Business Profile

Propane

Heller's Gas Inc

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Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Heller's Gas Inc's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

22 total complaints in the last 3 years.
8 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

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The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

Initial Complaint
Date:11/20/2023
Type:Delivery Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Date of transaction ranging from 8/30 to 11/2/23 Amount paid in this time frame was 796.00 dollars. Was told they would supply one 500 gallon propane tank and hook up to the building to include propane line and regulator. I supplied underground conduit from the tank to the building. The first issue we encountered was I received a bill for $227.50 for service labor, **** service HCIC, fittings and shut off. I spoke with **** in the Watertown office and he agreed to remove the service labor of $150.00 dollars. I told him to speak to **** as he quoted this to my Wife as no extra cost for hook up. We then discussed the issue of them filling the tank and not leaving a truck ticket telling me how many gallons where delivered to my site. His response was we don't do that. I responded that I will let you know when I want propane delivered and the driver must leave a truck delivery ticket so I know how much propane I received. Second issue was on 11/17 Friday: I received a text at 5:30 am saying I will receive a propane delivery within 24 to 48 hours which came from their tank monitor. I must say I was a little bit frustrated at this point. Later that morning I sent the text I received to **** and told him he didn't listen to me when I told him I didn't want auto fill and would monitor the tank myself and let them know when I want a delivery. After a little bit I received a phone call from ***** at the Watertown, NY location. We had a pretty heated conversation on this auto fill situation and the fact that they deliver propane and don't leave a truck ticket on the amount of gallons delivered. This is the only way a customer can do checks and balance on what they are getting billed for. I am sorry if I offend them but in today's world I just don't trust to many people which is sad to say. At this point he said if I don't accept the auto fill and the way they do business then they will pick up the tank. He asked if that is what I wanted and I said I am the customer and I will let you know when I want a delivery. Two hours their guy showed up with the truck and loaded the tank up. The tank was 30% full with the propane I paid for. Here we are with no heat in upstate N.Y. in November. My wife spent 4 days in the hospital with pneumonia and has been home recovering the past week. Very upset on loosing our heat for the weekend she called **** at Heller and left him a nasty voicemail. To be honest I don't blame her one bit cause she is just not recovering very well from the pneumonia. They have not tried to resolve this as of this time. I told the driver to leave the tank because the propane in there is paid for and belongs to me. His response was I am just doing my job and they will refund you for the propane left in the tank. I am sure they will come up with an excuse not to pay me but I will fight that when the time comes.
Business Response
Date: 11/30/2023
We are very sorry this all transpired and apologize if the customer was treated poorly or if they are not in agreement with our policies. However, we have moved in a new direction with deliveries. All of our deliveries are made based on remote monitors that are attached to the propane tanks. It is efficient and is beneficial not only to the propane company but also the customer. We have also switched to electronic tickets which show all of the gallons delivered, meter readings, etc. These are available through the customer portal which saves time and trees as we do not leave tickets at customer locations any longer. We are sorry the Whites don't like these new ways of doing business, but it is the future and soon you will see most, if not all propane companies working with the use of monitors and electronic mail. It is not our goal to make our customers unhappy and it is not acceptable if folks in our office talked in a nasty way to any customer, however, the employees do have a right to defend not only our policies but also themselves when customers treat them poorly. We issued credit to this customer for the things where credit was due (parts and labor that we charged for that he felt we shouldn't, which could have been an error or miscommunication on our end) and we have also issued a refund for the amount that is due, which is the gas that was returned minus any termination fees. If he has not yet seen the refund, it should be in the mail soon. Thank you & have a great day!
Customer Answer
Date: 12/01/2023
Company sent me a refund of $102.10 Company sent me a bill for 400.00 gallons delivered but no proof of delivery ticket. Highly unlikely the driver stopped filling the tank at that exact amount. If the company can not leave a delivery ticket as per NY state law then I do not feel comfortable doing business with you. The delivery ticket is my checks and balance for making sure i am billed correctly.

I paid $796.00 for 400.00 gallons. Tank was picked up at 30% full. 30% of 400 gallons is 120 gallons. Refund is $238.80 minus the $102.10 you sent comes to $136.70 you owe me still. Any cost other than that is on the company not me. Doing business in NY you must abide by NY laws. Please send the remaining balance due ASP.
Customer Answer
Date: 12/01/2023
Never received a delivery ticket so i am going off what i was given which is a bill for 400.00 gallons. Never in my life have I had a delivery that amounted exact gallons like that.

Paid $796.00 for 400 gallons at $1.99 a gallon. Tank was removed with 30% left which is 120 gallons $238.80 at 1.99 a gallon. Company sent $102.10 for a refund. Company still owes me $136.70 refund.
Customer Answer
Date: 12/12/2023
I did respond. My reply was without a delivery ticket I can only go by what i was charged $796.00. Please see attachment included. I have no clue to what their portal is and was not given the information to see it. The law according to weights and measures give's me the right to recieve a delivery ticket which I did not receive. Tank was picked up at 30% full. 30%=120 gal. $1.99 a gallon times 120 gallons =$238.80.
$238.80 - $102.10 received credit make a difference of $136.70 that Heller gas stills owes me. Please send a check or I will move forward with the bureau of weights and measures.
Business Response
Date: 12/15/2023
We don't want unhappy customers and we don't want folks to think we are doing something wrong or not following regulations. In the state of PA it is not a requirement to leave a printed ticket. Most of our business is done in PA. We are going to research this further and certainly abide by any rules that the state of NY has in place. At this time we have authorized the additional refund to Mr. White and he should be seeing it within the next two weeks. Thank you have a nice holiday!
Initial Complaint
Date:11/18/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I called Hellers Gas, Inc., www.hellersgas.com to light my propane unit that had been off all summer scheduled for End of Aug. 30, for $29.95. I paid immediately. I do this for safety reasons vs lighting myself. I called them on or about Nov 13, 2023 for an extreme smell of gas throughout house with a violent headache, Until **** switched me over to service he said he was going to charge me for a service call!! I said 'I SMELL GAS' ..I had a difficult time even writing down recommended service numbers as concentration was difficult. He switched me to service and they came immediately, had a tiny leak, spray something on outside tank, started unit and left. On Nov 15th, the same thing, over powering GAS SMELL. CALLED AGAIN, this time ***** came out and said 'way to low pressure, that is why my unit went out and I smelled such a strong odor of Gas! He adjusted pressure from a 9 to a 13, relit fire, was blue flame, satisfied he left. The very next day it happened again! Strong strong NAUSEATING gas smell!! This time tech said "might be problem w/unit" - said tank needs to be releveled and stoned - and they CHARGED ME FOR THEIR GAS LEAK!!!!!! THEY DIDN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM, THEY RECOMMEND ANOTHER TECH AND LAST YEARS TECH THE RECOMMENDED CHARGED ME $379.95 TO SERVICE it. IT WAS USED A FEW MONTHS BEFORE TURNING OFF FOR SUMMER. I DISPUTE THE LAST SERVICE CALL OF 164.50 DATED 11/16/23 AND WANT CREDITED TO MY ACCOUNT. THIS IS ROBBERY. I WAS TOLD WHEN IT SMELLS THE HOUSE WITH GAS IT IS THE OUTSIDE TANK BY THE TECHS. THIS IS A GAS LEAK, YOU DON'T CHARGE CUSTOMER FOR AN OBVIOUS GAS LEAK. I INTEND TO REPORT THIS TO PA/PUC. THIS IS NOT ETHICAL.
Business Response
Date: 11/30/2023
We have been in contact with this customer and have issued credit as requested. We believe this complaint has been resolved. Thank you & have a great holiday!
Customer Answer
Date: 12/01/2023
[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.]

