LivingLikeEachDayIsMyLast Report post Posted January 21, 2011 Hello Campers, I thought I would enlighten you to a costly mistake I made a month ago when having my motorhome propane tank filled. I pulled into a local NAPA store that also fills propane tanks. I didn't ask about price & had the young fellow fill my tank. It held 17 gallons of propane at a cost of $5.00 per gallon for a total of $85.00 + tax. I thought that was excessive, but I know how propane prices follow gas prices, so I didn't question it. Yesterday while driving the motorhome in a town about twenty miles away, I pulled into a propane filling station owned by another company & had the tank filled again. This time the tank held 16.9 gallons at a cost of $2.94 per gallon for a total cost of $49.69. I questioned the station owner about the price, asking him if propane had been $5.00 per gallon at any time in recent history. He said he had been in business for more than twenty years & had never sold propane anywhere close to $5.00 a gallon. Seems like some people like me have to get burnt before they see the light. In the future I will ask for prices & shop around unless it's a real emergency situation. Have A Great Camping Day! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BillAdams Report post Posted January 22, 2011 Fuel prices of all kinds dramatically vary from location to location. Unless you compared other propane dealers in the same town would you be able to figure out if you paid too much. $5.00/gl might have been the going rate their while $3.00/gl might be the going rate in the new town. It's like saying you got ripped off paying for fuel CA compared to what you paid in OK. The pricing swings can be huge! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LivingLikeEachDayIsMyLast Report post Posted January 22, 2011 Fuel prices of all kinds dramatically vary from location to location. Unless you compared other propane dealers in the same town would you be able to figure out if you paid too much. $5.00/gl might have been the going rate their while $3.00/gl might be the going rate in the new town. It's like saying you got ripped off paying for fuel CA compared to what you paid in OK. The pricing swings can be huge! Bill, Considering these two towns are only about fifteen miles apart, I'd have to say I was likely overcharged at the first business. I will be asking the first business shortly if there was an accounting mistake on that first purchase. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BillAdams Report post Posted January 22, 2011 Maybe or maybe not. Different towns and different cities and different counties all impose different taxes on their local businesses. I am not saying that you did or did not get overcharged, but if you paid what the retailer charges you did not get overcharged. Instead, you simply did not do your homework and paid more than you "could have". Have you ever fueled up your car and then driven down the street only to find that the next station was charging $0.20/gallon less? I agree that you should check with the business to ensure that there was no accounting error but if that's what they charge you cannot fault the business for charging what they charge. That fault would lay entirely in your lap for having paid it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted January 22, 2011 For a good benchmark of propane prices around the country, go to this Flying J website. In addition to prices on each grade of gasoline, it gives prices at each station for diesel AND PROPANE. http://www.pilottravelcenters.com/Location...tTemplate=false Brett Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted January 22, 2011 And Flying J isn't necessarily the best price. We get propane delivered to the park where we are staying and the propane delivery to our motor home parked in our site is about 50 cents a gallon cheaper that the Flying J that is located about three miles from where we stay. As Brett says though, checking their propane prices is a good idea as you can see what is being charged in different locations. Sometimes when you are on the road you can choose where to fill up and save yourself considerable dough! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LivingLikeEachDayIsMyLast Report post Posted January 25, 2011 I have received an explanation of the higher priced propane from the seller, but I don't agree with it. The higher priced seller sells his propane by the pound & not by the gallon. Selling propane by the pound is a common practice for sellers who fill portable gas bottles. The lower priced seller sells propane by the pound also for portable bottles, but he doesn't consider a motorhome propane tank portable. Lesson learned by me is to ask seller if he considers a motorhome propane tank portable. When selling by the pound the price is nearly double. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aztec7fan Report post Posted March 29, 2011 I would recommend calling ahead of time to check on prices. In a single day I have seen a price of $4.86/gal (at area rent-Alls) and $2.60 at another dealer here in Denver. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeandClaudia Report post Posted June 15, 2011 It has been my observation that the closer I get to a larger town/city, the higher the propane price is. I look for small towns, preferable in an agricultural area, and invariably they are cheaper than the "convenient" places in the cities. In Texas, the propane places are prominently marked, and are thus easy to spot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Koliver Report post Posted June 15, 2011 the site Brett suggests, http://www.pilottravelcenters.com/Locations/Travel_Centers/Complete_Pricing_List.aspx?leftTemplate=false shows a price for propane at the Pilot/Shell station in Chilliwack BC. I was there on Sunday and asked about getting propane, but they don't have it available, and it looks like they have never had propane. I don't know how they can calculate and publish a price for a non-existent product. I am now suspicious about the rest of the information on their site. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BillAdams Report post Posted June 15, 2011 I just followed your link and there is no propane pricing listed at that location. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Koliver Report post Posted June 15, 2011 Sorry, inaccuracy of following the columns down. Not many have Propane after all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
