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05/16/2013 - SIGNS
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We want to thank the members who have placed our roadside signs around their neighborhoods. It is important to make sure that the municipality allows signage before hanging or planting a sign anywhere. Thank you.
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05/06/2013 - "We're All in it Together!"
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Last week, three people called and asked how we're able to offer such low prices. I thought it would be worth explaining. In the case of publicly held propane companies, they need to make their stockholders happy. With privately held propane companies, they need to make their families happy. Money makes them all happy. Money makes our members happy also… So, simply put, “we're not in business to make a lot of money, we're in business to save our members a lot of money.” Remember, “we're all in it together.”
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04/29/2013 - J &R Welding Supply and J&R Fuel Supply Company
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As some members are aware, in the past we have sub-contracted propane tank installs to J&R Fuels and J&R Welding, located on Route 50 in Ballston Spa. It has come to our attention that a number of installs were not done correctly. More impotently, some members have informed us that some tank installations by J&R did not meet the New York State Department of Transportation's safety rules and regulations. Further, we have been advised by members that the equipment that appeared on some of J&R's tank installation estimates was never installed by J&R, despite them having been paid for it. In an effort to resolve these matters, we requested that J&R Welding Supply and J&R Fuel Company refund the money for the parts and associated labor time that they allegedly wrongfully collected, but, through a law firm representing J&R Welding Supply and J&R Fuel Company, they have denied any wrong doing. We asked that they forward us copies of their records relating to the tank installs so we could compare them with ours, but, they refused to forward them. As a result we have held back several of their invoices until there is a resolution.
We have been cautioned by the law firm representing J&R Welding Supply and J&R Fuel Company to not make disparaging remarks about their client. We advised the firm that we had a right to speak the truth and we would only advise our members of the circumstances as we know them and echo any remarks that were made by members. It appears that we are going to be litigating the matter. As things start to progress, we will keep you informed by posting all documents on our web site under the tab that reads "Pandora's Box."
I'm sure you all will be glad to know that the Co-op and Ferrellgas is now installing members tanks, and as in the past, we stand behind each install 100%.
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04/16/2013 - Propane Tank Installations
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Be advised that in the past we have sub-contracted our propane tank installs to J&R Fuel in Ballston Spa. J&R Fuel is no longer installing our tanks. If there are any issues regarding a tank that was installed by J&R Fuel, please contact us A.S.A.P. Our propane tanks are now being installed by Ferrellgas.
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04/09/2013 - J&R Fuels Will No Longer Be a Co-op Fuel Provider
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J&R Fuels will no longer be a fuel oil provider for the Co-op. Starting April 9th 2013, the Co-op will not be responsible for any issues that may arise between a Co-op member and J&R Fuels. Although they are not a fuel oil provider for us, through research we have found that Shaw Fuel, 1470 Route 9 Fort Edward, NY 12828, 518-793-7755, has offered quality fuel at the lowest prices outside of the Co-op. We encourage all members seeking fuel oil in the north country to call them.
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02/06/2013 - Save even more money on your trash collection through County Waste
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The Co-op has worked out an even lower discounted rate on trash collection through County Waste.
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10/02/2012 - WE ARE OFTEN IMITATED, BUT NEVER DUPLICATED
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Since we established our group in 2006, we have received countrywide attention because of what the propane industry calls our "unprecedented success." With over 6,000 folks joining our group in a 6 year period, plus over 3 million gallons of discount propane sold a year, and hundreds of thousands of gallons of discount premium fuel oil sold as well, this makes us the largest discount fuel group in the United States. As a result of our success, we receive calls from folks all over the country, and beyond that, want to start their own fuel group. Many groups that started in the last several years first sought our guidance, and others simply copied what they could see of our business model. Understanding that imitation is the ultimate form of flattery, we except this compliment with some reservation, because imitation can be a double edge sword. If a start-up group imitates us and is successful, that's great because it helps keep the fuel prices down. But, if they fail, and more often times they do than not, their members suffer because of this. This results in the successful groups being looked at with some skepticism.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN CHOOSING A FUEL GROUP:
Price:
Does the group offer a set rate for fuel? If so, is the price posted daily on a web site? How long is their price good for? Will they put it in writing?
Contract:
Does the group have a contract with a recognized fuel distributor? How long is the contract good for? Are there terms in the contract that could change? Will they put how long the contract is good for, and any terms that may change, in writing?
Fuel shortages:
Will the company guarantee against fuel shortages? Will they put it in writing?
Fees:
Are there fees associated with the set-up of their equipment and fuel delivery? Are there any other fees?
