Suburban Propane, Oakhurst

[Sandman]

[Dodgergirl]

I use Campora, but wonder if there's a big price difference. Anyone know current prices?
Do I have to stay with a particular company? The tank came with the house, so I guess I can fill it with any brand.

[MadScot]

When I lived in YLP I used a little family owned outfit. What's the little town east of O'Neils I think that's where he's from. He always had a good price compared to the big suppliers. He came to YLP once a week but that was 7 or 8 years ago.

[Surfus]

You can always go by price when it comes to LP
You have to go with a company that has a service tech and a Fuel truck on call 24hours day. The Smaller Valley Companies do not.

I stick with Campora.

[Yosemite_Wolf]

i think that the lil family outlet sold out to Suburban Propane. I cant remember the name, but they were good. Suburban i didnt like, Amerigas sucks bigtime. I use Campora cos thats the tank thats at my house. But if you wish to change companies.. i believe the company you change to will put their own tank in. I use campora cos the tank was here when i bought the house and supposedly campora gives YLP ppl a YLP discount of some sort... works for me http://oakhurstforums.com/icon/grin2.gif

[Raider]

I never cared for their service,and ended up changing suppliers.

[Jimi]

I can tell you ..... Souza Propane out of Turlock delivers here ... and is way cheaper .. I was paying 1.59 and they came in at 1.39 with much nicer service and faster .... I had Pioneer ... they missed our service date ... we ran out on a Saturday ... they wanted an extra 150 to come out on Sat ... Souza had me up and running in 2 hours


as far as local vendors ... Souza is up here all the time .... and unlike what every one has told me ... hasn't gouged us with prices ... and when I called on a Sat .... I got a live person ... because they are a real family business... My best friend here changed and saved big bucks.... is real happy

[Jimi]

on a saturday they had me up and with a full tank ... they have responded faster then any other company i have seen

[Jimi]

on a saturday they had me up and with a full tank ... they have responded faster then any other company i have seen

[Raider]

Nothings worse than running out,especially on a weekend or holiday. http://oakhurstforums.com/icon/bigcry.gif

[Surfus]

Yes Suza is out of the valley but the are full service Local LP suppler.
But I dont see how they can make money selling LP at 0.5 over their cost.

[Sandman]

Well, I woke up today to a very cold house. I went straight for the bathroom for a warm shower to warm my joints up, but the water didn't warm up. Uh oh. Out of propane. I could have sworn I saw that truck fill me up last month.

So, I call Suburban Propane. They say they only put $100 worth in last time. They normaly fill it. A truck can come out Friday unless I want to pay an extra $60 fopr it to come today. http://oakhurstforums.com/icon/sick2.gif

I told them I'd call other providers. When I called them back to find out if I owned the tank or if they did, the lady was nicer. Well, she then told me that they couldn't come out at all today but would come out tomorrow and would not charge the $60. I do own my own tank, but she says Campora is the same price and I should stick with them.

So, Suburban denied me today even though it's my only source of heat. I wish I had another option to come out today. I just want this thing filled so that I don't have to worry. If another company could come today, I'd change providers... but I'm kind of at their mercy since I can't find anyone else to come today. http://oakhurstforums.com/icon/sad2.gif

BTW: I'm sick today, so this is not helping. I think I'll head over to Corky's for a warm shower...

[Newcomer]

Souza is the way to go. Always the lowest price that I have found.

[TOT]

Mat - sending you a PM http://oakhurstforums.com/icon/nice.gif

[Surfus]

LOW PRICE DOES NOT MEAN GOOD SERVICE

[Kahlua Kid]

Great Service, Low Prices = American Capitalism at its Best!

Souza has done a great job for us. No complaints.

Although we did have some issues with Campora and their attitude when we first moved here... so we went looking elsewhere...

[mtnspirit]

please give me the number to souza if that is allowed!

[Surfus]

SOUZA PROPANE PROPANE GAS 209 667-1414

[Surfus]

Remember they are out of Merced.
so it is a long way to go if you run out or if you have a bad Regulator.