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.

Regards,

*************************
Initial Complaint
Date:11/15/2023
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Hello! This company is charging people illegally for the propane they did not buy with them or did not consent to be charged. I have an account with them and the property was tenant-occupied. The tenant took the propane in their name and requested the propane delivery. When the tenant moved out, Heller Gas was informed by me that I would not pay for the propane that was in the tenant's name. The representative seemed to understand everything and told me that they would not put the charge in my name. The next day, they delivered the new propane and sent me the bill that I paid off. In another 24 hours, I received the second bill for the same propane amount charged a second time as commercial delivery to the residential property. Both bills were dated as the same-day delivery although the propane was delivered only once. The company is fabricating the bills, illegally charging the customers for propane they did not order, and does not provide any good customer service.
Business Response
Date: 11/16/2023
Our VP of Operations has contacted ******************************* and we believe we have resolved this issue. We are very sorry for any inconvenience, misunderstanding or confusion there may have been and we hope that in the future she feels free to contact us to work out any issues or answer any questions she may have. Thank you & have a great day!
Initial Complaint
Date:11/01/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
On September 26th, Heller gas contacted me about setting up an account on a home I was about to purchase. Closing was on October 2nd. I was told that the tanks were 80% full, but had to pay for 100%. When we close, if it is stated in the sellers agreement that I must pay the previous owners for the remaining fuel, they would get the 80% and I would get 20% back. My sellers agreement clearly states line 7a that any remaining heating or cooking fuel stored on the property are included in the sale. Every time I called about my refund I got a different story. I was told that the sellers were refunded and to send my agreement for them to look into it. Then they said it has to be on line 7b under leased equipment. The tanks are leased, not the propane. Then I was told that the previous owners did not put that propane in and it would be credited to the account. They installed the tanks in April of 2023. They most certainly did put the propane in. Then I was told again that the previous owners got the refund. I asked for proof of this because I did not believe any of their multiple stories and was told they could not do that. I am supposed to be refunded the full amount I paid them and was only credited $100
Business Response
Date: 11/01/2023
I have reviewed this account and here's what I've found. The original owners were delivered propane on August 1st. They never paid for that delivery. I assume they didn't pay because they knew they were moving or maybe had already moved. When we were informed of the transfer of property we transferred the account into the new name, credited off the delivery on the original account and billed it to the new owners who paid for the gas, a full tank. At that point we charged a rate, but then adjusted to a lower rate which then left a credit of $100 on the account, which is still on the account and will be used when they receive another delivery. There was never an actual refund to the original folks as they never paid for the gas. I have attached a screenshot of the transaction page of the account from the previous owner. If you look down the transactions you will see a previous payment, it appears as "Payment" there was no payment for the delivery in question. It was not paid for twice, it was simply paid for by the new owners who will use the propane. I hope I have sufficiently answered this and I hope we can move forward. We are always happy to work with new customers and we are very sorry if some people in our organization made this confusing or more difficult than it had to be. We appreciate your business and hope that we can be your propane supplier for a very long time. We value you and look forward to being your propane supplier.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/02/2023
[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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:

I was told on multiple occasions that the previous owners were refunded. I was supposed to be refunded when I purchased the home, because it states in the sellers agreement that any remaining heating or cooking fuel stored on the property is included in the sale. Its not my problem that they did not pay for the delivery. It was delivered before I even owned the house. Whatever was in the tanks came with the home. I should be refunded and you should go after the previous owner for the payment. It's not my responsibility to pay their bills.
Regards,

***************************
Customer Answer
Date: 11/07/2023
According to Heller gas there was a delivery to my address on August 1st. My account shows that the last delivery to this address was April of 2023. I did not purchase the house until October of 2023. 6 months later. The delivery on August 1st wasn't even to my address. It was to another one of the previous owners properties. It is not my responsibility to pay for their bills. I want a refund in full!
Business Response
Date: 11/08/2023
As stated previously, that August 1st delivery was not paid for by anyone. It was credited off the old account. When you took ownership the account was transferred into your name, the tanks were full and you got gas. You have to pay for gas that is in the tanks. We are not issuing a refund. You are also currently using the gas. We can't stay in business if people don't pay for the gas we deliver. It's that simple.   I'm sorry, I wish we could do more for you, but we've given you a credit of $100 towards your next delivery. We cannot give free gas to people or we will not be in business. Again, I'm sorry.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/10/2023
Again, I attached pictures from my account. The last delivery to my address was April 27th. Not August 1st. The delivery on Aug 2st was to the previous owners other address. It is not my responsibility to pay their bills. Especially if it wasn't even to the address I live at.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/11/2023
[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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:

Again, I attached pictures from my account. The last delivery to my address was April 27th. Not August 1st. The delivery on Aug 2st was to the previous owners other address. It is not my responsibility to pay their bills. Especially if it wasn't even to the address I live at.
Regards,

***************************
Business Response
Date: 11/15/2023
I have reached out to the Director of our Customer Care Center who has provided me with a better description of this situation. Hopefully it will clarify this better. His response is below...
We're writing to follow up in regards to your additional concerns addressed to the Better Business Bureau regarding your propane account at ** * ***** ** Mcadoo, PA *****. Your concerns are important to us and we're happy to explain our position in this matter.
We were able to verify from the Closing Agreement you provided to us previously that the date of closing on the residence was October 2, 2023. The two 120 Gallon Water Capacity Tanks reflected as being full at the time of the closing. The two 120 Gallon Water Capacity tanks can be filled to 80% of their water capacity. Meaning they each would hold 100 gallons of propane when full (200 gallons total).

The Closing Agreement that you provided does not have anything listed in it verifying the gas in the tank at time of closing (200 gallons) was sold with the home. To further explain Section ** of the Closing Agreement pertains to if the propane tanks on site were owned by the seller, the contents of the gas in the tanks owned by the seller go with the sale of the home unless listed otherwise. Being the tanks are leased and owned by Heller's Gas you would have to refer to Section ** which states "the following items are leased (not owned by the Seller). Contact the provider/vendor for more information (e.g. water treatment systems, propane tanks, satellite dishes, and security systems)." If the gas was sold with the home it would be listed in this section and it is blank.

