Foreclosure and Propane in MD.

[house2]

A builder built a house next to me in 2005- it sat 18 months before it sold.
The builder signed a contract and had a Propane tank installed ( 1000 gallon) in 2005. The house then sold and the Propane company delivered to the new owners for 2 years.

The propane company decided it was going to limit its service area and sold off all the customers it had in Maryland to another co. in Baltimore MD. OK.

The owners lost the house in 2009- Foreclosure.
It was bought and sold 3 times by banks.

This May I purchased the house on auction. I did so to keep up the neighborhood as it was built on family property.

I went to fill the propane tank and I called the people that put it in- first company. They sent me to the second company- read above.

Well the tank had a block put on it by company two as the original owners owed them $300 +.

I also paid $180 for the service and leak testing and purchased 250 gallons of fuel from them.

I don't like the company, they are high and the service is poor since they are 60 miles from me. They tell me I'm stuck with them as I'm contracted as the house was when it was built.

I don't think me being the 4th owner after a foreclosure is tied up with them.
After all they were not the original contract signers. I offered to buy the tank and they said no. If I don't buy from them they will remove the tank. I think that is an empty threat.

This is Cecil County MD. Any help would be appreciated.
Thank You
Jim

 

[nextwife]

Contact other propane companies in the area. See what they'd charge for a tank rental if you use them for your propane, and, of course, price their propane.

 

[justalayman]

After all they were not the original contract signers. I offered to buy the tank and they said no. If I don't buy from them they will remove the tank. I think that is an empty threat

empty threat?

Is it their tank? If so, I suspect that the only entity allowed to fill the tank is them. If you want a different supplier, you will have to source a tank, either through purchase or rental, elsewhere.

 

[HomeGuru]

empty threat?

Is it their tank? If so, I suspect that the only entity allowed to fill the tank is them. If you want a different supplier, you will have to source a tank, either through purchase or rental, elsewhere.

**A: I don't have a tank but I do have gas.

 

[justalayman]

**A: I don't have a tank but I do have gas.

I think I saw a "do it yourself" installation kit where you can connect the source to your home so you can save yourself all that money you currently pay outside providers.

I saw a couple problems though:

unless you work from home, the source to your home is sporadic and:

they only seemed to have a one size fits all adapter and I don't know where they got the dimensions from but I'm thinking they used to be associated with the Jolly Green Giant.

 

[house2]

Actually it is not their tank.
They were not the original supplier or on the contract.
The original supplier no longer delivers to the area and are still in business.
So in my mind they never owned the tank and have no right to call the shots.

empty threat?

Is it their tank? If so, I suspect that the only entity allowed to fill the tank is them. If you want a different supplier, you will have to source a tank, either through purchase or rental, elsewhere.

 

[justalayman]

Actually it is not their tank.
They were not the original supplier or on the contract.
The original supplier no longer delivers to the area and are still in business.
So in my mind they never owned the tank and have no right to call the shots.

well, it's not your tank, is it?

You seem to speak as if you know the business arrangements between the original installer and the company that took over that area. I suspect there is more to it than you are aware of.
It would seem that the second company believes they do have the right to control the tank:

Well the tank had a block put on it by company two as the original owners owed them $300 +.

the only way they could do that is either by contractual agreement or because they own it. Since they do not sell the tanks, I suspect it is because they own it.

in other words: the new (2nd company), along with purchasing the customer base, more than likely purchased the assets in the field as well.

 

[house2]

Yes it is my tank- I paid for it didn't I?
Yes I do know the business dealings because the owner told me.
I came for sound legal advice not some argument by someone that has not even tried to understand the case.
A layman like yourself should be able to see that offering to pay for the tank outright even though I did by buying the house in the first place was a move they should accept.
A win win for everyone. Saves them a ton of money not driving 60 miles to dig it up and all the costs that involves.