I had a customer two weeks ago had a bad regulator. She had one of the discount gas companies out of the valley. it took them 5 days to get a Service guy out to change it.

[Sandman]

I must say... they were a bit rude at first, but after they realized I had my own tank and threatened to switch, the attitide changed a bit. I'm sticking with them for now, but may plan ahead for the next fill up and shop a better rate. I would always rather go with a local company, but I'm not going to go with a local company if they are rude to me. But like I said, I'm giving them another chance here and giving my business to the locals this time. Next time? We'll see how it goes tomorrow...

[concerned]

When I first moved up here in 1980 I was serviced by Mountain Gas. It was a family affair and they were always helpful. A bunch of good guys but then were bought out by, I think, Suburban. Then we had Campora when we bought our house. I considered their service average or slightly better. I cannot comment on their service now.

[Surfus]

I think it was Campora that Bought out the Guys at MT gas but I may be WRONG again.

[TOT]

*boosting this one, too*

[Surfus]

TOT why are you reminding us that Propane is Way to F@#$% much right now http://oakhurstforums.com/icon/shout.gif

[TOT]

Originally posted by Surfus:
TOT why are you reminding us that Propane is Way to F@#$% much right now http://oakhurstforums.com/icon/shout.gif

http://oakhurstforums.com/icon/lol420.gif because someone was asking questions about local propane. instead of rediscussing a lot of it i thought it would be easier to just boost a similar thread.

[Mibrew]

Crap!!! Surfus, I still owe you a pic, so you can quote on what ever the wife wanted....

been so busy when I get home... like tonight I meeting with a friend (a brewer for Tied House) to sample some microbrews to bring fishing http://oakhurstforums.com/icon/wink420.gif

[Sandman]

I had fuel delivery scheduled for today and they never showed up. I am now out of propane. I called the office at 6PM and they were closing. They told me that I should call the after hours line and have an emergency person come out to give me fuel. They said that there is normally a $150 fee for emergency service but it would be waived since it was their mess up. I called the after hours line, they confirmed that someone would be sent out at no charge. Then this guy Bob calls and tells me I need to have a check written for $150 for his service if he comes out. I explained the situation but he wouldn't listen to me. He said it was my fault for being out of fuel and I needed to pay the emergency service fee. I explained I wouldn't pay the fee since it was their fault and then he said he wouldn't come out til tomorrow since it would be a free call. I got angry and told him I'd write the damn check. He said he would be here at about midnight. Unbelievable! I guess I'll have to cancel the check and talk to the office on Monday. Argh! I hate being treated like I am in the wrong when it was clearly the companies mess up. I wish Suburban kept better records when they talk to people on the phone.

[Ironhorse]

I had fuel delivery scheduled for today and they never showed up. I am now out of propane. I called the office at 6PM and they were closing. They told me that I should call the after hours line and have an emergency person come out to give me fuel. They said that there is normally a $150 fee for emergency service but it would be waived since it was their mess up. I called the after hours line, they confirmed that someone would be sent out at no charge. Then this guy Bob calls and tells me I need to have a check written for $150 for his service if he comes out. I explained the situation but he wouldn't listen to me. He said it was my fault for being out of fuel and I needed to pay the emergency service fee. I explained I wouldn't pay the fee since it was their fault and then he said he wouldn't come out til tomorrow since it would be a free call. I got angry and told him I'd write the damn check. He said he would be here at about midnight. Unbelievable! I guess I'll have to cancel the check and talk to the office on Monday. Argh! I hate being treated like I am in the wrong when it was clearly the companies mess up. I wish Suburban kept better records when they talk to people on the phone.

I'd be willing to be Suburban won't be happy when they find out about his attitude to you tonight Sandman. Totally unacceptable. Maybe he was scheduled to do the initial delivery and didn't get it done so it's his fault and he's trying to cover it up?

