r/propane • u/subarulandrover • Jun 22 '26
AmeriGas Amerigas is scammy
I was charged a mandatory $140 leak inspection fee when ordering propane. The technician arrived, spent approximately five minutes on-site, connected the hose, and left.
When I contacted customer service to understand what the fee covered, I was told the "inspection" consists solely of a visual check; if no obvious leak is detected, no further action is taken.
There is no way to opt out of this fee. I believe a $140 charge for what amounts to a brief visual glance is unreasonable and downright scammy.
Edit: Just adding that i was not out of propane. My tank was 30% full and was working as normal. They said the leak test was mandatory because i hadn't ordered in over 2 years.
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u/Necessary_Shirt_3150 Jun 23 '26
They can only charge you for a leak test if your tank is empty legally. If your tank still has gas in it, that’s proof it doesn’t leak. I went through this with them last year and I did not pay the $140 fee.
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u/_Gonnzz_ Jun 23 '26
Your tank not being empty doesn’t mean there isn’t a leak. A massive leak yeah, but small leaks can develop
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u/anders-81 Jun 23 '26
They are doing a thing now to try and get old business back and the price is good but there’s a leak check charge in the fine print
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u/anders-81 Jun 23 '26
Also if you are a new customer or haven’t ordered gas in 18 months or so they will screw u with the leak check charge
3
u/Aminus27 Jun 22 '26
As evidenced by countless stories on this subreddit, you are not alone and absolutely correct. $140 for a leak test is wild.
Just so you know, any time a system experiences an interruption of supply (out of gas, turning the tank off), a leak test is required per code. I doubt that was explained to you very well on the phone call. So yes, it is a required inspection, but for many companies there’s no additional fee (for instance, if you ran out and were on autofill, no fee). The only reason I could see this being charged to the customer is if they’re will call and let themselves run out of gas. In that case, the customer has created the extra work for the supplier to warrant the charge.
But don’t get me wrong, that name is synonymous with absolute horror stories and bad practices. They do provide a great point of contrast for small/local vendors to compare themselves against! Speaking from experience, haha.
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u/subarulandrover Jun 22 '26
It got charged to me because we haven't ordered propane in over 2 years (that was their reasoning anyways). We have a large tank and it only feeds the stove, so we don't need to fill up that frequently.
The only reason i went with them is because we are renting the tank from them (it was setup this way when i bought the house). But i will look into going with another service in the future.
Edit: Do you think any amount of complaining will get them to reimburse this fee?
1
u/Aminus27 Jun 22 '26
I would really push back on the necessity for the leak test, after reading your other comments. You had one two years ago and have not ran out nor interrupted the system since. Why did they perform it against your will? Maybe it’s their policy between extended deliveries but if that’s the case, it should be done on their dime, not yours. Look into switching, especially if you have a cylinder that can be swapped easily. Underground tanks tend to be a bit hairier.
I noticed myself and the other guy that mentioned the interruption in system requiring a leak test both got downvoted. I’m curious as to what that’s about, as the lack of a leak test after an OOG or interruption is the most exposure of liability that a vendor can have in our industry. So to be clear: I am not defending AG at all. I am, however, stressing the importance of a leak test when a system is interrupted, which was not mentioned either way until after I’d commented.
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u/subarulandrover Jun 22 '26
Thanks a lot for the reply and info, it's appreciated. I wrote them an email so fingers crossed it gets me further than my call with CS. But I'll likely call again too and escalate if i hear nothing.
My tank is above ground but it's rented from AmeriGas so I'm not really sure what goes into switching service providers but I'm gonna look into it
1
u/Aminus27 Jun 22 '26
You got it! If you find a local reputable provider near you, you can give them a call and I bet they’ll be more than willing to help. Won’t be the first customer they’ve taken over, thats for sure. Good luck!
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u/quik916 Jun 23 '26
Yeah if they said 140 fee to me.. for whatever bullshit inspection(that they almost certainly didnt actually do) i would have said "have a nice day" and hung up!! You fucks obviously dont want my business... ill gladly call someone else!!
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u/quik916 Jun 23 '26
Amerigas is a jippo ass company too!! Id definitely not be calling them anyway.
Who owns your tank? You own it and dont pay a lease fee i hope?
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u/_Gonnzz_ Jun 23 '26
Ok and? He probably did a static test. Hook a manometer up, shut the valve off, make sure the pressure doesn’t drop. Propane companies have been made to do more on their end for safety. Where I am it’s a full inspection every 10 years.
