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Heating Oil Advice
BM1981_2
Posts: 2 Newbie
Apologies if this thread isn't as good as the one I just spent an hour and a half composing, by the time i'd finished it the forum had logged me out and the whole thing i'd typed was lost.
This post isn't intended to re-open old wounds, but it explains a lot about what you may have heard about a heating oil company from 12 months ago, and includes my own tips and advice when it comes to ordering heating oil.
Last year I worked for a company called Go Locate Fuel. Go Locate Fuel were a small, independent oil supplier who tried to help the economy by undercutting the prices being offered by the bigger, well-known companies.
When you order heating oil, the main reason behind the per litre cost you are quoted is down to the delivery of it, i.e the cost of the vehicle and the driver. This is the same regardless of whether you order 500 litres or 2,000 litres. The idea behind Go Locate Fuel was to collate multiple orders together in the same area, and have them all delivered at once; effectively paying one delivery charge which is split between all those that had ordered.
We had 3 delivery options - Economy which took up to 28 working days to be delivered, Express which took up to 14 working days, and High Priority, which took 3 working days. For each of these services, the delivery options were clear, with the quicker deliveries costing more, as you'd expect.
Unfortunately, some people didn't read the information, and simply ordered on price. This lead to some people who needed their fuel immediately ordering on the 28 day service, simply because the price was cheap. As with any credit/debit card payment, it can take up to 5 working days for the funds to clear in the recipients' account, even though it will show as leaving yours instantaneously. When these people realised their mistake, they expected and demanded an immediate refund so they could order elsewhere. As i'm sure is understandable to most, we couldn't refund until the funds had cleared into our account at the very earliest; sometimes it could take up to 30 days as refunds were run once monthly.
These people then took it upon themselves to then visit forums such as these to slate us and call us all the names under the sun - even though it was THEIR error. In turn, people with legitimate orders then cancelled, and it snowballed.
The idea of this thread is to use my experience to give people tips and hints to help them with ordering their heating oil this winter, and avoid a repeat of what happened last year.
1 - Forward planning. Oil prices have been gradually increasing since September, and will continue to do so until February/March next year. The big problem last year was people waiting until the last minute, and then expecting an immediate delivery, even during the big freeze when tankers were unable to get out of the depot. Some people who have smaller tanks are unable to do anything but wait due to minimum order quantities, but if you can afford it, and you have room in your tank, fill them up ASAP. Prices WILL continue to rise, so if you're thinking of waiting for prices to drop, don't! If keeping your family and house warm is important to you, don't delay, get as much oil in your tanks as is possible as quickly as possible.
2 - Shop around. Before committing to an order, check the prices of as many companies as you can. Once you've committed to an order, it will be difficult to cancel, even if you find it cheaper elsewhere.
3 - Check the details. Once you've found the best price for your area, check the delivery options before proceeding with the order. As we found last year, people bought purely on price without any thought as to how long it might take to deliver. If in doubt, ask the company to e-mail the details over first so you have everything in writing should the worst happen.
4 - Try and stay local! There are 2 or 3 companies who own the monopoly of the industry, in some cases even buying out smaller suppliers to give the impression that company is independent, even though the oil is coming from the same supplier. With the economy as it is, I understand that even saving £5 on an order can seem beneficial, buy you do forfeit on service. The less business the big boys get the cheaper they'll have to put their prices in order to compete, which makes it better for everyone!
5 - Look for a telephone number! Most rogue companies will hide behing an e-mail address, so make sure that you can physically speak to someone from wherever you do order it from!
I hope you find the above helpful, any comments gratefully received!
This post isn't intended to re-open old wounds, but it explains a lot about what you may have heard about a heating oil company from 12 months ago, and includes my own tips and advice when it comes to ordering heating oil.
Last year I worked for a company called Go Locate Fuel. Go Locate Fuel were a small, independent oil supplier who tried to help the economy by undercutting the prices being offered by the bigger, well-known companies.
When you order heating oil, the main reason behind the per litre cost you are quoted is down to the delivery of it, i.e the cost of the vehicle and the driver. This is the same regardless of whether you order 500 litres or 2,000 litres. The idea behind Go Locate Fuel was to collate multiple orders together in the same area, and have them all delivered at once; effectively paying one delivery charge which is split between all those that had ordered.
We had 3 delivery options - Economy which took up to 28 working days to be delivered, Express which took up to 14 working days, and High Priority, which took 3 working days. For each of these services, the delivery options were clear, with the quicker deliveries costing more, as you'd expect.
Unfortunately, some people didn't read the information, and simply ordered on price. This lead to some people who needed their fuel immediately ordering on the 28 day service, simply because the price was cheap. As with any credit/debit card payment, it can take up to 5 working days for the funds to clear in the recipients' account, even though it will show as leaving yours instantaneously. When these people realised their mistake, they expected and demanded an immediate refund so they could order elsewhere. As i'm sure is understandable to most, we couldn't refund until the funds had cleared into our account at the very earliest; sometimes it could take up to 30 days as refunds were run once monthly.