[only1alphafemale]

Something sure sounds "off" doesnt it! Do you know if this guy "Bob" is a newer employee? It could be one of the older employees, one that they have since Suburbans inception up here too.... lol sounded kind of "cranky" to me.... :)

In the long run, I feel your right. Its their error !

[Yosemite_Wolf]

On the other hand, A year ago, I woke up one morning to a FREEZING cold house. Couldnt figure out why we had no heat, til we checked the tank... it was DRY! Now, I have a service acct with Campora, so they shoulda been checking my tank on a regular basis. Anyhoo, we rang up Campora and took forever to get the weekend guy on call..... apparently he was running his Hawaiian butt all over the mountain fillin peoples tanks. (this was during the cold snap last Jan). Finally, we got hold of him and he came over after talking to the regular route guy... They cracked me up cos the regular guy says " oops, guess we forgot to check them last week... but there are LOTS of grey houses on the parkway" I had to giggle at his humor over his fugg up. We got superb service from Campora and they apologised for forgeting to fill us up earlier. They didnt charge us the emergency fee.... and good thing cos a totally empty tank cost me 600 bucks to fill!! On Monday AM I was on the phone to the office and told them how awesome the weekend guy was. That guy was busier than a Docs Tow driver on Memorial Day weekend at Bass Lake!!

I never did like Suburban. And Amerigas sucks methane.

[only1alphafemale]

Well then I am going to add my .02 worth here, regarding Ferrel gas.... DONT ! Not if you like having any money left in your pockets ! One of my tenants uses Ferrel Gas, and his last fill up, they charged him close to if not, 5 bucks a gallon!!!! They were just as outrageous last year too, they were 4 bucks a gallon... while we were paying 2.89 ~

[Sandman]

I'm willing to admit that I should have checked my tank sooner so that it didn't come down to the wire. The thing is that I just had 100 gallons put in the tank about 6 weeks ago. I apparently went through 100 gallons in just over a month. Perhaps having a roommate that is known for leaving the heater on high ALL DAY LONG didn't help. I turn it to low when I leave the house.. he forgets. Anyway, the bottom line is that they had me scheduled for today and they didn't show up today, so it's their bad.

Thanks for the feedback on the other companies. My tank is owned by Suburban, so I am stuck with them. I plan to build a new house in the next few years and I will buy my own tank so that I am not stuck using one company. I'll give Campora a try first! I hear good things about them.

[Sewmaui]

When we built our home this year, we had a lot of companies contact us and we decided to go with Kamps....they have Smart system which is free and they monitor the tank daily through their system(when the tank drops below 40% they make sure it gets filled) and you get a 5 cent discount.....they also offer 5 cent discount if you are a senior, another 5 cent discount for automatic billing through your checking account and they have more discounts offered. Here is a link to their Smart system

http://www.kampspropane.com/smartsystem.asp

You should also be able to use this link and click for other information.

Also, when they installed their tank....it was free! and the trenching was free also.....we had to back fill but it was only a 4 inch trench....all of the other companies I called either wanted to charge or said I had to hire someone.

It might be something to consider if your propane tank contract is up for renewal to switch.....they are very friendly to work with also.....Cindy is very helpful on the phone.

[Yosemite Joy]

I just looked at the website for Kamps and we don't have that service up here. The closest it gave me was Dinuba.

[only1alphafemale]

Thanks for the info regarding the Kamps website, YJ, and congrats on the new baby too !

Sewmaui? Where did you build your new house? Here in the mountains ? Maybe the web site just hasnt been updated yet..... I would be very interrested in checking them out if they do service this area~

[Newcomer]

