. on may 1,2015 I called them to let them know I was out of gas. After being put on hold for 10-15 mins I was told I was not out of gas they came yesterday and took the tank since I had not called for a refill I must not have needed it anymore. Osterman never sent me a notice concerning this move nor did anyone leave anything on the door that my tank was removed. I now have no way to use my stove and will be forced to eat out for a week until I can get another company in.Desired SettlementI want to be reimbursed for the gas that was left in the tank at the rate it is going to cost me to replace it. Currently at $5.069 per gallon. I also want to be reimbursed for my family to eat out for the week and for any food I will have to throw away because it cannot be cooked.Business Response Refund check was mailed to customer on 6/1/15 for exact value of gas that was originally sold. We will not reimbursing customer for food as we attempted to contact customer several times regarding the removal/exchange of the propane tank for safety reasons. We never received a response from customer to remedy this situation. Also, these days there are alternative ways to cook food in any home.

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