Calor gas- can I get my money back?.

[jackieB]

Our estate is quite rural hence calor gas tanks. An engineer turned up one day saying he had come to install the telemetry. I had no idea that 1.He was coming 2. what the hell was it?.

He explained it connected to my phone line and when the tank capacity was down to 30% it would trigger calor gas company to come and fill it. I agreed saying I didnt know its was coming. He said I should have received a letter, I didnt.

Well after a few weeks, I realised it was interferring with my computer and disconnected it myself, rang and told them I didnt want to have automatic top up. I would let them know when I wanted the tank filled up.They said ok.

In january while I was out they came and filled the tank without me asking them!!.

My next invoice from them then claimed for the gas and my bill shot up from the existing £300 to a whopping £700 !!.

I cancelled my direct debit with them when I paid that bill.

I know await another supply of calor gas this morning. I rang them the other day and said I didnt want a full tank as I may be moving within the nexr few monthes. The chap on the phone said they would not give me less than 70% of gas. I will hover over the delivery man this morning to check, as I dont trust them.

 

Can I ask for the £400 back, which I didnt ask for?.

[buzby]

Don;t see how - it's not as if you didn't benefit from receiving the gas you were billed for. I can understand that from their point of view, if there's a tank on the premises, it makes sense to fill it, and the way prices are going they're not really going down (in the retail sector). I'm assuming you're being billed for bulk propane? The last time I looked the cost of this shot up when the delivered amounts were reduced by the consumer (it still costs the same amount to send the lorry). So are you really trying to get out of paying for the gas the company filled your tank with?

[jackieB]

No, I did not want any and told them I would have let them know when I did want some. There are many folks here who does not have a account with calor gas and their tanks stand empty. My account should have said no automatic top up as I asked them to.

As a friend says, if I had a coal fire I would order as much coal as I want, when I want, should be the same.

Its the fact they took it upon themselves to fill the tank without asking me first.

[buzby]

But you haven't answered the original question. Irrespective of whether you asked for the gas or not, are you attempting to keep what you received without paying for it? The same scenarion would hold true if you went to a filling station and set the pump to dispense £10. Due to a fault, it filled the tank and the cashier wants £70. The error was due to the pump, but that still does not mean you can keep what was dispensed in error, that would be theft. (My solution would be to reach an agreement where, in the absence of there being any mechanism for the retailer to take the supply back, that a price be reached based on the retailers actual cost of the supply, and the the reluctant purchaser accept this (reduced) charge).

[BenScoobert]

As an ex-calor employee I know about these automated devices. I also know calor will deliver 100 litres if that's what the customer requires, you will find they will probably only deliver it on a day when they have a nearby delivery though, as okonski states it still costs the same to send the truck.

 

As far as I recall all the depots have at least 1 truck capable of pumping the gas back out. You could try the route of "you delivered it without me asking for it, so come and get it".

 

Good luck as I know they are not the easiest company to deal with

[jackieB]

Thanks, I'm not the only one thats happened to here, my neighbour had a delivery at 08.30 saturday morning while they were in bed and they too didnt ask for a top up. They said their tank was three quarters full already!.

 

Good answer though about' its your fuel come and get it!'.

The point is, to me, that I had told them before ,I didnt want automatic top up yet they did .Then expect me to pay for it!.

[jackieB]

I have just ordered a grocery delivery from Tesco and I dont expect more than I ordered, isnt that the same thing?.

[buzby]

I have just ordered a grocery delivery from Tesco and I dont expect more than I ordered, isnt that the same thing?.

 

No - beacue they would have taken full payment before delivery for a card. If they delivered more than you ordered, then they should take it back and refund the difference. However, you appear to have fuel that you haven't paid for, so to keep it would be classed as theft, you either have to give it back, let them collect it, or reach an equitible arrangement for a compromise.