Track record:
Does the company have a proven track record? How many members do they have?
Experience:
If the company is a start-up, does the owner/CEO have business experience? Does he/she have experience in the fuel industry? Is his/her resume available for your review?
Failure:
In the event that the group fails, do they guarantee that the tanks and equipment will be removed for free? Will the remaining fuel be removed from the tanks at no charge to you? Will they put it in writing?
Compare:
If there are multiple fuel groups in your area, what is the difference between the different groups?
Saving money on fuel can be easy and very rewarding, if you do your research first. Choose wisely.
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09/14/2012 - PLEASE BE PATIENT
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Every year during this time the number of folks joining our group is overwhelming. Some of the folks that join say they monitored and compared pricing for over a year before they switched. With this concentrated increase in membership brings a strain on Ferrellgas's propone installation team. These men are highly trained in the installation process, and they won't compromise safety as a speedy means to an end. If you have done your homework, you know that becoming a member is worth waiting. This is because we are the largest residential fuel buying group in the United States, and saving you money got us there.
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05/20/2012 - Utica and Syracuse
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Over the past few years you folks from the Utica and Syracuse areas have called us, talking about the price of propane and heating oil out your way. You say you want to do business with a company that respects your business. You say you want great service. You say you want transparency. But most of all, you want great pricing. You see the fuel prices we have posted and you ask why you can t get those prices. We have watched the fuel prices in Oneida and Onondaga counties over the past four years. And we agree that you are paying too much. We are currently taking on new members in the Herkimer County. So hold on, we're coming! We will keep you informed of our progress via this website, as it becomes available. In the meantime, feel free to email us at info@fuels4less.com with any questions you may have.
And remember, while other fuel buying groups have come and gone, we have grown into the largest residential/commercial fuel buying group in the United States. And saving our members a lot of money got us there.
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05/05/2012 - Wanted:
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HEATING, PLUMBING, and COOLING professionals to service our 5,000 plus members. Interested parties must be highly experienced, very professional, and willing to work for less than the going rate. Email your letter of interest and relevant work experience to info@fuels4less.com.
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04/20/2012 - Attention Business Owners!
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Looking for a way to supplement your propane cost? Ferrellgas’s referral system is a great option! The Co-op offers our business members a convenient table membership display stand, which measures 6½” x 11”. This is a great way to expose your customers to the benefits of becoming a Co-op member, and in turn, generate revenue that will be applied to your propane account. The Co-op set-up form that your customer submits is coded with your business name and account number. When we receive a set-up form with your info on it, we will submit a referral request to Ferrellgas on your behalf. It’s an easy and effective cost-cutting measure for your business or home.
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04/01/2012 - Open Enrollment for BJ's
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BJ's is offering open enrollment to Co-op members April 1—April 15. For more information, please contact us at info@fuels4less.com. |
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03/25/2012 - Membership & Renewal
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As many members are aware, June 1st is the beginning of the Co-op’s new year. Soon you will receive in the mail your renewal form requesting your $35.00 yearly membership fee. If you are 65 or older, or active military, heating with propane only please provide proof and we will wave your membership fee. Either way, it is important to point out that renewal forms that are received after June 1st will be assessed an additional $45.00 above the $35.00 membership fee. Please get your renewal in on time.
Referrals
Considering the sale of four Paraco locations to Amerigas, it would be a great time to reach out to any former Paraco customer and explain the benefits of being a Co-op member. They will save money and you will receive a credit on your Ferrellgas account for each member you refer that joins. (Click Referral)
Thanks
We want to thank all our members for the support they give every time they renew, and we want to give great thanks to all those members who have been with us since the beginning. Every year we get bigger and better. We were informed recently that we are one of Ferrellgas’s largest customers. And this heating season, despite a mild winter, we sold a record number of gallons of both propane and fuel oil. Our membership continues to climb at an unprecedented pace. We have added another fuel oil distributor to supply our members in areas that deeply needed discounted fuel oil pricing. Smith & Son’s Fuels has partnered with us and will offer premium #2 fuel oil at Co-op pricing. Click here to view their pricing and service area.
Many members have expressed a desire for us to offer more discounted products and services. We will soon start a campaign to recruit businesses to offer special discounts to members. If you know of a business that is looking to increase their volume and are willing to provide a respectable discount to achieve that, ask them to contact us. We have over 5000 members that would love to hear from them.
North Country
You folks in the North Country need to start looking at how much money can be saved by joining our group. Although many of you have joined us, there are way too many of you that are paying much more money then you should. It’s easier to save a dollar then to make a dollar. Compare and save.
