Fuel Surcharge

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Despite spending several thousand dollars a year with the same company to get my Oak trees pruned and maintained, and to ensure they are healthy, I had a massive branch from an Oak on my property fall last week on a perfectly beautiful, calm day. Thank God no one was walking under the tree, because someone would have been killed. </p>

<p>I received the removal bill from my tree care company today and they included a $28.20 fuel surcharge. A fuel surcharge is new to me. I know gas is expensive, but is it even legal for a company to add a fuel surcharge to a bill? When they came last year and all the previous years, they had to use fuel and I was never charged a surcharge. I’m also a bit annoyed with them, to put it mildly, as I was told the branch fell because it was too close to another branch and was rubbing against it, which caused a failure. Well, why didn’t they notice this last summer when they trimmed the trees, or the previous 13 years?</p>

2

<p>Honestly, I don’t know how legal it is (check with state authorities), but it is standard practice in some areas and service industries.</p>

<p>I believe a few cc posters are licensed arborists; perhaps they may have the industry standard insight. I’m neither an accountant, nor a tree man, just an informed layman.</p>

<p>My thoughts:</p>

<p>They do use gas, diesel, and various oils in the normal course of business for the trucks, chippers, saws and blowers. Standard business practice is to periodically review overhead, and adjust those fixed and variable costs in determining expenses/profit for estimating, quotation purposes.</p>

<p>If a commodity spikes, you may see it as a line entry surcharge. Methodology is key. It is a legimate expense, but if it’s calc’d on percent of job, or actual cost of fuel, there can be a significant difference.</p>

<p>We have a friend who owns a tree service… his fuel costs are in excess of 10 grand a month. </p>

<p>As for the explanation as to why it fell, if you have them there periodically to inspect and prune, trim as required, they probably missed it and it should have come out before. </p>

<p>It may have been high or needed special equipment, or a climber to inspect, or missed by oversight or negligence.</p>

<p>If it was fairly obvious, personally, I’d dispute it, and might consider changing arborists.</p>

3

<p>I recently ordered tile for my house, and I was charged a fuel surcharge for the tile to be delivered to the tile place, where I picked it up. I think it was a percentage of the quantity ordered, perhaps because it was based on weight.</p>

4

<p>Do you have a service contract with the tree service company? If so, read the fine print.</p>

5

<p>My last car rental bill included a $3 “fuel surcharge”! I was told that it was supposed to cover the expenses associated with getting the car to the repair shop or carwash (what carwash - I do not think anyone washed that tin can in years!)</p>

6

<p>Our gardener/lawn service company, which we’ve used for quite some time, advised us at the beginning of the season that they were instituting a gas surcharge. I didn’t think it was unreasonable, nor do I think it’s unusual this year.</p>

7

<p>I found a cheap airfare earlier this summer, but when I tried to book the flight I found that the fuel surcharge was more than the price of the ticket.</p>

8

<p>I handle the invoices for the Food Service office of our public school system. Several of our vendors have fuel surcharges. If a vendor is under a “bid” with us we don’t pay the fuel surcharge, but for non-bid vendors we do pay it. There’s nothing illegal about it.</p>

9

<p>Thanks everyone. I pulled out the contract I signed for removing the downed branch, and it seems my bill does not match the contract. They are overcharging me $200 plus added the fuel surcharge. There’s no mention of a fuel surcharge on the contact.</p>

<p>I am going to switch tree companies after the arborist comes back this week to check the tree again and give me an explanation as to how this branch could have failed while they are caring for this tree. I am horrified at the thought that someone could have been killed by this branch. Today, my neighbors had their toddlers riding their bikes under the tree and it was a nerve-wracking.</p>

<p>My car was totaled in this accident and I may use the insurance money to remove the entire tree. It’s a beautiful, old tree and provides so much shade for my house, but as my sister told me “it’s a liability.” If a branch fails again, someone could be killed.</p>

10

<p>Maybe you could get an opinion first from a better qualified arborist? Is there a circle of mulch under this tree, to the dripline?</p>

11

<p>fuel surcharge - there is one on our trash bill of $4…multply that by every neighbor, every month - it adds up to a hefty amount of money. Gas has gone back down but the surcharge is still there.</p>

12

<p>fuel surcharges: water delivery company; commercial laundry service for our office (ONe laundry bag per week); Hazardous waste pick up (2 8 cubic foot boxes per pick up); these range from $5-10 per vendor per trip. I can’t remember any others right now.</p>

13

<p>Maybe we should feel lucky.</p>

<p>At this point, I’ve yet to see a fuel surcharge surcharge. :D</p>

14

<p>My business is dependent to an extent on gasoline, for trucks and equipment. I did institute a small fuel surcharge this season. I don’t think it is sound business practice to make less money for the same job, due to escalating expenses. Fuel has come down from its peak of earlier this summer, but is still, to my best recollection, in my area at least, more than $1/gallon above last year’s price.
Many of the deliveries I get at my business include a fuel surcharge, I have had to hold off on some orders until I had enough material to offset the fuel surcharge on a percentage basis. All consumers are paying for the delivery fuel surcharges in a higher cost of goods and services.</p>

15

<p>When I started my retail pet shop seven years ago this week, there were no fuel surcharges on my invoices. Now, every single delivery has a fuel surcharge of $5-$30. Plus my garbage pickup has a fuel surcharge. I get seven deliveries a week from different suppliers --not counting the stuff that comes in via UPS or FedEx. As a business owner, you have to be really sharp to pick up every little bit of extra expense – and it does have to be passed along to the consumer. </p>

<p>I don’t think my customers would like to see a fuel surcharge added to the cash register receipts – so it’s going to have to go right into the pricing structure on each item. Along with the increases in electricity, rent, heat and hot water, labor and insurance.</p>