Being that the gas was not sold with the home we credited back the sellers (********* and *************************) the 200 gallons of propane in the tanks at the time of closing and billed you, the buyer, for the gas that was in the tanks at time of closing. To further clarify, you were not billed for any gas they used. Heller's Gas has an obligation to the account holder at the time of closing or moving out to credit the seller any gas that they did not use at the time of closing on a property in which they will not be the benefactor of that gas since they are no longer living at the residence and bill the new owners who will be the beneficiaries and users of the said gas. You will need to address your claim the propane was to be sold with the home with the realtor and also the sellers. We do not get involved in terms and conditions of Closing Agreements.

We also wanted to clear up information from a prior statement pertaining to an August 1, 2023 delivery. That delivery referenced was in regards to another residence the sellers had in their name that was delivered to them and billed on their account which they are responsible for. You were not billed for that delivery or any gas from their other location at your location of ******************* The bill you received in the amount of $573.45 was for the 200 gallons of propane that was billed to you at the time of transfer that was being credited back to the sellers at the time of closing.

We are hopeful this latest response was able to address your concerns. Please feel free to contact us at ************ if you have any further questions.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/02/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
We purchased a home three years ago in ************. The previous owners had Hellers propane tank to use for cooking. When we moved in, we just continued using Hellers. We have two cottages on our property and decided we should get a propane tank for the better cottage. So we called and they brought one and filled it. No one lives in the cottage but we wanted it available for guests. We didn’t have any issues at first with Hellers and then they would come “ fill” the propane tank at our house that wasn’t even a quarter low. We paid more for them to drive over than for the propane. This happened several times which we called about and told them not to do again. Then because they weren’t making any money on the tank at the cottage they filled up our house propane and charged 234.99 for insurance. This is the first I heard about this. After getting taken advantage of again by Hellers we told them to come get their tanks. Both tanks were full when they were picked up. So they will be charging someone else for two full tanks and refuse to reimburse us . So we were scammed by a local company and out a lot of money. The propane tanks were at least 300 pounds. So the math would make that a large chunk of change. They shouldn’t be able to do business.
Business Response
Date: 10/03/2023
We have reviewed this account and here's what I can tell you. We did not charge ************ (the account is in the name of *************, not *****************************) when we transferred the account into his name. The previous owner paid for that gas. When we did make deliveries in the beginning the deliveries were small due to the fact that they did not use a lot of gas. They asked that the account be on a "will-call" basis. However, even customers who are set up as will-call accounts are required to use gas and are required to be inspected once a year. The minimum delivery does not pay for insurance as she stated in the complaint, it may have been explained incorrectly to her when she called in to our customer service department, however, the minimum delivery is a fee charged because we are required once a year by our insurance company to inspect the tank, lines, etc. and also top off the tank with gas. This is just part of the inspection. This charge and the annual minimum usage are printed on all of our work orders and invoices that are delivered to the customer either via email or USPS and is also available on the customer portal. This minimum usage has been a policy that has been in place for more than 25 years, it's not something new and is a common practice in the propane industry. We do not charge rental for our equipment; therefore, we need to make sure we have gas moving through the tank. The equipment, insurance, labor, all of these things are expensive, and our business is selling propane. The minimum use is based on the size of the tank installed at the property and each tank is required to use at least one tank full of gas per year. At the time of delivery/inspection we billed for one minimum use fee and one tank at the normal price per gallon. The customer called and complained and told us to pick up our tanks. At that time, we made a verbal agreement with him that if he left one of the tanks there we would bill for the gas delivered at a regular price per gallon instead of the minimum delivery. We picked up the agreed upon tank (did not charge for the pickup) and gave him credit for the minimum use bill that had previously been charged on the account. He then went back on his word and told us to pick up the second tank which we also credited back the amount charged for that delivery. The gas that was paid for previously and in the tank is used to offset the termination/pickup fee for the second tank.
We don't like to lose customers, however in this case, we could not manage to satisfy this customer. We did not overcharge, and we issued credit where credit was due. We are not issuing a refund, the gas in the tank will go towards the expense of picking up the tank.
If you have any further questions, please contact this office.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/04/2023
[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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: First of all I am partial owner of this house and ********************* is my husband. The exact same thing has happened to several other former customers of yours. In fact, you can read the complaints here on BBB. Hellers was told by ****** that they would be picking up both tanks as Hellers is not a good company. It is beyond us how you have any customers. You making statements that you have done this for 25 years is a scary thing. Everything knows VERBAL agreements don’t stand up any where. We would never have made a verbal agreement with this company or any other company for that matter. We complained several times about you having an employee coming to top off the single tank that needed maybe ten dollars added. We asked that you don’t do it as it cost 30.00 for the ten dollar fill up. Then you put a meter on it so we thought ok good. Nope not making 236.00 on a fill up, charge them for “ insurance “. Don’t recall anyone caring or INSPECTING the old rusty , full tank at my house. I would never have worked with your company if I knew how money hungry you were. I will let everyone I know how you conduct business. There is no customer service or concern anymore and you all prove it. I want both fill up amounts refunded! That’s my insurance for having to put up with your shady business dealings.

Regards,

*****************************
Business Response
Date: 10/26/2023
Again, we are very sorry these folks do not like our policies, these are policies that are in place for various reasons. We set the tanks and don't charge a fee when people start to use our service, we maintain insurance on the tanks. We have employees, equipment and operating expenses that we have to pay to stay in business. If customers are not running gas through a tank, and we ask for a very minimal amount (one tank per year) then we need to do something about it. We sometimes put a smaller tank at the location, so the minimum delivery is lower, but other times it just isn't worth it for the customer or our company to leave a tank there. She's correct, tanks do get rusty, they are not rusty when we set them & rust does not hurt the tank, it is just on the surface and when annual inspections are done, it is really to check the lines, valves, gauges, etc. We have documentation in the account that says they made a verbal agreement if a tank was kept at the house, we would charge back one of the minimum delivery fees and bill the other tank at a price per gallon rate. We did it, kept our agreement. In business many times verbal agreements are made, and she's right, it's their word against ours.

I have attached a copy of the back side of our invoice. It clearly has the minimum delivery charges and termination fees printed. This information is given with every piece of mail whether delivered via email or USPS, or dropped at the door, and can also be found on our customer portal. One just has to read it & should read it because it also has a lot of safety information. We are not doing anything wrong, we are not trying to take advantage of anyone, we are in the business to sell propane. If people don't use it, we are happy to keep our equipment at locations, however we do need to charge a fee, because as they have been told numerous times, annual safety inspections (which include topping off the tank) are required. If they have a new propane supplier that does not charge this, then they are lucky to have found a company that eats the costs.