Finally, we would like to wish all our members a great summer. And remember to visit our website often. You’ll be impressed with the new developments coming your way in the 2012-2013 year. Be well, and remember, we’re the Galway Co-op, and "We are all in it together."
J
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03/22/2012 - Paraco sells 4 Locations to Amerigas
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Four of Paraco's area locations have been sold to Amerigas. Two of the locations included in the sale are believed to be in Broadalbin and Warrensburg. Terms of the sale were not immediately known. Speculation is that the sale was a result of the Co-op's pressure on area fuel companies to lower their prices. Paraco may have found it difficult to operate at a lower profit level and as a result decided to stop marketing in those areas. Click here for the letters sent to customers concerning their sale. |
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03/22/2012 - Smith & Sons Fuels Inc.
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Smith & Sons Fuels Inc. has provided quality #2 fuel oil, kerosene, and diesel to home owners in Fulton, Montgomery, and Hamilton counties since 2000. Owners, Gretchen and Jeff Smith, are committed to providing Galway Co-op members with superior service and fuel pricing unmatched outside the co-op. Click here for pricing. Service area includes Benson, Bleeker, Canajoharie, Caroga Lake, Ephratah, Fort Plain, Fort Hunter, Glen, Hope, Lassellsville, Nelliston, Oppenheim, Palatine Bridge, Rockwood, St. Johnsville, Tribes Hill, and Wells. |
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03/11/2012 - FUEL OIL'S DIRTY SECRET
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The Co-op has interviewed many fuel oil distributors, who wished to service Co-op members. Over the past few years, we have learned a lot about fuel oil and its distribution. There was much to learn, but what stood out was that all #2 fuel oil is not of the same quality. There is inferior fuel oil being sold by area distributors under the guise of premium home heating oil. There is no law that requires an oil distributor to disclose the quality of their fuel. Many fuel oil users would be surprised to learn that even some well established fuel oil distributors purchase sub-standard fuel oil to resell. Some fuel oil distributors go as far as suggesting that their fuel oil has an additive that cleans your furnace as you use it.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE PURCHASING SUB-STANDARD FUEL?
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Because sub-standard fuel oil is less pure than premium oil, you may detect an odor coming from your furnace. This odor typically is a result of poor combustion, due to impurities in the fuel oil. Not only is the odor unpleasant, it can be unhealthy. Furthermore, because of the level of impurities in the fuel oil, your furnace will not generate the BTU's it would with a superior fuel oil. You'll be burning more oil to get the same amount of heat that the superior heating oil would generate. Sub-standard fuel oil also creates more wear on your furnace reducing its service life.
When we interview a fuel oil distributor, we check the B.B.B. and the NYS Attorney's General Office for a record of complaints. We also verify the source of their fuel oil. We periodically do the same at different intervals of their contract with us.
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03/02/2012 - AAA
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Due to lack of usage of the program and in fairness to current members who are paying regular membership dues, AAA has cancelled its group membership discount program. |
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02/28/2012 - Sign Thieves
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Unfortunately, the signs that we set in various areas are being stolen. In particular, we keep planting a sign at the Price Chopper Plaza in Amsterdam and someone keeps stealing it. We had a member call with a description of the vehicle and a partial plate number, but that wasn't enough for the State Police to act on.
If you see anyone taking down one of our signs, please get their plate number and a description. You will not have to get anymore involved then that. Thank you.
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01/30/2012 - Purchasing Power
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| Fuels4less.com is the largest residential fuel buying group in the United States. We formed our group in 2006. Since then our growth rate has been unprecedented. Because of our purchasing power of over 3,000,000 gallons per year, we are able to assure members the lowest home fuel pricing and customer service unmatched in the industry. To compare your current fuel pricing with ours, click "Fuel Pricing" tab on our home page. |
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01/17/2012 - Watch Your Gauges!
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Don't get caught in the cold. Propane will call members-Be sure to be watching your gauges and call Ferrellgas for a delivery when you are at 35%. A will call delivery can take up to 5-7 business days.
