Referred by a friend who had been a customer for years. Used them through 2 heating seasons and can say that I a fan. Their billing/payment department was easy to work with and the online tools for paying and ordering were very easy to use. Their price per gallon was always within pennies of the competitors and they did offer a budget plan if you could provide them with the previous years usage. read more

Phone call on contract, Woman who answered stated there is nothing she would do. The manager had fixed the contract and that was that. Hung Up. Have never on my many calls to John Ray been treated so poorly. read more

When I changred to John Ray it was very helpful and good to us but after jan of 2026 I don't know if there was new owner or what by it has gone down hill really bad .In Feb we ran out of propane and had to have the fire dept come and check out the house to make sure the house was safe to go in and we had to sit in the car in below -0 .We were on auto dirtery but they never came .So I chaned to a new co. because I can not trust them in the winter My husband is 89 and I am 76 and because they picked up the tank they chargded $162 this is nuts Very Unhappy with them so BEWARE and think twice before you choose them for your fuel!!!!!1 read more

I contracted with John Ray & Sons to replace the oil tank in my basement and the work was completed on November 11, 2024. In early April of 2025 I noticed that a patch of lawn was dead, and when I smelled the dirt it smelled of oil. Bags containing absorbant material from the old oil tank had been placed on that spot. I first called the offices at John Ray & Sons on 4/3/2025 to resolve this issue. Since then I have had two no-call, no-show appointments. Two unanswered e-mails, and I have made several phone calls to their office. Eventually someone came out to resolve the issue on 5/2/2025. The solution was to remove as much dead grass as could be removed with a rake and spread grass seed over the area. The grass seed did not germinate in the oil contaminated soil. I contacted John Ray and Sons again on 5/20/2025 and was told that neither one of the customer service reps I had been communicating with were available. 48 hours later I still have not heard from either of them. read more

John Ray & Sons - Heating & Air Conditioning/HVAC Near Me - Troy, New York

Currently on maternity leave so money is tight and they dont take payments. i paid the $900 bill and they closed my account. they said i would need to put $800 for a new account and delivery leaving me with no fuel/heat during the coldest time of the year with a newborn baby. their response to the circumstances: "welp, sorry" called another company and got same day delivery- my advice: boycott this company. read more

Kyle is very professional with an eye for detail. Very educated and thorough. Quality workmanship... reliable and trustworthy

Unprofessional. They don't return calls or follow thru. Oh wait,they contacted me 6 weeks after I contacted them.!

"Since John Ray & Sons keeps deleting and untagging my post, I'll share it myself. I signed a contract with John Ray & Sons after purchasing our home in June of 2023. I immediately requested for a boiler tune-up for cleaning and any recommendations for preventative maintenance or repair. After the boiler tune-up, we were left with no documentation on work performed during the visit, and a call to customer service only yielded minimal service notes stating it was serviced. Fast forward to December 30th 2023, while on-duty at work as a Firefighter I received a call from my wife at 4 am stating the house smelled like something was burning and smelled strong. I told her to leave the house and take my 3 year old and 6 month old sons to a family members house. I responded to my home with a 5 gas meter to find black smoke coming from my chimney, 250 ppm CO in the house and a strong smell of fuel oil throughout. I immediately evacuated my 2 dogs and began ventilating the house. While waiting for John Ray to respond, I opened my boiler to find tremendous build up of black soot throughout the entire unit. Once the technician arrived, instead of an empathetic phone call from the Dispatch Manager Matt Williams, I was told that I should not have opened my own boiler to inspect and discover why the unit was so full of soot, and that I had just set his technician back "5 hours" by opening the service door. The complete and total disregard to the health and safety of my wife and two small children was appalling. Later, the technician cleaning the boiler stated that the there was "no way this unit was cleaned" during the boiler tune up and that soot wouldn't have accumulated that much in 2 months of use. After the cleaning was complete, the boiler was turned back on and heat was restored to the house. With thorough ventilation, it was clear that the smell of fuel oil and smoke would not clear the residence, with 5 ppm of VOC's measured in the main living space. We checked into a hotel, and had fire restoration begin running HEPA fans and air scrubbers in the residence. The following day, I reached out to the Customer Service Manager Nancy Rapp about the persistent odor and VOC's present, with another technician to respond. The technician stated that the odor was persisting because the technician that came out the day of the incident installed the wrong nozzle off the van and that it was not operating correctly, and that the soot buildup was not from a lack of cleaning during the boiler tune-up, but a defective nozzle received by John Ray and installed on my boiler. I was told by the technician "good luck" going after the nozzle manufacturer for the incident that happened and that he tested the boiler again with it in good working condition. My family spent 5 days in a hotel while Fire Restoration performed cleaning, air purification and ozone treatment to create a habitable living environment for my family to return home. We had to personally wash every article of laundry in our house and have rugs sent out to be professionally cleaned to rid the house and clothing of odor that remained in the fabrics. When following up with Customer Service Manager, Nancy Rapp, about the confusion of either gross negligence in not cleaning our boiler or a defective part installed during their boiler tune-up, I was told "who said you couldn't stay at the house after the boiler was cleaned?" and "why should we have to pay for any of that?". Another disappointing and total disregard for the lives of myself, my wife and our two small children who could have been seriously harmed or killed from the service or lack thereof by John Ray & Sons. As of 1/19/24, Nancy Rapp states that the position of John Ray & Sons is that it is not their problem, and to submit it through my homeowners insurance. John Ray & Sons is no longer a locally-owned, hometown oil service and does not stand by or support any of the work that they perform. You are taking your life into your own hands by using them for service, and I am just fortunate that this incident did not have a more tragic ending." From an Albany Firefighter. read more