I would like to ad a bit of valuable advise to this thread. If you are planning on buying a home or building a home I recommend Purchasing your own Propane tank. Stay away from leasing a tank if at all possible. When you lease a tank from a company you are at their mercy of which they show none. They are sharks and will devower your cash. You are at the mercy of thier price gouging and contracts. If you buy a tank (I recomment a 500 gal) this allows you to shop the different propane companies like Meyers, Souza, ect. which serve the mountain area and offer propane at a much lower rate. I bought my Tank through J.W Meyers almost 5 years ago (500 Gal for $950) the price since then has increased to about $1600 I hear due to chinas demand for steel from the USA. If you are just going to rent you most likely end up leasing with whatever company supplies the tank for the property. Read your lease carefully before signing as some are written to let them fill you up whenever they want and most times they do it when the price of propane is the highest. Get a will call agreement if you can so you can call them whenyou need it and if you can hold out untile the rates drop in the summer you can get a better rate. W.J meyer's is there for service on my tank if I ever have a problem and since I bought the tank I have always filled it with either Souza Propane or J.W meyers wichever has the lowest price at the time.

I hope this helps.

[Ironhorse]

Even with owning your own tank, you still have to watch some of the companies up here. My parents own their own tank, and they had a contract with Campora. The contract wasn't renewed because they kept catching Campora sneaking in and "topping" off their tank, even when they hadn't asked them to or given them permission to, when rates were at the highest during the year. When they caught them, my parents put a lock on the tank till the contract expired, so it could only be filled if they were home, and they changed to another supplier when their contract was done. Campora is about the highest costing one up here, if not the highest. I'm not satisfied with them, but where I live, we're locked in, and they own all the equipment (meters, tank, etc.)

[Mysteefied]

I agree that so far from what I've researched Campora has the highest rates and they always tell me that they no longer do "will call" so they come when the price is highest and fill the tank.

Does anyone know...how hard is it to change companies. We bought our house a few years ago and it has the campora tank. how hard would it be for me to choose a different company to go with and change to their tank, or even get my own at this point?

[Newcomer]

I agree that so far from what I've researched Campora has the highest rates and they always tell me that they no longer do "will call" so they come when the price is highest and fill the tank.

Does anyone know...how hard is it to change companies. We bought our house a few years ago and it has the campora tank. how hard would it be for me to choose a different company to go with and change to their tank, or even get my own at this point?


When the contract gets ready to run out what you do is either purchase your own tank and have the company deliver and hook it up when your contract expires. Try to leave as little propane as possible in the old tank for the old company because you will probabaly never see a credit for what is left (or you may). When we moved in our place the previous owners had 2-250 gal tanks leased by campora and they had some propane in it still. I went to Campora to see what the lease looked like and they told me I had to sign a 2 year lease with them and they got to fill the tank as they saw fit. I said No I don't that was the previous owners that signed with yoiu and I am not obligated to you in any way. I bought my tank form J.W meyers and they came and installed it that week and they put Camporas out to the curb. I called campora and told them to pick up their stuff. They were not happy but they had no recourse against me. Once your lease is up you have the right to replace their tanks with whatever you choose.

[Mysteefied]

Thanks Newcomer
The funny thing is, that I never signed a contract or put a deposit or anything when we bought the house

[Yosemite_Wolf]

buying your own tank is fine... but for me, i dont have the time to bother with caring for the tank etc etc. I have had no problem with Campora filling my tank, but then, my house is not solely run on propane. if it was, i would prolly be more bothered. I like having a company coming round and checking the tank, filling it, and caring for the tank. I don't have the time to sit and search out the cheapest rates for propane.

[John S]

We were with Surburban for two years when we rented on Rd. 222. Fortunately I never had a problem with them. We had a wood stove and the only thing propane was a wall heater so we didn't use that much propane. The guy that filled our tank with the nicest guy and I always had the feeling we was watching out for us. Sandman, too bad you ran into a less than kind guy.

We just moved to YLP and now we are with J.W. Myers (they own the tank of the house we bought). So far so good. They were very nice and professional on the phone. They said to call them when the tank gets to 20% (which it was). We get a discount if we put in 200 gal or more in one filling. They just put in 200 gal for $551 at $2.75 a gal. We now have central heating (on propane) and a beautiful propane free standing stove (that I would love to sell and put in wood burning).

