Well it's the time of the year when the home heating oil contracts get negotiated.
I find the negotiating process very distasteful and stressful. I do some research (NYSERTA prices, local competition) the best I can but when I call up the company (I am a long time customer, 800+ credit score and I pay within a couple of days of my delivery.) they start off with a high ball offer and we have to waste a lot of time and effort playing games. Couple years back I got so disgusted I hung up with my long term vendor and picked another vendor that I really didn't want who gave me a decent contract w/o any back and forth game playing. (They didn't have the reputation of the one I really wanted — reputation is important to me).
When the game player called me back after a couple of days they were shocked, shocked that I didn't tell them the other offer and allow them to match it (I don't operate doing business that way whether it be heating oil, refrigerators or cars i.e., "tell me what the other guy offered and I will see what we can do when I talk to my manager").
what do you guys do?
ideas?
I find the negotiating process very distasteful and stressful. I do some research (NYSERTA prices, local competition) the best I can but when I call up the company (I am a long time customer, 800+ credit score and I pay within a couple of days of my delivery.) they start off with a high ball offer and we have to waste a lot of time and effort playing games. Couple years back I got so disgusted I hung up with my long term vendor and picked another vendor that I really didn't want who gave me a decent contract w/o any back and forth game playing. (They didn't have the reputation of the one I really wanted — reputation is important to me).
When the game player called me back after a couple of days they were shocked, shocked that I didn't tell them the other offer and allow them to match it (I don't operate doing business that way whether it be heating oil, refrigerators or cars i.e., "tell me what the other guy offered and I will see what we can do when I talk to my manager").
what do you guys do?
ideas?
And get cash vs credit card pricing, and volume/value pricing. During peak periods I can manage my oil prices, buying on less cold days and less demand equaling lower ppg pricing etc.
I learned how to do maintenance with Google on a 60 year old Becket burner.. eventually replaced it with a Riello 7 years ago [100% tear out and replace]