Best price for heating oil?

lottiespot

rclough wrote: »

I am absolutely gutted reading about go locate fuel. I paid 289 on 30th Nov for express delivery which should have been here on 6th or 7th December. I have contacted them several times to be told that my order has gone to the supplier so should be with me any time, I have just run out of oil so will have no heating or hot water with a child in the house, and no money to go elsewhere to get oil. I wish I had read these posts before I ordered, gutted

Really sorry that you have been had by Go Locate too. They have had my money for over 7 weeks, will not reply to emails or phone calls, even though Trading Standards are involved.

I am going to take legal action against them - sorry to put a downer on things, but good luck

debtfreenewbie

rclough: How old is your child?Maybe you could get a grant or somewthing to give you some money to get some.Its not as if anything is your fault.I spent a xmas with no heating so I know how you feel.
Hope you get sorted.

home-heating-oil

Anyone noticed golocatefuel have added a disclaimer to their website:

http://heating-oil.blogs-uk.co.uk/files/2010/11/glf1.png

A few people seem to get their oil (eventually), a few others get their money back whilst it seems the vast majority get nothing. So who are they and are they just a scam? Do they employ people to complain to add legitimacy? One of the comments left on my site was someone complaining.. Nothing new.. but interestingly they listed the glf website as the complainants website. Usually you would expect, if complaining, they would cite the website in the text and not hide it.

grid24

I am a domestic heating oil user in Oxfordshire and am furious at the current extortionate price being charged by suppliers (15th December 2010).

I have enlisted the help of my MP, Tony Baldry (Banbury), to investigate the matter. He has just informed me that he is aware of the problem and shares my concerns. he has already written to Director General of the Office of Fair Trading and asked him to investigate. I have also written to the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers Chief Executive, Susan Hancock, and am awaiting her response.

I think it is a very under-reported story which is having a massive effect on a significant number of people, particularly in rural areas, and needs to be highlighted and investigated by the media and so have written to the News Desk at various newspapers, ITV and the BBC.

My case in point - I purchased 800 litres of oil on November 28th and paid 48.33p (plus 5% VAT) per litre which is roughly in line with prices I have paid over the last year or so, including times when oil prices themselves have risen and supply was interrupted by various elements. The same amount of oil today is quoted at up to 89.6p/litre (plus 5% VAT) - a staggering rise of 85% in 2 weeks!

The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers claim in their press release that the increase cost of crude oil and supply difficulties due to the recent bad weather has effected the price and availability of heating oil. However, although the price of crude oil has risen over the past months, it hasn't gone up by anything like 85%. In fact, even when crude oil prices were at $147/ barrel in the summer of 2008, the most I paid for heating oil was still only 62p/litre. Brent oil is now trading at around $91/barrel so why are the prices for heating oil so cripplingly high?

I live in Oxfordshire and, although the North of the country was badly effected by snow and ice, these disruptions didn't effect us. The supply of road fuel hasn't been effected either which, I understand, uses the same supply infrastructure. Nor can the price rise be blamed on seasonal demand, which is also implied. Oil ordered around Christmas in 2008 and 2009 was no more expensive than at other times of the year at 38p/litre.

As pointed out in a rare article I found in the Telegraph, if road fuel had gone up by this amount there would be mass uproar. In fact, heating oil is now more expensive than road diesel before duty and VAT -
Road diesel - £1.22/litre less Fuel Duty @ 58p and VAT @ 18.21p = 46p per litre
Heating oil (today's best price) - £0.75/litre (before VAT) less Fuel Duty @ .09p = 66p per litre

I have found this article which is one of the very few reporting on this rip-off. Read the comments at the bottom of the article for some pretty harrowing 'real-life' experiences.
telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/8194367/Central-heating-oil-price-shoots-up-by-70pc.html

Finally, I have found BoilerJuice is getting quite expensive now as it is, apparently, owned by GB Oils (the largest single oil-distribution company in Great Britain). The Home Fuels Direct site is consistently giving better quotes although I haven't personally ordered from them yet. You can check local oil prices for yourself here - homefuelsdirect.co.uk

UnderPressure

I am absolutely amazed at the price of oil, we have just run out completely so have been searching around for the best price locally, the best I can achieve is 75p per litre before VAT, so I have just telephoned my hush hush secret supplier who is a petrol station about 50 miles away they have it on a pump there, guess what I can go and get it from them for 61.6p a litre!!!!!

