Richland Partners

This customer opened a new, automatic delivery account with us in December, After signing up with us, they disputed the automatic delivery agreement for some reason and our salesperson reached out to them to explain what they had agreed to when originally signing up At that time, our sales team gave an additional $credit (on top of another $credit that was given to them for being a first time customer) in order to try and make up for any misunderstandings they may have had ($in discounts at this time) The customer only ever made one payment to us for the service we provided to them We also made oil deliveries to this customer The first totaled $and the second totaled $190.94,neither of which has been paid for ($due to Leffler Energy) In addition, [redacted] requested that his service plan he purchased from us when signing up for his automatic delivery account to be credited back to his account The customer was billed $for their service plan We accidently refunded him $($more than he originally paid) and never pursued him for that seeing it was an accounting mistake on our end We pushed that refund through for him right away and we ended up going out to his home on separate occasions for “no heat” calls [redacted] never paid us for any of the service calls our company provided him- On 12/20/– We sent a service tech to his home on a no heat call We replaced the burner motor and billed our flat rate price of $(which is a discounted price for having a service contract with us – 15% off) While this repair would normally be covered by our service plan, this was considered a “pre-existing” condition since the customer just started the account on this day with us- On 12/21/– We called the customer and scheduled to inspect his system for the service contract he purchased from us when signing up his new account - On 1/10/– We sent a tech out to complete the inspection He put on a new coupling; and set the burner up (the burner motor was not secured to the chassis properly) He replaced the burner coupling and approved the boiler for any plan (service contract) up to our premier plan (Platinum Plan)- In February (after the customer decided to cancel the service plan), they were charged a diagnostic fee for the call on 12/20/as well as the difference in price between the discounted repair charge and standard repair charge which totaled $ It is standard procedure that when a customer cancels a service plan and is due a refund for the cost of the plan, they are charged for any work that was done which would have been covered by that planWe feel the customer owes us the balance on his account for the oil that was delivered and the service that was provided to him I would be happy to not charge the current applicable late fee charges totaling $if the customer takes care of the remaining balance owedPlease let me know if you have any questions at all or if I can help in any other waySincerelySteve W [redacted] General Manager – Leffler Energy

We were able to speak with *** *** and apologized for having to reschedule his tune up and explained that at this time of the year we have to respond to emergency calls for those that don't have heat and would do the same for himHe understood that but felt that this was not explained to him that well when he signed up about that being likely He also had questions about his smart pay plan and how that worked We asked him to give us a chance to make things right and stated that we would absolutely address the fact that we failed to call him when we knew we'd have to rescheduled his first tune up We asked him what we could do for him and he originally said he didn't know and felt we weren't the company for him We gave him a local contact name and number and made it clear that our customers are the most Important thing to us and if given the chance we could prove that to him [redacted] *** said he lost a full day of work and was not happy about that Because of this, we offered him a $credit for his inconvenience and he said he would take that and give us another chance I explained how his smart pay worked and he now has a understanding of that He was happy when our call ended and thanked me for taking the time to call him and explain thingsThank you for bringing this to our attentionSteve W [redacted] General ManagerLeffler Energy

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:They are clearly not understanding the issueIt is clear on the attachments sentOur address is [redacted] ** [redacted] is our addressWe have not received delivery at [redacted] Millersburg, PA.LEFFLER IS DELIVERING TO THE WRONG ADDRESS - [redacted] *** WE HAVE NOT LIVED THERE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEARI HAVE BEEN TELLING THEM THIS AND FOR SOME REASON CANNOT UNDERSTAND Regards, [redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: They are clearly not understanding the issueIt is clear on the attachments sentOur address is [redacted] ** [redacted] is our addressWe have not received delivery at [redacted] Millersburg, PALEFFLER IS DELIVERING TO THE WRONG ADDRESS - [redacted] WE HAVE NOT LIVED THERE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEARI HAVE BEEN TELLING THEM THIS AND FOR SOME REASON CANNOT UNDERSTAND Regards, [redacted]

This letter is in response to the above complaint in which the customer claims we delivered oil after he requested to be placed on delivery stopHe claims he did not make a request and should not be held responsible for the amount dueAttached please find an email oil delivery request sent by this customer at 10:on 6/14/This is attachment 1The customer was on credit hold due to an outstanding balance at that time...he was sent an email on 6/15/(attachment 2) and advised he needed to make a payment in order to get a deliveryAttachment shows he did make a payment on 6/that released his account from hold and allowed for the delivery to move forward per his request, His email requested for us to fill tank, no call required, and did not specify a delivery date-just standard delivery (when in area) The delivery was made on 6/23/(attachment 4) in the amount of gallonsWe delivered the product based on the customer's requestWe certainly valued his business, but the bill was generated based on our response to his emailWe would be willing to work with him on payment arrangements, but at this time our view is the bill is his responsibilitySincerely Dean BGeneral Manager

