Automatic Delivery vs. Will Call: Pros and Cons

Written on: February 4, 2019

When it comes to reliable propane and heating oil delivery in our Pennsylvania service area, there’s really only one choice: Ace-Robbins. But when it comes to having your heating oil delivered to your home, you actually have two choices: Automatic Delivery and Will Call Service from Ace-Robbins.
Let’s take a close look at each option.

Automatic Delivery

How it works
With automatic delivery – available for your heating oil or propane – we estimate how much fuel you are likely to use based on your past usage and the current weather (if you have recently become an Ace-Robbins customer, we will base your delivery total on similar-sized homes in the area). Your Ace-Robbins delivery crew will come at a convenient time for you once your tank reaches about one-quarter full.
Pros

• No tank watching
• No runouts* or restarts
• No need to call for / schedule a delivery
• Priority service in periods of high demand

Cons

• You rely on us to schedule your deliveries rather than managing the process yourself (many would consider this a “pro”!)
• If you make a significant change in your home or lifestyle (build an addition to your home, add a new family member who needs additional heat on in the house, etc.) without letting us know, our computer estimates will be off, potentially resulting in a fuel run-out.

Will Call

How it works
You keep track of your own oil level and call us when you need a delivery.
Pros

• You call the shots! You have complete control over the monitoring and delivery call-in schedule for your heating oil deliveries.

Cons

• A minimum 24-hour notice is needed for a delivery request* – more is strongly recommended, especially during a storm or cold snap (a good rule of thumb is to call when the level of your tank reads about 25 percent full). If you are a Will Call customer, it is critical that you keep a close eye on your fuel levels during periods of extreme cold in order to avoid a costly and potentially dangerous fuel run-out. You are probably using fuel more quickly than you think!

The bottom line

As you can see, Automatic Delivery has some significant advantages over Will Call – a big reason why most of our customers take advantage of this convenient service from Ace-Robbins.
Still, if you prefer to watch the fuel level of their storage tank, that’s no problem – with our large fleet of trucks, we can get fuel to you quickly and reliably when others can’t!
For reliable heating oil deliveries in the northeastern Pennsylvania, no one beats the pros at Ace-Robbins! To join the Ace family of customers – or to switch from Will Call to Automatic Delivery – contact us today.
*Ace-Robbins is not responsible for run-outs if you do not provide enough notice for delivery. In some cases, we can make a same-day emergency heating oil delivery if you have a run-out or you’re close to running out, but extra charges may apply.