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You really should know your heating oil supplier. You’re paying for product and service, but are you happy with your provider? You invite these professionals into your home and onto your property, but can you trust and depend on them? Make sure you’re finding extra value in your supplier – look at service.
Questions to ask...
Do they have their own storage facility in case of a supply disruption?
Do they employ their own drivers and technicians or do they use subcontractors?
What are the provisions for after-hours calls? Do they have a live answering service?
Is the company local? What type of response time can you expect if you have an emergency?
What type of liability insurance do they carry in case of an accident on your property?
Do they cover all of their customers’ fixed price gallons in case the market should spike in winter?
Who hires, screens, and trains their staff?
What happens if one of their trucks or service vans breaks down?
Do you know your supplier?
Do they have their own storage facility in case of a supply disruption?
Farm & Home has over 42 million gallons of company-owned storage, ready to provide service that meets our obligation to customers and not disrupt our supply.
Do they employ their own drivers and technicians or do they use subcontractors?
Farm & Home serves customers with reliable employees who you can trust to enter your house to service your heater or go onto your property to deliver you home heating fuel. We also do continual training, which is required by DOT to stay current on the most recent regulations, and by equipment manufacturers to stay on top of the latest improvements in the HVAC equipment.
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What are the provisions for after-hours calls? Do they have a live answering service?
Farm & Home does. You will speak to a live person, not an answering machine, anytime you call us.
Is the company local? What type of response time can you expect if you have an emergency?
Farm & Home has local offices in Lower Bucks County, Montgomery County, Lehigh County, and Northumberland County, and a corporate headquarters in Telford, Pa. This availability allows us to provide quick and efficient service. This is especially important when facing an emergency situation. Rely on Farm & Home to be available and respond quickly.
What type of liability insurance do they carry in case of an accident on your property?
An icy driveway, a fall, and other hazards are things to consider. Farm & Home carries appropriate insurance so you don’t have to worry should we have an incident on your property.
Do they cover all of their customers’ fixed price gallons in case the market should spike in winter?
Companies that have not covered enough fuel for their customers may stop answering their phones or stop making deliveries. Farm & Home buys fuel almost everyday to make sure we have enough fuel to service customers, the ability to secure the fixed price, and be assured no one is at risk should the market spike.
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Who hires, screens, and trains their staff?
If a company uses subcontractors for deliveries and for service, there is no uniform training in place, no tracking of license renewals, and possibly no standard hiring practices. You shouldn’t have to worry about the trust level of the individual you allow into your home or onto your property to do service or make a delivery. Farm & Home hires, trains, and monitors all of our employees and their actions.
What happens if one of their trucks or service vans breaks down?
You should ask if your supplier has their own garage and their own mechanics who regularly maintain their equipment for reliability and safety. If they only have a few trucks or vans and one or more are inoperable, how are those deliveries and service calls handled or re-routed? It’s a worry you can forget with Farm & Home, which has more than 45 home delivery trucks and over 45 service technicians to service our customers. We also have our own garage personnel on call 24/7 if immediate repairs are needed.
Do you know your supplier?
If there is one thing that separates us from other companies, it’s our employees. We have over 200 Farm & Home employees, dedicated to working tirelessly to provide the services our customers deserve. Many of our people are seasoned professionals, working with Farm & Home over 20 years. Through thick and thin, they’ve been committed to quality service and doing what it takes to ensure customers’ comfort. We believe in service beyond the product. Find the value in being a valued Farm & Home customer.
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