How the hell can it be cheaper from an "emergency" supplier than an actual distributor? Its reallt not fair yet again the people that live rurally are getting YET AGAIN the raw end of the stick I am absolutely sick of it but after spending the best part of 6k last year on a new bloody boiler have little option!

I am sticking with my little secret petrol station just start buying it in a bit bigger bulk I usually get 100is litres at a time but it is runing out in about 2ish weeks so will have to buy some more 25 litre containers and get at least 200 litres at a time.

I hate the oil companies with a passion they really are vulchers blood sucking fu**ing bas****s!!!!!

This has really annoyed me tonight there are going to be a lot of cold people rurally this winter that simply cannot afford these prices what about the OAP's? The governments winter fuel payment does jack sh*t to help all through some greedy corporate fat bas***D!!!

I would also give boilerjuice a WIDE berth these have just turned into yet another gigantic rip off, how they can charge virtually 60% more per litre for faster deliveries is just a joke I have now marked their email address as spam and also sent a span report into Kasersky and McAfee and Norton as well the quicker they are blacklisted the better!

Sorry to say it but they have us by the balls and they know it, I will seriously think about cutting my losses next year and ripping said new boiler out in favour of LPG which I should have done in the first place!!!

Geesh even solid fuel is now cheaper!

shaungjones

I am with you Under Pressure. I am really angry over this huge price hike. I have no choice at present to heat my home with oil and in 5 years the increase over the last few weeks is unpresidented and needs to be investigated.

Also check the BBC news website, they have a Video item today. I am not allowed to post the link.

home-heating-oil

shaungjones wrote: »

I am with you Under Pressure. I am really angry over this huge price hike. I have no choice at present to heat my home with oil and in 5 years the increase over the last few weeks is unpresidented and needs to be investigated.

Also check the BBC news website, they have a Video item today. I am not allowed to post the link.

Here is the link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12009112

sailor1003

rclough wrote: »

I am absolutely gutted reading about go locate fuel. I paid 289 on 30th Nov for express delivery which should have been here on 6th or 7th December. I have contacted them several times to be told that my order has gone to the supplier so should be with me any time, I have just run out of oil so will have no heating or hot water with a child in the house, and no money to go elsewhere to get oil. I wish I had read these posts before I ordered, gutted

Sorry to be another to put the downer on you, but this is not the only forum where complaints are running thick and fast about Go Locate. I'm lucky in one way - my bank is acting for my recovery of funds as I used a Visa card - but I'm still having to pay over £200 more for my oil. Suggest we all need to contact BBC Watchdog (have done so already myself) in additon to trading standards - who were very helpful. My oil should have been with me by yesterday - when I spoke to them, they could not give me a delivery date.

Note that if they try to keep 15%, point out that they are in breach of contract, assuming it is the case (and with most, it seems to be) and withholding any money you have paid is the criminal activity of fraud.

benood

I think that a significant reason that heating oil prices seem to be so volatile recently is to do with the fact that a couple of years ago the EU regulation specification for home heating oil kerosine changed - it used to be exactly the same as aviation jet kerosine and was made in really large quantities - now it has to be slightly lower in sulphur than jet and is made in smaller amounts leading to potential for supply disruption.

Can anyone confirm the theory?

Gigervamp

benood wrote: »

I think that a significant reason that heating oil prices seem to be so volatile recently is to do with the fact that a couple of years ago the EU regulation specification for home heating oil kerosine changed - it used to be exactly the same as aviation jet kerosine and was made in really large quantities - now it has to be slightly lower in sulphur than jet and is made in smaller amounts leading to potential for supply disruption.

Can anyone confirm the theory?

I'll ask my BIL about this and get back to you. He works in the oil industry.