CT Watchdog: Propane service charges disputed

Many propane gas customers in Connecticut as well as the rest of the country are regular victims of unscrupulous business tactics some of these firms practice.

The reason they can do it is because they convinced officials in every state to give them unprecedented control over who can deliver propane to your tank.

By claiming that propane is so dangerous that only the firm that owns the tank can fill them - and then making it difficult for consumers to buy their tanks - the propane industry has a stranglehold on the propane business. In Connecticut, propane companies own 96 percent of all the tanks.

The latest example of how a major propane company tried to take advantage of a customer involves AmeriGas, the largest in the country, with 1.3 million customers in almost every state.

Liz Viering of Stonington wrote me and the state Department of Consumer Protection, complaining about AmeriGas's Colchester outlet, where employees twice charged her $159 in fees for unnecessary service calls.

"I own a cottage in N. Stonington where my son currently lives, that uses propane for cooking. We are required to call for gas delivery, as the usage is difficult to predict. Both times in the past year when he called for a delivery, they came and delivered the gas, then put a lock on the tank, requiring him to call again for a service call before he could use the gas. Each service call was billed at an additional $159," she wrote me and state officials.

"The last time this happened, in September, he was in the house when the delivery was made. The truck was in the driveway. The delivery man never came to the door. He (my son) was able to light the pilot light while the guy was still outside, so (he) assumed everything was fine, till he went to use it the next day, and found the tank was locked, and the pilot light was only able to run on the leftover gas in the line."

She wrote that the first time it happened, "the service man told him that this is standard operating procedure for the company, who finds it a useful way to take more money from their customers. I find that unconscionable."

After many phone calls, in which the Colchester office denied that it was standard practice, she was credited for the $159 when she threatened to file a complaint.

However, the second time it happened Colchester AmeriGas officials blew her off. They refused to return her voice mail messages, but they did tack on a $35 late fee on the $159 service charge.

It was at that point she wrote to the state officials, who told her that her complaint was sent to the wrong department and they could not help.

So she contacted me and I contacted AmeriGas to get their side of the story.

AmeriGas refused to comment but they quickly got back to Viering.

"Thank you!! Whatever you did worked well, because I got a call about a half hour ago from someone at their headquarters, who took care of crediting the charge, and wanted to know all of the details so he could straighten out the Colchester office, and ensure that it didn't happen again."

If I were a betting man, I would bet that it will happen again, in Colchester or at another office.

You can reach The Watchdog at george@ctwatchdog.com and he will answer for free as many emails as he can. Please check out his site, www.ctwatchdog.com, for comprehensive consumer, health, finance, shopping, nutrition, Connecticut-grown food, elderly issues, media, Internet, computer, travel, auto, religion news and education tips.