ComplaintsforQuarles Propane & Oil Heat Fredericksburg

• Initial Complaint

  05/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Received an invoice from them dated May 9, 2022. I called and asked why I was getting charged $95.00 for the tank rental and they refused to waive it this year since I did not use 100 Gallons of propane. They do nothing for this tank for maintenance or anything except for filling it when called. They charge a delivery fee and I only use this fuel for my stove top and two ventless gas stoves. The agreement states that "minimum usage requirement of 100 Gallons per year or a Rental Fee MAY BE charged. It does not say how much and does not say WILL BE charged. I do not know why they will not waive it and Yes I did get ugly with the woman that spoke with me when she said that they would not waive it. Then threatened to end the call with very little cause. Guess they are about gauging people and not be customer service oriented.

  Business response

  05/31/2022

  Good morning,

  This has been resolved. 
  

  Quarles Petroleum
  Customer Service & Sales
  *******************************************: ************ | www.quarlesinc.com
  Fax:************
  1701 **************** | **************, ** 22401
  AJ

  Customer response

  05/31/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  [They don't want to face the truth that they do not have good customer service and they're going to leave me without propane service as of June 9th even though I made the good gesture the other day to send them the $95 for the tank rental which I feel is uncalled for.]
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  ***************************
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have had Quarles for 7 years and since 2020 we have had nothing but problems. We were set up on Budget payment plan back in 2016 I believe and some how in 2021 that was removed from our account once they did there yearly delivery in July of 2021 so then we were expected to pay an $*** bill out right which we couldn't afford. Lisa there billing person kept contacting me and harassing me to pay well before 30 days billing cycle occurred. As of this day March 2022 we are still paying down that 2021 balance. I then 3/18 place a service call based on smelling propane outside the house. The technician came on 3/21 and stated no leak but all 3 tanks are completely empty!! In 7 years we have never ran out of propane. I researched the monthly, quarterly and yearly usage/deliveries and not once have we ever run out. We use so little propane that I changed our delivery to yearly back in 2018 because it wasn't worth them coming out every 6 months. The only thing we use for propane is our stove and generator (which only gets used during power outages). Power outages haven't been anymore this year than any other year for the past 7 years. In speaking with Stephanie on 3/21 at the main Fredericksburg office they can't do anything about us being out because we still owe $*** from a previous delivery that was less than a year ago. Again we wouldn't be in this situation if they didn't just remove customers off of the budget plan and secondly based on a 6 year trend not once have we run 3-100 gallons tanks completely empty in an 8 month period, especially knowing we've gone 1 full year with still 50+ gallons remaining. At no point should this be okay, I now have no propane to cook my kids/family food and worse case if power does go out my kids all under the age of 12 and pets will suffer with no food or water based on this companies negligence. I do my best to pay my bills on time based on a fixed income and rising cost, but this is wrong and now to have more out of pocket cost

  Business response

  03/21/2022

  Good afternoon Mrs. *******,
  
  We apologize for any inconvenience. Our records indicate that you were removed from the Budget Plan in December 2020 for two consecutive missed payments. We sent an email in reference to this in November 2020 as well as mailed a letter notifying you of this in December 2020. We were not contacted at any point between December 2020 and your delivery in July 2021 to place you back on the Budget Plan, nor were any payments made during that time frame. As such, your billing terms defaulted to Net 30. With Net 30 terms, your balance would have been due in full in August 2021. We did not start contacting you regarding the July 2021 balance until the end of September 2021 after no payments had been made on the account. Unfortunately, the remaining balance of $****** must be paid before we are able to make a delivery due to the age of the balance on the account.
  
  Quarles Petroleum
  Customer Service & Sales
  Energy Services: 877.444.3835 | www.quarlesinc.com
  Fax: 540.361.4674
  1701 Fall Hill Avenue | Fredericksburg, VA 22401
  AJ

  Customer response

  03/21/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  

  This does not satisfy the resolution.  As stated in my above complaint, we have no fuel in our tanks which poses the problem of being able to cook food for my children.   Quarles reports they sent letters of notification and tried to contact.  In which case I had explained to Linda Walker -Credit & Collections ( I believe I stated name was Lisa prior, sorry) in October 2021 once I realized emails had gone to spam that is why I hadn't been in contact with them about receiving the bill. 

   Emails of communication when I located there email  -
  

  Cleopatra ******* <c.r.*******[email protected]> Oct 20, 2021, 8:32 PM
  
  
  to Linda
  
  Good evening,
  
  
  Thank you for your email. I apologize for not getting in touch with you, for some reason Quarles emails were going to to the spam folder; I have fixed that.  Sorry about the missed calls, I get a lot of spam calls so if it's not a programmed number it doesn't get answered. 
  It has been a hard time with Covid/Pandemic and unfortunately this got put on the back burner.  We were on the budget plan prior to pandemic, is that not available anymore?
  
