ComplaintsforEastern Propane & Oil

• Initial Complaint

  03/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  1. I am the owner of a two-family residential address in ***********.2. I bought the home last year, and paid for the propane that had been recently filled in the tanks by Eastern Propane, and have records showing same that the propane in the tanks had been paid for, and there were no outstanding payments owed.3. The other day I noticed that that propane tanks, supplied by Eastern Propane, had been removed from the property.4. Those tanks supplied fuel to the second unit's primary heat source. That unit has no primary heat source right now.5. No telephone, writing, postal or other communication was made. Eastern Propane has my correct and updated contact information, as we had exchanged a number of phone and emails after I purchased the property. Records can be provided which show they have my contact information. 6. I have reached out to Eastern Propane, and they have not gotten back. I can provide records to this. 7. I have filed a complaint at the ************************* and with the ************* **************************** and will likely be pursuing a civil action to recover the cost for the propane that I had purchased and which they removed. 8. Eastern Propane removed propane tanks that had fuel which had been fully paid for, on an account in good standing, in violation of ************* state law, and has not responded to any communication to attempt to fix the situation. 9. I am open to a resolution directly with Eastern Propane. However, they must respond immediately and offer a solution that adequately addresses the mistake they have made.

  Business response

  03/22/2024

  Hello.  I have spoken directly with ********************* and we have resolved his concerns.  Thank you.  Penney

• Initial Complaint

  03/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I've been using Eastern for 5 years. Out of nowhere I receive a bill for $280. I call Eastern and they claim that I owe them a $280 fee because they own my 500 gallon propane tank and I didn't have 400 gallons or more of propane delivered last year. I've used Eastern for 5 years, I've never ordered more than 400 gallons of propane in a year, and I've never received this charge. I asked why I was never charged before and the Eastern (Meagan) sayed that "it must of slipped through the cracks". I asked her the age of the tank. She did not know. I asked her for proof that Eastern owns the tank and she has not provided that information. She did email me terms and conditions. "Here are the terms and conditions you would have been sent back in 08/2017 in your welcome packet that does go over the tank rental charges." I spoke personally with the individual who built my house. He purchased the tank and installed the tank. The main reason I am posting this complaint, is to let other customers know that Eastern may try this on them.

  Business response

  03/13/2023

  Mr. ******* has been charged our Annual Tank Rental due to not meeting the minimum usage requirements each year since 2019.

  Our records indicate Eastern owns this tank and has serviced this location with the previous two homeowners prior to his purchase in 2017.

  His average usage is 142 gallons per year.

  Thank you.

  Customer response

  03/13/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because Eastern has not provided proof of tank ownership, signed paperwork by me indicating I leased the tank from Eastern, and documentation of the tank installation.  When I asked Eastern for this information I was told they would find and send, but I have not received. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******

  Business response

  03/17/2023

  In speaking with Mr. ******* today we are marking this tank as customer owned.  Our records are not documented in regard to this tank 20 years ago so we are going to honor his claim that the tank was purchased by his builder.  The rental fee is being removed from his account.  Mr. ******* is aware that the tank maintenance and proof of ownership is his responsibility going forward.

• Initial Complaint

  01/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I called Eastern Propane on 1/2/2023 as my tanks were running low. The girl who answered the phone told me they would have a truck come to my house to fill the tanks by Friday 1/6/23. I was sure to confirm that my tanks would not run out prior; she said it would be fine. Came home Thursday night and my house was at 57 degrees, no hot water or heat. Tanks were both empty. I called Eastern Propane that night 1/5/23 and a younger girl answered the emergency line. I explained the situation (stated above). She said she was going to send a truck out that night (middle of the night) to fill the tanks as i have 3 kids in the home, but she had to quote me $190 for an additional service fee. I told her i would not be paying $190 for a fee when i called in advance to avoid this from happening. She said it is the standard fee but all i would have to do is call the business office in the morning and they could take the fee off given the situation. I called the business office, 1`st rep that answered the phone said they couldn't do anything. I asked for a manager who said she would look into it and let me know (has my phone #, email etc) as i am a customer. I got an email back within the next couple hours with no sort of explanation just a bill for the propane that was delivered, and the $190 amount added to the total. No one reached out to me directly to explain how it was okay for them to provide incorrect information, not acknowledge their error and charge me for something that was caused due to their representative/s giving inaccurate information. I am willing to pay the amount for my propane but not the fees that were caused by their poorly trained employees. Not good business practices. If i had the option to switch companies i would. Unfortunately, my landlord just put in tanks that they are the only company who can fill. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE!

