ferrell gas story

I will try to make a long story short

My dad is almost 80 and lives alone-his primary source of heat has been wood, but do to his age he uses a little wood, electric space heaters and propane when it is cold. Ferrell gas wanted to charge him 50 dollars a year for tank rental. I believe they should document that they own the tank( the tank may be his, it was there for over 32 years before the issue of tank ownership came up and there only claim to ownership is the color of the tank)-but we were willing to pay the tank rental fee. He gets a bill the other day for almost 190 dollars.
The bill in called a NO USAGE FEE. Since he has not bought gas from them in over a year they are trying to charge him for not using gas.
So long story short Ferrellgas is now charging people for not using gas/ for gas they have not purchased. What a great business model.
We will let them come and get the tank.

GET RID OF FERREL GAS, THEY TRIED SCREWING ME, I YANKED THEIR TANK AND TOLD THEM TO COME GET IT, THEN I TOLD THEM i HAVE A BIGGER TANK, AND WILL BE ADDING 2 MORE FOR THE SHOP, CORN DRYING. tHEY ALSO ALWAYS HAD THE HIGHEST PRICES, HIGHEST DELIVERY FEES, AND THE MOST bs CHARGES LIKE YOU SAID. cALL A NEW COMPANY, THEY'LL SWITCH TANKS AND TRANSFER ANY FUEL. GET FERREL GONE.

yeah a guy at work keeps his thermostat turned way down says he gets charged for not using much he actually pays more per pound gallon how ever you measure it

I ask them to show me they owned the tank on my place. They couldn't so they walk away from it. We lived here for over 35 years and tank was here before us.

If he never used the tank maybe he should be charging them for letting the tank be stored on his property. He dont have to pay nothing unless he signed a written contract which they must produce.Tell your Dad they are very mean spirited and what goes around comes around.

I bet it is really your tank. I have seen this scam before with other fuel tanks.I'd keep it unless they can prove it is theirs.We have our own and suppliers are always trying to pick it up if we change suppliers. Good Luck.

What is wrong with you guys? I have been hearing about Ferrell gas for 4 or 5 years here on this forum...all ways a rip off. Their name comes up every month or two. Get rid of them and never have any thing to do with them.

Shop around!
These gas companies think you won't go through the hassle of switching tanks and take you for granted until you say come and get your tank-then they decide they will offer you a "sale" price or "contract" price and try to make you feel "wanted" for at least one more year.It almost seems like car or home insurance, you have to price around to keep things honest and to your advantage-otherwise if you don't question their prices or just pay whatever, they'll be more than happy to keep sending you the bill every month.

Sounds like Ferrell gas. I agree with Dave in MN.
I had same problem with them a few years back and I'm glad I got rid of them. They have more excuses and more fees that you can shack a stick at.
(Shop around) I bet you'll save more on the long run! Mike

Tough call. They probably sent a notice stating the fee. Unless you have a bill of sale, it's probably their tank. Hope the tanks empty. Truth is most suppliers are the same, Ferrelgas is just the biggest. Kind of last in the day for your father to try saving a few bucks by buying a tank so maybe an annual topping up will avoid another surprise.

What is the price of propane now? Did it come down like gasoline?

Some tanks are rental or lease tanks, owned by the propane company... As long as a certain amount of propane is purchased each year, there is no charge for rental...Also,, If a person has a huge tank, and uses a meager amount of propane; the propane company then may have the option to downsize the tank on the customers property.. And, If a large amount of propane is used, they may upsize the tank... provided that they own the tank...

To have a clear understanding; was this $50 tank rental billing something totally new after 32 years, or has this been paid in former years??

For 32 years, that tank has sat on your dad's property.... Wouldn't a person think that the propane company would need to furnish written proof of ownership....Those tanks all have certification numbers and serial numbers on a permanently attached plate...Unless the propane company can furnish documentation with a lease agreement, signed by both the company rep and the landowner,, and the tank brand, size, mfgr date, certification number and serial number.......Well, pocession is 9/10 of the law....MAybE...Something sort of stinks,, and it may not be propane....I would have a "chat" with their office...about the proof of ownership, for a start..

How about other customers in that area.?.wouldn't hurt to consult the township board and the county attorney....

I own my tank,, and I can mention that it is a good idea to keep the documentation for the tank purchase with your other titles,, and not with the receipt for a new furnace..

One other question; Was that tank on the property before your dad purchased the property.. If so, a former owner may have signed a lease agreement... In this case, wouldn't you think that the propane company would have to furnish proof of that lease agreement??? Never know, the former owner may have also purchased the tank...

For his small use, using bottle gas may be an option, if the tank ends up getting removed...

Sad to hear of your dad's situation.... wish you folks the best..

