Home heating oil - can you haggle?

alanfp

Hi

Like most people, I ring round a few suppliers when I need a top-up of oil and then choose the cheapest.

BUT I found a post on another forum where the poster said he was quoted 48p/litre, so he said "can't you do better than that?" and apparently, within two minutes, he had negotiated the price down to 40p. Has anyone else been successful doing this - or was the supplier just trying it on and had artificially inflated his original 48p quote?

(I guess, given the figure, this was a few months ago, but the thrust of my question is still the same)

bobhawke

You can haggle for anything. Before you start to haggle though it is a good idea to know what competitors offer. You could also tell them that you go through a lot more heating oil than you actually do, they may give you a better price as long as it is believable.
Check to see what others who are living in your area pay too, if you see a tank in their garden try knock on their door and ask - just make sure they know that you aren't trying to sell them anything. You could get a better price too if you are bringing them more business, tell them if you get a good price you know 3 or 4 people who will buy from them too.

It sounds like the supplier you mentioned was artificially inflating the price, which unfortunately happens quite often with kerosene, LPG and red diesel. Normally a supplier wouldn't have that much scope for haggling.

Fruity1

Yes, I haggled and paid 40p/litre. Some of the companies don't get the prices in until mid morning so you have to be prepared to ring them back. As bobhawke also suggested a few of us in the village arranged for it to be delivered on the same day again bringing the price down.

Sunny2

I haggle every time I buy Oil which I buy from the same supplier each time. First I call all their competitors in the area and then I call my regular supplier and he has always at the very least matched it and sometimes gone a little better. I buy 1000 litres so even as little as 1p a litre is work saving.