  Business response

  01/13/2023

  I have left a message for ******** to discuss the situation and potential resolution.

  Customer response

  01/19/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: I was advised I WOULD NOT be charged 190 if I called the business office after the delivery was made given the circumstances of me calling at the beginning of the week to prevent this in the first place. I sent an original bill for the propane delieverd $711.70 (which I am willing to pay) then got a 2nd notice of $190 charge then another additional charge for a leak test bringing the total bill to over $950! The leak test is another misleading charge as I was told in order to do the leak test the employee would have to enter my neighbors house to get to the furnace to check. I asked if he could do it without entering their house and he said no. No employee entered my neighbors house to do a leak test. Erroneous charge. Lastly there is another charge for them to come back the next morning to relight the tanks?! When the delivery man called me at about 3am he asked me about that. Again that is something I would have to wake up my neighbor at 3 in the morning to do. I asked him if he(my neighbor) could do it when he woke up. The employee said yes and if you're not sure just call us and we will come back. Never said there would by any charge for that. I am disgusted with all of this currently. Something that was proactively called for turn into a nightmare of fees that all are falsely representing how eastern propane runs its business. I have called Penny back 3 times now leaving 2 voice-mails today 1/19 and 1/17. Not getting anywhere with this and simply taking more time out of my work day to handle something that should have never been. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *****

  Business response

  01/20/2023

  Hello, I spoke with ******** yesterday and her complaint was resolved as we adjusted the special delivery charge with the understanding that her will call status requires her to provide 5-7 business days notice with a delivery request and to call in at 30%, not 10%.  I am confused why her xfinity invoice is attached to this complaint.

  Customer response

  01/20/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *****

• Initial Complaint

  01/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I rent a tank from these guys, the gauge on the tank read 50%, it was frozen at 50% apparently. I ran out of gas because of that, and now they are charging me a $50 fee to do a "leak test," which takes 3 minutes. It is a clear attempt to extort $50 from good customers. A joke really, terrible way to do business.

  Business response

  01/06/2023

  Mr. ***** is not being charged a tank rental by Eastern.  His account is on will call per his request at set up.  With that said, we understand how important it is to have a working gauge if you are going to monitor your own tank.  We are scheduled to make a delivery on Monday 1/9/23.  If when the driver arrives he discovers the gauge is stuck, there will not be a leak test fee.

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I am a longtime customer of Eastern Propane for home propane at my past homes and at my new home at ** ******* ****, Meredith, NH. Eastern Propane had provided me, at my request, furnace technical assistance at my home for a propane furnace burner problem at this new home. There was a total of three visits by Eastern personal to the home to assist me with trouble shooting the furnace issue. The first two visits by the techs did find two mechanical issues with the furnace but the unit still failed to remain operational after new parts were installed as directed by each tech. After the second techs visit and the furnace problems still happening, I called the Eastern service department and the sales department to discuss possible solutions to this problem. I was informed by the sales department that the original service tech would be contacted for their thoughts on what was the problem. More than a week went by and not returns calls were received by Eastern Propane about this matter. I did call the service department again to request assistance again to have Eastern Propane techs check the fuel source i.e. fuel tank and related equipment which is owned by Eastern Propane, as directed by the manufacturer tech assistance personal. The service department at Eastern told me that they could have someone available in about 7-10 days from the date of this call to check the tank and lines. I ask if this could be done by other parties as it is getting colder now and the home needed to have the heat on in the home. I was told that no one is allowed to service their equipment except for Eastern techs and that a tech could possibly come to out to check the tank/line after normal business hours. I found I had no other option but to agree to this emergency visit since along with my wife there is a 92 year old parent residing in this home. The final Eastern tech did arrive at about 6 that evening and did make gas pressure adjustments at the tank (something that the previous Eastern techs did not do). This final tech visit did resolve the furnace issue by making this gas pressure adjustment and checked operations of the burner. After this final visit I did call the Eastern Service Department Manager to discuss the events and spoke about lack of followup on the previous call. Additionally, I did not feel there should be a special dispatch bill for checking equipment that nether me or anyone else was authorized to test and could have been tested at the time of either of the first two tech visits. Again, I was told that this would be reviewed once the final techs paperwork was submitted. The bill I received is a full rate for all services. I feel this is unresoanable and there is little I or anyone else can do to get an "underfired" furnace to operate.