Same business model as Suburban Propane here in NY. They made the Syracuse news this fall doing the same thing to someone and had to explain how they justified it to reporters. They got far more negative publicity than they could possibly make up in these fees.
They laid claim to old tanks on my place that had been there for decades when they bought out the old gas company by simply slapping their stickers on them when I wasn't home. Made no attempt to prove they owned them, then told me they would now be charging rent from them. I quickly found another company that wanted my business bad enough to be decent so I told Suburban to take a hike, take their old rusty tanks and credit me for the propane which they had to do.

I agree with the others. GET RID OF THEM ! Ferrell is crooked.

Luckily we have a local independant I was able to get my gas from reasonable after I bought my own tank.

Best thing we ever did was get rid of ferrell gas. Enough said.

Sounds like you need to first make a visit to their office and ask for a copy of the agreement to a non-usage fee. And proof of the lease. Seems like if they cant find either then you own the tank and they need to disappear. Has the color of their leased tanks stayed the same for over 30years?

For years I have been reading about this fee issue on here. If not dumb fees then super high prices.

I'm glad I use Smith Oil in St Johns MI. I own my tank and every year I call around for prices and they are always the same or less than the rest. And no crazy fees.

my family had problems with them a few years back let my mom 75yr. old and grandad 90yr. run out of gas in zero weather.they were replaced on the spot. drop them like a hot potato is my advise.bet that tank is not theirs make them show proof

They did the same thing to my parents. They all of the sudden claimed that the tank was theirs and wanted to charge rent for it. The delivery man even tried to tell the office the tank belonged to my parents. When they insisted they were charging rent for it my mom told them to come and get it. When it was not gone in a month she sent them a bill for storage. It was gone in a few days. Don't see how that company stays in business.

I dumped f-gas 2 years ago. called them to come get the tank they let go empty one time too many. They said they wouldn't be able to get it for a month. I said fine I'll move it myself. They told me it was illegal to move it. I said ok and hung up. hooked a chain on it and moved it down behind my barn. Called them again told them to come get it as it was now costing them $5 a day storage. They said I couldn't do that, I said OK. So I want down behind the barn and painted a big red target on the tank and took a digital picture of it. E-mailed the picture to their main office with an explaination of why the tank should be moved quite quickly. They were there the next morning and picked it up. A 20# tank lasts me about 3 weeks now.

Why complain to me? (just kidding) My point is you all had time to type this, right? So why not reword it and file a complaint with the better business folks? That will do some good to help get even. They base their priorities with the NUMBER of complaints. It will indeed make you all feel good.

Anyone have the link to the dude that jerked the telemarketer by conecting him to a fake murder / crime scene? It was around a couple years ago.

So get with it folks, I have yet to hear a good word on these bad guys. (AGAIN) So what if it was even a couple years ago...hurt them to help protect others.

I would like to think of myself as the kindest most considerate person on the face of the earth. However, you give me the bird, I will crap in your birthday cake, and not cover it with frosting. Get even with those jerks, or you are as bad as they are.

(quoted from post at 21:31:47 12/15/08) I ask them to show me they owned the tank on my place. They couldn't so they walk away from it. We lived here for over 35 years and tank was here before us.

Click to expand...

We have owned a tank at one of our residencies for nearly 50 years (and it is indeed our tank). Some company tried to charge us a "tank fee" because they said the tank was not ours, and we laughed at them. Who the hell do they think they're kidding? :evil:

(quoted from post at 02:09:01 12/16/08)
Anyone have the link to the dude that jerked the telemarketer by conecting him to a fake murder / crime scene? It was around a couple years ago..

Click to expand...

Yeah, if you search for "Tom Mabe prank call" on youtube, you'll find the video you're looking for. I'm pretty sure I heard that on The Bob & Tom Show one of these years...

I agree here, make them show proof of ownership. If it is their tank, they should have tank ###'s and the original lease. With the price of LP tanks, I wouldn't give it to them. Chris

I got my phone bill last month ( Verizon ) had a $5.00 charge for not using long distance. total B.S.

Charge them for storing their tank.

(quoted from post at 07:33:45 12/16/08) I got my phone bill last month ( Verizon ) had a $5.00 charge for not using long distance. total B.S.

Click to expand...

We had a bill on ours that said "this is not a government required charge" (whatever THAT means) and no explanation, so we called them up and were like "so why don't you take this off?" and they go "we can't do that sir". It's annoying as all hell.

Dump em they're bad news and don't pay anything and BTW there are no rules governing them they were quick to let me know that they have blocked all legislation controlling them they have one big lobby $$$$$.

So what happens if you don't pay it? They come and take the tank? Then you get another supplier. I used to have propane and had to pay a yearly tank rental. $100 I think, but when my dad was still alive, he didn't have to pay it because they didn't charge you for the tank if you're over 65. Dave