What is the scheme?
The first scheme was set up in 2010 by a group of householders in the Woodham Walter, Woodham Mortimer and Lt. & Gr. Baddow the Tothams and Wickham Bishops areas, who ordered heating oil in bulk, for individual home delivery on a single date. The suppliers offered a discount because they only needed to send one vehicle to the area and were (virtually) guaranteed to empty it.
The supplier saved on manpower and vehicle usage, and the villagers had less traffic through their villages.
To get discounts the aggregate order needs to be 10,000 litres or more.
How does the scheme work?
About ten times per year – the organiser will contact you to see if you would like to place an order. The minimum order is 500 litres. If you wish to order, your order will be aggregated with everyone else who wishes to order at that time. If we can achieve the 10,000 litre point then the organiser will contact several suppliers for price and delivery quotations. The organiser will select from the price and delivery options available on that day and agree a date for delivery. The supplier will deliver; and you will receive an individual invoice from the supplier. If we use a supplier who is new to you, they may request payment before delivery. The organiser will act as your agent in placing the order.
How much does the scheme cost?
Membership is FREE and as a member you are under no obligation purchase any oil.
How do the organisers cover their costs?
Currently, we ask the suppliers for a 1p/per litre commission from orders processed by the group. This is not a sales commission, but rather a fee paid because we are part of the order management process. We not only collect the orders and forward to the suppliers in an efficient manner, we also handle customer service using our online help desk, all of which lessens time their staff spend on dealing with orders.
Our fees come from lowering the supplier's costs, not as a markup on the customer's costs.
We then share the commission with our coordinators, who take up to 50% depending on the size of the group.
We firmly believe coordinators of oil buying groups should not be volunteers, as an essential service to any community should not rely on goodwill.
Residents would not expect their refuse collection and postal delivery to be manned by volunteers, because they want the service to be sustainable, That is why we feel our coordinators should be rewarded for the time and effort they spend in helping residents get a better deal on heating oil
Who will be supplying the Oil
This is a decision taken by the coordinator, who will seek a combination of best price and service on the chosen oil buying date. Whilst price is the dominant factor, sometimes the lowest price is associated with poor service. There is little point getting the lowest price if it comes with poor service.
Can I choose the delivery date?
No.
The discount is achieved because the deliveries all happen on the same day (or days. The supplier may choose to deliver over two days if it suits them).
How do I pay for my oil?
Normally, you will be expected to telephone the supplier to provide payment details. By doing that your order will be confirmed. You will receive an email on the order buying date notifying you of the supplier and the number to call.
If however are already a customer of the supplier that is chosen by the group coordinator, there is a good chance that they deliver without prior payment, in which case you will receive an invoice and be expected to pay promptly.
I'm running low. When can I expect my oil?
The only way we get good prices is by allowing full tankers to deliver to very local areas.
If you are running low, we can try to help by prioritising your order, but the earliest you can expect your oil will be 3 days following the nominated oil buying date. If you are really low, you must consider finding an alternative supplier.
Do I have to be in when the Oil is delivered?
Not if:-
a) The delivery driver can gain easy access to the tank to fill it and you are prepared to accept their delivery note as proof of what they delivered.
b) You have already paid for the fuel or are a regular customer of the supplier.
If you have provided (say) a neighbour with keys to enable access, please provide that information in the "Message to Driver" box in the online order form.
When will I know the price?
Not until the order is placed. The organiser will call several suppliers (he wants the best price too).
As soon as the price is agreed, you will be notified by email and by a message on the front page of the web site so you can decide if you wish to proceed with the order. If you don't want to, simply delete your order using "my details - my heating oil orders", or let us know through the contact us form on this site.
PLEASE NOTE, WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE ALL OUR EMAILS, SO TO ENSURE YOU ARE INFORMED OF THE PRICE, PLEASE CHECK THE WEB SITE
Once submitted, can I change my order?
Yes, you can update your order by clicking "my heating oil orders".
However, you will be unable to change your order 6 hours after we have agreed a price with the supplier of choice.
How much notice will I have of a delivery
Not much. It will probably take about 7 to 10 days to organise and execute an order. The process we go through is:
Day 1 – Call suppliers and agree price and approximate delivery date
Day 1 – Notify members of the agreed price. If you don't like the price you could drop out here. In any event, if you do not phone the supplier and provide payment details, it will be assumed that you are no longer interested.
Day 1- 2 - You will be invited to phone the selected supplier to enable payment.
Day 9 or 10 or 11 (roughly)- Delivery
How will I know how much oil has been delivered?
All oil tankers are fitted with Trading Standard Approved Meters.
A meter reading will be printed / stamped on the delivery ticket and this will be left at your property after the delivery is completed.
My tank is some way away from the road. Will the driver reach it?
We have been advised that the delivery hoses are approximately 120' (40 metres) in length. This ensures most deliveries can be carried out easily.
When you registered on this site, you should have provided us with notice of any difficulties the driver may have.
If you are not sure if you have provided that, go to my details - edit - profile, and update that box.
How will the driver find my house?
The oil tanker drivers operate from local depots and will know your area well.
However, if you have any landmarks near your property or have a specific delivery instruction, you can advise us using the "Message to Driver" box on your online order form.
What is the current VAT rate on Heating Oil?
The current VAT rate is 5% on kerosene.
How much fuel do I need to order?
500 litres is the minimum, stipulated by law.
What type of heating oil is the group purchasing?
There are 2 types of heating oil available.
This group orders the most commonly used heating oil – kerosene / 28 sec / domestic oil.
Does the coordinator disclaim liability?
Yes.
The coordinator will only act as the member’s agent in submitting the order. The coordinator is trying to be helpful and provide a useful service. The coordinator does not accept liability for any loss or damage you may suffer through being a member of the scheme.
Can anyone join?
The scheme works if the members are local to this group, so that the supplier can send one tanker to the area and empty it. In principle, anyone within the region may join.
This site lists the eligible villages/towns, but if you have selected "Other", we may have to reject your membership if you are physically too far away from this group
In practice the suppliers are dealing with the members and if a member annoys the supplier, or makes life hard for them, they may choose to decline the business.
We only act as the member’s agent in submitting the order.
What if I think I may run out of oil before the buying date?
Currently there is no system in place to facilitate orders out of the buying date. We do sometimes have weekend promotions and we will notify you by newsletter when that is the case, but failing that, you will have to find an alternative supplier.