Again, we kept our end of the deal, we explained the policy a couple of times and tried to work with them, charging back one fee and lowering the cost on the other. We are not refunding anything else, the gas is used to offset the charges in the pick up of the tank.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/30/2023
[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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: We signed nothing, and didn’t agree to anything. You never had any problem sending out your delivery person to top off our one tank and charge more for the delivery than the propane. The only good thing about your company is the one employee who put on the propane gage. Very nice and respectful. The rest of the people we dealt with are not helpful. You have a great deal of complaints about the way you do business.
I don’t know if you can understand that we didn’t agree to your terms as the service was already here when we moved in and nothing was ever signed. You can find translation apps online.
You are nice as pie when you are raking your customers over the coals, but the minute they catch on the treatment is not good. You are robbing customers and you are 7.7 miles away from us and it cost over $800.00? That’s ridiculous. Scammers is what you are.
Regards,

*****************************
Initial Complaint
Date:09/29/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I contacted Hellers in 2021 to get propane just as a back up since our electric has gone out numerous times in the winter. Two men came on 11-17-21 and hocked up the full 100 gal tank. I gave them a check for $345.45 . I then signed a tablet and was told I would be getting an invoice in my email. I was never told that there was a $170.00 termination fee by anyone. I never received an invoice. I called numerous times requesting my invoice for 11-17-21. Never received the invoice. Then on 8-25-23 I get a email stating I owe $240.45 for 37.50 gal that was delivered on 8-24-23. that I didn't request or was aware of .My tank still had 62.50 gallons left from 2021. I called them to remove the tank. and then was told there would be a $160.00 termination fee not $170 .00 and no charge to remove the tank . They took the tank on 9-7-23. I called on 9-11-23 and was told I would get a refund. waited never received the refund, called 9-29-23 and was told I get nothing back it was a wash. Told me every year they are required by they're insurance comp to check and fill the tanks full. I asked what about last year never filled my tank. So they kept my 62.50 gallons that was in the tank when they took it. Was told the 62.50 gallons was only worth $162.00 But there 37.50 gallons on 8-24-23 was worth $240.45 . They told me that the $162.00 went to the termination fee. and I didn't have to pay the $8.00 balance. I told her that I was never told of a termination fee and she said it was on the back of the invoice I never received an invoice from 2021 or 2022. They have all the records showing I never received an invoice email or anything mailed to me. I was told on 9-11-23 that back in 2021 they had management issues. So they took my 62.50 gallons and delivered it to another party and got paid again for my gas. I would like the money back for my 62.50 gallons. I had no knowledge of a termination fee until 8-24-23. It's not my fault they had management issues. I would have never got propane from them if I knew there was termination fee after 2 years. Funny how my 62.50 gal came up to exactly what was needed to keep all my money. I am requesting a refund for the price of 62,50 gal of propane. Not sure why 37.50 gal is $240.45. But 62.50 is only worth $162.00. Something is very wrong.
Business Response
Date: 09/29/2023
We are in receipt of this claim, and we do not like unhappy customers, however, we have policies and procedures that have been in place for many years. One of them is the minimum delivery fee. This tank was installed towards the end of 2021. The customer paid $2.29 per gallon for the propane. Inspections are required by our insurance company on an annual basis to be sure the system is safe and in good working order. This protects Heller's as well as the customer. These inspections are done typically in August as it tends to be our slower time and we have employees available to go and check out the system. Part of the inspection is topping off the tank. When a customer does not go through a full tank of gas annually, we bill a minimum delivery fee which includes the gas that is put into the tank and helps to cover the costs of employees visiting the customer location. T
Since their installation was done in November, they were not billed a minimum use fee the following year (2022). We did go out to the property over the course of the year, did not deliver any propane but also did not charge a minimum delivery. So, in 2023, we went out, topped off the tank and billed the minimum delivery. I know *** **** says they never received an invoice; however, they were mailed multiple times, and the address was also confirmed by the customer. We also had an email address which was also confirmed by the customer who agreed to paperless billing on April 26, 2022. All of the fees, minimum use, termination fees, etc. are included with invoices and are also available on our customer portal. The customer has full access to their account on the portal. We do not hide anything from our customers. If we were to refund her for the 62.6 gallons of gas in the tank it would be at $2.29 per gallon (what she paid for it in the beginning) and the total amount would be $143.35. This amount does not cover the termination fee. We do not bill the customers the difference, for us it's a write off. If the gas in the tank is more than the termination fee, we then issue a refund for the difference. In this case, we will not send a refund. We are sorry, as I stated in the beginning, we don't like to have unhappy customers, however, we do have policies and procedures which are distributed to or easily accessed by customers, they simply need to read them.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/02/2023
[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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: I never received an invoice by mail or by email was not told about a portal in 2021. I called many times for an invoice and made sure my address was correct. Still I never received anything from this company showing what I paid in 2021. Also I still haven't received an itemized statement as to what happened to the remains in the tank. and how they came up with keeping all the money. I was told I was getting a refund. and then told it was in the wash, all used up. Just me not even getting an itemized statement shows they're wrong . Same as back in 2021 I get nothing in writing from them. Also the invoice I got in August says 120 gal tank and not 100 gal so there was 120 gal tank and not 100 gal.

Regards,

*******************
Business Response
Date: 10/04/2023
I have reprinted invoices which would have been sent to the customer and I've attached them to this response. If they didn't receive them that would be a problem with the post office or if they opted for email then an issue with the email, we mail out invoices on a daily basis, hundreds of them and would not withhold any customer invoices with amounts due or credits for any reason. Statements are generated and are sent to customers who have balances at the beginning of each month. They are typically sent to the post office around the 10th of each month depending on the time it takes to process them. We also would not withhold any statements. As for the portal, on April 26, 2022 it is noted in the account that one of our representatives explained the portal to her, as well as the once a year delivery.

The tank that was at her house was a 420 lb. tank, it is commonly known as a 100 gallon tank. These tanks actually hold a liquid volume of 120 gallons. We never fill a tank to 100% liquid capacity because it is not safe, there must be space inside the tank for expansion during warmer temperatures.

The invoices... the first one is the original invoice that would have been generated when we installed the tank. We know she received this because she called to ask why the price was different from the original quote that was given her. It was explained at that time that the installation required additional parts. You can see that page 3 of this invoice there is a lot of information which folks should take the time to read. It includes safety information as well as the minimum usage amount for all tank sizes as well as the termination fee.

The second invoice is a zero balance invoice because when tanks are set they are set with just a few gallons in them because of the weight of the tank. A few days later, in this case ii was 6 days, we go back and fill the tank. That gas was paid for with the original installation. It's possible this invoice may not have been mailed because there are times that we don't send these because it's a zero balance and it sometimes confuses customers since they were unaware the tank was not filled the same day.

The third invoice is also a zero balance invoice as it was a month later when we went back to assess how much gas they are using and making sure they are not running out, this is common practice with all new installations.

The fourth invoice is for the minimum delivery as they did not fulfill the requirements for the annual usage. This minimum delivery visit occurred on August 24, 2023, on August 26, 2023 she called our office to ask what the bill was for. I have to assume she received an invoice at that time otherwise, I'm not sure how she knew about the bill as we no longer leave tickets when deliveries are made at the property. If I'm wrong, then I certainly apologize.

The last invoice is the one where we credited off the minimum delivery charge. It should be noted that when her husband called about the minimum delivery we offered to put a smaller tank at the property but he stated they don't really use the heater so just pick up the tank which is what we did.

