Letter from Flogas - bulk tank rental to jump from £80 to £200
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lardconcepts
Posts: 64 Forumite
We got this letter from Flogas recently. Is it just me, or is it incredibly rude and poorly written? Anyway, have a read, I'll see you at the end:
I've never seen my wife so !!!!ed off - I'm almost thinking of claiming for repairs to the kitchen ceiling where she went through the roof!
We calmed down for a day, lined up our strategy, and called up.
First of all, though, I wanted to see what the offer was:
We had 10% gas left in the tank, the new charges were going to kick in in June; either we paid the new standing charge or they take the tank and we get no credit for the gas. OR we pay £200 to have the tank removed and replaced by bottles plus £150 for the valves and £120 for the gas, total: £470 and no credit for remaining gas.
At which point, I grabbed my notes, took a deep breath, and launched, starting with the tone of the letter to customers of a 20 year contract....
You're not going to believe this, but apperently, "Lee Gannon" didn't even see the letter before it went out! They get a company called Synergy to write all their customer letters. I kid you not - how moronic is an organisation who can't find a single person who can write a letter? (Not as moronic as one who put names to letters they've not even seen!)
Before I'd even launched into one, they'd apologised for the tone of the letter - it was evident, reading between the lines, that a lot of angry customers had been calling in over the week having got this letter.
Half an hour and 3 people later plus a lot of persistance and mention of Watchdog, Which, and the OFGEM investigation into LPG prices, I had a new deal: no charge to remove the tank, £183 to install twin cylinder kit including 2 * 47kg bottles, and a credit for the remaining gas.
Not bad, but I'm still shocked at what appalling customer service they have.
Dear Customer,
It has come to our attention that you have not taken any gas from us in some time. The bulk tank sited at your residence is the property of Flogas; not only is this tank a valuable asset, but there are also significant costs incurred in maintaining it.
You are currently charged a yearly tank rental of £79.94, payable in 4 quarterly amounts of £19.98.This rental figure was determined upon an estimated annual usage. In light of the fact that you have not taken any gas from us in some time, we have no choice but to
increase your standing charge to £200 per annum, payable in 4 quarterly amounts of £50
As part of good safety practice, it is a legal requirement for all Bulk Gas tanks to be exchanged every 20 years; the tank situated at your property is almost due for exchange.
In normal circumstances, we would try to absorb the costs of replacing the tank, but, given the low usage on your account, this is not possible in your case. In order for us to replace the tank at your property, we would estimate a charge to you of £750.
We would ask that you contact us on xxxx as soon as possible to discuss the forthcoming exchange. Should you no longer have a requirement for a bulk tank, either because you no longer use LPG, or because your needs would be better suited by gas cylinders, then please let us know when contacting us.
Please be aware that if we do not hear from you in relation to the required tank exchange, we will have no choice but to attend your property in due course to de-activate the tank.
Yours sincerely,
Lee Gannon
Sales & Marketing Director
I've never seen my wife so !!!!ed off - I'm almost thinking of claiming for repairs to the kitchen ceiling where she went through the roof!
We calmed down for a day, lined up our strategy, and called up.
First of all, though, I wanted to see what the offer was:
We had 10% gas left in the tank, the new charges were going to kick in in June; either we paid the new standing charge or they take the tank and we get no credit for the gas. OR we pay £200 to have the tank removed and replaced by bottles plus £150 for the valves and £120 for the gas, total: £470 and no credit for remaining gas.
At which point, I grabbed my notes, took a deep breath, and launched, starting with the tone of the letter to customers of a 20 year contract....
You're not going to believe this, but apperently, "Lee Gannon" didn't even see the letter before it went out! They get a company called Synergy to write all their customer letters. I kid you not - how moronic is an organisation who can't find a single person who can write a letter? (Not as moronic as one who put names to letters they've not even seen!)
Before I'd even launched into one, they'd apologised for the tone of the letter - it was evident, reading between the lines, that a lot of angry customers had been calling in over the week having got this letter.
Half an hour and 3 people later plus a lot of persistance and mention of Watchdog, Which, and the OFGEM investigation into LPG prices, I had a new deal: no charge to remove the tank, £183 to install twin cylinder kit including 2 * 47kg bottles, and a credit for the remaining gas.
Not bad, but I'm still shocked at what appalling customer service they have.
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Comments
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Well done on getting a deal - but did you approach any alternative suppliers for comparison? I would have done this before ringing/negotiating with them.0
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I use LPG and don't believe the "tanks must be changed after 20yrs" - you can get them inspected and if they are fine keep using them! I thought there had been a change in the legislation which said that companies supplying the tanks can only tie you into their gas for 5 years (or so) - after that you are free to buy where you like. We own our own tank and shop around for the cheapest price when it needs a refil. Oil may be OK for central heating but not much use for stirfry!0
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islandlass wrote: »I use LPG and don't believe the "tanks must be changed after 20yrs" - you can get them inspected and if they are fine keep using them! I thought there had been a change in the legislation which said that companies supplying the tanks can only tie you into their gas for 5 years (or so) - after that you are free to buy where you like. We own our own tank and shop around for the cheapest price when it needs a refil. Oil may be OK for central heating but not much use for stirfry!