2/12/15Included is a copy of the customer signed contract for his equipment purchaseThere was no discussion or agreement to reimburse for product removed—if such an agreement was made, it would have been stated in the contractThe customer terminated his oil account with us on 11/On 11/he called in stating he was low on oil and needed some to get him through till install was completed in a couple weeksThe customer service rep recommended he purchase some diesel at a local station if he did not need a large quantityHe did not want to do this, so we temporarily reopened his account so that we could place an order, Since he was placing an order, he was aware that he was making a purchaseWe immediately made a delivery on that same day, 11/19, not 11/(see transaction report)When we emptied the tank on 12/2, we filled (1) gallon drum, so it would not be possible that only gallons were usedOften times in older outside tanks, old residual oil is left at the very bottom of tank so a portion of that gallons would not have been from the gallon delivery, so considerably more then gallons was used between 11/and 12/In addition, we do not resell that product as stated by the customer in his complaintWe disposed of the returned waste oil and there was no financial benefit to Leffler in bringing it back.The furnace was installed and financed at 0% for months per the attached contractSince he was switching from oil to propane, he also needed to purchase a propane tank and have properly completed gas checks performed to insure safetyThe tank and the propane services were billed separately and are not a part of the contract for equipment (this is stated on contract and explained to customer)It is mentioned here as he is also stating the propane charges should be included in the financingAgain, this was not part of the signed contract and the $for those services can not be included in that as the contract was already executedHe has decided to close his propane account with Patriot propane as he did not purchase product from us to fill tank as originally discussed and as a result, the $becomes past due.We certainly value all of our customers and take any claim of “theft” very seriouslyHowever, refunding $of a $purchase of which he used considerably more then what he indicated was not agreed upon and we did not resell it.We do not see where we were unfair as we had also offered him a suggestion to purchase a smaller quantity on his own—which I understand he opted not to do for convenience,However, we do value him as a customer and would be willing to speak with him about discounting an upcoming propane order and work with him on his past due balance if he were to once again become a customerThis of course is his choiceHe would always be welcomed back as a customerSincerely,Dean BGeneral Manager

We would like to do what is fair to try and resolve this for good, but feel this may be better handled by discussing in person rather than through emails.Our customer service manager (Anne S***) would be available to take *** ***’s call at any time during office hours at ###-###-####, or we can reach out directly to *** *** whenever is convenient for him.Sincerely,Steve W***

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*** ***

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:Based on MrW***’s reply, he has no clue what is going on at Leffler Energy. MrW*** can not produce a service or fuel oil plan for me because I never signed one. I only contacted Leffler Energy one time for a “no heat call”. It was my first contact with this company. A technician came to my home and installed a new pump on my oil burner. For that work I was charged $421. I paid this bill. . As for the contracts with Leffler Energy, once again I never signed one. Here is how the process works with Leffler Energy. When you call Leffler Energy for service you are forwarded to a sales person who wants to sell you a service or fuel planYou are promised the world. You are told you can have your current service applied to the cost of any planYou are told to review the initial bill and see how it works best for you. These are lies; you are billed for everything all at once before the service or fuel plans even arrive in the mail for review. The billing department appears to work completely separate from the sales departmentThey charge for service, service plans, fuel plans, and late charges as if a totally different company As far as subsequent service by Leffler Energy: The company did come to my house a second time at their request to see if my furnace could be approved for one of their service plans. When the technician was at my home, I mentioned the noise coming from my burner since the previous service. It was found that the motor was loose and the original coupling was left too long from the pump installation for which I had already paid. I was charged an additional $for this work. This charge was never sent as a bill. It was just included on a statement with another late charge.At this point I still had not received copies of the service or fuel plan in the mail or by email. Then the fuel oil started arriving. I was never contacted to confirm that I wanted oil or discuss deliveryI called Leffler Energy and was once again directed to a sales person. The sales person acknowledged that I was not in a plan and was over charged for the the first delivery of oil and that I had no control over the delivery schedule. However, as stated before, he is not the billing department and this over charge has never been fixed. I informed him once again I had not reviewed or signed any service or fuel plans with Leffler EnergySince then, the service and oil plans arrived in the mail for review along with uncorrected billing statements. I tried to call the company back and my number had been blocked. The statement said I had to contact them in writing within days with discrepancies in the billing. I did this, without a reply from Leffler Energy within their own day response window MrW***, it is a bad business practice to turn a costumer into a collection agency while they are trying to resole problems using rules that your own company put in place. We never asked for Leffler to deliver oil. We never agreed or signed any contracts or plansSincerely,*** ***
Regards,
*** ***

