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I can still get 2.69 with slomins. Contract is like $159. Do I jump ship from Petro? I have new equipment so I doubt I’ll need many service calls. Maybe I can also get slomins to waive the service contract fee.
Filled up today for $2.59 COD with automatic delivery.
How do you get "automatic" (meaning scheduled, I assume) delivery with a C.O.D. situation? I thought the entire premise of C.O.D. is that deliveries are done purely at a homeowner's request. Even when we were using a C.O.D. company regularly (EconoFuel) it was never automatic; I had to call each time.
I'm confused. I thought it was either/or (either contract/automatic delivery, or C.O.D. on order/request only)
How do you get "automatic" (meaning scheduled, I assume) delivery with a C.O.D. situation? I thought the entire premise of C.O.D. is that deliveries are done purely at a homeowner's request. Even when we were using a C.O.D. company regularly (EconoFuel) it was never automatic; I had to call each time.
I'm confused. I thought it was either/or (either contract/automatic delivery, or C.O.D. on order/request only)
They (United Metro Fuel) calls me 1-2 days before they come. “Automatic Delivery “. I NEVER called them yet.
I leave a blank check outside. NO, I never got ripped off. I can also pay by credit card for a 3% fee. EVERY delivery so for (Years) been about 150 +/- gals. I have 275 Gal tank. Maximum delivery I think I EVER received was 200 gallons.
Again, I have a service contractor for $225. In 14 years I called them twice at 2-3 AM and they showed up within an hour.
I finally had them replace my oil burner about 7 years ago.
Again I like to “Dollar Cost Average “. Some months I’ll pay 2.79, 2.49, 2.39, 2,69, ect..
Giving me an overall average of $2.59 per gallon. WITHOUT locking in for $2.79 +/- like I’ve been reading on here.
Been using this company since I moved in 14 years ago. Almost all my neighbors as well.
They (United Metro Fuel) calls me 1-2 days before they come. “Automatic Delivery “. I NEVER called them yet. I leave a blank check outside.
Ah, okay, I see. When you said COD I thought you meant utilizing CODfuel.com or simply doing it with one company (like we did with Econofuel) on a per-request basis. So you have the same setup we had with them except that they have you on a schedule whereas we had to call.
So is your current pricing based on having a service contract with them? If you didn't have the contract as well, would you be paying more per gallon?
@ave124, you are getting the same price from Slomins now ($2.699) that I got from them in mid-September as a new customer. We do not have a service contract with them because our equipment is brand new this spring and we are covered for the first couple years of service by the installing company.
I'm surprised that they have held the line in the price; I'd have expected it to go up, at least a little, as the heating season progresses.
That said, we have not needed a delivery from them yet. Our last company (Meenan) filled the tank a few days before our contract with them expired. I'm guessing maybe Slomins will show up in the next couple of weeks. I saw one of their trucks pass by the nearby corner just yesterday, in fact.
So what Company is everyone, who's using COD, using for maintenance contract? I got some fliers in the mail for Apple Air and HomeServe. I heard HomeServe wasn't bad but Apple Air I've haven't heard the best reviews for...
They (United Metro Fuel) calls me 1-2 days before they come. “Automatic Delivery “. I NEVER called them yet.
I leave a blank check outside. NO, I never got ripped off. I can also pay by credit card for a 3% fee. EVERY delivery so for (Years) been about 150 +/- gals. I have 275 Gal tank. Maximum delivery I think I EVER received was 200 gallons.
Again, I have a service contractor for $225. In 14 years I called them twice at 2-3 AM and they showed up within an hour.
I finally had them replace my oil burner about 7 years ago.
Again I like to “Dollar Cost Average “. Some months I’ll pay 2.79, 2.49, 2.39, 2,69, ect..
Giving me an overall average of $2.59 per gallon. WITHOUT locking in for $2.79 +/- like I’ve been reading on here.
Been using this company since I moved in 14 years ago. Almost all my neighbors as well.
I agree with your method 100% and love the due diligence, but it also shows how different situations call for different solutions. I am locked w/ Petro (after the yearly texas death match haggling session) at $2.99. The best 3rd party service contract I could get (G. Hafler, local and highly reputable) that comes close to Petro's is $375 (30+ yr old system, 3 wacky zones). I LOVE Petro's service. They show up in an hour and fix it so it stays fixed and the cleaning usually gets me through a year service-free (except for a zone valve motor or expansion tank issue here and there). If I factor the .40 gallon (your $2.59 vs my $2.99) x approx 750 gals per year, I lose $300 on oil. Petro's service agreement approx $109 ($129 less a $20 credit, part of the haggle). All in all, I'm looking at a $34 negative for the year vs COD, but I get soup to nuts service I like, auto refill w/ no monitoring on my part, and net 30 terms. Not for everyone, but just saying, everyone needs to assess their own situation like we do and fight for the best deal for them. Price per gallon is just one piece of the puzzle.
It is my understanding that, at least in eastern Long Island, Petro is severely understaffed and had major problems last week with the brief snow and rain storm even just answering the volume of calls coming in when many people turned up their heat for the first time of the season and had breakdowns. Some were told it would take three days to have their problem checked. Petro has acquired a number of smaller companies in the area and is attempting to close offices and shrink staff to the extent that people are leaving positions they worked at for years. Those leaving include office staff, delivery drivers and service people.
Star Gas is the parent company of Petro and is behind these changes but is relying on Petro management to run the business but it appears they are not doing very well so far. We'll see what happens if we get a cold snap like we had last year and heating systems really start to fail.
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