As for the refund she is asking for, when we picked up the tank there were 96 gallons, less the 37.4 gallons we put in the tank on August 24 during the minimum delivery visit leaves 58.6 gallons of gas that was used times $2.29 per gallon (the original purchase price) is $134.19, this doesn't even cover the termination fee, so we write off the rest.

I hope this explains everything. We don't owe them a refund. Our customer service people take very detailed notes and all are in our system. I'm sorry, we don't like unhappy customers, but we are also not doing anything wrong. We value our customers, and do everything in our power to be fair.

Thank you.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/06/2023
[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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: Once again I never received the 1st invoice from 2021. I never called and questioned the amount. I called only asking for my invoice. There was never any repairs done to the tank. They hooked it up 11/2021 and I didn't come back till 8/2023 I haven't heard from them all that time. . They told me when it was delivered the 1st time the Invoice will be EMAILED to me. Funny they had no problem emailing the second invoice of 8/2023 . I can't read an invoice if I never received it in the first place. My husband never called them. Now they're making up excuses for me not getting my 1st invoice from them by mail. Now blaming the Post Office. I have never had problems with my mail being delivery to my home of 23 years. They never mailed or Emailed the invoice in the first place. They can't just take the tank back and say I get nothing . I should get something in writing. Why am I not getting it in writing. The 2 guys that delivered the tank in 2021 just had me sign a tablet and I gave them a check. I called after they took the tank 8/2023 and was told I was getting a refund. I waited and I waited and heard nothing from them no phone call ,no email and nothing mailed concerning my refund.. WHY. You have to communicate with your customers. I wasn't even told that they were going to fill my tank 8/2023 and I was going to get a surprise $240.00 bill after almost 2 years later. No Communication at all. Were is my refund that I was to get. WHY was I lied too.

Regards,

*******************
Business Response
Date: 10/20/2023
We feel as though we have sent all documentation in the previous response however, below are listed dates that someone spoke to either her or her husband, I'm not sure what more we need to do to prove this...
11/18/21 - ***** confirmed all info and stated the address is wrong call transferred to update billing
11/18/21 - ***** called to discuss her bill stating that it is more than she was told at sign up and wants to know why please call back ********** **************
11/19/21 - Spoke with ******, explained its more because we had to install brass shutoff & nuts also add flex line said he was not told that when he signed up, informed him the sales rep would not have known that initially, this is why we like our customers to be there just in case additional work has to be done, he thanked me for explaining.
11/26/21 - ***** called in and confirmed all info. billing address was out of date, filled out form, no other changes were made.
11/26/21 - ***** called in wanting to know procedure with leaving tickets at the door, let her know she will be receiving a bill in the mail.
11/26/21 - Update address to *** ****** **.
12/20/21 - note on mobile device for delivery tank at 80 percent
2/23/22 - Spoke to ******, they don't really use the heater that much, monitor is correct
4/26/22 - ******************'s wife called in. Added email - *********************. Agreed to paperless billing
4/26/22 - ******************'s wife requested not to be on auto del as she likes to have control of her deliveries as they only use propane for back up heater. Transferred call to branch
4/26/22 - ***** upset about having a tank monitor. Explained the monitor and how it works that if she is not using LP we will not make delivery still wanted the monitor removed explained the web portal also and she can control her acct that way and still not happy told her we can put her on Once a year delivery and that we would come out once a year to fill and inspect the tank that it is required and she still did not like that said she will have to switch companies then talking with manager he said to put her on will call with monitor so I explained will call request and that we would not just show up to inspect the tanks that we would call first she was ok with this.
Then in August we must have gone out to do a once a year inspection... we probably shouldn't have done this as it appears no one called in advance and we told her previously that we would inform them when we had it planned, however, it is required by our insurance company and is for her safety.
8/26/23 (I have copied this directly from our notes section of our customer account as it's a very lengthy memo...
********** SPK WITH ***** CALLED IN TO SEE WHAT THE BILL IS FROM EXPLAINED THAT WE NEEDED TO COME OUT AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR. AND SHE SAID SHE WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS AND WAS NOT TOLD THIS THAT SHE NEEDED TO GET A FILL AUTO AND SAID THAT SHE WAS TOLD THAT SHE WOULDNT GET A FILL TILL THE TANK WAS BELOW 30 AND THEN WE NEVER SAID ANYTHING TO HER THAT WE WILL BE FILLING ONCE A YEAR OR THAT WE NEED TO COME OUT ONCE A YEAR SAID IT IS ONLY FOR BACK UP HEAT AND ONLY USED IF THE POWER GOES OUT I OFFERED TO DO DOWNSIZE AND IT WOULD BE LESS FOR THE YEAR. IF NO PROPANE USED ONLY 75$ FOR THE YEAR AND THAT SHE WOULDNT HAVE TO GO WITHOUT THAT BACK UP HEAT AND SHE SAID SHE CONTROLS HER OIL HEAT AND SHE CAN GET DELIVERY WHENEVER SHE WANTS. THE COMPANAY DOESNT COME OUT WHEN THEY WANT. I EXPLAINED THATS BECAUSE THE COMPANY DOESNT OWN YOUR OIL HEAT AND THEY DONT HAVE TO HOLD INSURANCE ON THE THAT WHERE WE HAVE TO HOLD INSURANCE ON ALL OUR TANKS AND DO YEARLY FILLS AND INSPECTIONS. AND SHE SAID ABOUT BUYING HER OWN TANK AND I EXPLAINED THEN YOU TAKE ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THAT TANK AND IF ANYTHING HAPPENS AND YOU HAVE TO REPAIR THAT TANK IS A COST TO YOU. AS WELL AND MOST HOME OWNERS INSURANCE DOES NOT COST TO COVER THAT TANK SO IF ANYTHING HAPPENS AND YOUR TANK CAUSES DAMAGES TO YOUR HOME. YOUR HOME OWNERS INSURANCE MAY NOT COVER THOSE COSTS. I EXPLAINED THAT WE HAVE INSURANCE THAT COVERS THOSE COST AS WELL IF ANYTHING BREAKS ON THAT TANK WE COME OUT SWAP YOUR TANK AT NO COST TO YOU. SAID SHES THINKING TO JUST HAVE THE TANK PICKED UP AND THEY WILL PULL THE WHOLE UNIT OUT SHE DOESNT LIKE IT ANYWAYS THATS WHY SHE DIDNT WANT THE GAS HEAT THEY WERE PUTTING LINES IN FOR IN HER TOWN SHE CHOSE TO STAY WITH OIL BECUASE THERE ARE GAS HOUSE BLOWING UP ALL OVER. SAID THEY CUT DOWN THE TREES WHERE SHE LIVES SO THAT SHOULD LESSEN THE POWER OUTAGES AND IF THEY HAVE ANY ISSUES THEY WILL GET ELECTRIC HEATERS I EXPLAINED THE DOWNSIZE AGAIN SAID WOULD HATE TO SEE YOU LOSE POWER AND HAVE NO HEAT AND IF YOUR POWERS OUT YOUR ELECTRIC HEATERS WONT BE ABLE TO BE USE SHE SAID HER HUSBAND HAS A GENERATOR THAT THEY USE AND USED LAST YEAR AND IT HAS THE POWER TO POWER 3 HOMES SO THEY DONT NEED THE PROPANE AND HER HUSBAND WILL AGREE AND SO WE CAN JUST PICK UP THE TANK. SAID WE NEVER SENT HER THE ORIGINAL INVOICE FROM WHEN SHE STARTED WITH US AND SHE HASNT EVER HAD ANYTHING SINCE. I APOLOGIZED FOR THIS AGAIN THAT THERE WAS NO COMMUNICATION ON OUR END AND SHE SAID WE CAN COME GET THE TNK. LET HER KNOW I WILL GET THIS TANKEN CARE OF AND MAY HAVE A MANAGER REACH OUT TO COVER ALL THE BASES. SHE SAID THATS FINE AND I THANKED HER AND ENDED CALL
After this, a manager called, she wanted us to pick up the tank, we did. She has claimed she didn't know about the minimum delivery, you can see by the memos (which are written into the account as the customer service rep is talking with the customer, she did know about it & was told multiple times. We honestly don't know what happened with the mail delivery. Invoices are printed in bulk, sent through a machine that folds the invoice, stuffs the envelope and then seals it. They are then taken to the postage machine where they are run through to get the postage put on the envelope. We have hundreds of them every day & typically don't have an issue with people receiving them.. I do see in these messages that at one point the numbers were transposed and the street said ****** Ave. and was changed to ****** Ct., but that was within a few days, so I don't believe that should have been the problem. We offered the customer portal to her so she could see any invoice at any time. We offered to put a smaller tank in & offered credit on the account for the returned gas at that time. We are not sending a refund. We are sorry she doesn't like the policies that we have, but they are common in the propane industry and we stand by them. We are a business, we sell propane. We put our equipment at customer locations and do not charge rental fees on that equipment. We have expenses, salaries and overhead to pay, we MUST sell propane. And, we are required by our insurance company to inspect tanks for our protection as well as the safety of our customers. The gas that was in the tank covered just a small portion of those expenses and they never used a full tank of gas in the time they had our tank at their house. We are not sending a refund, we are sorry, we don't like to disappoint customers.
The is really all we can say at this time. If you need anything else, please contact this office.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/26/2023
[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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:

11/18/21. Two guys showed up to hook up the tank. They told me they had *** as the address not ***. I had to call to have the address corrected.
11/18/21 I asked for a billing statement when the 2 guys were hooking up the tank. I was told I would get a statement emailed. they had my email address at that time. They told me the price and I wrote up a check for $345.45. I never even seen what the breakdown of the charges were since I never got a bill or even seen the bill. was never told about the early cancellation fee until they took the tank almost 2 years later.
11/26/21 I called numerous times to get a billing statement not just this day. Nothing was said about a portal . I was told I would get a statement. also they stated they corrected the address to *************, still wrong *************** So that just goes to show you. that they continued to get the address wrong.

11/26/21 I never called about them putting a ticket in my door. A ticket for what?

4/26/22 I was never told back in 11/21 that the tank was to be monitored . I found that out much later and was told they would call me before coming to the house to fill and check the tank. But once again they couldn't even do that because they say they just happened to due a once a year check up ( after almost 2 years later) even thought they say per the insurance company they have to come up once a year.. They just at that time needed extra money. They never called like we agreed to. That's why I was surprised to get a bill in my email for $240.00. I told them when I got the email that I was to be told ahead of time. I read their reviews where someone went in the hospital for months and they just showed up filled the tank while he was in the hospital. he got home and had to pay them late fees. This is why I wanted them to call me prior,

8/23 The manager called me and he told me at that time back in 2021 They had management issues and had to get that taken care of and blamed that on what has happened to me . He was the only one that told me about the early cancellation fee and also told me to get a smaller tank but didn't say anything about getting credit if I got a smaller tank. Why would I need a smaller tank. So they can come up more to fill it and check it and charge me more often. He also Was the one that said I would get a refund. I called 1 week later and was told it went to the refund ***** I waiting for my refund in the mail. But i don't see any of those statements about that from them. Nothing about me calling asking for my refund and was told quote it's in the wash. The only call ever from them was from the manager 8/23 because I asked them to remove the tank. See how they keep to good stuff out of their statements . When I called asking about my refund the lady kept putting me on hold and had to ask someone else. Told me I was to get nothing it's in the wash. Told me all the refund I was to get went to the cancellation fee . I asked her how did it come out to an even about Since I have nothing in writing .She told me the cancellation fee is written on back of the invoice . I said you mean the invoice I never received back in 2021. As of today I got nothing in writing as to what happened to my refund and how was it calculated up that I got nothing back. 11/21 to 10/23 I received one thing in writing from them and that was a bill for $240.00 in my email and 1 call from the manager 8/23. They took my tank that I had paid for over half filled and charged another customer full price and I get nothing What a Great company.
Regards,

*******************
Business Response
Date: 11/01/2023
We acknowledge that this customer does not agree with our policies. They are policies common in the propane industry and they are published for anyone to see. We have copied actual text from our computer when our customer services reps & managers spoke with these customers on numerous occasions. There really is nothing more we can do, the gas in the tank offsets the costs incurred for inspections for the customer's safety, costs for us to pick up our equipment, not to mention that it sat there for an extended amount of time not being used. As I said before, Heller's is in the business of selling gas, if we don't, we go out of business. We do not charge rental (we could), we do not charge for installation when tanks are set at a typical installation (we could), but when a customer ceases to use our service there is a termination fee and if gas is in the tank, it is used to offset that fee. We are not sending a refund. I'm sorry but that is the policy in this situation.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/06/2023
[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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: No refund ? Then where is the statement that shows me the customer where the charges went ?. Take the tank and I only get Quote it's in the wash. What company does that. And also tried talking me into a smaller tank Why? I told your company that tank would last awhile. and I still had enough for another year. No need to fill it. You could have just checked it. And to say per your insurance company it's to  be filled and checked every year is a lie. It was never checked or filled in 2021. and you regret not calling me before filling it. This is really good customer service. Just sneak up snd fill it when the company needs money. I still am do a refund like I was told on the phone check the refund **** that's where I was told it is.
Regards,

*******************
Business Response
Date: 11/15/2023
The tank was installed the end of 2021, because it was so late in the year we didn't do the inspection in 2022 (which is the year that I guess she means that no gas was put in the tank & no inspection was done). Typically inspections are done in the summer (August) and because the installation was less than a year old 2022 didn't need one. When 2023 rolled around it had to be done. It is not a lie that our insurance requires it, they do and they DO require that we top off the tank, no matter if it needs a lot of gas or a little. We offered the smaller tank, with a credit on the account because they didn't need the big tank. We did all of these things to try to keep a customer happy. Again, we have previously supplied documentation which shows a zero balance on the account along with all of the previous invoices and the documents that explain everything about minimum usage and all fees (including termination). The balance on the account is zero, and has been moved to the terminated file in our computer system. Statements are sent to customers who owe money, they do not owe money so a statement is not generated. There is no refund. We credited off the bill for the minimum delivery and the gallons left in the tank are applied to the termination fee. We will be happy to bill that fee if she would like. The amount of the refund is less than the termination fee.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/22/2023
[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.]

