Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  02/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have asked Shippley energy 3 time to stop soliciting me. Please stop I have no interest in doing business with Shippley Energy!

  

  Business response

  02/08/2023

  Shipley Energy apologizes that the first three attempt did not have the desired effect. We will investigate how these requests were made, which action was taken, and what caused continued communication to take place. We have at this time ensured and confirmed that he will not receive any more calls or emails unless he specifically requests this to happen. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Oil leak on 7-28-22, Shipley delivered oil and when got home oil all over kitchen floor, called them and told them someone needed to come and clean up oil. Sent service guy to house and he replaced cainnister that holds filter stated had pin hole in it, he also put oil dry down behind furnace and stated that is all he could reach. Had furnace cleaned and serviced 4-15-2022 person sent to house was inexperienced. They do not have any local service people. Called Shipley and asked them for credit on oil that was on kitchen floor and was told he would have to check into this, when he called back only gave $100.00 off of an $800.00 bill, asked them to come and get oil in tank and was told they would need to charge me to come and take oil and they cannot use oil contaminated. Told Shipley that a lot of damage and house was uninhabitable, they never sent anyone to house to see all the damage and never offered to pay for anything. They also keep sending bills and calling for payment on oil bill that they keep adding late fees to, I have told them there is no extra money to pay this. Last time I called I asked to speak with supervisor or owner of business, when she took my information she stated she had to send email and someone would get back to me, never did call. Very poor customer serivce and would not recommond Shipley to anyone. If you are a customer I would advise anyone to find another company to service and deliver your oil.

  

  Business response

  03/03/2023

  Id like to contact you regarding **. ******* complaint with Shipley Energy. I was unable to respond to the complaint within the required timeframe, for which I apologize. The customer had filed an insurance claim, which has since been denied. For Shipley Energy, this closes the case and we are moving on. Due to the denied insurance claim, we are unable to comment further publicly regarding this issue.

   

  Please let me know if I can do anything else.

   

  ***************************
  Customer Care Manager

  Customer response

  03/07/2023

  [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:
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  
  I do not agree with their comment, they deliver product and serviced burner and still think they are not liable for oil spill, how can you keep a business and not take responsiblity, I believie they are hiding from something and should be put out of business, also frustrated with the harassment about paying on oil bill that was delivered on day of spill, each time I call them and ask to speak with supervisor or owner of business I am told someone will get back to me and they never do.  Poor, poor customer **********************.  I will let as many people know that they should run away from this business.
  

  

  Business response

  04/24/2023

  While we understand the consumer's frustration, we also understand that an insurance claim has been filed and denied. As previously stated, we are unable to comment further publicly regarding this issue due to the denied insurance claim. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/09/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In December I had ***** *** come out to qoute some work I need done on my boiler and also asked that they could show me how to flush out the water in my boiler and possibly show me how the system worked because they put this boiler in. They spent 15 minutes at my house and had no interest in showing me anything and only had interest in up selling me other things which I was on board to get done. They said I would get a qoute in a few days. I never got one. A month ago I get a 130 dollar bill for their service which originally I was told should be free and at most 65 dollars. They also said they spent an hour and a half at my house and that they repaired something which is not true. The issue I had at the time was a leaking union and I did it myself because they were too busy to get back to me. They were only at my house 15 mins and did nothing I asked them to. I spoke to a manager at emery about the system and he agreed that they dropped the ball but ended with we still have to pay are bills which doesn't make any sense.

  

  Business response

  06/09/2022

  Shipley Energy acquired our customer list on 12/17/21.  We have retired from the oil delivery and service business.  This service call was done by Shipley Energy.

  

  Business response

  06/09/2022

  We apologize for the frustration this situation has caused **************. Due to human errors on our part, his experience with ***** *** was not as seamless as we would have liked. *****'s call records do indicate that ************* was quoted $121.95 for a technician to come out to his home when he called in December. Nevertheless, we have processed a $60 credit on the account to reduce the original charge from $121.95 to $61.95. The three finance charges that had accrued since December have also been reversed. 

  We hope this resolves the issue. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I moved from ********************, East Berlin Pa in December, 2021. I notified Shipley Energy and my landlord also notified Shipley Energy that I no longer lived there and the deliveries of heat propane should be in the landlord name. I continue to get a bill from Shipley at the ************************ address which the post office forwards to me. I have spoken to Shipley customer service 4 times, the landlord has spoken to them 2 times . The bill I get is account #*******. This account was cancelled in December. It seems this will not get fixed by myself or the landlord. The owner of the property is *************************** address ****************************************** East Berlin, Pa. I do not know if the property has been rented to someone else since I moved in December 2021.

  

  Business response

  06/08/2022

  Shipley Energy apologizes for the inconvenience you have experienced. Your account was not closed out due to an error on our part. I can confirm that we closed out your account on 6/6, any charges were reversed, and a refund for the balance on the account was issued to the updated address on your now terminated account. 

