Testerman & Passidomo Dental Partnership

Thank you for the notification from our customerThis is regarding our cr ***The complaint pertains to the cost of propane going up over the ten (10) years that she was a customerShe also indicated that she requested a refund and was not pleased with our offer to use the balance of the propane she was already providedI would like to respond to the items separatelyFirst of all, between the cost of living increases and through the course of business, all costs typically go up, especially over a span often yearsThe increase in pricing is directly related to our business practicesAs for the question pertaining to the refund, this customer is not billed for each gallon used, the charges are based on a quarterly chargeEach quarterly charge is for the propane used in the prior quarterThere is a specified amount of gallons to use within the billing periodAt this time, this customer has fulfilled her quarterly obligationIf the customer insists that we remove our tanks, we would be saddened to lose a long term customer, but will comply with her requestAs of this notice, our tanks have been removed from her locationThank youRichard C., President

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below Regards, [redacted]

I am in receipt of the newest letter from the Revdex.com regarding [redacted] and [redacted] At this time, I do not have anything more to add to this situation that wasn't already covered in the first letter dated April 1, We sent the [redacted] 's a letter explaining that there are no refunds for propaneIn fact, the letter was sent certified mail to avoid any confusion on our procedures regarding no refund on propaneThe [redacted] s were given ample time to use the propaneIn the Propane Equipment Lease & Gas Supply Agreement, that the [redacted] s signed and agreed to on August 2, 2010, it states that there is "No refund for propane left in propane tanks." This agreement also states that the customer shall pay for the cost of removal of equipment, including transit and rigging to our plant at our current hourly rate regardless of the contract end dateI have attached a copy of the signed lease as well as the certified letter that was sent regarding cancelling the account and any unused propaneIf you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me on my cell at ###-###-####Sincerely, Richard CPresident First Fuel and Propane

We have been in contact with the customer regarding this issue and everything has been resolvedWe were unable to deliver the gallons of propane to Mr*** 's tank because it was too full to take this much propaneA refund check has already been sent for the unused
propaneWe would also like to note the price of propane has gone down, therefore, his next delivery would be cheaper by waiting to take a full deliveryAs always, we appreciate the business, and we thank you for the opportunity to explain this misunderstandingSincerely, Richard C

We received your letter in regards to the above complaint todayThe customer has been called and the situation has been rectifiedMr*** is going to have the tank hooked back up and use up the remaining propane left in the tankHe did sign a contract with us on 4/6/and it is stated in
said contract that our policy is to pick up our tanks empty, as we do not refund for unused propaneA copy of the signed agreement is enclosedThis should satisfy and close out this complaintVery truly yours, Richard CPresident

In response to this letter, this is a he said/ she said correspondence and does not touch on the issue at hand Let's take the word "refund"Refund is the giving back of money that is owed....since I was told by this manager that since we hadn't paid on this propane he was taking the tanks full of propane backIn other words repossessing the tanks that were theirs but with our propane in them It is interesting to know that First Propane will take this propane and billed someone else for the propane that we are expected to payDouble billingWe were not informed that they were picking of these tanks that day ...being informed is the key word And to let this manager know that they were on our lot but didn't care to find that out either This manager continues to change his mind on issuesWas told full tanks could not be taken back and yet in this letter to the Revdex.com he states that they couldUponReading all complaints on the Revdex.com site it’s interesting to read the statement that the owner of First Fuel stated that " the charge for tank removal was reversed on January 5, do to lack of new customer sign up" We were charged for their tanks to be removed from our property Also, I might add that in the almost years that we have done business with them we have always paid on timeAs a matter of fact this company has $of credit on our account already! So....the bottom line is my husband and I do not feel that we should pay for something that we never used which amounts to 400.00 And the removal of tanks ....we will pay if that is what it takes to settle this I will end this bad experience with just saying that this manager writes a lot nicer than he talks to his customersSincerely *** and *** ***

Mr*** called 2/24/and told us that our tanks were disconnected and to pick them upWe had a conversation about the Propane Equipment Lease & Supply Agreement indicating there is no refund on propane left in the tanks and offered to hook them back up for himThe offer was deniedWe
can legally only bring the propane tanks back to our facility with propane in themWhen they are set at another location, we cannot travel with any more than 5% in the tanks as per D.O.T regulationsTherefore, we have to invert and evacuate the tanks before they can be resetThe cost of this procedure is more than the value of the propane in the tanksThis is the reason there is no refund, and why we try to coordinate getting the tanks back emptyThe *** were given time to decide if they wanted us to hook the tanks back up until they were emptyOn 3/23/we received a call from their neighborThe tanks were disconnected and sitting on their property and they wanted them removed immediatelyOur service technician went directly to the location at that timeOnce again we offered to reconnect the tanks at no charge, while our service technician was thereOnce again they refusedWe had no choice but to remove the tanksSincerely, Ryan L. Operations Manager

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. However, many promises were made when the representative was at our home that were contrary to the contractI know it is our fault for not adequately questioning the contractI just hope that this complaint is accessible to anyone who is considering using this propane company.
Regards,
*** ***

