Scudder Taylor Fuel

Lets just say not good. A Thousand dollar bill on stuff that should of been covered. As far as the dates of service to many to list.

I have a service plan that covers my whole heating system so, I don't pay by the job, I pay for like a plan. They are very good, I'm very happy with them.

The deal I have with Scudder-Taylor Oil is simple. Refill my oil tank when it hits 50% full and charge it to the credit card that I have on file with them. This approach was necessary because I do not live in the house in the winter and delivery delays caused by snow storms could result in an out of oil situation which could cause tens of thousands of damage to the house from burst pipes. On Thursday, February 19th, 2015, the temperature being in the high teens, I happened to come to the house for the weekend and found that the heat was working fine. However, within an hour, we ran out of oil. If we had not fortuitously made this visit, the house would have been ruined. I called the company and learned that they did have a delivery scheduled for the next day, and would also send out a technician with both a few gallons of oil and the ability to restart the furnace by priming it so that we could get through the night. The technician, did come and gave excellent service, but did describe what a mess they had on their hands with so many of their customers running out of oil. The next day, Friday, having received no oil by 1:30 p.m., I called the office and learned that the truck was on the way. Specifically, I was told that the truck was in Centerville and had four stops to make in that area and would then come to my house. The office staff member was confident that it would most likely be there within a couple of hours. She also commented that the company was in chaos. After no truck had arrived by 5:30 p.m., I called the office again. This time, only the answering service responded and suggested that she could leave a message which would be picked up by the office early the next morning, thus leaving us without heat on a night on which the temperature was near zero. I successfully prodded the person at the answering service to come up with an alternative, and she called the field technician who was on duty that night. He did call me and explained that he was in Wellfleet and had several "out-of-oil" stops to make in that area and in Dennisport before coming to me, but would definitely be there. In fact, he did come with a bit more oil and was very nice as well as professional. He also commented about what a mess their customers were in. Early the next morning, Saturday, I called the office again. The person checked the records and was unable to find out why the delivery had not been made the day before. She also commented on what a disaster they had on their hands because of the snow and customers not plowing their driveways. She also said that she would make sure that we would get oil that day. Later that morning, a truck did come and our tank was finally filled. Thus, the immediate crisis was over. Nevertheless, my faith in Scudder-Taylor oil, whom I have used for a decade or more, has been seriously shaken. I am now in the process of trying to find a web-based oil gauge which will allow me to monitor my oil level using my smart phone, something that previously was not necessary. In summary, the primary responsibility of an oil company is to ensure that its customers do not run out of oil. This is particularly essential in an area such as Cape Cod in which so many homes are used primarily for vacations. The claim that they are "doing the best that they can" is not reasonable. They should have been in direct contact with their customers by phone to alert them that they were probably going to run out of oil, hiring telephone help from a temporary agency if necessary. They should also have devised methods to know in advance if specific customers had not plowed their driveways, either by telephone or by sending someone out in advance using a car. It makes no sense to use a large oil truck to see if driveways have been cleared. Scudder-Taylor Oil should be able to do a lot better than this and I hope that this public rebuke inspires them to up their game. Submitted by Gerald Entine, February 22nd, 2015

While the initial part of the experience was fine the rest was abysmal. The worker who started the repair was very friendly and seemed to know what he was doing. He apparently did not have a part needed to complete the job and informed us that he would order it and someone would contact us to finish the job. After this interaction, we did not hear from them for many weeks . When I called again, receptionist was quite snooty and I was put on hold for a while. I was told that the part had still not come in. Fast forward a few more weeks I then spoke to someone else on the phone and it was as if I had to start all over as they couldn't find our file. Then to top things off we get a bill from them which we ignored as the job was not complete. Then we received another bill with a late fee at which point I called again. I was put through to the head person who apologized profusely and explained that there had been some problems with inter - office communication ( no kidding!). I don't remember the specifics but I think there were at least two more phone calls to get someone to come out and finish the job. Quite an ordeal. Show

I recently purchased a home that had been vacant for one year . They came in and assessed the system, cleaned, tuned and made recommendations. They were courteous, helpful, and knowledegable.