HARRISBURG – Attorney General Tom Corbett has cautioned Pennsylvania consumers to carefully review their options concerning any long-term heating fuel contracts they may have authorized.
“With the unusual swings in heating oil prices that we have seen over the past year, a growing number of consumers are questioning their long-term fuel delivery contracts,” Corbett said. “It is important for consumers to understand the options and limitations of various contracts, and to report problems involving deceptive or misleading practices to the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.”
Corbett said that consumers who are concerned about the price they are paying for heating fuel should carefully review the details of any delivery contract they have signed.
Some contracts call for the delivery of a certain number of gallons of fuel, for a fixed price, which was set when the contract was signed. Other contracts set a maximum price that consumers will be charged for each gallon of fuel, but allow prices to adjust downward if the current price is lower. A third type of contract does not limit the price for fuel, but simply extends winter fuel bills over a 12-month period, allowing consumers to budget a fixed payment every month.
Corbett said that if the current price for heating fuel is lower than the price in your contract, consumers should carefully review the terms of their agreement to see if the price can be adjusted downward. Consumers may also want to contact their heating oil supplier to see if their contract can be re-negotiated.
Consumers who are having difficulties with fuel companies honoring delivery contracts, disputes over delivery prices and concerns about misleading or deceptive price advertising, should contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-441-2555 or file an online consumer complaint.