This letter is in response to the above complaint in which the customer claims we delivered oil after he requested to be placed on delivery stopHe claims he did not make a request and should not be held responsible for the amount due.Attached please find an email oil delivery request sent by this
customer at 10:on 6/14/This is attachment 1The customer was on credit hold due to an outstanding balance at that time...he was sent an email on 6/15/(attachment 2) and advised he needed to make a payment in order to get a deliveryAttachment shows he did make a payment on 6/that released his account from hold and allowed for the delivery to move forward per his request, His email requested for us to fill tank, no call required, and did not specify a delivery date-just standard delivery (when in area)The delivery was made on 6/23/(attachment 4) in the amount of gallons.We delivered the product based on the customer's requestWe certainly valued his business, but the bill was generated based on our response to his emailWe would be willing to work with him on payment arrangements, but at this time our view is the bill is his responsibility.SincerelyDean B.General Manager

2/12/15
Included is a copy of the customer signed contract for his equipment purchase. There was no discussion or agreement to reimburse for product removed—if such an agreement was made, it would have been stated in the contract. The customer terminated his oil account with us on 11/18. On...

11/19 he called in stating he was low on oil and needed some to get him through till install was completed in a couple weeks. The customer service rep recommended he purchase some diesel at a local station if he did not need a large quantity. He did not want to do this, so we temporarily reopened his account so that we could place an order, Since he was placing an order, he was aware that he was making a purchase. We immediately made a delivery on that same day, 11/19, not 11/24 (see transaction report)When we emptied the tank on 12/2, we filled (1) 55 gallon drum, so it would not be possible that only 3 gallons were used. Often times in older outside tanks, old residual oil is left at the very bottom of tank so a portion of that 55 gallons would not have been from the 100 gallon delivery, so considerably more then 3 gallons was used between 11/19 and 12/2. In addition, we do not resell that product as stated by the customer in his complaint. We disposed of the returned waste oil and there was no financial benefit to Leffler in bringing it back.
The furnace was installed and financed at 0% for 6 months per the attached contract. Since he was switching from oil to propane, he also needed to purchase a propane tank and have properly completed gas checks performed to insure safety. The tank and the propane services were billed separately and are not a part of the contract for equipment (this is stated on contract and explained to customer). It is mentioned here as he is also stating the propane charges should be included in the financing. Again, this was not part of the signed contract and the $2007.05 for those services can not be included in that as the contract was already executed. He has decided to close his propane account with Patriot propane as he did not purchase product from us to fill tank as originally discussed and as a result, the $2007.05 becomes past due.We certainly value all of our customers and take any claim of “theft” very seriously. However, refunding $372 of a $378 purchase of which he used considerably more then what he indicated was not agreed upon and we did not resell it.We do not see where we were unfair as we had also offered him a suggestion to purchase a smaller quantity on his own—which I understand he opted not to do for convenience,However, we do value him as a customer and would be willing to speak with him about discounting an upcoming propane order and work with him on his past due balance if he were to once again become a customer. This of course is his choice. He would always be welcomed back as a customer
Sincerely,Dean B
General Manager

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
They are clearly not understanding the issue. It is clear on the attachments sent. Our address is [redacted]. [redacted] is our address. We have not received delivery at [redacted] Millersburg, PA.
LEFFLER IS DELIVERING TO THE WRONG ADDRESS - [redacted]
 WE HAVE NOT LIVED THERE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. I HAVE BEEN TELLING THEM THIS AND FOR SOME REASON CANNOT UNDERSTAND 
Regards,
[redacted]

2/12/15Included is a copy of the customer signed contract for his equipment purchase. There was no discussion or agreement to reimburse for product removed—if such an agreement was made, it would have been stated in the contract. The customer terminated his oil account with us on 11/18. On 11/19 he...

