Butler Fuels heating oil expensive

Barron

Butler fuels are expensive, really expensive. We moved into our house in Gloucestershire last year and signed up with the heating oil supplier that the previous owner had used - Butler Fuels. After a phone conversation about the benefits of the Butler Fuels top up scheme, I agreed to let them use some 'clever' software to predict when I would need my tank filling. They promised to call me with the price before delivery.

Without warning on 28th March they came and filled my tank with 777 litres of heating oil at a whopping 75.76 pence per litre totalling £643.94 I checked with Boiler Juice on the same day and they were offering fuel at 51.43 pence per litre (about the national average) so the same amount would have cost me £399.61

When I contacted Butler Fuels they were rude and unsympathetic, they told me that they don't have any storage facilities for heating oil and that they are forced to buy it at whatever price it is offered to them. I couldn't believe what I was hearing an oil company who can't store oil? What was really annoying was that I had had cavity wall insulation and new loft lagging installed last Autumn and was looking forward to some modest savings in heating oil costs, any saving was wiped out by this expensive fuel delivery.

It seems to me that a top up scheme is just giving the fuel company permission to deliver fuel at whatever price they wish. I hear that the parent company Certas Energy Ltd is in financial difficulties probably due to the mild winter, call me a cynic but could that be the reason my fuel was so expensive?

LittleVermin

Barron wrote: »

Butler fuels are expensive, really expensive. We moved into our house in Gloucestershire last year and signed up with the heating oil supplier that the previous owner had used - Butler Fuels. After a phone conversation about the benefits of the Butler Fuels top up scheme, I agreed to let them use some 'clever' software to predict when I would need my tank filling. They promised to call me with the price before delivery.

Without warning on 28th March they came and filled my tank with 777 litres of heating oil at a whopping 75.76 pence per litre totalling £643.94 I checked with Boiler Juice on the same day and they were offering fuel at 51.43 pence per litre (about the national average) so the same amount would have cost me £399.61

When I contacted Butler Fuels they were rude and unsympathetic, they told me that they don't have any storage facilities for heating oil and that they are forced to buy it at whatever price it is offered to them. I couldn't believe what I was hearing an oil company who can't store oil? What was really annoying was that I had had cavity wall insulation and new loft lagging installed last Autumn and was looking forward to some modest savings in heating oil costs, any saving was wiped out by this expensive fuel delivery.

It seems to me that a top up scheme is just giving the fuel company permission to deliver fuel at whatever price they wish. I hear that the parent company Certas Energy Ltd is in financial difficulties probably due to the mild winter, call me a cynic but could that be the reason my fuel was so expensive?

Welcome to MSE Forums. Sorry to hear about your problem. DCC owns many heating oil suppliers (which appear to be independent) and also own Flogas, the LPG supplier which is the cause of many negative comments on the Bulk LPG forum.

I suggest you download the pdf about the UNFAIR TRADING REGULATIONS 2008 from here: http://www.oft.gov.uk/business-advice/treating-customers-fairly/protection#.U1EW2HkU_IU

and particularly note section 7.17:

The price of a product in most circumstances is material information. Therefore, failing to provide this in a timely fashion before a transactional decision is made is likely to amount to a misleading omission.

The OFT has been replaced by CMA, Competition and Markets Authority, but your local Trading Standards will, I'm sure, be interested, and (I hope!) helpful. But TS have taken a hit with the cuts.

BTW You mention that Butler

promised to call me with the price before delivery.

I believe it's a requirement not a matter of goodwill and 'promises'. The Bulk LPG forum has reports of similar sharp practice from Flogas.

Please report back on what happens - it'll be useful info for others - and will, of course, be findable through search engines.
..

G_M

The problem is not Butler Fuels, the problem is your choice of product.

These Top-Up Schemes all run the same way.

The company monitors your tank. When there is spare capacity in the tank (of any meaningful amount) they consider topping up. But will only do so when it suits them ie a) when they are passing the property anyway and/or b) when they have a shortage of orders and/or c) when the price is high

Of course b) is often because of c)!

So that's the first reason not to sign up to any company's top up scheme.

The 2nd reason is you are locked into one company. Why would you want to be?

You should always shop around, every time you order, and buy from the cheapest at that time.

leaperslair

With regards to the previous post about Certas being a little cash strapped ? Well they posted last years profits as 229 million !!
I guess you could say they could do with more but it was a mild winter after all.:beer:

Tony_2009

Couldn't agree more. I have been on their top up system for convenience but it's a complete con. They never bother to fill your tank - you always have to chase them. Their current price at 46ppl (quoted today 11 March at 13.30) is a whopping 50% FIFTY PERCENT higher than local rivals. Do not go anywhere near these people; don't be a mug; plan ahead and shop around.

G_M

Tony_2009 wrote: »

Couldn't agree more. I have been on their top up system for convenience but it's a complete con. They never bother to fill your tank - you always have to chase them. Their current price at 46ppl (quoted today 11 March at 13.30) is a whopping 50% FIFTY PERCENT higher than local rivals. Do not go anywhere near these people; don't be a mug; plan ahead and shop around.

As explained in my post above, you should not be blaming the company.

You should be blaming yourself for signing up to a top-up scheme. Irrespective of company.

dogshome

Do not sign up for anything regarding Domestic Heating Oil, as you have found the sweet sales pitch of " You will never run out of oil or worry about how much is left in the tank", will cost you dear.

The DCC group have a poor reputation - Their business plan is to buy up independant retaliers in an area to give them a monopoly in that area, so they can - charge high prices.

For your wallets sake make a list of suppliers from Yellow Pages, and phone all of them for a price when you need oil - You'll find they will compete on price when you tell them the cheapest price you have had so far