EXPOSURE
You cannot compare it to names like Amerigas. Why?
- Size: Amerigas sells to customers in almost fifty states across the US. Dassels sells in one (California).
- Configuration: Amerigas is a "partner" or "franchise" operation. It consists of hundreds of separately owned businesses that operate under a single name. Dassels is a single, privately owned, company.
- Market: Dassels markets it's products primarily to Commercial customers (How many individuals do you know of that have a Pacific Pride account?). Generally commercial accounts are more interested in saving money and less about "service".
- Service: Amerigas sells tanks and other propane equipment. They also provide other services like installing, testing and repairing propane lines. Dassels delivers propane. True, they also rent you a tank and regulator but they refuse to test or repair them even if you suspect a problem and ask them to.
To fairly compare Dassels to Amerigas you'd have to look at a single Amerigas station owner. You cannot compare it to the whole franchise.
Now I'm not a big fan of Amerigas either (At least not my local Amerigas franchise), and only use them in these examples because they are the most widely known propane supplier. I had service problems with them in the past but, unlike Dassels, they were always very courtious and professional.
Dassels charges you rent on a tank and regulator that they then refuse to maintain. So what if there is a problem with it? Your only recourse is to hire some other company to come out to fix or replace it. But if you do that Dassels most likely isn't going to reimburse you and will probably charge you for replacement because you "tampered" with their equipment. In my case it cost me hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. In hind sight I would rather have paid a little more for my propane and had the assurance that, if there were a problem, my propane supplier would be there for me. Dassels wasn't.
