Your participation as a customer in our NC Discount Propane savings group makes it possible for us to negotiate lower rates & better service for us all, AND we are helping NC propane consumers break free from the high prices and poor service from big companies like Amerigas, Suburban, & Thompson which sometimes claim to own your propane tank when they don't! If you don't know what the problems are with some of these big propane companies, check out Amerigas Consumer Complaints on Facebook or go to WRAL and search on Amerigas to learn more. The sky-high exploitive propane prices and poor delivery and customer service records of companies like Thompson, Amerigas, and Suburban have created the need and market for our savings and services at NC Discount Propane. A little over a month back, a nice lady we will call "Kay" called me because Amerigas claimed to own her tank, has their sticker and number on the tank, and is demanding an almost $170 rental fee on top of $4.27 per gallon for the last 300 gallons she bought from them. She says they have been paying high rates to Amerigas since buying the property 14 years ago! This is a problem for her because she is over 80 and on a fixed income at a time when prices are skyrocketing on everything. She gave me permission to share her story under a nickname in the hopes it may help others. I explained to "Kay" that we could sell her a new 500-gallon steel propane below-ground tank to replace the Amerigas tank, but that would cost more than $5,000 after installation. I made it very clear that I am not an attorney and nothing I say or write should ever be construed as legal advice, but I could share with her my experiences and the experiences of other NC Discount Propane supporters who used our tank ownership challenge letter to determine ownership of their tanks because you must own your tank to receive deliveries of NC Discount Propane fuel. I walked her through our process and told her how many of our savings group members have had success with our propane tank challenge letter, then I emailed her the template and encouraged her to customize the letter to her address and provider and to send it to Amerigas via CERTIFIED MAIL SIGNATURE REQUIRED. Kay spent about an hour printing the letter and about $7 at the post office so she would have a documented record of the letter she sent to Amerigas. Sometimes, these companies can prove they own the tank by providing a current closing document or tax record, but many times, they don't own the tank or can't prove they own the tank and must relinquish their claims on it if challenged. Our letter gives them thirty days to prove or quit. This is how I first took control of my tank from Suburban in 201 6, and since then, I've helped more than 10 of my neighbors and more than 40 across NC do the same. You will always save on propane by owning your own tank, and life is better without Amerigas or Suburban companies in it! In Kay's case, Amerigas responded quickly with a letter saying they were marking her tank as "Customer Owned". She determined she owned the thousands of dollars worth of tanks and equipment on her property and that she is now free to shop propane prices each year. She's now waiting on her free safety test through us and sometime this Fall she will receive propane from NC Discount Propane for only $1.99/gallon. Her next delivery of 300 gallons will be about $700 cheaper than with Amerigas.
It gives me a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment each time we can help someone be able to shop for the best propane prices and service instead of having pay whatever the company that owns the tank tells you to pay. I still have neighbors who are on the hook with Suburban who are being forced to pay over $5 per gallon for propane. Hopefully, you can use this information and resource to inform and help other propane consumers who could use our help. Just have them email me for a copy of the letter. We are very thankful to each of you who is making our efforts to help propane customers like 'Kay' save so much money at such a difficult time of high inflation. Helping propane consumers is what we do and your support for and participation with NCdiscountPropane.com makes this effort possible. Bill NCdiscountPropane.com
Bill@ncdiscountpropane.com
(919) 263-9061
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