25 Investigates: Mass. senior citizen says propane supplier charged nearly $7K to close her account

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An Ashby woman called 25 Investigates after her propane supplier, AmeriGas, wanted nearly $7,000 to close out her account. The company says that was money she still owed. But she says she was on a convenience payment plan that promised no ‘settle up’ fees.

“It’s a shock, a terrible shock. And I don’t know how I’m supposed to pay it,” said Carol Gomes, an 84-year-old Ashby homeowner.

The shock was a bill Gomes says she never expected. About three years ago, she switched to AmeriGas’s “convenience payment plan.”

The company promoted the plan as: “Try convenience pay, our budget-friendly program that spreads out the cost of your annual propane usage into easy monthly payments …” with “no settle-ups or surprises,” according to AmeriGas’s advertisement.

But earlier this year, Gomes shopped around for a better propane rate and decided to end her AmeriGas service.

“Then I got an email that was a bill for the $6,500, which was the final payment,” she said.

Gomes said she believed she paid in full every month. But AmeriGas said she was only paying a fraction of what she really owed.

“They would just bill me for 20% of the cost. And the rest would go into an outstanding balance,” she explained, which is what she later learned.

She contacted 25 Investigates and filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Gomes says she never would have signed up for a program that left her with growing debt.

AmeriGas told 25 Investigates it offered Gomes a payment plan, which she rejected. The company also said her rolling balance was always visible on her online account.

According to the company’s website, information about the convenience pay plan, “Your monthly payments will be reviewed quarterly, at a minimum, and adjusted as necessary so you may enjoy the convenience of monthly payments while avoiding large heating bills during the heating season.” As for termination, it says, “Convenience Pay is a voluntary program that will continue until the Company or customer terminates with written notice. Upon termination, the Company will reconcile your account, and any balance will become due immediately.”

“I didn’t think it was fair that no one ever said to me, this is the way it’s going to be and this is what’s going to happen,” Gomes said.

Consumer advocates also raised questions.

“It seems like something went terribly wrong. Like her, the understanding that she had, you know, isn’t what happened, and there ended up being a big financial penalty,” said Jenifer Bosco, managing director of energy advocacy at the Boston-based National Consumer Law Center.

Bosco reviewed information AmeriGas sent 25 Investigates about the convenience pay plan and said the outstanding debt doesn’t add up.

“There might be like an early cancellation fee if you have a contract for a period of time, but that should all be disclosed up front,” she said.

Bosco also warned that deliverable fuels like propane gas don’t have the same regulations as other utilities.

“If you have a complaint about electric service or gas service, that’s something that each state regulates,” Bosco said. “So, you could, you know, go to your state. Department of Public Utilities or utility Commission, and there probably would be some consumer rights that might be able to help you, but propane, oil, wood that people use for heating, those are all considered deliverable fuels, and consumers don’t generally have as many rights when it comes to deliverable fuels.”

The Attorney General’s Office would not comment on Gomes’ open complaint. But through a public records request, 25 Investigates found 100 complaints filed with the AG’s Office about AmeriGas since 2022. The complaints ranged from failure to deliver propane to concerns about costs and fees — but none matched Gomes’ specific fee to close out her account.

“I probably think about it just about every day because, you know, it’s hanging over my head,” Gomes said.

AmeriGas did not respond to additional requests for an interview. Gomes says the Attorney General’s Office has been in contact with the company on her behalf.

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