No Credit for a Full Tank of Calor Gas!!! Anyone Help

Dreamon_2

I filled my tank with gas at the beginning of the summer (April) and hardly used it since. I've now sold the property and thought I would have been credited with the gas amount and the new people would just take over and pay Calor Gas for the amount recorded in the tank. How wrong was I to think such a thing. Calor gas told me to negotiate with the new owners for the price of the gas. Is this legal as I am not a gas supplier? Any anyway it's in Calor Gas interest to sign up the new occupier.
Secondly I would imagine the new owners would tell me to walk off a short plank if I asked them to pay for this gas. We are talking £800 which to me is a significant amount of money but the worst bit is that my direct debits didnt cover the usage through the winter so I owe Calor Gas £1200. My thoughts are that over the year it would have evened out. In the past and because I'm careful I have always been in credit with my gas supplier when I've moved home.
The end result (and this will suit the Environmentalists NOT) is that I have turned my heating on 24/7 with the windows open. Its warm in here.
I know I can be called mean but my point is I am the one paying the money to the big Energy Company who doesnt give a dam about the customer or the waste of the worlds resources. They will be delighted to learn I'm burning gas to get my money's worth.
When I move to the new property, 2 mins away I will have to use LPG again because im in a village with no mains gas but this learning curve has shown me the way. Firstly I will NOT use Calor for my gas. I will tell the new owners not to use Calor for their next fill. I will also be restricting my orders to order the minimum amount which is 100 litres which again will be using the world resources.
I do think of the environment but in all honesty I am beginning to wonder if its all just a waste of time and energy because who actually cares. Calor Gas certainly doesnt.

fannyadams

have you actually told your new owners there's a full (well, not now) tank of gas and how much you paid for it?
have you asked them for any money to pay for this?
how do you KNOW they will say no if you haven't asked them?

Dreamon_2

fannyadams wrote: »

have you actually told your new owners there's a full (well, not now) tank of gas and how much you paid for it?
have you asked them for any money to pay for this?
how do you KNOW they will say no if you haven't asked them?

The new owners are being sticky enough without hitting them with anything else. Perhaps I should ask as you have suggested but I pretty much know what they will say. Their offer included all fittings and most furnishings I would imagine they would expect the gas too and maybe even my shirt.
My point is more against the Calor Gas supplier than the new owners. Why cant they adopt the gas in the tank and charge the new owners for the contents. It is on a guage, they know how much is in there but yet not willing to help me save 800 quid which I would use in my next place. Okay so they might put a service charge on but anything would be better than burning gas for nothing. The new owners in here will have to buy gas anyway and so will I so whats the problem?.....Answer .... Calor Gas get me to pay for a tank of gas that I cant use and then pay again in the new place for another tank of gas which surprise surprise the new place has hardly any gas left. And I get to carry on paying the monthly direct debits for gas I haven't used.

thozza

It is fairly common practise when selling a property with LPG or oil, to negotiate a price for the remaining LPG of oil in the tank (if it is significant) separately to the sales price of the house, in a similar way to selling the carpet or curtains.

Calor won't be interested, after all you have already purchased the LPG some months ago, it is now yours, just as oil would be if you had an oil tank. If the prospective purchaser will not pay for the gas, you have few options, other than burning the gas before you leave, suppliers will not remove gas from an in-situ tank.

The tank remains the property of Calor, and the new owners will need to arrange a supply contract with Calor, or a switch to another supplier who would purchase the tank off Calor.

The subject of switching LPG suppliers is covered extensively in the sticky thread - Bulk LPG at the top of this forum.

Dreamon_2

Thanks for your comments. I understand the process but I dont understand why the tank gas/oil should differ from the normal meter reading system. Its not like you can take the tank out the ground and take it away. Who would bother with Calor Gas if mains gas was a choice? They have us over a barrel.

Ebe_Scrooge

Dreamon wrote: »

Who would bother with Calor Gas if mains gas was a choice? They have us over a barrel.

If mains gas was a choice then you're right, no-one would have Calor. Mains gas is also quite a bit cheaper than either LPG or oil.

However, if mains gas is not an option, then it's generally reckoned that oil is the better alternative, rather than LPG. Primarily for the very reason you've highlighted - with oil, you're not tied into a contract, you own the tank and can shop around for the best price each time you fill up.

spiro

You need think of the gas in the tank in the same way as you would petrol in a car. You have bought it and need to consider the value when selling the car or house. You can't compare it with mains gas because with mains gas you don't have a big tank of their gas in your house.

Ebe_Scrooge

A very good analogy there When selling a car, most of us try to leave just the bare minimum in the tank, and when buying from a dealer try to negotiate a full tank thrown in for free. The principle is the same, only more so with gas or oil - you're talking several hundreds of pounds rather than maybe £50 - £70 or so.

Dreamon_2

Im still trying to make my point and that is when you sell your house you take a meter reading, you pay what you owe and walk away to the next place where you take a meter reading and start paying. You cant do this with Calor, Oil, LPG .......It cant be done and why not? They know how much is in the tank they can sell it to the next person but they dont do it because they have the money and they dont care. Im burning gas needlessly because Im (a) mean (b) nasty (c) getting my money's worth. The list can go on but the bottom line is the supplier is the winner and I (the customer) is the loser.
Calor Gas owns the tank, I pay to fill it but I cant take it with me, move it, sell it, use it in an instant, give it away.............
They are ripping us off and I want to moan about it. They can sort it out but they wont unless more of us moan about it.

Geodark

Dreamon wrote: »

Im still trying to make my point and that is when you sell your house you take a meter reading, you pay what you owe and walk away to the next place where you take a meter reading and start paying. You cant do this with Calor, Oil, LPG .......It cant be done and why not? They know how much is in the tank they can sell it to the next person but they dont do it because they have the money and they dont care. Im burning gas needlessly because Im (a) mean (b) nasty (c) getting my money's worth. The list can go on but the bottom line is the supplier is the winner and I (the customer) is the loser.
Calor Gas owns the tank, I pay to fill it but I cant take it with me, move it, sell it, use it in an instant, give it away.............
They are ripping us off and I want to moan about it. They can sort it out but they wont unless more of us moan about it.

Sorry to sound all moanie, but you havent listened to what has been said above have you - the difference is with gas from the pipe is that you are charged as you go and pay at the end of the period. With what you have you bought it in advance - so it is now yours. Do you expect them to buy it back? As said above what you really need to do is negotiate with the new owners and get them to pay for it. The car analogy is a good one - would you expect Shell to refund you unused petrol if you sold you car???

hermum

I wouldn't consider I had got my money's worth by using the gas & having to open the windows because it's too hot, it sounds petty in the extreme.