vindiboy Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 *-) Are we being ripped of with Calor gas prices,I think we are,In my local DIY shop a 13 kg Propane cylinder costs £26.99 I shopped around local outlets including the main Calor depot in Millbrook ,Southampton and the prices were the same at all of them.Calor fix the prices they all tell me.Yet whilst at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta [ Fantastic show by the way despite the bad weather ] On the Camping Club rally site a local trader had set up a shop seling general foods and papers etc, also Calor Gas and his 13 kg cylinder was only £22 ,when I queried this he said yes thats the price ,also set by Calor. I recently purchased a 13 kg cylinder at a shop in worthing and again it was £22 and a few pence.So if Calor set the price why is there such a big variation in it around the country.I am leaning towards having refillable cylinders fitted to my van but the installation costs around £500 and even at calors inflated bottle prices I can buy a lot of gas for £500. *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Grumpy Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 If you buy & fit a single 11kg Gaslow cylinder yourself it would be less than half the price you quote. With a refillable cylinder you should not need a spare although we carry an old 6kg calor as a spare just in case we run the large Gaslow down, it has not happened yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 You can also transfer the refillable system to any new van you buy so, in effect, you will not need to buy Calor again. It is also worth noting that you will not have to lift and carry heavy cylinders again or run out and have to change over in the middle of the night! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor girl Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 We've just changed over to a refillable system and filled up for the first time. Two full13kg bottles - took about two minutes to fill and cost just over 7 quid for the lot!! Depending on how much you use it, the chances are you'll recover the initial cost before too long. liz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 I buy Calor gas propane 6kg cylinder refills for £10 each from an independant gas supplier. How does he sell them for that, easy, he goes to a gas depot and as them filled. He obviously makes a small profit. He has my custom, but it does erk me when away I may have to pay through the nose at so called main distributors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crob Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 I also shopped around and I ended up paying £14.05 for a 6kg and £17.50 for a 13kg. That was from Towsure in Sheffield. Our local camping shop quoted £14.40 and £19.80. Yes, we are being ripped off. BUT how about €20 for a Camping Gaz 3.9kg in Italy??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potjoe Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 I fitted a MTH refil bottle and at 53p per ltr got to be good and keep small calor as back up only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tp002c784tp002c784tp Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 vindiboy - 2008-08-20 4:34 PM *-) Are we being ripped of with Calor gas prices,I think we are,In my local DIY shop a 13 kg Propane cylinder costs £26.99 I shopped around local outlets including the main Calor depot in Millbrook ,Southampton and the prices were the same at all of them.Calor fix the prices they all tell me.Yet whilst at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta [ Fantastic show by the way despite the bad weather ] On the Camping Club rally site a local trader had set up a shop seling general foods and papers etc, also Calor Gas and his 13 kg cylinder was only £22 ,when I queried this he said yes thats the price ,also set by Calor. I recently purchased a 13 kg cylinder at a shop in worthing and again it was £22 and a few pence.So if Calor set the price why is there such a big variation in it around the country.I am leaning towards having refillable cylinders fitted to my van but the installation costs around £500 and even at calors inflated bottle prices I can buy a lot of gas for £500. *-) Vindiboy If you shop around I think you will find you can buy Gaslow cheaper than £500, I filled my system whilst on Holiday in july as it had just changed over to the second bottle and it cost me £6.60 to fill, I think that is good value, that was for 11ltrs of gas which is one full bottle. Last year I was paying £15 for a 6kg bottle and I believe they have now gone up to £20, so it won't take me long to recover the £350 I payed for the Gaslow system ( Two 6kg cylinders with Auto change over and all stainless steel hoses.) Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowley Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 I find that FloGas bottles are cheaper than Calor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROND Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Yes we are definately getting ripped off by Calor. When you look at the price of Propane at the pumps and work it out that to refill a calor 6kg is less than half the cost that calor charge its obvious. The pump price produces a profit for the garage and the gas supplier where as Calor alone make the profit from re filling their own bottles and then selling at double the price, cant be bad !!!!!!! Having seen how easy it is to fill a Calor bottle they cant say its labour intensive or that it puts the price up by 100%. For me give me a refillabe anytime, cheaper after initial purchase, easier and much more conveniant when touring abroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicaman Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Calor Gas has always been an expensive fuel, especially if you live in the country. Many pensioners unsuccessfully attempted a protest a few years ago. When the Southampton Oil Refinery was completed back in the 50's there was an outrage due to the many flame towers. These flames were burning off a "waste gas" into the night skies, a bi-product of oil refining. What could they do about it? Well bottle it in containers - and so Calor was born. A well established private equity company that is almost untouchable. Interestingly many Calor supplied garages were very