Real Estate Customer Service Lessons - from a Propane Company

After living in Pollock Pines for more than six months now and learning we really don't like cooking on an electric cook top, we made the momentous decision to switch to propane. So I called the closest propane company. Our conversation, after the initial phone call (which was all about how "free" their service and extras were) went something like this:

"I called the other day and I was told that we would probably get a 250 gallon tank installed and that would last us probably 4 - 6 weeks for just a cook stove and maybe a water heater. Doesn't that seem like a lot?"

"Well, you said it was your only source of heat!"

"No, I said we were only going to use it for cooking."

(With exasperation and tone) "Then it could last you two months - maybe four. Depends on how much you use it."

"Okay, and you will get it installed?"

"YOU must talk to the county first."

"The county said you would pull the permits."

"No. We install it. We don't dig trenches for it. But it's free - with a two year service agreement."

My thought is, no wonder they need a two year service agreement! If at the first question the consumer asks you, you sport major attitude, you probably have to depend on tricks like service agreements and free goodies.

Why not just give information and be like the other company I called that took down my contact information and made an appointment to send a service technician over to survey the property? How about ask some questions to get an idea of what I want?

Guess which company I'm going to use? Here's a hint - it's not the one that sells free stuff. I don't mind paying a little more to be treated with respect.