FAQs

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1) WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO ORDER?

It is always best to order in good time before your oil level drops too low, both to ensure that you dont run out of oil prior to the delivery but also to ensure the cheapest price. Our standard delivery window is 10 Working Days (ie. usually two weeks) but if you can't wait that long we do have a range of delivery window options that you can choose from when placing your order so as to accommodate more pressing delivery requirements. As a general rule the longer the delivery window you choose the cheaper the per litre price as this gives us maximum flexibility in being able group orders together and to route your delivery when we are in your area or passing. 

We would always recommend that people avoid ordering at the last minute. The industry is very seasonal and oil delivery companies such as ourselves can be very quiet in the summer months but 'manic' in the colder winter months meaning that in cases where customers have run out of oil or on the verge of running out, it may not always be possible to get to you straight away. Ordering in good time is essential. Even if you calculate that you have enough oil to last (say) 10 Working Days, ordering a delivery on a 9 Working Day delivery window is probably cutting it a bit fine! You may be lucky and order on a 10 day window and still get the delivery within a day or two (depending on how you fit in with our other deliveries) but this can't be guaranteed. The busier we are however, the more likely it is that delivery windows will get stretched meaning your delivery may not arrive until nearer the end of your chosen delivery window. Inevitably, when orders are coming in at a faster rate than which they can be delivered, it means that keeping within delivery windows becomes more of a challenge. Although relatively rare (but it does happen), if your delivery is at the end of it's delivery window it would only take for a truck to breakdown, or to get stuck in traffic, or stuck in snow or to be delayed by roadworks, or for a driver to go sick, or to run out of hours to mean your delivery ends up being a day or two late. Truck issues nearly always occur when they are being pushed to their limits and are at their busiest - ie. in the colder winter months. These same issues affect all delivery companies.

Sometimes we are so busy it becomes necessary for us to turn-off some delivery window options and/or post code areas in an attempt to regulate order levels and keep on top of orders, but if we are doing that then the liklihood is that other companies will be doing it too meaning that your delivery options may become more limited no matter which company you choose to go with.

If you have placed an order with us on one of our longer delivery windows and it turns out you are using your oil quicker than expected (usually because of an unexpected or extended cold spell), we are often able to bring your order forward, (albeit we may have to charge a little extra to do so) but again this can't always be guaranteed as we will have to prioritise those that are already at the end of their delivery windows. Please also note that if you find yourself in the position of using your oil quicker because of colder weather, the liklihood is that everyone else is as well - and we obvioulsy can't bring everyone's orders forward!

We do try our best to keep on top of orders, and will often have drivers working weekends at busy times of the year - but there are limits as to how many deliveries we can make each day.

Despite the above we do get to the vast vast vast majority of deliveries well before the end of the chosen delivery window and very often considerably before the end of the window. Whilst we have delivered late on occasion it has rarely been by more than a day or two and in cases where someone has paid extra for a quicker delivery we will refund the extra they have paid if we fail to get to there in time.

The main advice is - please order in good time and well before you are due to run out.

We have recently intruduced a 15 Working Day delivery window for our busier times so to offer even more flexibility.

In terms of the best time of year to order, although the last thing anyone ever thinks about in the warmer months is their oil tank, it is often the time of year when oil is cheapest because of simple supply and demand conditions. Conversely, when everyone is ordering all at the same time in the colder winter weather, supply and demand conditions will inevitable lead to prices being higher than they otherwise would be. In recent times prices have been highly volatile for a variety of reasons making it impossible to judge when prices will be at their lowest, but avoiding having to order on a short delivey window in the middle of a cold spell is almost always going to be sound advice. 

For additional peace of mind, you may want to consider going on an Auto-Top-Up Service and/or having a Tank Monitor installed - please see our seperate web-pages for further details on those options.

2) WHAT QUANTITY SHOULD I ORDER?

In terms of the quantity to order, our minimum delivery is 500 litres but we can deliver any quantity over and above that. Oil tanks come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so we are happy to accept any oil order up to the maximum capacity of what corresponds to filling your tank. We have a pricing structure whereby the greater the quantity ordered the cheaper the per litre price. We have price breaks at 800 ltrs, 1,200 ltrs, 1,650 ltrs, 2,301 ltrs and 4,000 ltrs. If you are in the unfortunate position of having to order on a short delivery window because you have run out of oil or on the verge of running out you may wish to consider ordering a smaller amount just to tide you over and maybe getting a further top-up later when you can re-order on a longer delivery window. You would have to weigh up the cheaper per-litre price for the greater quantity versus the higher price for the shorter delivery window. 

3) CAN I ORDER SMALL QUANTITIES AND/OR CALL IN AT YOUR DEPOT TO COLLECT SMALL QUANTITIES?