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Update 1 year later...after years of documented problems since install with the mini split, they finally agreed to replace the unit, which caused a whole list of problems. The field service manager, Justin, also said they would install another condenser and unit for the basement since I was informed by the old service manager, Z, to take out my working oil burning furnace. This caused my house to be EXTREMELY cold in the basement due to no more heat down there (even though I was told it would stay around 50). Long story short, they never added another system, sent me to collections, and never followed up on any calls. This includes calls to the local office, credit and legal. Multiple messages were left and unreturned. I had to reach out to them EVERY time. Come to find out John Ray owes me just under $400, and they sent me to collections. This is the most unprofessional company in every manner. Due yourself a favor and stay FAR away. read more

I have been a propane customer of John Ray & Sons for 18+ years and they are a great company and take care of you, especially in a winter time. I just had a gentleman here that works for John Ray & Sons by the name of David Snare who is going to give me a quote on a whole house generator. David, thank you for your professionalism and funny demeanor, which made my day. It was a pleasure meeting you. read more

Left my daughter and two children without heat overnight in these extreme temperatures. She called a day ahead and they would not do an emergency delivery. Her delivery was scheduled for the next day. I would not be calling ahead, I would be calling, my lawyer, the Attorney Genera, and local news channels SHAME ON YOU!! read more

I signed on to John Ray due to their great oil price. I loved Braymer Fuels over the last 8 years. But they are more costly. John Ray's oil tank apparently cannot ot get up our driveway this winter...not that they tried. Their sales rep had no problem in his 2 wheel drive. Braymer Fuels, also, had no problem. John Ray was scheduled to come today. They haven't been here at all. Now we are out of oil and it's well below freezing & tonight will be single digits. No hot water either. They said they can't get out here to fill up till tomorrow! I cancelled my account & went back to Braymer Fuels. Braymer Fuels is going to try to get here today; uf they can't they will be here tomorrow. read more

John Ray has always made us feel like we are a part of the family. They are always available to help and best part......NO extra delivery fees. You pay what they say. read more

Complete disregard for human life, especially a first responder and his wife and BABIES! Horrendous management and embarrassing customer service, DO NOT GO TO THEM read more

Previously I had adequate service from John Ray & Sons, until 2021. I only use propane for heating my pool, my pool heater is a propane unit. I filled in the fall of 2020, after I had closed my pool for the season. After not having a fill all of 2021, JR&S came to my house and filled my tank with 58 gallons of propane. The only problem being that my pool heater was not functioning for all of 2021 and still is not functioning. There is a electronic sensor that controls the ignition of the heater and that sensor failed. Due to covid-19 supply chain issues and chip shortage, I could not get a replacement sensor. We discovered this when I had the pool opened for the season. So since I could not use the heater I could not use 58 gallons of propane. To be safe, I shut the valve at the tank and at the heater. I had spoken to the representative over the phone several times regarding this to no avail. They insisted that the driver had indeed delivered 58 gallons to a full tank. When I insisted that this was physically impossible, and that the only way of that being possible was a faulty tank. TJR&S then sent a tech to look at the tank, I saw him on my security camera, for which I was charged and additional $100.00 I will have to pay for the error on JR&S part, and look for a different provider. John Ray and Sons was a good local company until they were bought by Petro Oil. Now it's just another big company with poor customer service. read more

