General Utilities

Lucille J.

NO WORDS!
After dealing with this company's totally inept record keeping (they were unable to reconcile our account)....we finally decided to just pay the damn bill. Alas, we were unable to get away from these crooks. We called and sent emails to confirm our displeasure and told them to discontinue service. THEY CONTINUED to COME ONTO OUR PROPERTY AND FILL OUR TANKS....not once, not twice, but THREE times. When confronted, they offered a ""discount"". This is a scam.

Amy S.

I had high hopes for this company! Paid for a service contract for 4 central air units. First problem- one unit was leaking and they said I had to pay for a pressure test (and Freon of course!) Another day- waited for their second technician who came after the allotted 4 hour time slot! He spent 2.5 hour (they were charging by time), and concluded that I needed a whole new system! (unit and air handler). Because he was rude, I decided to get another opinion. In 10 minutes the leak was easily found and fixed, saving me THOUSANDS on an unneeded new system!! Initially , General was extremely apologetic and promised me an immediate refund of the ""unused"" part of my service contract. After SIX WEEKS of repeated emails and phone calls, I finally got a PARTIAL refund of about 60%, less than promised. Of the ""charges"" they deducted, included was the ""opening"" of the broken unit!!! DO NOT USE THEM!!!

Randi J.

I was a customer for 26 years. I became increasingly unhappy having to haggle to lock in a yearly delivery price. Sue from their billing department insisted I had to pay by credit card to lock in a price. Without my permission they put their annual service contract on my credit card as well. As part of their ""negotiations"" they would bill me for $222, offering a $ 99. Service contract if I locked in a delivery price but it was like pulling teeth to get them to credit my card. Final straw was when a bucket was put under a pipe to catch leaks from my burner, instead of correcting the issue in the first place. I went to another company that repaired the leak immediately. General had billed American Express for a renewal of my service contract. I contested the charge stating I cancelled my service, and American Express credited my account. Today I received a statement from General for the $222 plus interest!!! Can't get rid of this horrible company and their miserable billing department. Harassment to the hilt after 26 years. Be forewarned. Would post minus stars if available.

Tessa C.

Absolutely horrible after being bought by Petro. I am on automatic delivery and ran out of oil in 2 degree temps. Called them at 12pm. Waited on hold almost an hour for them to tell me they couldn't get to me for 11 hours. At 1am the service tech finally came and cleaned the filter and gave me 10 gallons of oil. Oil was eventually delivered the next day. But now I discovered one of the water lines froze and flooded from the second floor down one wall to the basement! Definitely need to consult with my insurance company and an attorney.

Francis L.

Great service every time. Fuel delivery 1/4/18 major snowstorm.
Thanks to Driver # 421 Truck # 1202.
Thank you nite and daytime phone staff. Always courteous and very helpful.
I recommend General Utilities without reservation.
Losito Family 9966I

Win K.

I bought a house last year where the owner had almost 1000gallons of oil left on their contract which she prepaid. When I called their customer service, they wouldn't work with me to give me a deal or incentive to keep them. So I said goodbye to them.

Fast forward one year, now a salesperson calls and tries to give me a line about how good they are. Well, from where I stood a year ago, it would have been nice to hear and talk to him. Too bad they mad a horrible business decision to not work with me. My business was lost on that customer service call alone. I would agree with all the other complaints on the Customer Relations. They need help when it comes to dealing with people and being flexible.

Christopher U.

We've used General for years without any issues. Their repair people have been very courteous and even come late at night when the heat went out. We recently had then replace an ancient boiler for us, which went smoothly and will save us money for years.

I've read some of the posts from people complaining about auto delivery and contracts. If you don't want a contract, don't get one. Order via COD. The whole point to a contract is that you lock in a low price on oil for the next year. I've asked how it works (some of the other posters here should have asked). If prices go up, they've committed to deliver at that price. They (and all oil companies) pre-buy what you need for the next year. That's how they guarantee your price when prices rise. No one loves cancellation fees, but they are there because they had to spend money to lock in the price for you, and if you cancel, they are stuck with what you committed to buy.

And none of this is hidden in the contract, it is right there. Just read it.

A D.

GU came in to replace my parents' boiler in the dead of winter in 1973 when their existing provider bailed on them. They and I have been customers ever since. Their service has been terrific and I continue to use them in connection with my clients. I can always count on them to show up in those oh s-- situations.

Dina L.

I have been a General customer for about 12 years. I cannot say enough good things about this company. They are always incredibly pleasant to deal with and very professional. The woman who answered the phone was very kind and sympathetic! I called at 12:30 at night on a Sunday, and had a uniformed and professional repairman at my house at 8:30am the next morning, who was able to perfectly repair my water heater. (They actually offered to send someone in the middle of the night, but I wanted to go to bed!) I am on auto-delivery with them, and after the first 3 months (when they have to make closer deliveries to figure out how much oil you actually use), they have timed my deliveries perfectly. Some of the negative reviews are so ridiculous that they seem fake. The woman who said she got deliveries too often?? Who cares?? They only top off your tank. If you don't need oil, it's General's time wasted, not yours. And then they can figure out that you are not burning as much oil and come less often. General replaced my 70-year-old oil burner last year, and my auto delivery schedule changed because my more efficient unit now uses a lot less oil. As for pricing, I have an extremely competitive rate. At the end of my contract each year, I speak to them to renegotiate my oil price and they are always willing to work with me in order to keep me as a customer. I am very pleased with General and just found out that they do alarm systems as well. ADT has raised my monthly charges consistently for years and I am paying a fortune!! I will definitely be switching to General for my security system as well.

Robby D.

We inherited General Utilities from the homeowners before us & we're very happy we did.

We've been customers for almost 23 years & remain greatly satisfied with their service. While prices can be high (as others have cited), they do give you the option of locking in. Most of the time we have done very well. This is a nice, old-fashioned family run business which is certainly a nice change from corporate America's ""Big Business"" philosophy.