These people then took it upon themselves to then visit forums such as these to slate us and call us all the names under the sun - even though it was THEIR error. In turn, people with legitimate orders then cancelled, and it snowballed.
The idea of this thread is to use my experience to give people tips and hints to help them with ordering their heating oil this winter, and avoid a repeat of what happened last year.
1 - Forward planning. Oil prices have been gradually increasing since September, and will continue to do so until February/March next year. The big problem last year was people waiting until the last minute, and then expecting an immediate delivery, even during the big freeze when tankers were unable to get out of the depot. Some people who have smaller tanks are unable to do anything but wait due to minimum order quantities, but if you can afford it, and you have room in your tank, fill them up ASAP. Prices WILL continue to rise, so if you're thinking of waiting for prices to drop, don't! If keeping your family and house warm is important to you, don't delay, get as much oil in your tanks as is possible as quickly as possible.
2 - Shop around. Before committing to an order, check the prices of as many companies as you can. Once you've committed to an order, it will be difficult to cancel, even if you find it cheaper elsewhere.
3 - Check the details. Once you've found the best price for your area, check the delivery options before proceeding with the order. As we found last year, people bought purely on price without any thought as to how long it might take to deliver. If in doubt, ask the company to e-mail the details over first so you have everything in writing should the worst happen.
4 - Try and stay local! There are 2 or 3 companies who own the monopoly of the industry, in some cases even buying out smaller suppliers to give the impression that company is independent, even though the oil is coming from the same supplier. With the economy as it is, I understand that even saving £5 on an order can seem beneficial, buy you do forfeit on service. The less business the big boys get the cheaper they'll have to put their prices in order to compete, which makes it better for everyone!
5 - Look for a telephone number! Most rogue companies will hide behing an e-mail address, so make sure that you can physically speak to someone from wherever you do order it from!
I hope you find the above helpful, any comments gratefully received!
0
Comments
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If the site is still operational, then this is rather unsubtle touting which is against forum rules.
If the site has stopped trading then why mention it at all?
Your 5 step guide is sensible and perhaps helpful for those unaware, but adds little to advice on various other similar threads which have been around for some time and are still near the top of the forum listings.0 -
If the site is still operational, then this is rather unsubtle touting which is against forum rules.
If the site has stopped trading then why mention it at all?
Your 5 step guide is sensible and perhaps helpful for those unaware, but adds little to advice on various other similar threads which have been around for some time and are still near the top of the forum listings.
Thanks for the response. The company no longer operates and therefore not touting whatsoever. The reason I mentioned it is 2-fold, firstly at the time I didn't respond to any of the comments being banded about so wanted to clear it up, secondly it was to show where my experience comes from.
Apologies if my advice is a copy of things already being said, i've just signed up and because of the time of year and knowing that over the next few weeks prices will hike considerably, I thought i'd come on and try and be helpful. Maybe I should have read the other threads first, you live and learn.0 -
I use to work in a fuel distributor, trust me the number of people who leave it to the last minute is unbelievable. I can remember various phone calls along the lines of you should have a emergency delivery service! or its your fault we've run out of oil and can't deliver for 2/3 days ? etc etc etc.
The points above are pretty much spot on. Definately ring round for the cheapest price but try and stick with a local company if you can? the service you will generally receive will be better! Sometimes if you want the service you got to pay for it!:eek:0 -
Personally, I think GM should be thanked for coming on here and offering help and advice, especially as he has been directly involved in the business of selling oil.
Don't knock free advice that is genuinely useful.
Surely he mentions what happened at Go Locate to highlight the difficulties in dealing with consumers. I think the idea behind the company was excellent, and I would have used it. It shows, unfortunately, that many consumers are so goddam stupid that they spoil it for everyone else.
I would agree with all the points made except one; that oil prices will definitely rise all winter. I keep trying to make the point on this forum that oil is a GLOBAL market. It is winter here, but summer in other parts of the world. And although our heating oil consumption goes up in the winter, jet and diesel consumption (from the same pool) go down. Also, oil prices are hugely impacted by the global economy and headlines. If stock markets collapse due to lack of confidence, then oil will be under pressure too. If Nigeria oil workers go on strike, it will go up quickly, etc. etc.
If I had to place a bet, I would say that the oil price will be slightly lower at the end of the winter than it is now, but that doesn't mean it won't be significantly higher at some point during the winter. Play it safe, buy some now, I did last week, saving £60 against today's prices.0 -
I appreciate the thanks bernie - but it's misplaced. I've never been anything but a consumer of oil. I have offered advice (from a consumer's perspective) on other threads, but not here.bernithebiker wrote: »Personally, I think GM should be thanked for coming on here and offering help and advice, especially as he has been directly involved in the business of selling oil.0 -
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