  Business response

  12/07/2022

  Our Service Manager spoke with David yesterday (12/6) morning.  The labor charge for the most recent work order was adjusted and David was happy with this outcome.  This was work on a system that was not installed by Eastern.

  Thank you.

  Customer response

  12/07/2022

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 18523660, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a seasonal cottage which I intended on living during the week and Airbnb on weekends . The fireplace insert has been regularly maintained. All was well for the first 2 years . Last fall the unit would not stay lit , the pilot light burns orange and yellow . Both pilot and unit make a air rushing sound & go out . Being a business it was not acceptable . It also is the main heat. The technician came out replaced the pilot light connections, citing they were old . Next day same issue , the pilot light does not stay lit . It was a frigid cold week. I was charged a emergency service call . I also noticed a gas smell down by the propane tank , which when I contacted Eastern another technician stated that the line was fouled and plugged , he stated he cleaned it . I asked what it was plugged or clogged by, he responded debris and dirt ? In my propane line . Next day The technician returned replaced the thermal coupler , again stating the unit was good to go. That was a $395 service . I have called multiple times was asked to pay for a service call, meanwhile I have spent $600 have no heat and am at a loss .

  Business response

  12/07/2022

  This is an off-brand fireplace that is 15+ years old.  She has been told multiple times that it needs to be replaced and until then she can expect to have trouble with the unit as things naturally break down with age and use. She must understand that we are making “Band aid fixes” here as the age of the unit is well past its good working years.  Here is the timeline:
  
  8/18/2022: First call for no heat.  Issue found and pilot assembly ordered for repairs.  Normal billable call.
  8/24/2022: Part previously ordered installed and tested.  Continued labor chargeable.
  
  9/15/2022: Odor at tank.  Handwheel found leaking, no mention of “debris in the lines”.  No charge for this as it was our equipment.
  9/28/2022:  No heat (tech did not respond after speaking with ******).
  9/29/2022:  No heat (from night before) Issues unrelated to the pilot assembly found and repaired.  T-stat issues. Chargeable
  
  12/5/2022:  No heat:  This is now 4 months later with the pilot running 24/7. The thermocouple (part of the pilot) had naturally worn away and needed to be replaced again.  Chargeable.

• Initial Complaint

  10/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We were under contract for propane delivery for 2021-2022. We completed that contract and did not renew in 2022 for 2023. We changed propane suppliers and had them put Eastern's tanks along the side of the driveway for easy pick up. Eastern picked up the tanks-sent us a bill/credit(attached) for $135.94 minus a $100 pick up fee. We feel this is illegal. Nobody forced them to pick up these tanks. We called them in good faith to pick up their tanks and give us credit for propane unused. We are due the full amount-$135.94. New Hampshire Law-House bill #1282FN-states that as long as the tanks have been here over 12 months, Eastern cannot charge for removal. Please help. *** *******

  Business response

  11/01/2022

  Hello.  Mr. ******* signed up to become a customer with Eastern in June 2020. On 6/18/2020 our Terms and Conditions were mailed to him which section 5. Effects of Termination of Deliveries mentions Equipment Removal fees.  The customer's request for acceptance of deliveries from Eastern constitutes the acceptance of our agreement and terms.

   

• Initial Complaint

  09/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  See attached word document

  Customer response

  09/07/2022

  I am a retired Army Officer, 100% service-connected disabled veteran. This complaint is over the decision by Eastern Propane & Oil to cancel a pre-buy heating oil fuel contract without my knowledge and charge me for fuel at market rate unbeknownst to me and without my consent. I desire either my contract be reinstated at the previously agreed conditions or my charged bill of $950.91 be adjusted for the pre-buy pricing. Eastern has failed to communicate with me as the customer in a timely or efficient manner and has been misleading as to the conditions of my customer agreement.

