United Propane Bait & Switch Contracts, Routine Overcharging, Horrendous Customer Service, Down-Right Predatory Millersville, Maryland

United Propane entered a competitive bid for our propane tank and service when we built our home in 2004-5. We chose them because their contract was essentially the same (tank and installation-wise) as the other two local companies, BUT their (signed by both parties) proposal to fill the tank for $1.35/gallon initially and then $.75/gallon over average laid-in refinery price for TEN YEARS was clearly cheaper than the other companies. So we paid them (a lot) to bury a tank in our yard and start service.

Since then we have been charged $.75 over the "residential rate" EVERY time. The difference between the two prices is 55%-60%. ONCE in 2006, when I chased it all the way up the line in iNergy, they agreed to correct our invoice and we received a $200+ "discount". They have refused any other price correction since.

They have been rude, obnoxious and down-right threatening. Their standard get-down-to-it answer is "We can do whatever we want to your contract price. There's a Force Majeure clause on the back (of a contract I have never seen and never signed) in the fine print." And, "If you don't like it, you can pay us $1,500 (supposedly a huge discount) to come dig out the tank and go get a tank and propane from someone else."

At this point, they owe us $4,452 (and counting) in overcharges. My advice: NEVER do business with these folks. They cannot be trusted. And don't even have the decency to correct a situation when they are cold busted.