On Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:16:44 -0500, "Robert Green"
wrote:

"micky" wrote in message
.. .
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.)

IIRC, the oil company lost the case because they delivered BEFORE they were
supposed to do a system check.

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.