Bulk LPG - Cheapest suppliers / supply route?

Andrew1066

Further quotes  (underground tank)

J GAS

Our standing charge is 16.44p per day plus vat (£60 per annum).

You will receive 200 litres of free gas in the first delivery, as a thank you and should you recommend anyone else to J gas , another 200 litres of gas will be credited to your account upon them switching.

The LPG price is 37p per litre, fixed for 6 months and to give you some understanding of our pricing structure, this has not changed for over two years.

Calor Classic
Variable price LPG cost at 34.00 ppl*	Standing Charge (tank rental): Above-ground tank; 17.28p per day. Underground tank; 25.13p per day.

Mister_G

Andrew1066 said:

Mister_G said:

Andrew1066 said:

May I ask who your local independent is please in case they do my area?
Thank you 

HBS Chilbolton - Just Google for further info.

Basically cover Hamphire Wiltshire

May I ask what price they quoted you please, they said to me today for 3000 litres per year 

- It will be 45ppl ex VAT, there is no tank charges or delivery charges. 

- It will be a 2 year contract and as long as the prices do not go up it will stay at 45pp ex VAT, capped at no more than 3p increase on the second year, we would only increase the price however on the second year if the wholesale price increased.

I'm part of our village buying group (about 10 of us, so about 30000 litres/year) and we pay 33ppl.  I've also been a customer for over 10 years.  It was 30ppl for about 4 years before it went up earlier this year.

JerryW

Well I have to say I seem to have struck a vein here .. i haven't ever noticed previously that Kent is a good place to buy lpg but if you look at my posts above, they seem like good quotes. I have settled on 29p/l, fixed for two years, with Flogas.

Please note that in my opinion:

- EVERYONE should insist on a quote fixed for two years. If you look at some of the posts above, see how weaselly their promises are. These are not bad companies overall, but their sales staff are totally unprincipled. Don't trust them an inch.

If they say they can't do it, tell them that such offers are common these days and they will lose business if they won't do the same. Tell them about the other quotes you have heard people have got .. if you get one such quote you can tell the rest that X have agreed to do it.

- You have to be assertive. Not aggressive, not combative, not rude. But you have to make it clear what you want and provided you do, you may well get it.

- I have read literally hundreds of complaint letters over the years (my old job, don't ask!) and you would be truly amazed, how few of them bother to say how they want things put right. They just moan on. What is the point of that? Just say what you would like, and who knows, you might get it.. put the decision to them: I've been offered 33p from (say) Avanti, can you beat it? If not why not, I'm a good customer, aren't I etc etc.

- never forget, all sales people are trained to sell. Have you ever been trained to buy? Just doing it a lot doesn't count, so if not you are at a disadvantage. Do think about your best approach and put it firmly into practice, don't just see this as some sort of tax on living

Sorry for the bold but I do think some of us need to sharpen our game a little!

Jerry

ceh209

Somerset dweller here. I've just tried to leave Avanti, got Flogas to agree to 34p 1st year and 37p fixed in 2nd year (made sure it was fixed after reading comments here). Avanti asked why I wanted to leave to which I listed several reasons including the price being uncapped in the second year. They took some time to get back to me but have actually properly investigated my reasons for leaving (which weren't complaints as such but hadn't endeared me to them - putting me on automatic topups without explaining that's what they were doing etc), told me the person I had spoken to 18 months ago when I wasn't happy was no longer with the company etc etc!

Bottom line they said would you consider staying if we can do a fixed price for both years and I said it completely depends on what the price is - didn't tell them what Flogas had offered. They come out with 29.5p 1st year and 34.5p 2nd year. Got them to confirm verbally that it was definitely fixed in the second year and off we go with Avanti for 2 years again lol! I can time my topups aswell so I get 3 tanks in year 1 and 1 tank in year 2, but they're not to know that

LittleVermin

ceh209 said:

....They come out with 29.5p 1st year and 34.5p 2nd year. Got them to confirm verbally that it was definitely fixed in the second year <snip> they're not to know that

  Orally and written down .... there have been several comments in the past that the suppliers have no record of the (wonderful!) offers their employees have made. Yes, they record phone calls ..but often not the content. And also best to be aware that in the past we've had evidence of companies monitoring this forum (which is why sensitive stuff gets discussed by private message). We have had employees of one or two majors telling us what wonderful deals company X (their company, of course!) have made....and what wonderful service they provide. We have also had one or two people from independents posting info - very, very useful (no, not advertising - just info re prices, supplies, tanks, etc. Then an idiot aggressively asked the poster which company he/she worked for ..... silence ensued, so a loss for all of us).

