About the group - an Introduction
The Group
Communications
Process
Taking Part

What it is all about

There's a benefit to be had if a number of people living around the same post code area order heating oil fuel at the same time. Participation in the scheme, which covers Lockerley, East Dean, East Tytherley, Awbridge, Carters Clay, Newtown and Dunbridge, is entirely voluntary and without cost or commitment except that you must be prompt in responding to emails sent to and from oilbuying. There are oilbuying groups that operate in West Tytherley, West Dean, Broughton and so on and you may need to look at what is taking place in your area. 

Please check that your email spam filters will accept emails from oilbuying @ lockerley.org.uk.

The scheme is free and if you would like to take part please use the contact form and provide all of the information that is requested. Participation requires your positive - that is Yes - consent to [1] the use of your email and other communication methods to enable the process to be used and [2] your positive consent - a second Yes - that the process can be used for the purposes described.  Go to Top

The Group

Most of the people that the oilbuying group should benefit live within approximately in the viallages or hamlets noted above; that's at least 800 households. Perhaps half of all households in this area use oil for heating. The greater the number of litres which can be delivered in a single delivery round the better is the bargaining power and the lower cost will be for those able to take a delivery. We aim to do a little better than BoilerJuice and that's largely because we do not take any commission.  Go Top

Communications

Communications will be by email unless it is necessary to use some other means. You must consent to key details being held byt oilbuying in accordance with GDPR. Those taking part will need to check their emails frequently in order to signal their intention to take part in any delivery and to note the delivery date. You may need to make sure that your email system is not treating email from oilbuying as spam or junk. The junk or spam email filter is likely to be a setting which will require you to select oilbuying @ lockerley as a reliable sender of email. Your email provider or email client - the program or app that handles your email - may call this whitelisting. If you do not receive email from oilbuying and you would expect to do so then checking your email system and its junk folder is a first port of call. If that fails then email me and together we'll sort out the problem. Use the contact oilbuying menu for your initial contact with the scheme as you can provide the necessary core information that way. You have the right to withdraw from the communication methods and, separately, from the scheme by simply emailing oilbuying. Of course there is a logical twist because not receiving emails means that you'll never know what is being requested and not accepting the oilbuying process may make it impossible to communicate with you on that topic meaningfully.  Go Top

Process

This is the outline of the process:

There is usually a schedule for about three months ahead to set out when a call for oil will be issued.

The call will be emailed to all participants asking who would like to take oil. There is usually a week to gather responses and a midweek reminder is often sent to everyone.

You are welcome to respond even if you do not want oil - the zeroes help to catch errors. If you want oil you must state a volume greater than 500 litres (the legal minimum deliverable quantity). I treat top up and fill up as another way of saying 500 litres.

Those requesting oil will be sent an email noting that their request is noted. It is not an individual email. You will need to watch your email inbox carefully as there are sometimes changes to note.
An email will be sent to all participants stating that the call for oil is closed.. This occasionally catches someone who has not seen or noticed any of the previous emails. If the delay is not more than a day the request can usually be accepted.

The price will be negotiated from one of some nine or so possible suppliers and, when the details are known, an email will be sent to those requesting oil. The email will set out the supplier, price (usually excl VAT), the delivery window and the payment terms. The delivery window is usually within five working days but it may be longer in very cold weather.

A PDF document is sent to the chosen supplier which will list the name, address, telephone number, tank location and quantity. Email addresses are, as far as can be possible, private in the hope to avoid email marketing. The terms of contract with the supplier include the requirement to use the information provided only to aid delivery and payment and it shall not be used for onward marketing or other purpose.
These days payment is usually by pre-authroisation on the credit card (CC) or debit card (DC).  For some suppliers the delivery note maybe the invoice and participants should pay as soon as possible upon its receipt. Suppliers may impose a surcharge for late payment.

You are, of course, free to drop out of the round if, for example, you think the price too high.  As a matter of commercial respect I do not provide the price that I have negotated to thos who have not requested oil and I trust that those on the call do not advertise the price and supplier to others.  It has taken more than a decade of trust working with the suppliers and it takes only one participant to rupture that and  possibly make it difficult for others in future.
The organisers of this scheme can not accept any liability. There’s no cost involved in taking part – this is an entirely voluntary and community based activity. You don’t have to take part in one of the oil deliveries if you don’t need it or don’t want to.
There’s a reliance on email. It is important to respond quickly in order for this to work so you must check your spam and junk filters and their settings.  Go to Top

Taking part

When using the contact form - see the side panel - to take part in the scheme please provide the answers to the following questions:

#  Your surname and first name - the ones I will use when I talk with you.
#  Your full address including the PostCode.
#  Your email address - the one you prefer to be used for private communications - it should not be your business email. It may differ from that you used to make this contact.
#  Your land line telephone number and, optionally, your mobile number. You do need to recall that there is no mobile coverage in much of rural UK.
#  Your oil tank location(s) and any information that is required to access it (them), unlock it (them), park the goats, gaggle the geese or constrain hounds &c and whether you need to be contacted in advance.
#  Do you require AGA additive - it adds about 2.5p/l to the cost of fuel.
#  Positive acceptance that your information may be held by oilbuying is required so that the requirements of the GDPR may be respected. There are two consents that you need to provide. The first is that by providing this information you consent to it being used in the oilbuying process. The second is that you consent to the communicaton methods that are needed for this process to have any effect. Two "yes" needed then.

Note that some browsers - particularly those used on tablets and phones, modify the menu system and they then display items in a different manner. As a consequence the contact form might not appear until you specifically select it from the displayed menu.  Go to Top