How much to remove heating oil?

[micky]

Someone on the People's Court said that the oil company charged 500 dollars to fill up her oil tank, and t hen 538 dollars to remove the oil (because she converted to gas).. The company wants both amounts and filed a mechanics lien for 1038.

How could this be? They said they contracted the removal out, so I guess they and the second company are both taking a profit, but deliveing requires providing a product, and removing gives them a product that they can resell.

I would gues sthe wholesale price of the oil was 350, the cost of delivery was 50 and the profit was 100.

During removal the cost of the oil is maybe negative 250, the cost of removal is50 or 100 and the profit should be the same 100. So she should get at least 50 or 100 dollars back, but iirrc people get a lot more than that for selling their oil.

(FWIW She also said she never asked for an oil delivery, waiting until the boiler cleaning/checkup was complete, since last year they told her the boilder was rusting.)

[J R Ewing]

The company I used to work for would not resell oil we had recovered from a customers tank. The problem is that you can never tell if someone has dumped something else in their fuel oil tank.

We always donated recovered fuel to the local fire department for fire training.

[George]

Another common one is that they will only recover and deliver it to another location you designate (so you sell it to a friend or relative and have them transport it for you).

[trader4]

Simple. The company is free to charge whatever they feel is a fair price. The homeowner is free to accept that price or find someone else to do the job. If the homeowner gave the go ahead on the removal job either knowing the price or not caring about the price, then $538 it is.

[bob haller]

removal may include the cost of tank removal, environmental issues, or just removal of input line so no one can accidently fill the tank or basement:( again

[Home Guy]

Because the person that needed to have the oil removed didn't put an ad on kijiji or craigs list offering free heating oil for anyone with the right equipment to come and take it away.

[Jim Elbrecht]

I like it when someone else types all the words I was thinking.

Jim [whose oil company emptied my tank for free a few years ago so I could put in a new tank--- and credited my account with the retail price of the fuel. They said it was a 'customer service'.]

[micky]

I didnt think today's was a rerun, but it might have been. Yes, she won, and that was the reason. The judge kept making a point of it, but I thought it was a silly point.

This all happened in the fall, when oil companies run behind doing servicing, but oil deliveries are usually not running behind, because they have all summer to fill up people's tanks.

The woman who answers the phone at the oil company doesn't know how old the furnace is, and certainly doesn't know the customer is thinking of converting to gas, and funraces don't need replacing most years She or the person she hands the notes to to schedule appointments is going to schedule them both independently and as soon as possible.

If one wants an inspection before a fill-up, one should call twice, the first time ONLY for the inspection/cleaning. (That's what this woman said she did, and it might well have been true, that she didnt' say anything about a fill-up, but they sent a tank truck anyhow.. One or two oil companies told me they wouldn't put me on autmatic delivery unless I filled out some credit information. I never did, but they came automatically anyhow. They want the business. So I guess she should have said NO fillup. )

Trader and Jim, she also said they came to remove the oil without her asking either, without her agreeing to it, when she might have been able to sell the oil to someone,. As George suggests, she could have sold or given it to someone who trusts her not to have poisoned it. She complained about the delivery as soon as she got home and smelled the oil, so it's not likely she tampered with it.

Bob, the charge could include the removing the tank or the filler, but it didn't here.

[Ed Pawlowski]

If the oil was delivered in error, it was their responsibility to remove it at no charge.

The problem is, these shows are edited and you don't always see all the underlying parts that may be important.

[James]

There is NO LAW that outlaws top-posting. Besides, I like top-posting as my style, as I think it makes more sense.

Others have the right to NOT top-post. We don't need Al Gore (or others) to tell us that we must do as THEY prefer.

James

[dpb]

...

Law, no, just a strong suggestion from the organizers/originators...

3.1 User Guidelines

3.1.1 General Guidelines for mailing lists and NetNews

... - If you are sending a reply to a message or a posting be sure you summarize the original at the top of the message, or include just enough text of the original to give a context. This will make sure readers understand when they start to read your response. Since NetNews, especially, is proliferated by distributing the postings from one host to another, it is possible to see a response to a message before seeing the original. Giving context helps everyone. But do not include the entire original!

...

One would do well to heed the advice therein.

--

[James]

Oh gosh, here comes Al Gore, to tell us how to type our messages !!!

[dpb]

Far, far, more relevant than Algor is the RFC...

Think of it as why should you be more important than the community with whom you've chosen to interact?

--

[Tony Miklos]

What the hell are you talking about?

You didn't include a any relevant information from whatever you are replying to. Try to learn a little about how usenet works for your and everyone's sake. See how I quoted your statement, that is so people know what I'm talking about.

[George]

Do you need anyone to tell you how to use common courtesy? Say you are on a crowded sidewalk. Pedestrian traffic typically follows the customary method for driving on the road. So if you are in the US the stream of traffic will be to the right.

So if things were going well and pedestrian traffic was flowing as I described you could stay to the left and confront everyone or follow the others simply out of courtesy and common sense.

[George]

Exactly, it is just like being on a busy sidewalk and you decide to oppose the traffic flow just to annoy everyone.

[clare]

And is what the quoted oinstructions say is suggested.

Summarize the post you are responding to, or include the pertinent part of the post - then respond.

[bob haller]

remove all of the filler pipe completely, and repair wall holes

[micky]

I agree that that can be a big problem.

[generic.homeowner]

Of course they could have sold it to a neighbor, just shut off the valve on the tank, remove the pipe, attach a short piece of pipe, and move 5 gallons at a time in 5gal gas cans. It's a pain in the ass, but I'd do that before paying $538 for removal. Sell it to the neighbor for $350 or $400, help transport it and be done with it.

But if it was filled without authorization, I'd consider that a gift.... A good judge should do the same.....