ComplaintsforCota & Cota Heating Fuels

• Initial Complaint

  05/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They entered my house without permission and fraudulently billed me over $400 for an emergency after-hours service call that I never requested. There was no emergency and they never even had the courtesy to call to check if there was or to request permission to ENTER MY HOME, at night, without my knowledge. That is completely unacceptable, a grievous betrayal of trust and, by the way, illegal.Cota & Cota's excuse for why they did this isn't any better either - after being an auto-delivery propane customer for about 10 years, without any notice to me, **** switched my account to COD, meaning I'd have to call them to request delivery. I had no idea, since they didn't inform me of this illegal change to my account, and then they didn't make a propane delivery to my house for 11 months. According to ****, they just spontaneously realized one day that they hadn't made a delivery in a while and probably should have, so they decided that my tank must be empty, our heat must be off, and it was February so my pipes could freeze! They realized that would be 100% their fault, since they had illegally switched my account from auto-delivery to COD, but instead of calling to check if there was a problem with the heat, they ran right over to my house at night, illegally entered my home and then billed me for an "emergency" after hours "call" that I NEVER REQUESTED. I wasn't there at the time, but I have a webcam in the house which shows a digital reading of the internal temperature in the house and could easily have let them know if there was a problem (there wasn't). The per-gallon price of the subsequent propane delivery printed on the delivery ticket was struck out and manually increased by 44 cents per gallon, which appears to be unexplained price-gouging. At ***** gallons, that amounts to $177.54.

  Business response

  05/26/2022

  During a February cold snap when the area was in a winter weather advisory, many 2nd home owners were calling ** with emergency no heat calls. We noticed *********************** 2nd home had gone a significant period of time without a delivery. A technician was dispatched to check her home; ******************* previously gave the access code to us for the home since it was not a full time residence and had no caretaker to contact. It was an emergency as there was no propane remaining and the thermostat was set very low, fortunately the home was not frozen so a delivery was made. The after-hours charge was refunded on 2/23. ******************* made full payment for delivery on 4/13. 5/6 ******************* thanked us for thorough explanation and discussion. Delivery tickets are often printed in advance by degree days. Customers are made aware that deliveries are priced at day of delivery price, it is regular practice to reprice by hand if needed when tickets are pulled for delivery. Several conversations have happened prior to this complaint and our understanding was that each issue has been acknowledged and resolved.

  Customer response

  05/27/2022

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  This response is dishonest.  *********** was given the access code to enter my home for a previous service call that I had requested and which was completed in January 2022; having previously been granted access for a specific purpose does not then allow them to later freely enter my home AT NIGHT, unasked and unannounced.  They violated the privacy of my home and trespassed against my property.  The manager, *********************, acknowledged that they did not have my permission to enter my home and had made no effort at all to contact me.  Is it really their position that they have the right to enter their customers' homes unannounced at any time they "think" there might be a problem, without even checking with the customer to see if there is a problem or not? That's patently absurd and they know it.  That they also overcharged me for the propane that was delivered is a separate matter and I do not accept that the price is adjusted manually on a day to day basis. 
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  *******

   

   

  Business response

  06/02/2022

  Our response is not dishonest. In chatting with ******************* several times since February we have discussed how the process normally works, acknowledged miscommunication between us and apologized for the lack of a phone call before going to the home. Most second home owners with no caregiver do put a key or code on file with us in case of emergencies so that is not unheard of. Unfortunately a phone call was lost in the hectic worry of their home possibly freezing up amidst the winter storm advisory, with several other homes in the area calling for no heats. A call to ******************* could have told us the thermostat temperature but it would not have told us that she was out of propane so the home still could have frozen within 24 hours had we not made a delivery.
  
  
  Mrs. Kennedys original complaint mentions a refund as her intended outcome. We did refund her on 2/23/22. 
  
  
  Tickets are printed in large batches in advance according to degree days and pulled when customers are due for a delivery. Pricing fluctuates both up and down dependent on the market so a ticket printed 3 weeks ago may need to be updated manually. We do not have the capacity to reprint every ticket that needs re-pricing. Specifically this year, ongoing world turmoil has created unpredictable price changes week to week. So while there was a significant increase, ******************* was not overcharged. She paid for the 2/7/22 delivery on 4/13/22.

  Customer response

  06/08/2022

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  It is completely unacceptable that this business continues to respond so dishonestly.  Almost every statement in their previous response is a lie. 

  1) It took a minimum of 5 attempts to resolve this matter with at least 3 other representatives of the company WHO EACH GAVE ME A DIFFERENT EXPLANATION OF WHAT HAPPENED before my complaint was directed to the manager, **************, in MAY.  ************** is the one who purported to finally give a "true" account of what happened, but as previously noted, I don't find his explanation at all credible.  If the company had done nothing wrong, why did they lie repeatedly about the incident?

  2) Trespassing is more than a mere "miscommunication".

  3) What "most" second home owners do is of no relevance, as that is not what I did, as the company knows.  I gave the company my key code for a previous service call, I did not ask that it be kept "on file" for their general future use, and I did not give my permission for the company enter my home unannounced whenever the mood struck them, as they concede they did here.

  4) They continually attempt to frame themselves as the savior here, having saved my pipes from freezing - this is both impossible to prove and irrelevant.

  5) NO REFUND HAS BEEN ISSUED!  Not a cent.  Again, the company's response is completely false. 

  There can be no resolution of this matter while the company continues to act in bad faith, intentionally responding with complete falsehoods. 

   

   

   

   
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  *******

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  03/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 3/29/22 I ran out of propane for my heat and hot water, while being on auto fill. I called the ********************************* location to inform them that we had run out and I was informed that there is a 100gal min delivery amount, and they would noy deliver for less. Many times over the past year we've received deliveries for less than 100gal. I was informed that they could not deliver until this next Friday. I feel this is inhumane, especially during the still cold months at the end of winter and beginning of spring.

  Business response

  04/18/2022

  Hunter called 3/29/22 to say he ran out of propane. We explained how his account status works and how deliveries are scheduled. He was confused about the payment and delivery process but it was discussed and a delivery was made that same day.

• Initial Complaint

  02/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I called Cota & Cota regarding an issue with my furnace. I was informed that since I was a COD customer it would be a big expense to come after hours. I told the man to not bother coming than and I would have the company who installed my furnace come out the next day and warranty it for me. The next morning while I was at work Cota & Cota arrived and fixed my furnace. My wife let them in knowing a repair man was coming. I called **** and told them to get their man out of my house as he is not to be there working on my furnace. By the tine they called the man he was already done. I complained that I told them to not come out and that I'm not responsible for the ****. After four phone calls over the past month they stated that it's a legit **** and I have to pay or they will not provide my propane services anymore. I asked to compromise by paying for half the ****. I paid for everything but the $105 service charge. They still disagree and are refusing to deliver propane to me until paid. I'm due for a delivery and would like this resolved without having to switch companies as that will be a couple hundred more to have a new tank delivered.

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