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. I will be writing a very lengthy ****** review on this company.

Regards,

*******************
Initial Complaint
Date:06/05/2023
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Prices are extremely high and asked on 3 occasions nit to deliver gad. We were using what we have paid for already and cancelling.. they delivered on 3 separate occasions which we paid and charged a delivery fee for both tanks. This last time charged over $6.35 per gallon and told them we did not want delivery. They came when no one was here and filled. For 45 gallons my total is over 278.00. They told me they had to charge that because of maintenance. When asked what maintenance have they performed a response was visual inspection. *********************** stated he will pick up my tanks and pro rate what I paid over the years after he charges me a 169.00 fee. And I have no choice. They will then decide how much is left and issue me a refund.
Business Response
Date: 06/06/2023
We are sorry this customer is unhappy with the pricing, however, we have over the past couple of years explained the minimum delivery/once a year fill to them. It is required that we visit all of our customer locations at least one time per year. If customers do not go through at least one full tank per year we are required by our insurance company to inspect the tank(s), lines and equipment and top off the tanks. This if for our protection as well as the safety and protection of our customers. When that occurs, the customer is billed for a minimum delivery and it does equate to a higher price per gallon. We must cover our costs. Our equipment is expensive, labor is expensive and we must be able to cover those costs in order to stay in business. We attempted to offer smaller tanks a couple of times, but they wanted to use the gas in the tanks and then terminate service with us. Unfortunately, they did not use the gas in the tanks within that year and we went out for the once a year inspection/fill. This policy is printed on all paperwork (tickets, work orders, etc.) that is either mailed or delivered to their residence and is also available online on our website. Also provided is the fact that when service is disconnected, a termination fee will be charged or taken off the gas left in the tank which reduces the refund owed to the customer.
We have picked up our equipment, we will be crediting back and taking off the balance on the account for the recent delivery and charging the termination fee. A refund is calculated based on the price that was paid by the customer that is in the tank when we receive it back, not on the current price of delivery. So, in this case, after the credit is applied to the account for the recent delivery and the termination is deducted from the refund, they will be receiving a check in the amount of $199.06. They can expect their check within the next two weeks.
Thank you & have a nice day!
Customer Answer
Date: 06/07/2023
[TherrTo 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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:I have never been delinquent on any payment. Never a contract signed. Never informed on min. Delivery. In the last paper work I received (bill) was attached their terms and agreements. Their policy is to provide a smaller tank for people not using as much. They essentially tried to force those terms on me. In addition it also states a fee will be charged for non delivery,I did not get that option.when asked what maintenance they perform it was explained a visual one. I do a visual one every week. Cancelation fee? I agreed to no terms and agreements. They picked up 2 tanks that were over 80 percent full with prepaid gas I purchased with no notice. When told them I will find arrangements to have someone extract the gas I purchased They came while at work the same day within hours and stole my prepaid gas. Yes the tanks are theirs,the gas was mine to do what I wanted not let them steal it then charge erroneous fees so they can keep the money I paid for. As far as the fees they want to charge for removal of the tanks, I was not given an options since they took them with no notice and stole my product. They have a right to their property,and I have a right to mine. Who are they to deteine what I do with gas that was paid for. I just ordered from another company who based charges on what I use and is only bringing 2 25 gallon tanks at 2.39 a gallon. No fee. No charges except when I call "when I call" I need to have a min. Of 15bgallons or asseded a 50.00 fee. And this place is less than 20 miles from them. In addition to the erroneous charge they charge me 2 delivery charges and fees for 2 tanks when they make 1 delivery.
Regards,

*********************************
Business Response
Date: 06/15/2023
As stated before, we are sorry that the ********* are not happy with our policies, however, they are our policies and we are sticking to them. As we reviewed the account, we see that we have removed almost all fees from this account back as far as 2010. We have reduced prices and we have skipped the minimum delivery fees every year as well, and we have explained to them several times since 4/5/2016 the minimum delivery charge. The account was changed to a once a year delivery at that time. They called, complained, we adjusted it. We cannot continue to do this. Also as stated before, our insurance company requires that we make these deliveries to do professional inspections of the equipment and lines, part of that inspection is to top off the tank, they are not able to do this if they do their own inspection. As for them pumping out the tanks to keep the gas that is not only not safe, it is expensive to hire another propane company to do so and I believe it would be difficult to find a company willing to do it. We issued credit to them, we mailed a check this week to them and we are looking at this as a closed issue. I have also attached a copy of the last delivery invoice including all of the paperwork that would have been mailed to them when they received their invoice which clearly has all of the policies. They have every right to go to a new propane supplier and we wish them the best.
Customer Answer
Date: 06/15/2023
[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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: A check was received not cashed. No break down just a check for a small amount. B. Yes I received a terms and policy statement, the first one ever and they violated their own policy. On 3 separate occasions they were told not to deliver anymore,they continued to do do without consent. The only waiver of pricing I received was they were charging me a delivery charge 2xs for 1 delivery. I have never not paid my bill even with the agreement of delivery when I call. Especially after finding out I was not using half of what they said I would use. They stole my propane that I paid for. They violated my rights in regards to having a choice as to what I want to do with that gas. They will never know what my charge would be to have the gas taken out of the tank because I was not given that opportunity. Instead in a matter of less than 3 hrs they decided they did not like what I had to say and without consent took my prepaid gas. It was explained the same day not to take it andif they do to give me notice so someone can be present. Additionally even delinquents get a 30 day notice. This was not their choice to make to decide what to do with prepaid gas that belongs to me. And try to write a check for a fraction of what I paid with no estimate or statement of any kind. This is not the only complaint made on this site or on their own site similar to thus issue. Many. Theft by deception.