Thank you for the recent notice regarding a complaint against First Fuel and Propane on March 01, The customer's complaints were that we were over-charging her, and that we didn't advise her of her delivery scheduleI would like to respond to these allegations individuallyPricing is based
on a supply and demand modelIt fluctuates with the seasonal temperatures, and typically, in the winter months, costs are higherIn addition to the seasonal variances, the industry business practice for pricing decreases as the customer usage increasesIn this particular case, this customer has used less than gallons per year for the past three (3) yearsSecondary to the price issue, she indicated that she was not advised about her deliveryThe customer indicated on the contract that they wanted automatic delivery of the propaneIn these instances, we do not contact the customer when they will be receiving because they requested it as suchIf any further information is needed to process this response, please contact me at our office and we would be happy to fulfill the requestSincerely, Richard C

Thank you for the notification from our customer. This is regarding our cr [redacted]. The complaint pertains to the cost of propane going up over the ten (10) years that she was a customer. She also indicated that she requested a refund and was not pleased with our offer to use the balance...

of the propane she was already provided. I would like to respond to the items separately. First of all, between the cost of living increases and through the normal course of business, all costs typically go up, especially over a span often years. The increase in pricing is directly related to our normal business practices. As for the question pertaining to the refund, this customer is not billed for each gallon used, the charges are based on a quarterly charge. Each quarterly charge is for the propane used in the prior quarter. There is a specified amount of gallons to use within the billing period. At this time, this customer has fulfilled her quarterly obligation. If the customer insists that we remove our tanks, we would be saddened to lose a long term customer, but will comply with her request. As of this notice, our tanks have been removed from her location. Thank you. Richard C., President

The propane tanks located at [redacted] Route **, [redacted], NY belong to First Fuel and Propane. When a home is sold, the homeowner cannot sell propane out of our tanks. For liability purposes, we must have the new homeowners agree to our terms and conditions, the system must be leak checked, and...

safety procedures must be reviewed. If the new homeowner chooses to continue service with us, we charge them for the propane left in the tanks and then reimburse the old homeowner. However, the new homeowner at [redacted] Route **, [redacted], NY chose not to continue service with us. Therefore, we picked up the tanks. In the lease agreement that the customer signed and agreed to, it states that we do not refund for propane left in tanks as we prefer that propane is used before removal. We have this policy because when tanks are not empty, we need to send two people to remove them. We then need to invert and evacuate the tanks because DOT laws state that we cannot leave our tank yard with full [redacted] propane tanks; we may only return them. This time-consuming task negates any value to the propane retained. Many other companies charge a removal and re-stocking fee which is as expensive as not refunding for propane left in tanks. The oil company allowed the fuel oil to be paid for at the closing because the tank is owned by the homeowner and not the fuel company. We too have this policy for our oil customers.  Regarding the $70 removal fee, this was the quarterly fee for a third tank used for cooking. This charge was reversed on January 5, 2016, due to the lack of new customer sign up. There was never a tank removal fee. As always, we appreciate the business, and we thank you for the opportunity to explain this misunderstanding. Sincerely, Richard C.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. I would like to respectfully request copies of the records from my account, including payments received and the gallons that First Fuels is saying that we consumed.  Their option to re-hook their tanks to use the fuel in the tanks after they are already unhooked and I am in contract with another company, is not acceptable.  I would like my money refunded for the gallons of propane that remained in the tanks when they were removed.   First Fuels lack of delivery schedule, bills with the undisclosed per/gallon amount with delivery is not the expected behavior of a company intent on satisfied customers.  I expected disclosure of those things as a valuable customer.  I am unhappy with their attempt to resolve this issue.  I have been a good customer and paid my bills in advance.  When I recently called the business to inquire about the amount they were billing me, I was told I was being billed for my "convenience."  I look forward to viewing their records. Regards,
[redacted]

I am in receipt of the newest letter from the Revdex.com regarding  [redacted] and [redacted]. At this time, I do not have anything more to add to this situation that wasn't already covered in the first letter dated April 1, 2016. We sent the [redacted]'s a letter explaining that there are no refunds for propane. In fact, the letter was sent certified mail to avoid any confusion on our procedures regarding no refund on propane. The [redacted]s were given ample time to use the propane. In the Propane Equipment Lease & Gas Supply Agreement, that the [redacted]s signed and agreed to on August 2, 2010, it states that there is "No refund for propane left in propane tanks." This agreement also states that the customer shall pay for the cost of removal of equipment, including transit and rigging to our plant at our current hourly rate regardless of the contract end date. I have attached a copy of the signed lease as well as the certified letter that was sent regarding cancelling the account and any unused propane. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me on my cell at ###-###-####. Sincerely, Richard C. President First Fuel and Propane

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

We have been in contact with the customer regarding this issue and everything has been resolved. The price she was charged was in error. We have lowered the price per gallon to the correct amount. As always, we appreciate the business, and we thank you for the opportunity to explain this...

misunderstanding. Sincerely, Richard C.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Regards,
[redacted]