Cheap Heating Oil guide discussion

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  • What a minefield! Having just moved into a rural property with oil I just followed the advice of the previous owner 's advice to use boilerjuice.com. With the cold snap hitting I thought I'd check to see if the prices are going up (yes) but the fuelz.co.uk site (took some finding as it's not showing on google) showed that joil.co.uk were 2 pence per litre cheaper than boilerjuice, in fact boilerjuice were down in 3rd.

    Now to get a service plan sorted, although I'm thinking it might be better to just get the service down as a one off than signing up to an annual plan - are these worth it, or is better to put the £35 into a savings account?
  • GaryEdin wrote: »
    What a minefield! Having just moved into a rural property with oil I just followed the advice of the previous owner 's advice to use boilerjuice.com. With the cold snap hitting I thought I'd check to see if the prices are going up (yes) but the fuelz.co.uk site (took some finding as it's not showing on google) showed that joil.co.uk were 2 pence per litre cheaper than boilerjuice, in fact boilerjuice were down in 3rd.

    Now to get a service plan sorted, although I'm thinking it might be better to just get the service down as a one off than signing up to an annual plan - are these worth it, or is better to put the £35 into a savings account?


    BoilerJuice is useful for getting a benchmark figure, but you'll invariably get cheaper by phoning a few local companies and asking for their best price. And a lot of them will match or beat the price of their competitors.


    What does your service plan cover, and how much is it ? We just use a local guy who's brilliant, he charges £70 for a standard service.


    Oh, and don't get tempted by these direct debit schemes offered by most oil suppliers. You're far better to just put money aside each month into a savings account, then use that when the time comes to fill up. The company that is cheapest one time will very often not be the cheapest the next time you need to order.


    One final point - remember that most companies have a minimum order of 500 litres. And the price-per-litre tends to drop if you order more than a certain amount - typically 900 litres.
  • £70 is a great price!

    I was quoted a plan at £35 per month but it just covers what's inside the boiler, everything else is time and materials, which makes me think it's not really worth it. Even a standalone service was over over £100, so I think it's time to ask around and see if there's someone local.

    I read up on the volume discounts - it's interesting watching which supplier comes in cheapest just by sliding the volume up and down a little.
    Thanks for the advice.
    G
  • abssorb
    abssorb Posts: 125
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    edited 29 December 2017 at 7:02PM
    Please can the article at https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/cheap-heating-oil
    be reviewed for its integrity?

    I place a lot of faith in MSE as I trust the articles as they are highly discerning and have great integrity. I.e. I place a lot of faith in the recommendations on MSE and will often skip in-depth analysis on that basis.

    Recently I needed to make an urgent order for heating oil, and did some shopping around. I saw Fueltool listed and gave them a try.

    Now the delivery is late and I can't get hold of anyone. And am now doing the diligence retrospectively.

    Fuetool are trying to say they are a broker, and direct my payment to a third party but without my choice. Seems more like sub-contracting rather than brokering.

    In this case they directed my payment to HomeFuels, another company on the article page, who in turn instructed Tate Oil, who are over 150 miles away.

    If it gets any more overdue, we're going to run out. So I started making phone calls and I'm just getting answering machines. I'll post separately about my scenario as it unfolds, but back to the point of the article:

    Companies house show that both Fueltool and HomeFuels are tiny husband and wife type companies.

    Which is fine except they are taking payments up front, which means if they go out of business you lose your money. The T&Cs are very shaky indeed and would not pass muster by trading standards.

    Neither show any association with the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers recommended in the article.


    Please could some additional cautionary notes be placed against the recommendations??
  • A._Badger
    A._Badger Posts: 5,848
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    All good points, though I'm not very surprised that there are delays given both the weather and the time of year. What it reinforces for me is the necessity of paying by credit card, where you have a claim against the card provider in the event of a failure.

    I hope you get your oil in time.
  • abssorb
    abssorb Posts: 125
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    Thanks, I hope it helps others.

    Of course we have to make allowances for Christmas and snow.

    This one is from mid-Dec. I don't like leaving things to the last minute, but the Dec one was a fresh order after a November one cancelled on us.

    We need a bigger tank I think!
  • I placed an order and pre-paid. They failed to deliver and blamed their subcontractor. When I complained they said I had no contract with them and so no compensation for leaving me in the cold.

    Don't use them

    Stephen
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741
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    I placed an order and pre-paid. They failed to deliver and blamed their subcontractor. When I complained they said I had no contract with them and so no compensation for leaving me in the cold.

    Don't use them

    Stephen
    As you acknowledge in your post, Boilerjuice don't themselves deliver, as they are an intermediary. Most people who deal with them probably understand that too.


    There can be many reasons for a failed delivery, but there is only one reason for running out of fuel, which is why compo wouldn't be due. May I commend to you and others the services of a trusty 'length of wood,' which has given me excellent service over the years, accurately predicting when a fuel delivery would be advised: i.e. somewhat before absolutely necessary.
  • Was reading your article and it is really good especially about using credit card and now there is no charges.Last winter Boilerjuice couldn't offer my friends in East Anglia any quote all during the Bad weather "beast of the east". They were really p****d because they always used them and they wouldn't even answer the phone for a quote. So they used !!!!!!!!! who isnt on your dont list. we always shopped around and talking to others, These guys are always sharply priced, especially for larger orders like. Anyhow - your list needs updating.:beer:
  • elljay
    elljay Posts: 1,010
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    edited 27 October 2018 at 12:25PM
    I've just ordered some more oil this morning (before it started snowing - GRR!) and paid 52.60 ppl. I've been checking prices over the past few weeks and it hasn't varied much so I've had to bite the bullet hoping others buy this weekend and I'll get a slight discount.

    Checking back over my oil-buying history I see I paid round 25ppl in early 2016. While of course most things go up over time, not many things double in price over two and a half years. Those of us in rural areas don't have the same choices as people with a gas supply and I'm going to find it pretty crippling as prices are sure to go up even more - despite a recent drop.

    Would be interested to hear what others are paying too.

    Elljay
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