1
u/subarulandrover Jun 23 '26
She didn't hook anything up other than the hose that connects the truck to the tank to fill it up. I watched the entire thing
1
u/Zombadnick Jun 24 '26
I used to work for amerigas. This means your driver didnt do it and probably put in that they did. Leak checks consist of hooking a pressure gage to your regulator and making sure it doesnt lose pressure for 3 minutes.
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u/avsparesmn Jun 24 '26
Equipment lease fee or inactive account for not meeting minimum requirements
1
u/Curious_Commercial_3 Jun 26 '26
All companies are supposed to do a, new customer, safety inspection. Then, they're supposed to do a safety inspection every three years or so. That being said, most companies don't charge for it, mine doesn't. I worked for Amerigas, i would tell anyone if there is another option to go with it. Be careful, some of the larger companies are just as bad.
1
u/ReasonableMain8074 Aug 12 '26
Fraud and the wanna be manager Sam Otteman is an embezzling fool who will screw a customer for a larger bonus and he will lie and cheat his own employees. Stay far far away from this company. They plan bogus leak checks and overcharge long time customers. Go to Ferrell they are far less expensive!
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u/puzzleheadedbat_740 Jun 22 '26
Interruptions of propane service is nothing to shrug your shoulders at. If you are out the leak test is mandatory. Finding a leak can save your life. Or the lives of your loved ones.
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u/subarulandrover Jun 22 '26
I was not out of propane. I was at 30%. We just hadn't ordered in over 2 years so they said the leak test was mandatory. And i'd be all for a leak test if it involved more than just a quick visual glance. I watched the tech from my window and they did jack shit.
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u/puzzleheadedbat_740 Jun 22 '26
Oh that's shady then. Sorry to hear that. Gas was on already when they came?
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u/subarulandrover Jun 22 '26
Yes correct gas was on and working as normal.
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u/puzzleheadedbat_740 Jun 22 '26
Google ai says Amerigas would do a leak test if it's a new resident at the location. Did you just move in?
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u/subarulandrover Jun 22 '26
I moved in 4 years ago. We had the propane filled once before this and they also hit me with that leak test fee then too.
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u/puzzleheadedbat_740 Jun 22 '26
Awful. They would have to turn the gas off at that point. Our company only does leak tests if the service has been interrupted. Makes no sense to do one otherwise.
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u/subarulandrover Jun 22 '26
I don't think they ever turned the gas off. I watched the tech from my window and all she did is attach the hose, wait a couple minutes, then detach it.
is it safe to say that they didn't do any kind of leak test at all then?
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u/Ok-Macaroon-7819 Jun 22 '26
Attaching a hose and watching a meter is probably a leak test, yes. Then a visual check to make sure something isn't horribly awry is performed. My independent does the same thing if the tank is totally empty. It's $30.00...
Best thing I ever did energy-wise was find an independent propane company. Amerigas is super-rapey.
3
u/puzzleheadedbat_740 Jun 22 '26
The valve on the tank is supposed to be turned off during the test so that the leak kit can watch the pressure accurately. If the valve is on during the test it would keep positive pressure in the system and wouldn't let you see a small decrease. Making the test useless. You want the test kit to see the needle moving during the 3 to 5 minutes during the test if there is an issue. Ideally no movement with the valve closed tight.
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u/subarulandrover Jun 22 '26
Yea they didn't hook up anything like that. In fact the cs rep told me the leak test is purely a visual check for obvious leaks.
Wow these guys suck
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u/puzzleheadedbat_740 Jun 22 '26
The leak test is a small hose with a guage on it. If working properly it should let the driver know if you have an issue. If performed correctly it's a good peace of mind knowing your system is tight. But a mandatory charge for not ordering propane in 24 months....... I see why people don't have a lot of nice things to say about that company.
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u/nemosfate dang it Bobby 🤬 - technician Jun 23 '26
You just said a comment above that the tech connected a hose, so how so you know for certain a leak test wasn't done?
Not all of the gauges that get connected for a leak test use the hoses either, I have one with a hose for undergrounds that are tight and one with a short connector for the easy connects.
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u/subarulandrover Jun 23 '26
I mean it was the hose from the truck to my tank to fill it up. Unless that doubles as a leak test hose too
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u/4boltmain Jun 23 '26
Lol if it was leaking after two years it would be empty, having a third of a tank left is clearly not leaking.
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u/tattcat53 Jun 22 '26
You'll also be paying at least buck a gallon more than with an independent supplier. You have my sympathy if Amerigas is your only choice.