I had been avoiding the inevitable. My gas bills for my rental property had started to climb again and I had to give them a call and create a solution. It didn't make any sense that an empty house in the winter, with the thermostat set to 55 degrees, was gobbling up $500/month of propane.
Linda, who answered, was very nice and very patient. She carefully explained that last season's rates had almost doubled and anyone who wasn't "locked in" had taken a huge hit. When I asked what rates would do this year, she said she didn't know. So while I had her on the phone, I began to Google.
This created a lot of frustration for me because no matter what query I seemed to pose, the sites that came up didn't have straight forward information. Linda waited patiently on the other end of the phone.
Exasperated with the lack of success in my online search, I became keenly aware of Linda's generosity in her patience and asked her what my options were. She said I could buy a season of propane at today's price, which meant at least $3K immediately and didn't sound very appealing.
Alternatively, I could pay a $100 price-protection fee. If prices rose, I was protected; if they fell, my rate would fall. It was a win-win even if I didn't know what direction prices would take. (Historically, they increase in the colder months.)
I went for option B, thanked Linda, and got off the phone. She didn't have to sit there with me. She could have easily told me to call back. By sitting on the phone patiently while I went through searches and out loud conversation to reach a solution, she made me feel cared for as a customer and a person. Priceless.