Tanks have to be tested at 10 and 20 years. And once a year the tank, valves and the tank's surroundings must be checked visually - this is done by the tanker driver each delivery (see a Calor doc here) so if you get at least one delivery a year you're covered (I believe). Some companies (e.g. Flogas) remove tanks at 20 years and recondition. Contracts for bulk gas supply can only last a max of 2 years after new regulations by the Competition Commission came in in 2009 (see here FAQ 4). If you own your tank you can shop around - so, please, islandlass, post your experiences of owning your tank and the prices you've paid - and to whom - in the main Bulk LPG thread. There are very few tank owners out there, it seems!0 -
will it not be more expensive in the long run for gas cylinders ves the tank we have 4 houses 3 of we let and one of the three is gas cylinders lpg combi and the tenant is complaing about the price of them and why cant we fit a bulk tank ect . they are long term tenants so we are going to fit one for them in a few months but after reading about being tied into 2 year contracts ect i not so sure. we are in ml area of scotland and the house with lpg is in salsburgh area which they are paying £77 per bottle they say one lasts about one moth / two if they watch what they are doing does that seem right ?
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will do Littlevermin - we are about to fill so I will let you know what we pay!0
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islandlass wrote: »I use LPG and don't believe the "tanks must be changed after 20yrs" - you can get them inspected and if they are fine keep using them! I thought there had been a change in the legislation which said that companies supplying the tanks can only tie you into their gas for 5 years (or so) - after that you are free to buy where you like. We own our own tank and shop around for the cheapest price when it needs a refil. Oil may be OK for central heating but not much use for stirfry!
Blatant lies mine is ancient but in perfectly good condition if the paint work is anything to go by. As it was tested before I swapped suppliers (about 18 months ago) then it must be perfectly alright. And the normal tie is 2 years I am they cannot get away with more than 2 years now a days.0 -
lardconcepts wrote: »We got this letter from Flogas recently. Is it just me, or is it incredibly rude and poorly written? Anyway, have a read, I'll see you at the end:
I've never seen my wife so !!!!ed off - I'm almost thinking of claiming for repairs to the kitchen ceiling where she went through the roof!
We calmed down for a day, lined up our strategy, and called up.
First of all, though, I wanted to see what the offer was:
We had 10% gas left in the tank, the new charges were going to kick in in June; either we paid the new standing charge or they take the tank and we get no credit for the gas. OR we pay £200 to have the tank removed and replaced by bottles plus £150 for the valves and £120 for the gas, total: £470 and no credit for remaining gas.
At which point, I grabbed my notes, took a deep breath, and launched, starting with the tone of the letter to customers of a 20 year contract....
You're not going to believe this, but apperently, "Lee Gannon" didn't even see the letter before it went out! They get a company called Synergy to write all their customer letters. I kid you not - how moronic is an organisation who can't find a single person who can write a letter? (Not as moronic as one who put names to letters they've not even seen!)
Before I'd even launched into one, they'd apologised for the tone of the letter - it was evident, reading between the lines, that a lot of angry customers had been calling in over the week having got this letter.
Half an hour and 3 people later plus a lot of persistance and mention of Watchdog, Which, and the OFGEM investigation into LPG prices, I had a new deal: no charge to remove the tank, £183 to install twin cylinder kit including 2 * 47kg bottles, and a credit for the remaining gas.
Not bad, but I'm still shocked at what appalling customer service they have.
How long is "you have not taken any gas from us in some time" I have had no problem from my company Energas and I haven't had any fill apart from a top up in Febuary 2010 when I moved to them and I have 50% left so will probably not need one till after Febuary 2012. I hope I don't have the same problem but they seem relatively easy going at Energas...........hopefully0 -
will it not be more expensive in the long run for gas cylinders vs the tank
Looking good so far - on the proposed £200 p/a tank rental, in the 90 days we've had the bottles in, we've saved £49. The bottles worked out at 2 for £105 and we haven't even used 1 yet in those 3 months.
I'm not sure how to work out kilograms into litres of LPG, but I'm pretty sure that no paying that £49 has been a saving for us!
3 years in our case from a full 2000 litre tank.How long is "you have not taken any gas from us in some time"0 -
lardconcepts wrote: »Looking good so far - on the proposed £200 p/a tank rental, in the 90 days we've had the bottles in, we've saved £49. The bottles worked out at 2 for £105 and we haven't even used 1 yet in those 3 months.
I'm not sure how to work out kilograms into litres of LPG, but I'm pretty sure that no paying that £49 has been a saving for us!
3 years in our case from a full 2000 litre tank.
Wow, last winter I was using 2 x 47 kg tanks a week fro heating and hot water!! I was not leaving the heating on for a very long time either,0 -
lardconcepts wrote: »Looking good so far - on the proposed £200 p/a tank rental, in the 90 days we've had the bottles in, we've saved £49. The bottles worked out at 2 for £105 and we haven't even used 1 yet in those 3 months.
I'm not sure how to work out kilograms into litres of LPG, but I'm pretty sure that no paying that £49 has been a saving for us!
3 years in our case from a full 2000 litre tank.
We have used one cylinder and a bit since March as have only been using combi for hot water but used to get through 2 a week in the winter and the heating was barely on. In fact we considered putting in a tank but are now thinking of going for a heat pump or wood pellet boiler in view of the RHI...0
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