Thursday, August 05, 2010

Amerigas - Worst Propane Company in the US?

I do not have experience with all the propane companies in the U.S.  However, it is hard to imagine a company more difficult to deal with than Amerigas.

When we bought our house, we assumed the propane contract the bank had been using. It was the middle of the winter (who wants to shut down your furnace in January), the price seemed competitive, and we didn’t see a reason to switch at that point. If we assumed the contract, the tank rental is waived. That was the limit of our contract.

Boy, do we regret that decision.

From the standpoint of on-site service, Amerigas has done okay. They fill promptly enough, and the workman are pleasant.

However, when it comes to the contract and billing, it’s like dealing with . . . well the government.  They make the rules, and we can shut up and pay up.

We assumed a contract. 

Did you know they tell you it’s a two year contract on the phone, send out a truck, fill the tank, and then present paper work? Oh, and now, with the tank filled, it’s for a three year contract?  But don’t worry, you are “taking over” an existing contract.  So you only have to finish the remaining time.

Did you know that they tell you that you are “taking over contract” but that they really view it as a new contract?  Meaning the time remaining on the contract you assumed is reset to the day you assumed it? 

But don’t worry, you can break the contract. For a fee. Well, two fees.  They also charge you to pump the gas back out of the tank.

We told them we didn’t want to pay their ridiculous fee to “lock in the price”. We’d take our chances. 

However, they just knew we really wanted the price lock, and proceed to make the unauthorized charge on our credit card. 

We called, not very happy. They claim we authorized it.

We disputed it. They said they would check the phone recording and get back with us.

They didn’t call back.  We called again.

Yep, the phone recording has us authorizing it.

Again we said “no, we did not”. But if we are wrong, play the tape for us where we authorize it and we’ll apologize and shut up. Sorry, they said, that’s confidential.

To top it off, they said the charge would be made to our credit card upon delivery.  They charged more than authorized, prior to delivery.

Then, they recently sent us an invoice. The invoice was for the automatic price lock renewal. You know - the price lock we never authorized to begin with.  Oh, and the invoice date was AFTER the date they billed the renewal fee to our credit card.  But it was our fault that we were billed, then invoiced, for a charge we didn’t authorize.  You see, we don’t have a credit account, so they charge first, bill later.

We continue to call, they continued to stonewall, deny, and refuse to return calls when they say they will.

It probably won’t help, and if Amerigas were to read this, I’m sure they won’t care - my wife asked on the phone if they cared at all that we would tell people about our louse experience. They said it didn’t matter. I suppose they could try to bully me into being quiet.  But I’m going to tell the world . . . when you choose a propane company, choose any one but Amerigas!

I nominate Amerigas as the worst propane company on the planet.

Friday, July 30, 2010

I Like Mike in 2010

This may sound strange, but I’m looking forward to this year’s election for Michigan’s Governor.

Michigan has gone in cycles for as long as I can remember. Republican. Then Democrat. Then Republican. Then Democrat.  Given the cycle and the climate in Michigan, the Republicans are likely to take the governorship this year. Will this be the year the cycle breaks?

Currently there are five Republicans, two Democrats, and several “third party” candidates.  Of the two major parties and three largest third parties, I could live with 8 of the 10 candidates.  And even one of the two I would not be happy with has a couple of decent ideas.

That isn’t to say that I think all are equally easy to live with. My comfort level covers a continuum.

I rarely have endorsed candidates. Today I am doing the unusual. In my role as a private citizen I’m going to endorse my first candidate.

I have looked at the experience of each, their track records, their proposals, and the way they’ve run their campaigns.

I have several areas of agreement with the candidate I have chosen.  However, I also have some areas of disagreement.  I can live with that. None of them are “deal breakers”.

He appears to be a man of conviction with whom you can have an honest disagreement.  He has experience in business, in administration, leadership, and politics.  He’s well-rounded. 

Notably, he has been straight forward about some of the tough decisions that have to be made. He has not shied away from presenting controversial solutions to those challenges, even when they were not politically expedient.  I don’t support every single idea, but I like the discussion he will bring to the table. He talks like a man who has conviction in what he says. You know where he is coming from before he’s elected.  I recognize the discipline of leadership practices in his style and speech.

Any of the other candidates for the Republican nominations would be strong candidates. Mike Huckabee, former pastor and Governor of Arkansas has endorsed Attorney General Mike Cox. Dr. Dobson, while not a pastor, has endorsed Representative Pete Hoekstra. I don’t carry quite the same weight as Huckabee and Dobson, but for what it’s worth . . .

My first choice for the Republican nominee for Governor in 2010 is former Michigan Senator and current Oakland County Sheriff, Mike Bouchard.