JerryW

I have had dealings with, and contracts with, all of the major lpg suppliers at one time or another. In general, they are just commercial companies like any other. Their employees are just ordinary people, not ogres. They seldom lie or break the law. Their delivery staff and their engineers in fact, I have always found to be very nice people.

It is just their sales methods and their sales philosophy, which lets them down. You have to bully them, contradict them, argue until you are blue in the face, before you can get a fair deal. Avanti for example, have been extremely good to deal with over the last two years, prompt deliveries, slick online ordering .. except after the 12 month fix when they tried to put the price up a lot. When I told them I regarded it as a breach of contract that gave me the freedom to go elsewhere, they cancelled it. And this time, they have met my request for a 2 year fix.

Everybody, ask for a two year fix! And don't rely on just a phone call, either.

Andrew1066

Out of interest have people found it noticeably easier to achieve a good quote in summer when demand is down please?

mcmullank

I have been vocal on this forum in the past regarding holding the suppliers to the contracts, as they expect that we will.  I was a Woldlink customer on the monthly variable rate from 2015 and was subjected to the excessive price rise from Flogas at the start of the year.  I wrote them a polite letter in January stating that I was rejecting the price rise and that I was providing notice of termination under 5.9 of the contract with a termination date of 31st May 2020.  As per the contract the price increase could not be passed on if notice had been given and therefore I expected them to honour the last price that I was provided (approx. 32ppl) and not the 45ppl that they proposed.  Flogas never replied to the letter and subsequent follow up conversation varied from you have to deal with Woldlink to "you aren't in contract".  However, the contracts clearly state that they continue passed the 2 years until either party provides notice. 

Between the notice period and the contract termination I received two fills of my 2000ltr tank that I was forced to purchase from Woldlink (Flogas would not deal with me directly) and had to pay 49.95ppl.  I subsequently raised a court action on Flogas for recovery of the difference as they would not respond to any correspondance that I sent.  Low and behold a received a settlement from them for the full amount of the excess charges.  To this day they have neither acknowledged the court action or any of my correspondance.

If anyone is in a similar position then I am happy to provide more details in private messages but please do not think that the companies can ignore their T & Cs with impunity.

Anyway I am back in the market for a contract and I have been quoted:

31ppl from Flogas for 2 year fix

32ppl from Calor fixed for a year with a max 3.5ppl increase in year 2

33ppl from Flogas via LPG-Save for a 2 year fix

34ppl variable from JGas (Not willing to provide any fixed prices)

55.45ppl variable from Gleaner

I am in Aberdeenshire.

JerryW

mcmullank said:

I have been vocal on this forum in the past regarding holding the suppliers to the contracts, as they expect that we will.  I was a Woldlink customer on the monthly variable rate from 2015 and was subjected to the excessive price rise from Flogas at the start of the year... 

I admire your approach and would hope to be able to do the same should the necessity ever arise. I hope you charged them for your time as well as other outgoings. When I did go to court once many years ago I invoiced £50/hr for my time, dutifully logged, and when the barrister queried it I asked him what his hourly rate was? :-)

When I was with Woldlink, although I dealt with them direct Flogas sent me a contract that we both signed; so I am surprised they would not deal with you direct. Also a bit surprised that Flogas have offered you a better price direct, than the ubiquitous Mr Flaxman could offer!

Good luck and let us know what you settle on

Welshbiker

So this must be a common situation ... Coming out of a Contract with Flogas, as they stuffed me in the second year, only to find that getting prices from Calor, Avanti, & Callow, all meant a short customer survey on the tank siting  & condition.  Bottom line is no new supplier can fill, as the tank site is less then 3 mtrs from a boundary wall.   Regulations, regulations, yeah I heard it all before.
Do I have to go back to Flogas, cap in hand, and accept whatever price they charge, as they are now the only company legally allowed to fill the tank ?
And if I insist that as it does not meet current regs, then it MUST be UNSAFE, and I want it replaced ... how far does that get me?  Logic would dictate its either safe, or not... so it can either be filled by anyone, or nobody !
Perhaps the change to oil is nigh 
Anyone with a similar experience that worked in their favour ?