We just cancelled our service with Amerigas two days ago and they came out today to pick up their tank. We had had them for about 15 years at our house, about as long as we have lived our house. While would not say that this company is totally horrible, I do believe they could have been better in some ways.

One thing they did right was provide a clear explanation of every charge on a bill. The website where I could pay the bill was user friendly. Once an account was set up, I could pay the bill online without any hassle.

I used to like dealing with our local company called Heritage Propane, which was actually quite friendly and easy to deal with. I could call them on the phone and even pay the bill over the phone. They were a nice, small local company until they were taken over by Amerigas and I suddenly had to deal with a large and impersonal business with customer service agents from outside of the country. It is for this reason that we decided to leave Amerigas and sign up for service with a local service like we once had. With a company that answers the phone and doesn't speak in a heavy foreign accent. With a company where I can stop in at a local office and talk with somebody.

Amerigas is doing its part to try to keep customers from leaving them, with steep charges for doing that. They are billing me $300 for tank removal. When the men came to pick up the tank, they were quite happy that the tank was already disconnected and waiting in a very convenient location for them to pick up. They were here for all of about 10 minutes at most just loading a tank onto their truck. I asked for a discount since the tank was already ready for them, and they said it was unlikely that would happen. We will also be billed $120 for the privilege of having them come (a "service dispatch" charge). We were told that we would receive a refund on the unused propane. We paid $4.99 a gallon for the gas, but we aren't sure if that is what they will pay us.

They have consistently billed us at the rate of $4.99 a gallon for propane, which is quite a bit more than the $2.58 a gallon that is the national average price.

In the final analysis, I am not sure if I would deal with this company again and I would not advise dealing with them unless you want to be with them and no other company indefinitely. Leaving is expensive and you may not get the quality of customer service that you expect from a company.