called in stating he was low on oil and needed some to get him through till install was completed in a couple weeks. The customer service rep recommended he purchase some diesel at a local station if he did not need a large quantity. He did not want to do this, so we temporarily reopened his account so that we could place an order, Since he was placing an order, he was aware that he was making a purchase. We immediately made a delivery on that same day, 11/19, not 11/24 (see transaction report)When we emptied the tank on 12/2, we filled (1) 55 gallon drum, so it would not be possible that only 3 gallons were used. Often times in older outside tanks, old residual oil is left at the very bottom of tank so a portion of that 55 gallons would not have been from the 100 gallon delivery, so considerably more then 3 gallons was used between 11/19 and 12/2. In addition, we do not resell that product as stated by the customer in his complaint. We disposed of the returned waste oil and there was no financial benefit to Leffler in bringing it back.The furnace was installed and financed at 0% for 6 months per the attached contract. Since he was switching from oil to propane, he also needed to purchase a propane tank and have properly completed gas checks performed to insure safety. The tank and the propane services were billed separately and are not a part of the contract for equipment (this is stated on contract and explained to customer). It is mentioned here as he is also stating the propane charges should be included in the financing. Again, this was not part of the signed contract and the $2007.05 for those services can not be included in that as the contract was already executed. He has decided to close his propane account with Patriot propane as he did not purchase product from us to fill tank as originally discussed and as a result, the $2007.05 becomes past due.We certainly value all of our customers and take any claim of “theft” very seriously. However, refunding $372 of a $378 purchase of which he used considerably more then what he indicated was not agreed upon and we did not resell it.We do not see where we were unfair as we had also offered him a suggestion to purchase a smaller quantity on his own—which I understand he opted not to do for convenience,However, we do value him as a customer and would be willing to speak with him about discounting an upcoming propane order and work with him on his past due balance if he were to once again become a customer. This of course is his choice. He would always be welcomed back as a customerSincerely,Dean BGeneral Manager

We were able to speak with [redacted] and apologized for having to reschedule his tune up and explained that at this time of the year we have to respond to emergency calls for those that don't have heat and would do the same for him. He understood that but felt that this was not explained...

to him that well when he signed up about that being likely.  He also had questions about his smart pay plan and how that worked.  We asked him to give us a chance to make things right and stated that we would absolutely address the fact that we failed to call him when we knew we'd have to rescheduled his first tune up.  We asked him what we could do for him and he originally said he didn't know and felt we weren't the company for him.  We gave him a local contact name and number and made it clear that our customers are the most Important thing to us and if given the chance we could prove that to him.  [redacted] said he lost a full day of work and was not happy about that.  Because of this, we offered him a $75.00 credit for his inconvenience and he said he would take that and give us another chance.  I explained how his smart pay worked and he now has a understanding of that.  He was happy when our call ended and thanked me for taking the time to call him and explain things. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Steve W[redacted]General ManagerLeffler Energy

This customer opened a new, automatic delivery account with us in December, 2016.  After signing up with us, they disputed the automatic delivery agreement for some reason and our salesperson reached out to them to explain what they had agreed to when originally signing up.  At that time,...

our sales team gave an additional $100 credit (on top of another $100 credit that was given to them for being a first time customer) in order to try and make up for any misunderstandings they may have had ($200 in discounts at this time).  The customer only ever made one payment to us for the service we provided to them.  We also made 2 oil deliveries to this customer.  The first totaled $251.66 and the second totaled $190.94,neither of which has been paid for ($442.60 due to Leffler Energy).     In addition, [redacted] requested that his service plan he purchased from us when signing up for his automatic delivery account to be credited back to his account.  The customer was billed $229.99 for their service plan.  We accidently refunded him $299.99 ($70 more than he originally paid) and never pursued him for that seeing it was an accounting mistake on our end.  We pushed that refund through for him right away and we ended up going out to his home on 3 separate occasions for “no heat” calls.  [redacted] never paid us for any of the service calls our company provided him. -          On 12/20/16 – We sent a service tech to his home on a no heat call.  We replaced the burner motor and billed our flat rate price of $421 (which is a discounted price for having a service contract with us – 15% off).  While this repair would normally be covered by our service plan, this was considered a “pre-existing” condition since the customer just started the account on this day with us. -          On 12/21/16 – We called the customer and scheduled to inspect his system for the service contract he purchased from us when signing up his new account.  -          On 1/10/17 – We sent a tech out to complete the inspection.  He put on a new coupling; and set the burner up (the burner motor was not secured to the chassis properly).  He replaced the burner coupling and approved the boiler for any plan (service contract) up to our premier plan (Platinum Plan). -          In February (after the customer decided to cancel the service plan), they were charged a diagnostic fee for the call on 12/20/16 as well as the difference in price between the discounted repair charge and standard repair charge which totaled $153.  It is standard procedure that when a customer cancels a service plan and is due a refund for the cost of the plan, they are charged for any work that was done which would have been covered by that plan. We feel the customer owes us the balance on his account for the oil that was delivered and the service that was provided to him.  I would be happy to not charge the current applicable late fee charges totaling $31.09 if the customer takes care of the remaining balance owed. Please let me know if you have any questions at all or if I can help in any other way. Sincerely. Steve W[redacted]General Manager – Leffler Energy