For 3 days now I have been calling for a delivery. Every time they say I on the list for tomorrow. Yet my tank is again at 0. This is the second time I have run out since October and the customer service is awful. read more

I hired John Ray and sons for my elder brother who did not report any service delivery issues for them. The account was in his name and he was paying a monthly budget amount. in august , my brother passed and his home was left to me and my husband. We continued to pay the budget fees and asked them to turn the account into our names giving them the legal paperwork to support the change. They immediately changed the billing address- an hour away to send me the bills but despite multiple phone calls to Mary and reports that she notified the business office- the account never was changed to my name. We sold the property in mid December and followed up with them multiple times since, as they owe us over $1000 from the budget plan. I called yesterday and they reported that the check was ready to go- to my address but the check is in my brother's name. I again- not happy and raising my voice that my brother was deceased and we could not cash a check in his name- they have his death certificate along with a life will document from a lawyer. They said they would correct this and send me a check next week??????????????????Almost 2 months later- I will drive down next week and sit at their business office until they give me this reimbursement. Very poor business management- I will not recommend them. Donna read more

Terrible Customer Service! One star is too generous. If there was an option for zero stars that would be my choice. John Ray did not properly plan for the timely delivery of our home heating fuel. We had to make several calls over three days to get them to come to our home. When they finally arrived, the driver wouldn't come down our driveway citing that it was snow-covered. The driveway had been professionally plowed and sanded. We sent John Ray photos of our driveway. After the photos were sent I called them to discuss the situation and they hung up on me. They did not give us any suggestions. We did everything we were supposed to do. It is not new news to them that we live in the Northeast, have a long driveway, and contend with snowstorms. Had John Ray been timely with their delivery and/or planned for the snowstorm better this would not have happened. read more

We requested Service Technician Austin for our annual furnace tune up. He performed all the necessary filters and cleaning. Then he tested the furnace and cleaned up the area. He has such great skills and the utmost professionalism. We are very happy! read more

My central A/C system broke down in the summer of 2023. I contacted another HVAC contractor (who shall remain nameless) for diagnosis and repair. This unnamed contractor charged $289 and sent me, via e-mail, cost proposals to replace the whole system with no further explanation concerning why it can't be repaired! I then contacted John Ray & Sons who quickly sent a tech named "Kyle". He was professional, knowledgeable and personable. He diagnosed the problem. In addition, I was charged only $100 for the service call. He said he would provide the details of the required part to "Matt". Within a day or two Matt called me with a price for the part, to include installation. Matt then kept me informed concerning the status of the part that had to be ordered from the A/C system manufacturer. When the part came in Matt called me to arrange a date/time for installation. Kyle showed up on-schedule, he installed the part, paid attention to every detail to make sure everything was done correctly (I watched him), the work area was cleaned up, and the A/C system worked perfectly. Lastly, they charged me exactly what they quoted for a cost. Bottom line: fantastic customer service, knowledgeable, professional, and friendly staff, and reasonable prices. read more

I recently had a visit from John Ray and sons. I had a propane smell coming from my propane tank. They sent Austin who was a very nice and polite guy. Did everything he had to do to fix the problem he found the leaks and repaired it. ​He ​also is very good at furnace repair. read more

I recently had an air conditioning emergency and Austin from John Ray & Sons came to my rescue yet again. This is the third time Austin has come when I have had heating and air conditioning issues and he always goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure everything is up and running smoothly and efficiently. I should note that this last time was on a Sunday and as soon as Austin called to say he would be right over I was extremely relieved that it was him who would be taking care of me. If anyone has a heating or air conditioning emergency, Austin at John Ray & Sons is the person to call. read more