biased against the brilliant re-fillable GasLow system. In several cases in my own experience, telling 'unfounded' scare stories about safety issues, some even refusing to fill yellow bottles. Competition is good for consumers. Its great to see a monopoly being broken. Go green, Go Yellow! Do go for the stainless re-enforced pipes with a fixed refill point, not attached to the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred grant Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 they all is refillables me ansums. its your choice, rent the bottle or buy. in the old days my biddies, most people rented their tvs, very few actually bought there tv. its the same with gas bottles now, most rent, sum buy. that could change, but at least theres the choice. thats not a rip off, its CHOICE. given time, and a change of government, lpg baught at a garage could be dearer than by the bottle. if you aint noticed, the world changes - sumtimes faster than we all like. funtimefred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Haven't used Calor for years, always bought my gas from local builders merchant, a few years back he changed to 'Handygas' (BP) as the builders would not pay the high price of calor. With Hanygas the bottles are free, not rented like Calor. I always use propane so that the regulators can be used with anybodys bottles. I have been told but don't know if it is true, that Calor buy their gas from BP, so the cheaper 'hanygas' is the same thing as dearer 'Calor'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 As far as I'm aware, Calor's pricing policy follows normal UK practice in specifying recommended retail prices for their products, and these recommendations are usually adhered to by Calor's authorised agents. Calor's website provides pricing information for the gas canisters most commonly used in leisure vehicles. I don't know how current these figures are (and, of course they do change regularly), but presumably they are up to date. See: http://www.calor.co.uk/gas.htm The present website-stated price for a 13kg propane refill is £21.40, which approximates to the £22 mentioned by vindiboy. As an alternative to Gaslow, MTH Gas Systems (www.mthgassystems.co.uk) offer a single-bottle refillable system based on a lightweight 11kg-capacity AluGas container at £185 or a 2-bottle version at £370 (prices exclude fitting charges). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted August 21, 2008 Author Share Posted August 21, 2008 Ref derricks reply I got alll excited and looked at the webb site and sure enough £21 .40 .plus £4 .99 delivery charge.I spoke to their sales people who put me through to Southampton depot where they told me their price ,yes £26 .99 take it or leave it, basically ,and that was the price for collection,so I still say Calor is a rip off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Vindiboy: I note that you are now planning to 'go refillable', but this may still be of interest. Yesterday I spoke to the owner of a two local hardware stores who I've known for years. Both his businesses sell Calor gas bottles and I asked him for his current prices for standard 6kg and 13kg propane canisters. He checked his price-list and quoted £16.10 and £21.40, which tally with the amounts given on Calor's website. He told me that his list was provided by Calor and gave recommended maximum prices that Calor suggested their agents might choose to charge. However, he emphasised that these prices were in no way rigid or contractually binding, and there was nothing to prevent him asking £50 or £0.50 for a refill if he was so inclined. In the former case he'd make a helluva profit if a buyer were daft enough to pay his asking price and, in the latter case, he'd make a helluva loss. He said that his policy had always been to follow to Calor's pricing guide lines, adding that the difference between Calor's per-bottle trade-price and Calor's recommended maximum retail price as shown on the list was relatively small. As selling Calor bottles incurred administration/handling overheads, demanded safe/secure storage for the containers, and his customers usually expected his staff to collect empty bottles and deliver replacements to their vehicles (often parked some distance away), he believed that the per-bottle profit he made shouldn't be considered excessive. Apparently, another advantage of adhering to Calor's price recommendations was that it allowed him to show the official list to those customers who expressed concern at the asking prices, to assure them he wasn't overcharging them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter42 Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 rowley - 2008-08-20 7:24 PM I find that FloGas bottles are cheaper than Calor. I completely agree that Flogas is cheaper ( at least it was the last time I compared prices) but try getting Flogas in some parts of the UK. No way Jose! All the suppliers I have tried away from home have told me that, although they have either stocked it or considered stocking it, Calor have warned them they will discontinue supplying the outlet with their products if they continue to sell Flogas. Ergo, Calor Gas is much easier to locate in most areas, I find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaleg Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I refilled my two 6kg gaslows one was about half full) for £9.00 at the calor depot in weston super mare, the guy who filled it said; as long as there is a remote fill point, it complied with the letter that he had about refills of cylinders. pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wills Wagon Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Filled up recently on autogas, 54p/litre. Gaslow prices of the web site: 11kg single refillable cylinder £105. Easy fit stainless steeel hose with propane connector £30 and filler kit with 1.5 m stainless steel hose £60. Total cost £195. Can move the lot from motorhome to motorhome and has a life of 15 years so £13 a year. Would soon get that back and no more lugging bottles. With continental adapters can also use in Europe. Quite straightforward to fit yourself if you have a holecutter and instructions supplied with the filler kit. Web site: gaslow.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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