You may be in the position where you are about to move address and dont therefore wish to order the usual minimum of 500 ltrs or you may wish to call at at an oil depot somewhere to take away a small container of (say) just 20 ltrs or so, so as to tide you over. Unfortunately, we can't offer either of these services. Our minimum delivery is (strictly) 500 ltrs and our depot does not have the facility to dispence small quantities. We can only deliver in bulk. There are companies that can courier out smaller quantities to you and some have depots where you can call in and collect - and an on-line search should bring up various options.

4) DOES SOMEONE NEED TO BE AT HOME TO ACCEPT DELIVERY?

In actual fact most of our deliveries are 'unattended' cases. As long as there is access to the tank and the tank is not locked, and there are adequate instructions as to where the tank is, or which tank is the correct tank, we can go ahead and deliver. Even if there is a locked gate to negotiate, we are happy to deliver provided we are given the gate code. Our delivery tickets are stamped as to the quantity actually delivered and a copy will be posted through the letterbox so that you know we've been and how much we have delivered.

5) CAN YOU GIVE ME ADVANCE NOTICE OF WHEN MY DELIVERY WILL BE?

Our Routing is generally not set-in-stone until late the day before delivery so we are unable to give much more notice than this unless specific arrangements have been pre-arranged with the office. However, when you place your on-line order, as long as you have provided an up-to-date mobile number and email address we will send out both a text message notification and an emailed notification the afternoon before delivery with a rough eta for the next day. [Please note that estimated times of arrival are given as a rough guide only. There are many factors that can affect the progress of our delivery drivers and have a knock-on effect on delivery times, especially if there are multiple other deliveries before yours. Sometimes, the office will also need to make last minute changes to a driver's schedule as well. Please dont take rough eta's too literally!] We do recognize that not everyone has a mobile phone and not everyone has an email address, so if you need an actual phone call the day before, you can request this in the 'any special delivery instructions' box, and we would be happy to ring you the day before and/or arrange for the driver to call you when he's on his way. If you have forgotten to ask for this when you placed your order, and you need an actual phone call the day before so you know when to leave access for our driver, you can give our office a call and we will mark-up your delivery as a 'Must Ring Day Before' case. Please note we do not routinely ring customers the day before unless they have specifically asked for this but we do routinely text and/or email the day before.

6) CAN I CHOOSE A SPECIFIC DAY FOR DELIVERY?

HOT OFF THE PRESS. Until recently we were not in a position to offer a specific day for delivery via the website (other than for Next-Day orders) but we are now in a position to offer this. We recognize that some people do need to know in advance when the delivery will be - especially in cases where the customer needs to be there. If you require a specific day, for a mdest additional fee just select your preferred day from the list of options on your quote page. 

7) CAN I SIMPLY ORDER A 'FILL' AND LET YOU FILL THE TANK UP WITHOUT ME SPECIFYING A SPECIFIC QUANTITY

Unfortunately our on-line system is not set-up for 'FILL' cases and only allows orders to be placed for specific amounts. However, if you want a full tank you can err on the side of slightly over-ordering and paying for the upper limit as to what you think your tank will take and if it turns out you have overpaid, we will only charge you for what your tank has taken. You can either leave any over-payment on your account with us as a credit towards your next order, or we'll organize a refund. Generally as a rule of thumb we will automatically refund any overpayments of £10 or more but leave any overpayments up to £10 as a credit on your account unless you indicate otherwise (subject to '15' below).

8) I USUALLY HAVE AN ADDITIVE IN MY KEROSENE AS I HAVE AN AGA (OR RANGE STYLE COOKER). HOW CAN I PLACE AN ORDER TO ENSURE WE HAVE KEROSENE WITH THIS ADDITIVE?

In this case simply order KERO AGA from the drop-down list when you place your on-line order and your Kero will be supplied with this additive included.

9) I USUALLY HAVE AN ADDITIVE IN MY KEROSENE AS I HAVE A BOILER THAT REQUIRES A SPECIALIST PREMIUM ADDITIVE. HOW CAN I PLACE AN ORDER TO ENSURE WE HAVE KEROSENE WITH THIS ADDITIVE?

In this case simply order KERO EXTRA from the drop-down list when you place your on-line order and your order will be supplied with this additive already included.

10) WHAT IS THE CUT-OFF TIME FOR ORDERING AN EMERGENCY NEXT-DAY DELIVERY OR FOR DETERMINING WHAT DAY-1 IS ON A WIDER DELIVERY WINDOW?