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:They are clearly not understanding the issue. It is clear on the attachments sent. Our address is [redacted] is our address. We have not received delivery at [redacted] Millersburg, PA.LEFFLER IS DELIVERING TO THE WRONG ADDRESS - [redacted] WE HAVE NOT LIVED THERE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. I HAVE BEEN TELLING THEM THIS AND FOR SOME REASON CANNOT UNDERSTAND 
Regards,
[redacted]

This is in response to the above complaint. The delivery in question mentioned on this complaint was made by Leffler Energy  on June 23rd, 2015, in the amount of $577.27. After receiving this information Leffler Energy was able to come to a agreement  with the Landlord ([redacted]), and payment was received in full for the above delivery in question. The balance remaining on [redacted]’s Leffler Energy account is solely from a previous past due balance in the amount of $433.40. This balance stems from prior deliveries. This balance still remains past due at this time. We would certainly be willing to work with [redacted] on reaching adequate payment arrangements on the past due balance. Please feel free to call with any questions, and we respectfully appreciate the extension on our response time. Respectfully, Anne S[redacted]###-###-####

This letter is in response to the above complaint in which the customer claims we delivered oil after he requested to be placed on delivery stop. He claims he did not make a request and should not be held responsible for the amount due.
Attached please find an email oil delivery request...

sent by this customer at 10:25 on 6/14/2015. This is attachment 1The customer was on credit hold due to an outstanding balance at that time...he was sent an email on 6/15/15 (attachment 2) and advised he needed to make a payment in order to get a delivery. Attachment 3 shows he did make a payment on 6/15 that released his account from hold and allowed for the delivery to move forward per his request, His email requested for us to fill tank, no call required, and did not specify a delivery date-just standard delivery (when in area)
The delivery was made on 6/23/15 (attachment 4) in the amount of 231 gallons.
We delivered the product based on the customer's request. We certainly valued his business, but the bill was generated based on our response to his email. We would be willing to work with him on payment arrangements, but at this time our view is the bill is his responsibility.
Sincerely
Dean B.
General Manager

February 17, 2014
Dear [redacted],
Thank you for allowing Leffler Energy to respond to the consumer complaint assigned ID#[redacted]. On 10-26-12 Leffler Energy installed for the consumer a new furnace, air conditioner and oil tank for the sum of $6740.00. The consumer...

called Leffler Energy two times in January 2014 when he had no heat, the 4th and 22nd. On each call the technicians found his fuel line had gelled outside and restricted the flow of oil into his burner causing the furnace to stop working. On each service call the technicians were there for 1 hour, thawed and cleared the line of the blockage. A bottle of fuel additive was also put into the outside tank by the first technician who explained to the consumer with an outside oil tank burning #2 fuel oil the fuel supplier needs to be putting fuel additive into the tank at every delivery. Leffler Energy does not supply the oil to this consumers outside tank so we have no control over the quality ofhis fuel. Leffler Energy performs quality service repair work and if the second no heat call would have been within days of the initial service call, we would have labeled it as a call back, but it was 2 1 \2 weeks later during extremely frigid outside temperatures and we have no control of the quality of his fuel. We do not know if his supplier puts additive in with his deliveries and we have no control over the weather.
The consumer's statement that the oil line was installed improperly is totally false, outside temperature is outside temperature. The oil line being run along the chimney brick would not make it colder. The facts are the consumer has his oil tank and oil line outside. All outside oil tanks condensate (sweat) and form moisture (water) that combined with the extreme cold low temperatures on these days, Jan. 4th -2 low and Jan 22nd 0 low caused his line to gel and he had no heat. All outside tanks are susceptible to gelling in extreme low sustained temperatures. Fuel additive must be mixed in at every delivery and still the possibility will always exist for a line freeze-up at extremely low temperatures with fuel tanks located outside.
Leffler Energy for its automatic delivery customer's who get the additive added at every delivery and have a service plan are covered for oil line freeze-ups, because under those conditions we the supplier can control many of the factors that cause a line freeze-up, except for the extreme weather. In this consumers case we the service provider could control none of the factors and that is why the consumer was billed for both the service calls. We have had more outside line freeze-ups in the past 8 weeks than any other time in the past 20 years.
Leffler Energy, as a good faith gesture and show of good will to this consumer has credited him $75. Leffler Energy was correct to bill the consumer for both service calls and admits to no wrong doing.