  
  Thank you,
  
  **** *******
  
  
  
  

   

  At no point have I not wanted to pay my bill or any years or months past did I not pay.  Linda also never stated I only had a certain time frame to pay in.  When someone is not expecting to pay such a high expense it makes in difficult to adjust too especially in a middle of a pandemic .  I'm more baffled at the fact that in 7 YEARS  have never ran out of fuel and in this situation it just seems coincidental all this is starting with a pandemic, being taken off budget pay (when I originally wasn't making payment because we had a credit on our account), being bill almost $*** and now being a balance is still due we have run out of fuel and never have before based on previous fuel usages.  

  Thank you for your time.  

  Business response

  03/22/2022

  Mrs. *******,

  
  When you are on the Budget Plan, a monthly payment is required regardless of if you have any credit balances in order to remain on the plan. We again apologize for the inconvenience, however, we unfortunately cannot move forward with any additional deliveries until the existing balance has been paid. 
  

  Quarles Petroleum
  Customer Service & Sales
  Energy Services: 877.444.3835 | www.quarlesinc.com
  Fax: 540.361.4674
  1701 Fall Hill Avenue | Fredericksburg, VA 22401
  AJ

  Customer response

  03/24/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I explained why there were missed payments or no communication for that month.  If you look at my account since being in contact I have paid monthly payments to what I can afford with the cost of living and the remaining of my bills.  Of course during that time so many people were getting written off and excused due to the pandemic but yet I still am paying and making an effort to make things right.  I do plan to make my payments and will pay it off as I get paid but I will not and can not just fork over money and let my kids suffer due to Quarles negligence.  Although I need propane,  I can manage to feed my family without having the propane to use my stove, I am more concerned with the fact that I can STILL smell propane with all the tanks being shut off and Quarles doesn't seem to understand that something is wrong with this.  I should not be smelling propane, I have spoken to several other contractors to validate this.  I will have no choice to file additional complaints based on the safety of my family if Quarles does not research a gas leak at my residence.

  
  
  Regards,
  
  **** *******
  
  
  
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Earlier this month we noticed our propane gas water heater stopped functioning. We hired a plumber to look at the system; after some effort he determined our propane tank was at or below 5% full, and therefore not delivering enough pressure to our water heater. I immediately called Quarles and was told we would receive a propane delivery the same day, by 7 pm. I was told to call Quarles if this did not occur. By 7 pm, no propane, and I called Quarles. I was then told to call the following morning and check on the status. When I called, the customer service rep asked me why I was calling...and said "we never promise a delivery-by-a-certain time". Either she was lying, or is poorly trained. I then asked to speak with a customer service supervisor and was told she was not available, and would call me. She never called. We were without propane/heat/hot water for almost three days. Our tank was completely empty. We have auto refill and Quarles has a guarantee that we will not run out. This is at least the second time this has occurred. All Quarles does is shrug. ABSOLUTELY POOR SERVICE. We also signed up for their guaranteed low propane program--for which we paid--and no one at Quarles will give me an answer if our bill properly reflects this year's guaranteed low price. I want someone in Management at Quarles to contact me and discuss this, and compensate us for the lack of fuel, confirm the price we were charged is correct, and explain why their customer service is so poorly trained. My cell: **********. I am posting this review on line.

  Business response

  03/10/2022

  Good afternoon,

  We have reached out and resolved this directly with the customer. 

  Quarles Petroleum
  Customer Service & Sales
  Energy Services: 877.444.3835 | www.quarlesinc.com
  Fax: 540.361.4674
  1701 Fall Hill Avenue | Fredericksburg, VA 22401
  **

• Initial Complaint

  02/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered and paid for gas February 7, 2022 and I ran out of gas February 11, I called the company and they said there was nothing they could do. Mind you I'm pregnant with a two year old in the house and it's 17 degrees out. I've had to scavenge wood from my yard and burn boxes. I've spent over $*** on prebagged wood from the gas station, I've even gone out and bought a kerosene heater just to get by. Now I called again and the man told me you have ten days to deliver to me. Here it's been 13 days. I think I deserve some kind of money back and I also think I should be the very first delivery they do next. This is rediculous. I went out and paid money and I went and had to get government help to pay the bill. Please just deliver out fuel we are cold and it's just not right.

  Business response

  02/22/2022

  Good morning,

  We have spoken with ********** and this has been resolved directly with her. 

