No Fee Guarantee:
Why We Don’t Charge Fees
And What You Should Watch Out For
At E & V Energy, we get calls daily from customers asking us if we charge fees. The answer is we don’t. As they call around for fuel prices to heat their home or cook, or for on or off-road fuels for their farms and businesses, they usually ask for the price per gallon, not realizing that many companies charge fees and surcharges, delivery fees, tank inspection fees and more. At E & V Energy, you only pay for the fuel you buy; there are no fees or contracts.
We haven’t charged fees since 1913. Recently, we asked our owner why he still maintains our No Fee Guarantee policy even when it has become common practice for fuel companies to charge fees.
He said, “We’re a locally owned and operated family business, and we appreciate our loyal customers. I wouldn’t like to be charged fees, so we don’t charge fees for our customers. Besides, those practices would not honor our #1 Core Value, which is to build relationships with honesty and loyalty.”
Check your fuel bill if you’re not an E & V Energy customer! Here are some of the fees you may encounter and a description of what they are, and what they’re not:
- FRF or Fuel Recovery Fee is a fee that is a fluctuating percentage of all invoice charges, except ERF fees and taxes. It is not a tax, surcharge, or fee mandated by or remitted to any governmental or regulatory agency.
- An ERF fee is another fee often charged, a set percentage of all invoice charges except taxes. It is not a tax, surcharge, or fee mandated by or remitted to any governmental or regulatory agency. Many businesses charge ERF fees; it is not limited to fuel companies.
- A Reg Fee or Regulatory Compliance Fee is a fee that some companies charge to offset their administration costs for compliance with agencies such as the EPA, OSHA, and DOT. It is their cost of doing business and is not required by any governmental or regulatory agency.
- Fuel surcharges. Fuel surcharges are extra charges. The U.S. Energy Information Administration does not calculate, assess, or regulate fuel surcharges.
- Tank Rental Fee. A fee is charged to use the fuel company’s fuel tanks.
- Tank Set-Up Fee. A charge to set up a fuel company’s fuel tank. This is often used when companies charge a low introductory fuel price to offset the price per gallon offer.
- Tank Pick-Up Fee. A fee is charged when customers switch fuel companies to recoup lost revenue.
- Partial Tank Fill Fee – Some suppliers add a fee if the customer orders anything other than a tank fill.
- Low Usage Charges – A charge imposed on customers who don’t maintain a certain minimum amount of fuel purchased annually.
- Termination fee. A company can charge a fee if the customer fails to meet contract length requirements. This is becoming common for multi-year promotional contracts.
- Will Call Surcharge – Some companies impose a charge for deliveries not on an automatic refill plan.
- Enrollment fee for budget plans. A customer may be charged a fee as part of a fuel price protection plan to help defray the cost of rising fuel prices.
- Budget Fee Charges – A fee for a customer to participate in a budget billing plan.
- Storage fee – Some customers choose to pre-pay to save money. Some suppliers have started charging their pre-customers a storage fee for this service.
- Delivery fees – The fee many suppliers charge to deliver your fuel.
- Tank Inspection Fees – Fees charged for a fuel company to inspect your fuel tank before becoming a customer.
- Hazmat fee – Some companies charge fees to help pay their expenses associated with safety training and compliance. It is not a governmental or regulatory fee.