How to not win a new customer

I am in the process of getting bids to replace my 30+ year old oil burner furnace with a new propane unit.

Today I wanted to set up site-visits with a couple of propane vendors to plan my new fuel source. The first company I called was Amerigas:

Me: "Could someone come out tomorrow morning?"
Office girl: "No, our hours are 7:00am to 3:30pm, Monday through Friday"
Me: "But I don't get home from work until after 5:00pm, and evenings or weekends are the only time I'm available."
Office girl: "I don't know what to tell you."
Me: "Let me check my schedule, I'll call you back."

Next, I called Conserv FS (my current fuel oil co-op):

Me: "Could you come out tomorrow morning?"
Gary (independent co-op delivery guy): "Sure, I can be there at 9:00am"
Me: "Great! See you then!"

Guess which one is most likely to get my business?

That's why we don't have Amerigas. They had a chance to get our business when our heat pump failed. That was 6 years ago and they still haven't shown up. The local guy showed up an hour after I called and we had heat the next day.

Jim

my story is a little different it has to do with diamond antennas i have an antenna which i used in an aplication it was not intended which caused damage to the base. while talking with tech support about how i may still be able to utilize the antenna he notified me that i could buy the necessary parts to fix the antenna. now while digging for my wallet to get a credit card number the conversation moved to my back and how this all started in iraq, i got my card out and started reading off the numbers and was told he couldn't take my card i asked why he said you are military i assured him i was retired now and could pay for the parts. he informed me that i did my time in the sand box and it was his companys way of saying thank you. from now on you can guess whose products i will buy.

Dds, it's good to know there are still a few good folks left for us consumers!!!
Mike

Dave, why not consider a small direct vent LP fired boiler and an air handler with a coil. Very efficient system that allows you to add a/c and an indirect or plate heat exchanger for hot water. That is my setup and it makes good heat and hot water.