Review: Leffler Energy in [redacted] installed a new furnace, outside oil tank and line just over a year ago. I spent $8000.00. On Jan 4 the oil line froze. They sent out a repairman to clear the line. I told him I didn't want this to happen again. He said the oil needed additive. I told him my oil company already added it. He added some more. He said if they were called back out for the same problem I would not be charged. I was charged $243.00 and he was here about 1/2 hour. Jan 22 the line froze again. Another guy came out and cleared the line. I asked him what I could do to fix this. He said I needed a heater for the line. I told him I've lived here 12 years and my old line never needed a heater. He had no answer to why this one was freezing. After he left I went to look at the oil line. At one point the line is bent at a 90 degree angle to go around the chimney. At this point the line was tight up against the chimney which is why it was freezing. The chimney brick was cold and at the point it was touching line and this made the line even colder. I pulled the line away from the house and put insulation on it it's been fine ever since. I then received a bill for an additional $227.00 for the second visit. I called and explained that the oil line was not installed properly and that I was hoping they would take responsibility for the error. They wouldn't. I also pointed out that the first repairman said if I had to call them out again with the same issue I would not be charged. They said that wasn't true. The guy I talked to when I called in was rude and I hung up on him. His name was [redacted] and his number is [redacted]. I called the main office at [redacted] and the woman I talked to was very nice and said she would have a guy named [redacted] call me back. That was yesterday morning (2/7) and I haven't heard anything yet. I'm left with a $470.00 bill that could have been avoided if the line had been installed correctly.Desired Settlement: I think the company should take responsibility for the installation error and I should not have to pay for their error.

Business

Response:

February 17, 2014

Dear [redacted],

Thank you for allowing Leffler Energy to respond to the consumer complaint assigned ID#[redacted]. On 10-26-12 Leffler Energy installed for the consumer a new furnace, air conditioner and oil tank for the sum of $6740.00. The consumer called Leffler Energy two times in January 2014 when he had no heat, the 4th and 22nd. On each call the technicians found his fuel line had gelled outside and restricted the flow of oil into his burner causing the furnace to stop working. On each service call the technicians were there for 1 hour, thawed and cleared the line of the blockage. A bottle of fuel additive was also put into the outside tank by the first technician who explained to the consumer with an outside oil tank burning #2 fuel oil the fuel supplier needs to be putting fuel additive into the tank at every delivery. Leffler Energy does not supply the oil to this consumers outside tank so we have no control over the quality ofhis fuel. Leffler Energy performs quality service repair work and if the second no heat call would have been within days of the initial service call, we would have labeled it as a call back, but it was 2 1 \2 weeks later during extremely frigid outside temperatures and we have no control of the quality of his fuel. We do not know if his supplier puts additive in with his deliveries and we have no control over the weather.

The consumer's statement that the oil line was installed improperly is totally false, outside temperature is outside temperature. The oil line being run along the chimney brick would not make it colder. The facts are the consumer has his oil tank and oil line outside. All outside oil tanks condensate (sweat) and form moisture (water) that combined with the extreme cold low temperatures on these days, Jan. 4th -2 low and Jan 22nd 0 low caused his line to gel and he had no heat. All outside tanks are susceptible to gelling in extreme low sustained temperatures. Fuel additive must be mixed in at every delivery and still the possibility will always exist for a line freeze-up at extremely low temperatures with fuel tanks located outside.

Leffler Energy for its automatic delivery customer's who get the additive added at every delivery and have a service plan are covered for oil line freeze-ups, because under those conditions we the supplier can control many of the factors that cause a line freeze-up, except for the extreme weather. In this consumers case we the service provider could control none of the factors and that is why the consumer was billed for both the service calls. We have had more outside line freeze-ups in the past 8 weeks than any other time in the past 20 years.

Leffler Energy, as a good faith gesture and show of good will to this consumer has credited him $75. Leffler Energy was correct to bill the consumer for both service calls and admits to no wrong doing.