  I contacted Our Town Energy Alliance (OTEA) to enquire about bulk purchase heating oil for the upcoming winter season. OTEA contracts with Eastern Propane & Oil Co. to deliver bulk oil and propane at discount pre-buy rates. For this service OTEA charges a one time $35 fee for “membership”, which I paid on 08/06/22. I contacted Eastern, established an online account and decided to pre-buy 750 gallons of heating oil at $4.20 per gallon for a total of $3,150. The Eastern representative informed me that a tank inspection would be required and that I had to be setup for “auto-delivery”. The contract terms would be set from 09/01/22 to 05/31/23. The contract was transmitted to me via my email address at ********@gmail.com. I online signed and returned to Eastern 08/25/22. I was informed during my initial call with Eastern representatives that my tank inspection was scheduled for 08/23/22 and my first fuel delivery would be 09/1/22.

  The tank inspector showed up on the appointment day and conducted the inspection. He annotated some seepage around the fill pipe threads that he labeled a “leak”. I specifically asked him if that would fail the tank and he replied “no”. I then asked him if it could be addressed by a service technician, he replied "yes” and that it would get set up.

  On 08/29/22 an Eastern fuel truck showed up and delivered 171.1 gallons ahead of schedule. My assumption was that this was part of my pre-buy allocation at the $4.20 rate. Unfortunately, I did not scrutinize the receipt which clearly states it was at the $4.6108 market rate for that market period. I specifically asked the delivery men if my tank was safe to fill and they said to the effect that they wouldn’t be there if it was not.

  On 09/1/22 a tank maintenance technician came to assess and repair the tank. I told him that it had already been filled and he responded that “that should not have happened”. He confirmed that there were leaks around the fill tube requiring him to simply thread tape seal and re-tighten the fill cap around the tube. Attached picture clearly shows the repair. This conflicted with the inspector’s assessment from leakage as a result from an overfill of the tank from the previous homeowner. The technician also stated that it was a “easy fix” and that “they” probably would not even charge me for the repair.

  On 09/7/22 I received my paper bill from Eastern showing a $788.91 charge for the 08/29/22 fill up. I contacted Eastern and was informed by the representative that my pre-buy contract had been voided due to my non-payment by 09/1/22. I clearly failed to do so and simply forgot to make the payment. Clearly I had every intention of doing so since I signed and returned the contract. The representative then informed me that there was not any pre-buy fuel available for OTEA members remaining, and that I was also being charged for the tank repair on 09/1/22 for $162.00 to make the tank serviceable. When I informed the representative of the above stated circumstances, she said she would check with service and management to see what could be done. She returned to the phone and said they would cut the dispatch fee of $99.00 by half for my inconvenience and that my tank while needing service was not “unsafe or un-environmentally compromised” at the time of fuel delivery. When I asked why the fuel was delivered in the first place she stated that I had selected auto-delivery and that triggered the delivery. She stated that service had told me that my tank was unserviceable at the time of inspection and that I was already receiving a market discount rate.

  I maintain the following points:

  1.      I failed to pay the $3,000 pre-buy price per the contract agreement by 09/1/22, this was neither intentional nor malicious on my part, simply negligent.

  2.      Eastern never informed me on any medium that I had failed to make payment nor that my contract was in danger of being voided. This is contrary to any experience I have had with any utility provider to date.

  3.      Eastern knowingly delivered fuel on 08/29/22 which was charged to me at the market rate of $4.6108 PRIOR to my contract being voided on 09/1/22 resulting in a difference of approximately $70.29. (171.1 gal X $4.20 – 171.1 gal x $4.6108) that was not agreed to by both parties.

  4.      Eastern failed to state in clear and unequivocal terms that my oil tank had failed inspection with the inspection report simply stating, “Checking any number of boxes indicates corrective action is necessary”, filling the tank regardless of potential impacts to my home or environment, then covering their rear ends by saying it was not unserviceable in the first place.