One reviewer once said that there "Isn't a Ray or a Son left anymore at John Ray and Sons". This statement couldn't be more true. The company was taken over several years ago by Petro Oil, an out of town company who couldn't care less about the customer or the once great company that was established in the early 1900's. It's all about profits...period. Customer service reps are non existent and do not return calls. Its only when you threaten to leave for another supplier that they call back..and back...and back ...at the level of harassment. I have the call logs to prove it. It actually took an almost $5 a gallon propane bill to get me to do a little research. I found out that although propane is not regulated, there are many options. One such option is to join a co-op which I did with Galway co-op. They use Ferrell Gas at the moment and when you join a co-op, you in a sense regulate the price yourself because there is strength in numbers. The same propane that I was paying $5 a gallon for is now $1.78. Also, with Ferrell and the strength of the co-op, there are no hook up fees or tank lease fees. Also no long term contracts. The point of my review is don't feel you are stuck because LP gas is unregulated. John Ray knows this so they follow the leader. If company "X" charges $4.85 a gallon, they will charge $4.90 because A) They know you will pay it B) It's too much hassle to get them to come out and remove the tank and switch to a competitor for a mere $25 savings per fill in price difference. What they don't want you to know is that there is another option that is WELL worth your time switching. John Ray I think is mad at me. Their tank still sits in my yard. They don't return my emails to confirm a pickup date and just like when I was a customer, couldn't care less about me as a customer. read more

Notable Changes in Customer Service - Very Disappointed Back in 2015 when my propane tank ran out, I researched local fuel delivery companies. There are many choices in my area, however, quite a few of them will not refill a tank unless you rent or purchase it from them. I own my tank (it came with my house). It's one of the smaller, upright tanks and we use it solely for our kitchen stove. Therefore, it only needs to be filled every 2-3 years. After speaking with a lot of people, I chose John Ray & Sons even though it was located in Troy - a bit of a distance away. The main reason I selected to purchase my propane from this company was that the person I spoke with in their Customer Service Department, Pam, was very helpful and their price was competitive. Pam made setting up an account with them simple. She sent someone out to fill the tank and sent me an invoice which I paid within a couple of days. I was very impressed and recommended John Ray & Sons to several friends and neighbors. Flash forward to last weekend. On Sunday, we ran out of propane while I was cooking breakfast. Our tank has no indicator to show when the fuel is low, and last time we were running out, I could smell the gas so I use that as an indicator to get the tank filled. Didn't smell it this time. So I went to their website and sent an e-mail as opposed to calling since I didn't consider it an emergency. I asked that they send someone to come fill the tank on Monday or Tuesday. Monday came and went without any word from anyone at the company (does anyone read their e-mails?). Tuesday morning, still nothing. Just as I was looking up their telephone number, I got a call. The woman wasn't nasty but she wasn't very nice, either. She said they had deleted my account because I hadn't purchased from them in over two years. I explained that we are two people living in the house and only use propane for cooking, and that should have been in my account from my conversation with Pam back in 2015. She all but accused me of buying propane from another company in the interim! Huh? Did you not hear me? Then it came to the billing part. She said she could resurrect my "C.O.D." account. I asked what that meant and she told me I would have to pay for my propane in advance of delivery. What? Last time I was sent an invoice that was promptly paid (which she could see in her system). I asked how do you know what it will cost? "We just estimate based on the size of your tank," she told me. "You have to prepay because some people don't pay their bills." At that point, she was losing me, and I replied, "You have my previous payment history. Why are you punishing me for the sins of your other customers?" She made it clear that I had to pay up front; they would not send me an invoice as they did in the past. At this point, I needed to get off the phone to regroup because I was being treated with disrespect which makes me angry. I called back and asked to speak with Pam who, it turns out, is now in the Delivery Department. She remembered me! I told her what had transpired and she said she would have someone "nice" call me back shortly. Margie did call me within a reasonable amount of time and although she was pleasant, she reiterated the payment policy and added that I was a "Will Call" customer and they needed three days advance notice to get to me. My blood started to boil. I gave Margie my credit card info and she said she would run a $1 through and the balance of the charge would go on my card when they were delivering the propane. This is not what occurred. What actually happened was that she billed me for the estimated fill of my tank (about $70) even though she said the truck could not be at my house until three days later! I am not even sure this is legal. Now, in all fairness to Margie, she did say that she would put on the order that my tank was empty so that, if they could, they would come to my house sooner. This morning at 7:15 a.m. I received a telephone call from Margie that they could be at my house today after 2 p.m.. I am waiting. I hope the owners of John Ray & Sons read my review because they need to know how I feel. I realize that, with my small usage, I am not a great revenue producer for them. But I am still their customer. And I was made to feel both unimportant and, even worse, like a deadbeat who would not pay her bill. Let me just share with you what good customer service looks like. I am in the villa/condo/private island rental business where stellar customer service is key. Some of the villas my company represents cost $125 per night and others can run as much as $10,000 or more per night. The payment policy is the same for all our clients. The person who books the $125 per night villa/condo is made to feel just as important as the person who books a more expensive accommodation. We make it known that we value their business. This is where you failed. read more