Regards,

*********************************
Initial Complaint
Date:04/26/2023
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Extremely poor customer service with majorly overpriced propane! They fail to comprehend that propane is a commodity that is priced on the open market. Heller charged me $5.99 / gallon. Despite contacting customer service they basically said this was their price. My account was immediately cancelled. Their competitor (****the best out there!) only charged me $1.99 / gallon! Don't waste your time with Heller Gas. They are a rip off. Further, Heller claims you will get a refund for what's left in the tank ... trust me you will NOT! Heller will come up with a bunch of bogus fee's to make sure they pay you nothing! Based on the price they charged me, Heller STOLE about $215 from me by claiming ** fee's. ****** learned. GO ELSEWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Business Response
Date: 05/02/2023
We are very sorry **************** is unhappy with our company, we do not like unhappy customers, we strive for great customer service. However, we do have policies in place. These are policies that are spelled out on our website, on the backsides of all paperwork left at customer locations as well as on all documents printed from our customer portal. All tanks, no matter what size have minimum requirements. In order for Heller's to place our equipment at customer locations, service them and maintain liability, we must make annual visits to customer locations and customers must use a minimum number of gallons per year. If a customer does not use that quantity they are billed a minimum usage fee. This was explained to **************** a couple of times and in the previous year we issued a credit and offered a lower price. We also do not charge installation fees except where parts are required, so therefore when a customer stops using our service, we do charge a termination fee (also clearly printed on our documents). When a customer has gas left in the tank we typically use that product to offset the termination fee, which is what we did in this case. We did not issue a refund and we won't, the balance on the account (the delivery he didn't pay for) was was credited off, the gallons from the previous delivery left in the tank will offset the termination fee. We are sorry, as we stated previously, we don't like unhappy customers but everything is in writing and is delivered each time service is done or deliveries are made to customer's location. He advised ** that he has bought his own tank now and he is able to shop around for the best price since going forward all liability will be on him and not on a propane supplier. We are sorry we lost his business, however, we stand by our policies, we are very transparent, everything is clearly printed for all to see.
Thank you.
Initial Complaint
Date:01/25/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Have been trying for almost a year to get a refund on an overcharge on my mom's account. They charged a double delivery charge. I was told this would be refunded once the account was closed after the sale of her house. I was kind enough to let them keep the account open until the home was sold so they wouldn't have to pull their tanks if the buyers wanted to keep them as their supplier. Now they are saying they are not going to make the refund. When asked why, I was supposed to be getting a call with an explanation - a week later, no call.When calling again for an explanation, was told they were not refunding the credit, that it was a courtesy credit. When I explained again that it was an overcharge, they insist it is not, even though I have a copy of the bills. Then they said there was an outstanding bill for the exact amount of the refund. The account was paid in full when the account was closed!When I asked to speak to the manager denying the refund, I was told she's not available. When I asked if she would call me back, I was told no.
Business Response
Date: 01/26/2023
We certainly do not like unhappy customers and typically this is not something we would issue a refund for, however, given the situation and the fact that she allowed us to leave our equipment there through the sale of the property, we have decided we will refund the amount she is asking for. She can expect to see a check within 2 weeks. Thank you and have a nice day!
Customer Answer
Date: 01/27/2023
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.

Regards,

*********************
Initial Complaint
Date:01/10/2023
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
This is an ongoing complaint I have with Heller gas. I told them to add 500 gallons of propane to my tanks. (There are two 1,000 gallon tanks). At the time, I owned the ***** ****** *** in northern Lycoming County and owned a house adjacent to the business. I had purchased thousands of gallons of propane over several years as I had tanks on my premises that held over 5,000 gallons of propane. Hellers delivered a partial fill to my house. They returned and topped off TWO 1,000 gallon tanks of propane, even after I was adamant about adding no more than 500 gallons. I was billed and I paid the bill. Hellers told me that I would be reimbursed at settlement when the house was sold. Not knowing the law, I agreed. I paid the bill in full. Later I found out that propane in the tanks would not be reimbursed. This is my second complaint. Hellers will not return the overpayment for the extra propane they wrongly delivered. Do not use this company. They lied to me and will not fix the issue. I am very sorry I trusted Hellers gas. Hellers owes me over $2,000 which I’m sure they will never return. I would bill Hellers for my time and frustration if this was possible. What ever happened to honesty?? I will continue with follow-up reviews. Stay tuned!
Business Response
Date: 01/30/2023
On November 14, 2022, Heller's Gas responded to this same complaint and I am simply resending that response as we had not heard anything from ****************** until we received this identical complaint. If you notice in the previous response, we asked that he contact our Customer Service Department to discuss, he has not. Typically in the sale of a property, and especially with customer owned equipment, the gas in the propane tanks is addressed in the sales agreement and the new owner reimburses the previous owner for the gas. We advised him and his real estate agent that this was the normal procedure. Apparently they did not include it.
Here is the original response from November...
BBB RESPONSE: **. and ******************* became customers of Heller's Gas in January 2022 and had a customer owned propane tank at their property. We received notification in late August 2022 that the property was being sold. The last fill had been completed in July 2022 totaling 1,349.5gal of propane which was paid for in August 2022.When ****************** informed us on 8/30/22 that he was moving out of state, we explained to him that because the fill was to a customer owned tank, he should speak with his real estate agent about putting language in the sales contract regarding if the gas will be excluded from the sale of the property as he was looking for a refund. On 10/4/22 we spoke with the customer's real estate agent (****) advising her that we would need documentation of the gas being excluded from the sale in order to issue a refund to ******************. To date, we have received no documentation showing the gas was excluded from the sale to be able to refund *******************We encourage ****************** to reach out to us to discuss this matter further and provide the requested documentation if he would still like to pursue a refund.
Customer Answer
Date: 01/30/2023
[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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:
Hellers failed to address the complaint. You were specifically instructed to ONLY add 500 gallons of propane to my tanks. The reason for 500 gallons was because I was selling the house. Hellers is lying. You filled 2 - 1,000 gallon propane tanks. They told me to pay the bill and I would be reimbursed for the propane left in the tanks. Hesitantly, I paid the bill.
I was never reimbursed and Hellers continues to lie about our original conversation to only add 500 gallons of propane.
Its very sad that you continue to lie about this complaint. I gave you a lot of business for over 10 years. I recommended your company to many surrounding home and businesses.
I don't know who is making your decisions, but you should rethink your policies.

Regards,

***************************
Business Response
Date: 02/01/2023
We are once again in receipt of this rejection. We agree, that he did ask for only 500 gallons and we do agree that we filled the tanks, so yes, we did make that error, however, we also told him that the equipment at the property belonged to him and not to Heller's. If this tank had been the property of Heller's and if we would have gotten the unused gas back we would have reimbursed for that gas. We did not get any gas back, the new owners got the gas. We also advised him as well as his realtor that the gas should be the responsibility of the new owner. We can't be any clearer, someone has to pay for the gas and someone used the gas. We also advised from the start that since Heller's did not own the tank, it is the owner's responsibility. Again, we are sorry for the error our delivery people made in filling the tank, but we did not lie, we advised them the gas should be dealt with at closing. We appreciate the business relationship we had with him over the years and value that relationship, however, the common practice in real estate, whether it's gas in a propane tank or oil in an oil tank, the new buyer pays at closing.
We certainly don't like misunderstandings or unhappy customers and we do everything in our power to help people out and make things better, it's unfortunate that it doesn't appear that we can make ****************** happy. He is welcome to talk with a customer service manager as we have suggested numerous times, but still he does not call. The customer service team can be reached at ************ and ask to speak with a Customer Service Manager.
Customer Answer
Date: 02/02/2023
[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 as Answered]

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:

Simply admitting that Hellers was at fault for filling 2 - 1,000 gallon propane tanks is a step in the right direction. You were told to only add 500 gallons. The proper action should now be to reimburse me for the extra propane added beyond to 500 gallons.
It wasn’t my mistake. It wasn’t the mistake of the Real Estate agent or the buyer of the property. It is Hellers mistake. Simply put, Hellers filled my propane tanks with propane I did not order and did not want.
I will not be satisfied until I receive a check for the extra propane you mistakenly supplied.
Regards,

***************************

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