  Quarles Petroleum
  Customer Service & Sales
  Energy Services: ************ * ****************** 
  Fax: ************
  **** **** **** ****** | Fredericksburg, VA 22401
  **

• Initial Complaint

  02/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing to you concerning a situation that occurred on January 23rd. I unexpectedly ran out of fuel. I called 877-444-3835, only to get an answering service. I was told that I can’t get any emergency service. Your Policy states a no run out guarantee and 24/7 emergency delivery service. I called the office on Monday at 8:00am and they had no record of my previous calls or notes of my conversation with customer service agents. At that time, I asked when I received the last delivery was made to my home. I was told that it was April 2021 to my unpleasant surprise. I have automatic delivery and have never had to call for delivery service. I ended up making 13 calls between Sunday and Thursday morning. I spoke to several people with contradictory statements about company policy. As a customer, I would hope you understand how frustrating this is when I spend so much time asking for the service that was paid for in advance. The driver finally delivered some time on Monday afternoon. The outside temperatures were at 19 degrees and I was unable to heat my home without the fuel that should have been delivered as part of automatic delivery. When the fuel was delivered, the driver left the valve open on the tank. I was also never informed of a delivery nor was a bill left for me. When I arrived home the next morning on Tuesday, I opened the front door to the smell of gas. I had to leave my home again. I called customer service again to in hopes of having someone come to my house to shut off the valve. I was told that no one was available. I asked to speak to a manager and was told that one wasn’t available. I waited an additional two hours for someone to come to my home. As a senior with medical conditions, that would not allow me to stay in a house with freezing temperatures. Because of the freezing temperatures, the water pipes in my house froze and I was not able to use the water in my home. I was not able to stay in my home. I need to speak with someone ASAP.

  Business response

  02/17/2022

  Good morning,

  We have resolved this directly with Kasandra.

  Quarles Petroleum
  Customer Service & Sales
  Energy Services: 877.444.3835 | www.quarlesinc.com
  Fax: 540.361.4674
  1701 Fall Hill Avenue | Fredericksburg, VA 22401
  AJ

  Customer response

  03/03/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

   

  Quarles promised a credit that would appear on the billing statement more than two weeks ago and this still isn't complete. 

  
  [Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** ********
  
  
  
  

  
  

  Business response

  03/04/2022

  Ms. ********,

  The credit was applied to your account on February 17, 2022 and is reflected on your March statement which was generated March 01, 2022.

  Quarles Petroleum
  Customer Service & Sales
  Energy Services: 877.444.3835 | www.quarlesinc.com
  Fax: 540.361.4674
  1701 Fall Hill Avenue | Fredericksburg, VA 22401
  AJ

• Initial Complaint

  02/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My home is inaccessible in bad weather. On Jan 13, I ordered fuel oil in advance of the storms. I am a disabled senior citizen and a customer of 20-years. Quarles let me run out of oil. Today, on Feb 11, twenty-nine (29) days after I placed the order, the truck showed up.

  Business response

  02/14/2022

  Good morning Mr. Spinks,

  We sincerely apologize for the delay and inconvenience. We attempted to deliver previously to 02/11 but were unable to access your driveway. We have processed a refund for your current credit balance in the amount of $****** that will be mailed to you. 

  Please do not hesitate to contact us with any additional questions or concerns.
  
  Thank you for choosing Quarles and have a wonderful day.
  
  Quarles Petroleum
  Customer Service & Sales
  Energy Services: 877.444.3835 | www.quarlesinc.com
  Fax: 540.361.4674
  1701 Fall Hill Avenue | Fredericksburg, VA 22401
  AJ

  Customer response

  02/14/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's offer.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID 16758773, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. If the company does not perform as promised I can get back to you at: [email protected].
  
  Regards,
  
  Jeff ******
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Tuesday, Feb 1, I called Quarles to schedule a propane fill-up at our home because we were down to 15% in the tank. They told me that normally it takes 5-10 days, but since we were so low, we would be prioritized and someone would deliver within 5 days. After a week (5 business days), no one had come. I called Tuesday Feb 8 in the evening and left a message stating this fact and that we were now down to under 10%. I did not receive a call back. By Thursday morning (today as I'm writing) we still had not received propane and were down to 5% (it goes fast when it's low), so I called again to complain. I was told we were on the schedule for tomorrow, which is NOT within the 5 days I was promised. I was told there was nothing they could do, and yet we may not have heat tonight if it runs out. I asked to speak to a manager and was told she'd call when she came in to work (I was calling at 7:45, told manager would call by 8:30). By 10:00 I had not received a call, so I called again and was given the same platitudes and apologies, but no offer to compensate me or fix the problem by delivering today. I was put on hold to wait for the manager and after about a 10min hold, was told the manager still couldn't talk to me. I asked again if I could be compensated for their lack of delivering on a promise and was told that was not an option. Quarles has a monopoly on our propane; they own the tank that was put in when the house was built, so we are not allowed to get propane from anyone else. But they are not delivering on their promise of 5 days, nor are they willing to take ownership of THEIR mistake. And it's not like we can just take our business elsewhere.