do yourself a favor and never do business with these con artists! we were on a budget plan with them and at the end of the season they hit us with a $1500 bill over the budget plan we thought we were on! we never authorized any extra deliveries and they just came and filled our tank at an obnoxious price of $6 per gallon without even a phone call to let us know we were over our montly budget! they just filled our tank at and then billed us! they refused to work with us after being loyal customers for over 27 years! they dont care about loyal customers only about ripping honest paying customers off!!! read more

This company has been the most frustrating to work with. Previous tenant had a contract that we were unaware to take over, we proceeded to pay for tank refill but asked to not have it refilled when summer was around the corner, John Ray and Sons took that as if we did not want to be customers anymore and sent a crew to remove the tank the next day and bill us $200 for a tank removal fee. When calling to let them know that was not what we meant, they failed to provide guidance from a manager for 4 months now, they provided fake employee names when asked for clarification and assistance and to this day has not been resolved even when calling weekly to check the status on bill. I am very disappointed with the customer service that has been provided and the unclear transparency especially when this could all have been sorted out within a week. read more

They have repeatedly screwed things up for me. They have incorrectly over billed me on occasions and they have lost the checks I have sent to them. When you call you often can't get ahold of anyone and have extended wait times. They have also charged me for an oil tank removal that I had to help the crew they sent out with. I would not recommend them to anyone. Currently they price gouged me for over a dollar more per gallon than the market rate of home heating oil. I have been on hold for HALF AN HOUR with the billing department. Do yourself a favor and go with someone else. read more

They tried to bill us $3.99 a gallon for an oil delivery that was never authorized to deliver. What a headache! Some customer service reps were helpful and others just wanted me off the phone. An empathy training would be recommended. We were considering removing our oil tank from our basement and we called and told John Ray & Sons not to deliver and they still did and then charged us $3.99 a gallon and I spoke to a customer service representative who could care less about the situation because it wasn't her basement. read more

If I could rate 0 stars I would. I had called to have a new tank installed and filled on a Friday as we were moving into our new house on Saturday. The sales person gave me a time that the person would arrive. Fast forward to the Friday and nobody showed up. Called and they told me that I don't have an account! So I'm stuck moving with no heat in the winter time. Luckily I called a local company who was more than happy to help me get something going. Their prices might be good and they may have bonuses for new customers but I would not trust them with showing up to fill or setup at all. Terrible company. read more

We had a regular boiler service today . Austin was the tec. He was polite and knowlegable . He answered all my questions and did his job with no problems . Thank you for such good service. David L. Riffley he read more

I have had issues the past 4 months with this Company and billing. I have called 4 (four) times only to be reassured everything would be taken care of; it has not been taken care of. Two (2) times I have sent back their paper sheet with my bank info and card so my payment could be made. Apparently they lost both papers because I rec'd an email indicating they needed my bank info again!! This is maddening and inexcusable. especially considering I have had a contract with them for about 10 years and they were always able to deduct my payment automatically. Addendum: the calls mentioned above do not include info I have left on their contact form at least twice--and have tried many more times only to be unable to leave a message due to no verification symbol! read more

My boiler is finicky and always seems to have some problem or another. John Ray and Sons have been so good to me over the years. In March my hot water heater broke and backed up to short out the boiler. They were here that morning and continued work on the whole system for 3 days while I was in the hospital for a surgery so when I got home everything was working perfectly. Yesterday I got home in the evening to find that the boiler wasn't receiving the signal from our thermostats and the house was down to 54 degrees. Even though it was late, they sent someone out and it turned out to be the same guy from March. Austin remembered me and the system we have. It took him an hour but he found a temporary work around to keep the heat on through the night. He left around 11:30pm and was back with a more permanent fix at 9am this morning. He called the manufacturer and figured out a wiring bypass that saved me from having to replace a $500 digital relay part! The whole thing with the emergency call and the follow up only cost me $290. I was amazed. Austin has been so fantastic in his work at my home every time he's been here and I would strongly recommend both him and the John Ray company in general. read more