  5.      Eastern charged me for a tank repair that may not have been necessary to ensure serviceability.

  In conclusion I find Eastern’s business practices to be at best incompetent and at worst deliberately misleading. During this time of energy uncertainty I am now at the mercy of ever increasing market rates for the upcoming winter season. My budget, which is fixed, must now be adjusted to ensure we have adequate resources to get our heating oil for the winter. I would not do business with Eastern again.

  Business response

  09/21/2022

  I spoke with ***** ******* back on 9/7/2022 and discussed his concern.  ***** admitted that the missed payment for his prebuy was purely an error on his part.  His agreement had just expired a day or so before that so I told him we would honor the agreement and price as long as payment was made timely.  He made the payment online that day and his agreement was reinstated and his 8/29/2022 delivery was adjusted accordingly.  ***** assured me he was satisfied with the resolution and would contact the BBB and let you know that we resolved his concerns.  I apologize if he did not reach out.  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  05/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Our heating system had an error 40 showing on it so we decided to call a technician from Eastern Propane in Winchendon where we get out propane from. The technician came to the house and spend about 45 min trying to figure out what the error 40 meant, at he end of the visit be basically said he has no idea what the error 40 message mean and decided to add water to the system to get it running again, which it did. However after he left, water kept leaking out of the system, enough to overflow a large bucket we placed under it. When we called back to tell them about the problem and have someone to come back to fix that issue they did send a new technician and replaced a valve that stopped the leaking. In the mean time we contacted the HTP technical support department to resolve the error 40 code and they were able to help us over the phone to walk us through resolving that issue. When the bill came few weeks later we were charged for the initial visit, also the visit to fix the broken valve and a part all coming to $521. We asked for a break down of the bill (calling multiple times) but never received it. Eastern propane is saying that it was a coincidence that the valve broke at the same time the technician was trying to fix the error 40 issue, but we called the HTP technical support and they said that adding too much water would cause the valve to fail, which is exactly what the Eastern Propane technician did. We had multiple calls with Eastern, but they insist that it was a coincidence that the valve fail at the same time their technician added water to the system. We are willing to pay for the 1st visit (even though the technician did not fix the error 40 issue), but feel we should not pay for a mistake that was made by him and had to be fixed. Again we asked for a break down of the bill multiple times, but have not receive anything other than the full bill, now with past due fee.

  Business response

  05/24/2022

  After discussing the ******* account with our service department, Eastern has adjusted the cost of the water feed and the labor to install it.  A credit of $505.690 has bee applied to their account today.  The late fee was also removed.

  Our Operations Manager Mark will be reaching out to the customer to confirm all of this.

  Thank you.  Penney

  Customer response

  05/25/2022

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 17234276, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  05/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On March 10th, 2022, my wife was given $400.00 in cash by my mother, who had just moved in with us and was dying of cancer, to get heating oil at Eastern Propane in Wolfeboro, NH. She was told that we could not get a delivery for under $700.00 so she left the $400.00 with the understanding that we would bring in the other $300.00 and get our oil tank filled. My wife spoke with Beverly, who knew my mother, and had a brief conversation with my wife about her condition. My mother died March 14th, and he house was sold. In May, Eastern Propane used the $400.00 to fill the tank at my m mother's previous address, 3240 Province Lake Road, Wakefield, NH. This was an error on the part of Eastern Propane. I have had no success getting my money returned to me and they are telling me in order to get it back I need to prove I am the executor of my mother's estate. This makes no sense. This was 100% their fault

  Business response

  05/17/2022

  We have tried on several occasions to reach Mr. ********* but his voicemail box is full.  Once the payment was made on ***** ********** account the money belonged to her.  When she passed away, we asked ******* to provide documentation that he was the executor of the estate (meaning he was financially responsible) and we could refund him that $400.00.  We never received that requested documentation.  Yes, a delivery was made in May and that delivery has been billed to ******* sister - who is the taken over as the new owner of the property.  Eastern has transferred that $400.00 payment to *******'s account based on our payment receipt and Ms. ********** sister who verbally confirmed with us that ******* is the executor and knowledge of the transfer.  We consider this resolved.  Thank you.

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