A Pennsylvania AmeriGas customer says they paid in advance to lock in a propane price over the phone, only to have their first delivery billed 25% higher. After 47 years with the company, they said customer service told them the agreement wasn't on record.
Here's what to know
In a Reddit post, the customer said it took weeks to reach the company before an agent called back and offered a supervisor-approved pre-buy over the phone.
According to the poster, they were then routed to a payment line and sent the money by ACH. They said a receipt appeared in their online account, but it didn't include the price they negotiated.
They said the problem surfaced when the first delivery of the season arrived at a higher rate than expected. The poster wrote that the company said the deal wasn't in its system and that they would have to pay "25% more than I had agreed to."
A commenter said such pre-buy arrangements "generally requires you to sign an actual contract for pre buy," often through email, suggesting the absence of written paperwork could be a key part of the dispute.
More background
The OP said this was not how the process had worked for them. They wrote that for years they negotiated a propane price, paid upfront, and then saw that rate reflected in their account even without a signed contract.
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Describing that change, they said, "For years I signed a contract after negotiating a price." They added, "I negotiated and the price appeared in my online account. No signed contract. Seemed flakey but it worked until this year."
Several commenters said switching propane companies can be difficult once fuel is already in the tank. One warned that, unless state law says otherwise, companies often "WILL NOT refund a drop of propane" and may also bill customers for the labor required to pump it out.
Another user asked whether the transfer itself sounded suspicious, but the poster said it "did not seem phishy" because the money showed up right away in their online account.
What can be done?
The most concrete advice in the thread was to contact the company's local office rather than end the effort with customer service.
One commenter suggested asking the delivery driver for help, saying local managers or office staff may have access to billing information that customer service couldn't resolve.
That same commenter said local staff "can even pull up the previous phone conversations you had because they're recorded." The poster replied: "Good idea. The delivery drivers have always been great. And helpful."
Commenters also stressed that any pre-buy arrangement's full terms should be in writing before money is sent. They added that if the customer switches suppliers, it may be safer to wait until the current tank is nearly empty, since unused propane may not be refundable.
Where can I learn more?
These articles provide a wider look at trust, billing, and customer-treatment disputes in the propane and utility industries.
• Leaked propane industry calls showed how some companies tried to soften messaging and avoid coal comparisons.
• Across the U.S., utilities used customer-funded profits to fight clean-energy rules and protect fossil assets.
• In Oregon, a gas utility was accused of deceiving lawmakers and residents about renewable natural gas.
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