 

[FarmerJ]

very few homes have a true customer owned tank, SO when the original provider transfered its interest to the other firm its likely they also sold to them the tanks they had put in as rentals. so that part of the deal transfered, BUT nothing else would have, your free to run the tank down to say 5% and unless you signed a actual contract obligating your self to them your free to call another supplierbefore it hits 5% and learn what it would cost to set up rental tank with them or outright buy one from them and to have the propane you paid for transfered to the new tank. then you call the firm who ended up as provider and tell them `your tank is empty ,come and get it off my property` BTW customer owned tanks do get lower rate in many areas mine earns me 20cent per gallon less but I have to pay COD as well to get that.

 

[FlyingRon]

Yes it is my tank- I paid for it didn't I?

Apparently not. When the former owner set up the propane service he had the choice of either purchasing outright the tank or letting the company install one and as long as he bought propane from them they'd not charge him any demurrage.

Yes I do know the business dealings because the owner told me.

Eh? The propane company owner said he turned over accounts without assigning the existing contracts? Ok, then.

I came for sound legal advice not some argument by someone that has not even tried to understand the case.

And we come here to do the best we can with the peoples poor explanation of their problem and try to intuit there scant knowledge of the law and business issues. What we don't come here for is to be haranged on by some self-centered person who believes that they're owed the answer THEY WANT TO HEAR rather than a best answer based onw hat we have.

A layman like yourself should be able to see that offering to pay for the tank outright even though I did by buying the house in the first place was a move they should accept.

Chortle, nobody is REQUIRED to do the what YOU THINK is the best move for them.

 

[justalayman]

house2;2919826]Yes it is my tank- I paid for it didn't I?

Not unless it was owned by the previous homeowner which does not appear to be the case. I know very few gas suppliers that sell the larger tanks.

Remember, there was some sort of "hold" on the tank. If YOU owned it, there could be no "hold" and you could simply call up any propane supplier to fill the thing. Give that a try and see what happens. I suspect you will learn who really owns the tank.

Yes I do know the business dealings because the owner told me.

then please enlighten me because so far, you have not disclosed anything that would lead me to believe I am wrong here.

I came for sound legal advice not some argument by someone that has not even tried to understand the case.

I can only understand what you give facts to support. So far, you have given no facts that would show you own the tank.

A layman like yourself should be able to see that offering to pay for the tank outright even though I did by buying the house in the first place was a move they should accept.

but it you already OWN the tank, why would you even bother to offer to buy it again? That makes no sense and really throws your claims into confusion.

A win win for everyone. Saves them a ton of money not driving 60 miles to dig it up and all the costs that involves

well, as far as they are concerned, it is a cost of doing business and up to them but if YOU own the tank, then they CANNOT come and dig it up without your permission so, if YOU own the tank, quit screwing around and tell them to get lost, call a propane dealer of your choice and fill the damn tank.


Let me know how that works out for you.

 

[justalayman]

Actually it is not their tank.
They were not the original supplier or on the contract.
The original supplier no longer delivers to the area and are still in business.
So in my mind they never owned the tank and have no right to call the shots.

right here is the problem.

"IN MY MIND they never owned the tank".

I suspect that what is in your mind is not correct but even worse, you are working on assumptions, not facts. So, rather than chastising me for not providing answers you want to hear, how about researching this and getting some facts. Then we can talk intelligently here.

 

[HomeGuru]

right here is the problem.

"IN MY MIND they never owned the tank".

I suspect that what is in your mind is not correct but even worse, you are working on assumptions, not facts. So, rather than chastising me for not providing answers you want to hear, how about researching this and getting some facts. Then we can talk intelligently here.

**A: good one. Your Honor, in my mind**************..oh never mind.

 

[FarmerJ]

a few years ago while price shopping to fill I called a regional supplier near by and they insisted I have proof that I owned the tank, it was a hoot because their customer owned tank rate was i think 18 cent a gallon higher than one other provider I called. I remember telling the lady ` It was listed on the paper work with the house and who one of the other providers were that had sold to previous owners for years and her request was too much ` thanked her and that was end of it. Rental tanks normally have suppliers names on them non rental tanks dont in my area.