1-800-437-4856 |
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01/14/2012 - Fuel Oil Prices in the North Country
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As many of our members are already aware, we are now offering premium #2 fuel oil in the North Country (see area map). Keeping with our philosophy of maintaining total transparency, we called all of the oil distributors that advertise in the Adirondack Journal and asked what their price per gallon was for 150 gallons of premium #2 fuel oil on that day. We noted the names of the companies and their prices and published them in the Adirondack Journal along with our price. The advertisement ran in the Adirondack Journal on November 18, 2011. The response was interesting. Many people called to question the prices. As a result we took on 32 new members. The most interesting call came from Mr. Dan Alexander, editor of the Adirondack Journal. Mr. Alexander stated he received several calls from several of the oil distributors whose pricing appeared in our advertisement and some had threatened to sue him. He questioned where we got the distributor’s prices and we explained. The end result is that Mr. Alexander will no longer allow us to make such comparisons in his paper. We report this news to you, not because we think that Mr. Alexander was wrong in his decision, but rather because of the way the oil distributors reacted. When they learned that their fuel oil prices were being posted in the newspaper for all to see, the fuel oil distributors could have reacted differently; they could have defended their pricing by using the old “Our prices are higher because our service is better than the rest”, or “Our prices are higher because we have an additive in our fuel oil that make it burn longer”. But we all know what they should do is lower their prices. We welcome out new members in the North Country. You're going to love the way we save you money.
Sincerely,
Galway Co-op.com LLC |
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11/27/2011 - Call us 882-5445!
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| One of the biggest benefits of our membership is the discount pricing we have negotiated with our vendors and the level of service you are entitled to. If you feel that you're not getting what your membership entitles you to, we want to hear from you. Keep in mind, we are here to serve you. Our members, as a whole, are what allows us to continue bringing you deep discounts and great service. |
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11/27/2011 - New Propane Members, 3-4 Week Wait
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| The Co-op is currently processing 8-23 new customer set up forms per day. Every year around this time, folks are looking to lower the cost of heating their homes. As a consequence, the Co-op is flooded with applications from those looking to sign up and start saving money. The high influx of new members in a short period of time creates a waiting list of folks who need new tanks. If they own their own tank the process takes less time. Ferrellgas has added extra manpower to meet the demand. It may be a little inconvenient, but when it's over, you'll be glad you waited! |
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10/17/2011 - North Country Fuel Users
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| Many folks from Lake George to Lake Placid have called us now that our advertisements have appeared in their local papers. The question most often asked is, 'How come your prices are so much lower than the company I'm using? ' The primary focus of the Galway Co-op.com LLC is not to make money. Our primary focus is to save our members money. Although we arrange to have fuel distributed to our members, we are not a conventional fuel distributor. We do not mark up the profit as much as a conventional fuel distributor. Also, because of our buying power we get pricing that is lower than the conventional fuel distributor. The accumulated savings is passed on to our members. The Co-op does generate some revenue, and a portion of it goes to local food pantries, Breast Cancer Awareness, and the fight against Autism.
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10/17/2011 - Propane Referral Program
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| If you are not taking advantage of the Propane Referral Program, you're missing out! By simply telling your family, friends, and co-worker how much money you've saved by joining the Co-op, you can reduce your yearly propane cost even more. Click the Propane Referral Program tab on our home page to read what some of our members have to say about the program.
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9/1/2011
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9/1/2011 - New Propane Contract
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We have negotiated a new contract for the delivery of propane to our members. Ferrellgas will once again be our supplier. The contract will run for five (5) years. The terms of the contract remains the same, with the exception of the price for members using 1-200 gallons yearly. That price was reduced. See http://www.fuels4less.com/propane.htm for more information.
There are several factors that needed to be considered prior to entering into a second contract with Ferrellgas: service, customer support, and of course, pricing. We have been with Ferrellgas for about three years now. For those members who were with us when the Co-op was formed, you remember we faced a difficult decision about a year into our contract with Heritage Propane. They wanted to up our propane and delivery cost. At that time we only had about 180 members. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but it was clear we needed to move on. We decided to go with Ferrellgas. The commercial account manager, Mike O'Brien and general manager Doug Muha, did a fine job of convincing us that our 180 members and future members would be in good hands. We were given better pricing than we had, and a larger marketing area. Switching our 180 propane tanks was challenging, and at times it caused tension between us and Ferrellgas. But in the end, we took the boxing gloves off, shook hands and really went to work. Millions of gallons of propane and thousands of members later, we signed on the dotted line once again. Trust, and a mutual understanding that the deal has to work for both parties, is what makes a good partnership. I think we have that and more.
Our thanks to Doug, and especially Mike, who never gave up, and our thanks to Ferrellgas who in 2006 had enough trust and confidence in us to realize we could do what has never been done before. We are the largest residential and small commercial Co-op in the United States. We're going to get bigger and we're going to get better because we understand, 'we're all in it together.'
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