The cut-off time can vary depending on how busy we are, but we usually endevour to make it about 3pm - providing the order is placed on a Working Day. As long as your order is placed before the cut-off time on a Working Day, your Emergency delivery will be the next Working Day (and on a wider delivery window the next Working Day will be Day-1 of the delivery window). If an order is placed after 3pm or on a non-working day the order will be deemed to have been placed on the next working day that comes along and therefore an 'Emergency Next Day Delivery' or 'Day-1' of the delivery window would be the next working day after that. Please note that we base delivery windows on 'Working Days' only. Weekends and Bank Holidays do not count as 'Working Days'.

When you ask for an on-line quote, the quoting system will let you know what the different delivery window options are and what the actual day and date of the last day of each delivery window is so as to avoid confusion.

11) DO YOU DELIVER AT WEEEKNDS?

Unfortunately we very rarely work Sundays or Bank Holidays but we do work occasional Saturdays when busy. Unfortunately, a Saturday delivery cannot be organized on-line at present but please contact our office direct and ask about availability if you need a Saturday delivery. Please see our 'Other Services' section for a fuller explanation of this and other delivery options.

12) CAN YOU MAKE SAME-DAY EMERGENCY DELIVERIES?

A Same-Day delivery cannot be booked on-line at present as this cannot always be guaranteed. However, we can often accommodate such requests. Pleased ring the office direct and ask about availability. Please see our 'Other Services' section for a fuller explanation. 

13) DO YOU DELIVER THROUGH HOUSES?

The simple answer is 'No', and in-line with most delivery companies, we do not deliver through houses. We will only deliver into a tank if we can pass the hose directly from the lorry to the tank without going through the house. We don't mind going down the drive, or down an alleyway or over a wall or fence (within reason), or by connecting to a stand-pipe etc. We are usually happy to go through garages and outbuildings too. Sometimes it is debateable as to what is considered a part of the house or not - especially in cases where garages have been converted into another room or where a side alley has been covered over and converted into a utility area or similar. In these cases we would have to use our discretion as to whether we can deliver or not. Every case is different and we would have to look at each case on its merits. As a general rule of thumb though, if a room has carpets or wooden flooring or similar; if the walls have been plastered and painted or wallpapered; or if the room contains soft furnishings, built-in base cupboards, or multiple white goods, we will unfortunately deem the room to be a part of the house and therefore we wouldn't be able to deliver. 

Whilst this may seem a harsh line to take, there have been cases in other parts of the country, where hoses have split, and a part of the house has flooded with hundreds of litres of oil. (When deliveries are taking place the hoses are under high pressure, and they are typically delivering oil at the rate of 300 litres per minute, so when a hose splits - very rare though that is - a lot of oil can spurt out in no time at all.) It is bad enough when houses are flooded with water - they will eventually dry-out over time. However, rooms severely flooded with oil will never truly dry-out, and you can never truly get rid of the smell. Albeit a rarity, houses have had to be demolished and re-built when they have been flooded with oil. Our insurance company will not cover us for such losses and therefore we consider the risk to be too great. The relatively small margin we are likely to make on the delivery is not worth the risk of having to pay for a new house!

Quite apart from the risk of a pipe-bursting, we deliver to a variety of locations including farms and building sites which can be extremely muddy and dirty, and unfortunately we deliver through a lot of gardens which have dogs, and therefore 'doggy deposits'. If our hoses are dragged through those types of enviroment, the hoses can get very dirty and smelly and no-one would want that hose dragged through their house if they are the next delivery on the list!

If you are in the unfortunate position where most oil delivery companies are refusing to deliver, you may find yourself in the position where the one company that will deliver (if you can find one at all), will charge a significant extra premium to make your delivery. There are therefore financial reasons to avoid getting into this position!

Fortunately, for the customer there is usually a relatively simple 'fix' and that is to install a stand pipe. The best advice is, if you are thinking of converting an area such as your garage, outbuilding or alleyway, or are thinking of building an extension, and in so doing you are taking away the normal access to your oil tank, you should consider either moving the tank to somewhere more accessible or have a stand-pipe installed that the delivery driver can connect to. If you are to have a stand-pipe, it is best to organize this before your conversion / extension is completed as the pipework may need to go under-ground. 

14) WE HAVE A STAND-PIPE THAT THE DRIVER CAN CONNECT TO. DOES HE/SHE STILL NEED ACCESS TO THE TANK?

We always need to be able to have access to the tank when we make a delivery. We need to be able to see inside the tank to ensure there is room for the delivery. We often receive orders far in excess of what the tank can actually hold and if we went ahead with the delivery without checking the tank capacity there would obvioulsy be a spillage. Additionally, even if we can see that a tank has capacity, we get cases where a tank is connected to another tank with a pipe between them, but if it is a norrower pipe than our delivery hose, then the oil may not flow from one tank to the other as quickly as we are delivering into the first tank and again this can lead to a spillage.