Austin is the man!!!! No hot water this AM, cold showers suck! I called John Ray& Sons, nervously anticipating a huge bill and no hot water for a few days. Austin showed up to my house 2 hrs later, seriously! Diagnosed the ignitor on my hot water tank and had it up and running in no time. Austin even took the time to explain what was happening and made every attempt to repair the problem while also keeping my bill down. This single dad of two needs all the help he can get after xmas and Austin came through. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the honesty, speed and fair price that Austin and John Ray & Sons provided. Thanks again!!! read more

If your looking for a great company that gives you personalized attention with a smile, go with a John Ray & Sons because they make you feel like family. read more

DO NOT USE JOHN RAY & SONS. After several years of being an autofill customer, I received a bill charging me $4.10 per gallon for fuel oil. I called their number and just asked what the rate was for fuel oil - the answer - $2.56. When I called to complain I was told that I was charged more because if I needed fuel oil, I could get it quickly. I was on autofill, I won't have an emergency, and if I did, it certainly wasn't worth an additional $1.50 per gallon per deliver (hundreds of dollars each delivery) against all of my regular deliveries (it literally could run me an extra thousand dollars a season just in case I have an emergency - ridiculous!). They told me if I had signed a different type of contract that would have locked in the price then I would have been charged a lower rate (not $2.56, that was only for NEW customers) but if I wanted to terminate the locked in rate I would be charged hundreds of dollars to cancel. I'm only going to work with oil companies that publish the price I will pay when I need fuel oil. I would NEVER recommend this business to anyone. BEWARE of price gouging. read more

The serviceman, Austin, arrived right on time. John Ray actually sent me an email prior to his arrival so I could track him - wasn't necessary but a nice customer service. He set right to work doing our furnace maintenance - changing the filter, rejetted the burner, and cleaned out the unit. Our A/C wasn't working and after troubleshooting it ourselves, we knew we needed someone with more expertise. Austin went over the unit carefully, ruling out various problems, until narrowing it down to the controller and fan. What we were especially pleased with was that Austin was able to quote us on the repair parts and how soon they'd be available. He covered various options and his recommendations and left us to decide how to proceed -no pressure at all. Professional and competent. read more

We are a seasonal camper and have run out of propane a couple of times on the cold nights. Finally decided to go for a big tank and called John Ray & Sons. Appointment was scheduled for installation and Jim Smith Technician #83 arrived promptly and completed the installation very quickly. Once completed he checked for leaks and that everything was working properly. Great service. read more

I had to have a new water pump installed on my well. When the people that were installing went into our basement they had a strong smell of propane coming from our furnace. I called John Ray and they made it a priority. Kevin showed up within a half hour. He found the leak and repaired it right away. Kevin tech #87 has to be the most caring technician I have ever had to deal with. I would never hesitate to call for his services. When I had a problem with the company who made the furnace John Ray took over for me with the company. They have yet to let me down. They installed a new furnace a new indirect water heater as well as gave me the company to install our generator. If I call for service they are right there. Their prices for propane are competitive as well. They will always have my business. read more

Overall, we did not have a good experience with John Ray. We used them for both heating oil and propane and were given a good discounted price to start. The following year prices were much higher especially compared to other providers. If you are going to use them for propane and rent a tank ask about restocking fees. My contract said there would be a restock fee but not how much. We stopped using propane in our home and were hit with a $250 restock fee when they picked up the tank. How can that be the last interaction you want to have with a customer. We didn't even switch to another provider. read more

Worst company to go through! They ran us out of fuel 2 times during the winter when we are scheduled for automatic delivery when it gets to a certain point. They tried charging us triple what we pay in our budget plan because we went over a certain number of gallons, which was no where in the contract we signed. If you don't renew a contract with them they charge you a "restocking" fee of $275 for propane tanks. I do not recommend this company, many other companies that have better customer service and are much cheaper. read more