[Yosemite Joy]

I have not had Suburban ever, so I suppose this is totally off topic. We had Chevron (I think that is the same as JW right?) anyway they were ok. But now we have Pro-Flame and they are a nice bunch. The delivery guy is great, he is really nice, even went so far as to show my five year old (from a safe distance) how he does the fill up. And the prices are pretty good, as far as prices go for propane (which is plenty of moola this time of year). We get great summer rates (we use propane for hot water and heat) at less than 2 bucks a gallon.

They come every few weeks to fill our tank. Forgot us a month ago, and we ran out, but quickly came and delivered an emergency 25 gallons on a Saturday night, relit the hot water heater, and were gracious and apologetic.

Anyway that is my .02 on propane up here, and sorry not any Suburban comments on a Suburban Propane thread.

[Sewmaui]

Only1alphafemale,
To answer your question, we had our second home built in YLP. The middle of this month, the cost was $2.60 a gallon....and since they monitor it, we do not have to worry about running out.

[Sandman]

Here is an update... Suburban never showed up Friday night, as they said they would. They ended up filling my tank Saturday morning and left a bill on the door... never rang the bell so that I could talk to them.

[Newcomer]

Thanks Newcomer
The funny thing is, that I never signed a contract or put a deposit or anything when we bought the house


Then you are probably free to change your tank or service whenever you want. I'd first call Campora and ask to see a copy of your contract with them. If they cannot produce a copy...well, then you are free to decide what you want to do.

[only1alphafemale]

Only1alphafemale,
To answer your question, we had our second home built in YLP. The middle of this month, the cost was $2.60 a gallon....and since they monitor it, we do not have to worry about running out.

Thank you for the info. I will have to give them a call to see if they come to my neck of the woods~ :)

[Sandman]

They did it to me again!!! Argh, I'm really beginning to dislike this company and the people that work there.

I happened to check my propane level on Monday and found that I was extremely low. I was shocked that I went through so much gas. I was just filled a month and a half ago. Anyway, I called Suburban and learned that I had a past amount due. I told them that I could come by and give them a check. They said I could avoid the trip and give the driver a check or leave it on the front door when they came to fill me up on Friday. Cool... so I thought.

I called today at about noon to make sure they would be coming today. They said I was scheduled. At about 3PM, I began to worry that they wouldn't come. I called again to make sure my late payment wasn't holding them up. They insisted that I could give a check to the driver and he was coming. They told me to call back within 30 minutes if he didn't arrive. I gave them another hour and called back. The nice lady, Lavender, told me that a manager would call me and take care of the situation.

The manager, Tamara, called me back and argued with me that I had a past due balance. I explained that I had a check waiting. She told me she didn't have a driver in the area and I wasn't on the schedule since I owed them a few hundred bucks. Instead of listening to what I had to say, she just wanted to argue with me and charge me an extra fee for weekend delivery.

OMG! Are these people nuts! I understand that I had a past due balance, but couldn't they have told me on Monday that I should come in the office to pay? Why did they tell me I could pay the driver when he comes on Friday?

Anyway, after I told them that I would be posting a review on this site, they changed their attitude a bit. In fact, a propane truck is pulling up my driveway right now. Sometimes you just have to fight for what is right.

I will take responsibility for having a past due account of 30 days. If they had told me Monday that I had to give them a payment right then, I would have done so. I just really think Suburban Propane needs to work on their customer service skills.

[Sandman]

An update... the driver that just came was very nice. His name is Dennis Price. I gave him a check and explained the situation. He was very helpful and delivered the fuel.

When I purchase a new home, I will purchase my own tank so that I can choose my provider and pay for fuel when it is delivered.

[only1alphafemale]

An update... the driver that just came was very nice. His name is Dennis Price. I gave him a check and explained the situation. He was very helpful and delivered the fuel.

When I purchase a new home, I will purchase my own tank so that I can choose my provider and pay for fuel when it is delivered.


Glad it worked out for you ! I still agree though that they need to work on their people skills ~ :yes:

[Newcomer]

I either use Souza or Meyers depending on who has the best price, They are both always the lowest and have always filled me when I needed it and when they promised. I stick with them.