Vent: I didn't order this oil! WWYD?

[sconnell]

There is no stinking way I would pay for it!

 

[plummer925]

OP - what did you decide to do?

 

[Frankiesmom]

I too am curious. I wouldn't pay for it either,and I would call an attorney to find out about her state statutes.

 

[disneymarie]

I wouldn't have them come pump it back out. There's always a chance that oil can leak and then you'd really have a mess on your hands. Personally, if they've lowered the oil to a price that you're happy with and they'll let you pay it off on your terms I'd leave it at that. Although I might try to protect myself from this happening in the future and send them a letter, certified RR, that says that you do NOT have an auto delivery relationship with this company and that any future deliveries from them, unless specifically requested by you, will NOT be paid for and they will NOT be allowed to remove it from your tank. That's what I'd do.

I would agree to tell them to give it to the price at the other comapnay and avoid the pumping out if you can.

On a smaller scale. my dad had a service station and when I pumped gas if I went over it was my fault and could not charge the customer for what the overage wa. If it was small they often would offer to pay...gas was only .25 cents a gallon then though, LOL.
Good luck
dianne

PS: We had a local oil company A&B I think, pre season sold tons thousands of dollars pre order price, then closed up; filed bankruptsy. Poor famillies with no ability to pay for oil they need now for the winter,,,,,Attorney General does have charges. If it is a too good to be true price, perhaps it is.

 

[twoeeyy]

we have 3 seperate tanks and furnaces on our property. The oil company filled the wrong one ( we only use 2 of the 3 ) and they are well aware of it. We only discovered the mistake a week after the oil was delivered and payed for because the heat went out in 1 of the buildings due to no oil , when the tank susposedly was just filled, well the oil company told me " oh, well , your sh*t out of luck, it is in your tank now and there is nothing we can do about it". They refused to put oil in the tank that was out because I said that I could not afford to pay for it right away and would need time, they told me to call Texaco and give them my sob story !!!! They drove away and left us without heat !!!

We have reported them to everyone we can, taken our business elsewhere.
My husband ended up being able to pump the oil out of the wrong tank and put it in the correct tank, but I feel we should have not had to do that ourselves.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

PS: We had a local oil company A&B I think, pre season sold tons thousands of dollars pre order price, then closed up; filed bankruptsy. Poor famillies with no ability to pay for oil they need now for the winter,,,,,Attorney General does have charges. If it is a too good to be true price, perhaps it is.

Funny you should mention this. We have a house in Gouldsboro. My husband just switched to this company, had the tanks filled and got a GREAT deal on the price, which they locked in for the season. He told a friend who called and set up an appointment with them for the following day. They never showed because they went out of business overnight.

Back on point though, I would be concerned that if you don't pay, they could somehow send this to a collection agency and damage your credit rating. I think the best thing to do is talk them down to a cheaper price and pay it off over time. You'll need the oil next year anyway, and you'll get it at a better price than you would later. If all else falls, talk to a lawyer just to make sure they can't damage your credit rating. Just my opinion.

 

[jultomzach]

I had the exact same thing happen with me with Meenan oil! I contacted Pennsylvania's State Attorney's office and they represented me against Meenan. I won the case and can send you a copy of the claim if you would like. I did not pay for any of the oil or legal representation. Meenan was not permitted to remove the oil from my tank. Do you have something in writing that you discontinued your contract with the company? Just send me a PM if interested.

 

[seashoreCM]

I did not read all the replies so this may be repetitive.

Do not let them siphon the oil out without your watching. THey might siphon out too much. Even so they should siphon out fewer gallons than they put in to allow for inaccuracies. And they should use buckets with known capacity, not a metering device that could have been rigged.

THe best thing is for them to sell you the oil at a substantial discount. I say the 3.02 you were promised by the other dealer is reasonable. You can choose to say 3.02 firm, or select some lower number to haggle and bargain up from.

And if you already took the 3.02 delivery and this delivery put you over budget, they take monthly payments at no interst.

They made the mistake so they should resolve any doubt in your favor.

You (and also everybody else) need to think about a locking cap for the oil filler. Just the other day I read a sob story about someone who bought oil and thieves siphoned it out.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

Was at a real estate seminar a few years ago and the question was posed:
Q: What must you do after removing your indoor oil tank, for example when switching to gas heat:
A: Remove the filler pipe so no one can make an accidental delivery of oil into your basement.