In addition, although it is not the delivery driver's job to thoroughly inspect the soundness and suitability of the tank in finite detail, we do get cases where the driver notices a small splt in the seam, or that a valve has been left open, or the lid is missing, or the sight tube is hanging loose or has become disconnected, or there is a leak coming from the pipework etc etc. We need access to the tank to ensure there are no obvious problems along these lines.

15) DO YOU HAVE A BABY TANKER AS ACCESS TO OUR PREMISES IS VERY TIGHT?

Unfortunately we do not have a Baby Tanker at present, However, we do have a mixture of 4-wheelers and 6-wheelers which mean we can get to most locations. Most of our lorries have hoses up to 200 feet long and this allows access to most tanks. However, we are aware that a number of customers have a very tight access which even our 4-wheelers cannot access, so we are looking to purchase a suitable vehicle so as to be able to make these deliveries.

16) WHAT HAPPENS IF I PAY FOR A DELIVERY ON-LINE BUT THE TANK DOESN'T TAKE WHAT I'VE PAID FOR?

We do monitor all on-line orders to ensure that customers do indeed receive what thay've paid for. If the short-delivery is our fault - because perhaps our driver has run-out of product, or there was a problem with the truck, and if the shortfall is significant, we will return with the balance anyway. If the shortfall is because the tank is already too full then you can either leave any overpayment on your account with us as a credit or a refund can be organized. As a general rule of thumb, we tend to send refunds back automatically if the sum owing is in excess of £10, but tend to leave smaller amounts under £10 as a credit on the account. Either way you would not lose out.

Please be aware however, that if you have placed an order with us, and the delivery is excessively short through no fault of our own (such as your tank already being full or nearly full), so much so that we wouldn't make enough margin on the litres delivered to even cover our delivery costs, we reserve the right to charge a reasonable admin fee or to increase the per litre price before making a refund. The size of fee is likley to be of the order of £25 + VAT for a 500 litre shortfall and a corresponding amount for larger shortfalls - but we would look at each case on it's merits and this is something we would only do as a last resort. The same principle could apply in 'failure to provide access' cases. Usually, we would simply try again in such cases, but there comes a point where we can't keep going back multiple times! 

Please also note that our on-line pricing structure is set-up in such a way that the bigger orders attract a cheaper price per litre. If a short delivery means that the quantity delivered takes the customer into a more expensive price band we will take this into account when calculating the refund.

Please also note that our minimum delivery is 500 litres. We don't charge a seperate delivery fee as this is incorporated in the per litre price. However, if a delivery drops significantly below our 500 litre minimum we may need to increase the per litre price before calculating any refund so as to at least recover our delivery costs.

17) WHAT ARE THE PAYMENT OPTIONS?

The on-line ordering system is set-up in such a way that you should be able to use any of the major cards - either Debit cards or Credit cards. Whilst we prefer Debit Cards we do not charge extra for Credit Cards. Please note that we do sometimes charge a small admin fee / service charge for each order placed on-line to help cover some of the costs associated with running a website (see below). 

18) WHY DO YOU CHARGE A SERVICE CHARGE FOR ON-LINE ORDERS?

We don't always charge a service charge and regularly turn this off altogether, but where we do charge it, it is usually a modest amount of the order of £2 to £5 including VAT. By way of comparison, one of the main on-line national oil company brokers charges a £10 plus 20% VAT admin fee. The purpose of the fee, when we do charge it, is to help recover some of the costs of running the website which does have ongoing costs associated with it. We know that our website is very popular and is regualrly used and it allows prospective customers to see our prices and allows customers to place orders on-line without having to ring the offce. Effectively it means we can offer a continuous 24 hour per day and 365 days a year service. We recognize that being constrained to ringing the office Mon-Fri 9am-5pm is not always convenient for people as we all have busy lives! We also welcome customers to call the office but inevitably we can only answer the phones during office hours, albeit you can still leave messages on our answerphone anyway.

From time to time, not only do we regularly turn off the Service Charge, we sometimes do the opposite and intruduce a Loyalty Bonus. Typically this might be a £5 discount on orders if you have placed a previous order via our website during the last 6 months.

19) CAN I ORDER DIRECT BY CALLING THE OFFICE RATHER THAN ORDERING ON-LINE?

In some cases you would need to call the office in any event if you need a service that cannot be accommodated on the website. However, if you are looking for the cheapest price it is best to order on-line if you can. We can take orders over the phone, but the prices quoted may not be as competitive as on-line orders. The economics and practicalities of running a web-site are completely different to running an office and therefore pricing structures can vary but usually an on-line order will be cheaper.