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How do you pick your heating company?

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What do you fact the most price, service, or reputation?

After last winter the thing that anyone wants to hear is that it's going to be cold and snowy again this year.  With the current price of oil pretty low as October 7, 2014 do other factors start to effect your decision to stay with your current provider or jump ship and shop around.

The first and most prevalent factor that goes into to picking your heating provider is the price per gallon. With COD or cash on delivery companies the price can be fairly low right now if you visit NewEngland Oil you'll notice several companies with prices in the low $3.00 range.  The down side with those companies is a lack of a service department. If you're heating system fails in the middle of a cold snap they don't have the staff to come out and fix it.  If price is the most important factor to you, make sure that you're heating system is in good condition or you might have more than the price of fuel to worry about.


Service, when knowing your heating will be fixed in a timely fashion if or when it breaks down is your leading factor when it comes to picking an heating provider then a full service company is the way to go. Full Service companies have a special group of staff members that are trained to know the inter workings of your heating equipment and be able to fix most issues that could come up.  This includes servicing the oil burner, nozzles, hoses, and general cleaning. This can also help with full system failures, as COD companies usually don't have a service department or a small one reducing their ability to come to your aid if a situation comes up. These departments can also install new heating or cooling equipment like energy efficient boilers or central AC units.

 Another factor is reputation, either from a friend, the internet or both.  If you hear that a company is always late, rude, or prices their service unfairly then you're more than likely going to pass even before giving that company a chance.  Maybe your friend just caught them on a bad and you decide to see what people have said about them online.  With several online review sites like Yelp, Google+, Angie's List, and Foursqure a companies reputation can be painted quite positively or negatively. If a potential customer see 5 positive reviews from 5 years ago and see there are 3 negative reviews from two weeks ago, those negative reviews are going to carry more weight.  However negative reviews aren't always a negative if the company responds to the issues and tries to rectify the problem.

 With brand loyalty being something that resonates more with older demographics unless you're Apple or Samsung price will be the most important factor in any purchasing decision. Remember the old saying, "you get what you pay for, good or bad".

 by:
Robert Stahelski

 ckSmithSuperior Santoro Oil Gas Doctor

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Location: Worcester, MA, USA

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