Propane Company Leaving Customers In The Cold

Michigan Attorney General's Office Helps Customers DETROIT, Updated 5:03 p.m. EST December 28, 2000-- Hundreds of local families are facing a frigid new year because their propane gas provider is failing to deliver.

Calls are pouring into the Michigan attorney general's office from customers of Level Propane Gases, Local 4 reports. Angry homeowners said that instead of delivering their gas, Level Propane is delivering empty promises.

Level Propane Gases Inc. is based in Westlake, Ohio, outside of Cleveland, and the company has more than 200,000 customers in 12 states. The Better Business Bureau received more than 600 complaints about the company over the past three years. In February, the state of New York fined level propane about $17,000 for reneging on customer contracts.

From Ohio, two Level Propane officials admitted to Local 4 that there were problems getting propane to customers in central and southeastern Michigan, such as severe weather, too much snow preventing delivery and mechanical problems with delivery trucks. The company also cites a smaller workforce for the delivery delays.

Level Propane tells Local 4 that it has brought extra trucks and personnel into Michigan to get propane delivered to its customers.

But attorneys general in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York are all watching the company very closely.

Through an agreement with the Michigan attorney general, customers can now fill their Level tanks with propane from other vendors. Level customers should first contact the company or the attorney general's office for details.

To contact the Michigan attorney general's office, call (517) 373-1140 or go to the Web site at www.ag.state.mi.us.

http://www.wdiv.com/det/news/stories/news-20001227-160959.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), December 29, 2000

Answers

To tell the truth I thought the propane shortage this winter would turn out to be much worse than it is.

-- Uncle Fred (dogboy45@bigfoot.com), December 29, 2000.

Long timme no see, Uncle Fred

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), December 29, 2000.