  Business response

  02/15/2022

  Good morning,

  We have spoken with Mrs. ****** and this has been resolved directly with her. 

  Quarles Petroleum
  Customer Service & Sales
  ****** ********* ************ * ****************** **** ************ **** **** **** ****** * *************** ** ***** **

• Initial Complaint

  02/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We were told a delivery would be brought Thursday for gas we are now completely out with no guaranteed delivery which means no heat no hot water in winter.

  Business response

  02/08/2022

  Good afternoon,

  Thank you for providing feedback, however, Evangeline is not an authorized user for the referenced address and as such we are unable to provide any account specific information for this complaint.

  We apologize for any inconvenience in this matter. 

  Thank you! 

• Initial Complaint

  01/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ran out of propane sometime on Thursday, January 27. I didn't notice that there was an issue until Friday morning. I went to check my gauge and it showed it was close to half full still so I went back inside and turned on the hot water. I still had hot water which seemed unusual but the vents were still blowing out cold air and the temperature continued to drop. I called the company to get more information and was told I was on a delivery hold due to a small unpaid amount, which I then paid and asked for something to be done since it appeared that the gauge was either broken or stuck and we had no heat. I spoke with Heather, who assured me she would make every attempt to address this emergency situation. She called back a few hours later saying I was on the delivery schedule for that day. Nobody showed up. Saturday I called and was told they had me on the delivery schedule for that day. I waited all day and nobody showed up, nobody answered the phone after 4 after I called and was on hold for an hour. Same thing on Sunday, even though there was a delivery driver on my street, which passed by my house, slowed down then kept going. It is now in the 40s in my house, I have no heat or hot water, and there are 5 children in my house. I spent an hour on the phone today trying to get a resolution and still have no idea when propane will be delivered. I can't understand how this is even legal let alone ethical to prioritize customers who STILL HAVE heat and hot water over those that do not in these temperatures! It is getting dangerous and I can't get anyone to act on this! This feels very very wrong!!

  Business response

  02/04/2022

  Good morning,

  This has been resolved directly with the customer.

  Thank you! 

• Initial Complaint

  01/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Quarles claims ‘we don’t want anything to get in the way of a warm house.’ With single-digit temperatures and no propane, ironically it is Quarles itself doing just that. Written representations to customers include: (i) ‘Will Call delivery customers will typically receive a delivery within three to five business days’; (ii) ‘What do I do if I run out of fuel? . . . Will Call customers can call Customer Service to place a delivery order. The delivery will be made within 3 business days.’ These are false. Between 1/13 and now, we have witnessed Quarles’ practice of misleading conduct, absence of service, and lack of fidelity to its representations. We requested service on 1/13 (our tank then between 20-30%). After a few business days with no word, we contacted Quarles only to be told that it would take 10 business days, not 3-5. Over several additional calls, we were variously told that: 10 business days is standard; 10 business days is standard in winter; and 10 business days is not standard, but is due to bad weather. Unbelievably, when we requested advertised emergency services for an additional fee, we were variously told: emergency services are never available for will call; emergency services are available, just not in winter; and emergency services are available, just not now. Representatives claim no direct way to contact ‘Dispatch,’ which handles scheduling. They will not put customers in contact with Dispatch. This leads to a useless process where everyone can deny responsibility and no one can help. When the 10th business day arrived–and we were fully out of propane–Quarles failed again, claiming the truck had unspecified issues. A manager promised delivery the next day between 8-12. Unsurprisingly, that did not happen. We were then told to ‘be patient’ because there are no set hours for a day’s delivery. The manager did not speak with us or call back. That day came and went with NO truck, NO explanation, NO call back, NO fuel, NO heat, NO remedy in sight.

  Business response

  02/04/2022

  Good morning,

  This has been resolved directly with the customer.

  Thank you! 

  Business response

  02/14/2022

  Good morning,

  We have reached out and spoken with Mr. ********* and considered this matter to be resolved at this time. 

  Thank you. 

  Customer response

  02/18/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 16688693, and this does not resolve my complaint. However, at this time, please consider the complaint as "ANSWERED" but with unsatisfactory resolution.
  
  One prong of the complaint dealt with a failure to deliver. That—eventually—was resolved many days late but not before a series of sub-freezing days and nights with no gas heat.
  
  The other prong of the complaint deals with Quarles’ various “guarantees,” promises, and other misrepresentations. We have had the opportunity to discuss this with a representative of the Company. It was made clear to us that, at a corporate level, Quarles is unwilling to discontinue advertising things like a “no run-out guarantee” or “same day service” despite knowledge that it cannot remotely rise to these promises during winter months (when propane is needed most). Persisting with this misleading conduct does not, of course, answer the complaint in a satisfactory manner. But, if the Company is unwilling or unable, then I suppose that is their way of “consider[ing] this matter to be resolved.”
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