  We are reviewing our processes to ensure a similar mistake will not occur on any accounts in the future.  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Shipley's energy is attempting to fraudulently scam $489 from my husband and I, by claiming that we used 200 gallons of propane during a 7 week period, when we know that we did not. We had our tanks filled by request on 12/9. My husband and I check the tanks monthly to monitor our use. Our last fill before 12/9 was 5/2021. On 1/27/22, we were not home and Shipleys made a surprise/unrequested visit and claimed that we "needed" 200 gallons more of propane and that we now owe 489$.We were not home, we were at the hospital, & therefore couldn't question why they were at our home without our consent or request. After 2 phone calls with customer service, i was finally called back by one of the managers, *******. His reasoning is that their company makes an "estimate" on when we will need propane and then 'automatically' come do refills, despite a customer not actually requesting the refill. When asked how this estimate is done, we were told it's based on their experience with the size of the home and assumed propane use, not by actual use. When asked if the company had physical proof of how much propane we were using daily, and if there was anything concrete and specific to our use, ******* said he has no physical proof, but he has "been in the business a long time" and can make these estimates. When asked if they recorded the current amount in each tank before filling so I could confirm we needed the supposed 200 gallons, ******* informed me that's "not their process," so again no actual proof our tanks needed that amount of fuel. My husband and I checked the 2 tanks before our hospital visit to ensure we would have heat to bring our new baby home; we had plenty in each tank. I also know we did not blow through 200 gallons in a 7 week span, especially when we previously only needed 141 gallons after 6 months of use. Clearly this company either has a faulty system to check for fills, the tech made an error, or they are taking advantage of us and scamming for money.

  

  Business response

  02/24/2022

  Shipley Energy delivered to this customer on an automatic delivery basis. This means that based on type of usage and past delivery history (resulting in a 'k-factor'), outside temperatures (also known as 'degree days'), and tank size, we estimate when a customer is down to approximately 30% and refill the customer's tank. This is why Shipley came out and delivered propane on 12/9. For both the delivery on 12/9 and the delivery on 1/27, Shipley followed an identical process and refilled the tanks in accordance with regulations in place for LP deliveries.

  According to the automatic delivery arrangement with the customer, we came out on 1/27/2022. At this time, the customer's tanks took 200 gallons. Our GPS confirmed that the driver was there at that time. Based on the size of the delivery on 1/27, our system calculates that from 12/9 until 1/27, the customer used 4.1 gallons of propane per day. Considering that the customer uses the propane both as the primary heat source as well as for cooking purposes, this is not out of the range of expected usage. Given the size of the customer's home, Shipley might have expected her usage to be even higher. January was very cold, which resulted in increased propane usage for many of our customers.

  The customer indicated that they only used 141 gallons over the 6 months prior to her December delivery and argued that she should thus not have used 200 gallons in the 49 days after that delivery. The fact that the customer used less propane in the 6 months prior to 12/9 than in the 49 days after makes sense considering the customer uses her propane primarily as her main source of heat. The use of propane for heating purposes would be exponentially higher in December and (even more so in) January than it would be in the six months prior to her December delivery.
  
  Given these facts, Shipley does not consider it reasonable or fair to waive the $489.79 that the customer owes for the propane  we put in her tank on 1/27 to prevent her family from running out of propane. 

  Customer response

  03/10/2022

  [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:you're still basing your reasoning for charging me on personal opinion and not on actual facts. There is no evidence or specific proof of our energy usage or how low our tanks were. Guess work and assumptions based on your trucks gps location and personal experience are not facts. You doing the math on an assumed 200 gallon fill up means nothing without showing us how much was in our tanks at the beginning of the fill up. Its a he said she said at this point and i trust what i saw on my tanks over what you're saying. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************************
  

  

  Business response

  04/11/2022

  Shipley Energy appreciates ************************* reaching out to us regarding the delivery situation. The driver that delivered on 1/29 - the delivery that is being disputed - made a note in the system at the time of delivery that reads, "Very low had good pressure". When a customer is this low in propane, a driver will do an outside leak check to ensure adequate pressure is still present. The driver's note further shows that he was in fact there and had reason to check the pressure of the tank. 

  Unfortunately, propane gauges are not 100% correct - they can be off from time to time, need to be tapped on to read correctly, etc.. Drivers fill propane tanks until the pressure relief valve begins to let out air rather than rely on the gauge for this very reason.

  Finally, the delivery size lines up with what Shipley would have expected. The customer had been due for a delivery for over a week - a delivery that had been postponed due to a past due balance on the customer's account. Once the balance was paid, Shipley released a delivery right away. The size of the delivery confirms Shipley's estimate that the customer was overdue for a delivery. 

  For these reasons, Shipley stands by its original resolution that any refund would be neither fair nor reasonable.