 

[nanadeb]

A few years ago here in Newport News, VA, a roofing company got similar roads mixed up and roofed the wrong house. It was a matter of Lucas Creek Road versus Old Lucas Creek Road, with the same house number. When the home owner got home, he was furious. His roof wasn't that old to begin with and it wasn't the same kind of roofing shingles he had before.
Of course the story hit the paper. The law not only said that the roofing company could not charge the owner of the "wrong" house, but that they would be liable for putting back shingles comparable to the ones he had had before if the homeowner so desired. The company could not even remove their shingles because it would in effect damage the house.
Check with the Attorney General for your state. Removing the oil could cause damage to your system. I would not pay for the oil at all unless the law required you to do so.
They made the mistake, intentional or by accident. Threatoning you would be pure harassment.

 

[momamy]

I would never agree to pay for something i didn't order. You need to contact them and tell them that they made the mistake and you wont be paying for there mistake. Give them the option of removing the oil while being supervised!

Bet if sales are slow they have made this mistake before.....

 

[All4Nuthin]

If you had the money and you were going to purchase it anyway, then I would go with the $3.02 that you were offered by the other company. Since this extra oil is a hardship on you and will probably end up costing you more as you would be paying off it while trying to pay off what you ordered before you get too much interest on your cc, I would contest the bill...

Things are hard for a lot of people and you should not have to stress over a situation that you did not create.

Good luck.

 

[karliebug]

Well, here's what I decided to do and why. Since I will be needing more oil eventually, I decided to keep the oil. I told them I would pay the 3.02 that the other company charged me and pay them over time with no interest. So really I am getting a good price on oil I would have had to order in a few months anyway. I originally was really angry about it but I decided it was best not to cause a big uproar and pay them a discounted price for it.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Well, here's what I decided to do and why. Since I will be needing more oil eventually, I decided to keep the oil. I told them I would pay the 3.02 that the other company charged me and pay them over time with no interest. So really I am getting a good price on oil I would have had to order in a few months anyway. I originally was really angry about it but I decided it was best not to cause a big uproar and pay them a discounted price for it.

Wow, you are a much more rational person than I am It sounds like you handled the situation very calmly. That oil company is very lucky, because you didn't have to take their offer of $3.02 at all. Did you get everything in writing about the cost and the fact that you can pay it off with no interest?

 

[disneysteve]

Well, here's what I decided to do and why. Since I will be needing more oil eventually, I decided to keep the oil. I told them I would pay the 3.02 that the other company charged me and pay them over time with no interest. So really I am getting a good price on oil I would have had to order in a few months anyway. I originally was really angry about it but I decided it was best not to cause a big uproar and pay them a discounted price for it.

That seems best to me. Yes, you didn't order it. Yes, they screwed up. But they matched the price you would have been paying anyway and gave you good finance terms. Have a warm season.

 

[surfgirl]

It sounds like you could have taken a much harder line, but hope that there such a thing called karma and it will remember this.


At the least, some delivery driver is relieved

 

[Alphabetsoup]

I agree with the many who say not to pay it...you didn't order it, it is their fault, they should take the loss.

That said, it sounds a bit like a scam to me. Give you oil you didn't order, bully you into paying no matter what it takes, even if they lower the price they are STILL getting money for an order that wasn't legitimate.

Me...I'd be letting them know that I'm not paying. THEN I'd be reporting what they did to the local investigative news mob. By the time reporters show up asking about their underhanded bullying tactics they might just decide that the oil WAS in fact a 'gift'.

Oh yes...one of the other posters did mention the fact that they might report the non-payment to a credit agency. Keep and eye on that! If it happens demand that it be removed and then take the jerks to civil court!!

 

[jultomzach]

Sounds reasonable to me as well. When I tried to negotiate with Meenan oil (that delivered only 1/2 tank to me as I was home and stopped the delivery as soon as I knew about it) they refused to compromise anything, including their inflated price.

 

[fkj2]

You can start with the BBB, but if the company persists in trying to collect this money or won't work with you on a payment plan, advise them you'll be reporting the company to the state's Attorney General.

 

[canwegosoon]

Well, here's what I decided to do and why. Since I will be needing more oil eventually, I decided to keep the oil. I told them I would pay the 3.02 that the other company charged me and pay them over time with no interest. So really I am getting a good price on oil I would have had to order in a few months anyway. I originally was really angry about it but I decided it was best not to cause a big uproar and pay them a discounted price for it.

Since it seems you have it settled...so be it, but I would call your state's AG's office and ask about it(incase it ever happens again).