  With regards,

  Benjamin P*********

  Customer Care Manager

• Initial Complaint

  02/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up in November on their website after doing a ****** search for local oil companies. When I clicked through their system to the oil side of the business, there was a plan for BOGO, Capped at a certain price. This is where the issue started. This plan had no notice of what turned out to be a "service fee" to sign up of $160. They also did not mention that BOGO was only for the first fill up anywhere in the steps to become a customer.I received a charge for the service fee which after speaking with Brittany (customer service) it was addressed after the aknowledged it was not stated on their site anywhere. My plan in any of my provided documents (an email from them as they refuse to provide any additional documents for the plan at my request several times) states my plan name is Buy One Get One, Capped Plan. To me this means that my plan throughout would be this. They also had nothing marked in the first fill rate and just my capped price in the space for that on the initial sign up email.I got a second delivery unannounced with no notice one was coming (automatic delivery but Id assume a notice would be sent that it is coming) This was charged at their "capped" price which was 20 cents higher than any local company at that time. So not only do they try to charge people for the capped price, they dont adjust to a lower value and overcharge customers. I reached out to Customer service again as my price per gallon did not reflect my plan of BOGO and spoke with brittany and complaint sent to her Supervisor. I got one email response with an ad snippet that must have been a social media post that stated in fine print that BOGO was for first fill only. Again, this stipulation was not posted anywhere, was not in the first fill rate spot and my plan is called the BOGO: Capped Plan. I asked in several emails for an actual agreement document showing this but have yet to hear back after 2 weeks. They have billed my credit card now for full price. Id like a refund

  

  Business response

  02/16/2022

  On 11/3/21, ******************* signed up for our BOGO (Buy-one-get-one) special for heating oil. When a customer is presented with the various pricing options, a "view plan details" is available. When clicked, this shows the customer the various details associated with the plan. The file attached shows an example of this for our BOGO special. These details would have been available for ******************** to view as he was deciding which plan to select. The details of the BOGO plan clearly outline that the BOGO applies to the first fill only. They also show that a $169 investment applies to this plan.

  When ******************** was billed for the $169 investment to cap his price, he called in about this charge since he indicated it was not disclosed. At that time (11/4/21), we did waive the investment as a token of goodwill towards ********************. While we understand ***********************'s frustration surrounding the naming convention, we ask our customers to understand that naming conventions for our plans are designed to be generic in nature without disclosing the specific details of those plans. This is exactly why we strive to be as transparent as possible by disclosing the plan details. 
  

  Regarding the price per gallon on his subsequent delivery, we billed the customer at his cap price of $3.499/g at the time. The nature of the cap is that if our market price is lower on the day of delivery, the customer is billed at the lower price. While some cash-and -carry companies may have had lower prices at the time, Shipley's market price was not below $3.499/g at the time of his delivery. With prices seeing significant increases already, the $3.499/g was a very competitive price for his delivery.

  Finally, the nature of automatic delivery is that a customer does not have to worry about running out of oil and trusts Shipley Energy to deliver when the customer is down to approximately 1/4 tank. Though making the customer aware of upcoming deliveries is uncommon, the customer can request to receive a call the day before delivery is to take place.

  For the aforementioned reasons and given the fact that the customer was refunded the $169 for the cap investment without losing the price protection it provides, Shipley Energy does not believe that a refund of any kind would be either reasonable or fair.
  

  

  Business response

  04/11/2022

  We thank *** ******* for his further inquiry regarding the circumstances surrounding his enrollment with Shipley Energy for heating oil. First of all, we would like to apologize for using the incorrect name in our previous response. While our answer was certainly not copied and pasted, we understand the impression our mistake made. 

  With regards to *** *******'s complaint, Shipley Energy believes the original resolution to be the only fair and logical one. Shipley Energy refunded the $169 cap investment that was not disclosed online when the customer originally signed up for heating oil in early November. This error was promptly corrected to avoid further confusion. 

  Furthermore, the attached screenshot shows the details of our BOGO offer as displayed to customers. Besides the price per gallon of the cap, which we changed shortly after *** ******* signed up with us, this screenshot is identical to the details shown to *** ******* on the day he signed up. As the screenshot shows, the details state the 'BOGO' is for the First Fill Up only.

  Shipley Energy did attempt to reach out to the customer in February regarding his situation. At that time, we left a message requesting him to call back. That conversation has yet to take place.

  As such, Shipley Energy does not consider it fair or reasonable to consider any further refund.

  Customer response

  04/14/2022

  [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: in the email correspondence with Shipley they have now admitted their website did. Not show the fee, which was refunded and their own staff admitted that their documents to do include explicit details of the plan we're not accessible to customers nor showed detail when one went through the process to sign up for them.

  Their ad screenshot was not on their website or in any step of the sign up process and just the overall capped price and. Bogo being prevelantly displayed. I have asked their staff for plan documents and anything other then their "ad screenshot" which they have not been able to provide.

  I feel Shipley follows poor and predatory business practices by performing in this manner. And if a phone call was attempted, it was one only with nothing recieved by me and there has been no attempt by them to reach out any time to perform good customer service 

  
  I believe I am owed a 50% refund on my last oil delivery due to their lack of providing true documents or a plan outside of their screenshot as they have failed to prove this was shown to me but my evidence has shown they did fail at man
  At many points which I was awknoledged by their staff initially and again in this last message from them.
  Regards,
  
  ****** *******
  

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