Letter to The Editor:

I am writing this letter on behalf of those Bradley Countians who have Suburban Propane as their gas service. Year before last, I purchased a filled tank of propane to use in our fireplace as needed. We do not use the gas for any other purpose. We do pay the yearly rental on the tank. My husband signed an agreement in the 1980's when he rented the tank and began buying the propane for the fireplace but nothing was ever stated about charging for the non-use if no gas was needed.
Now, after all these years, we've paid the yearly rental fees and purchased gas as it was needed, we are being billed for non-use fees in the amount of $108.72. This would be like J.C. Penny's charging a fee on your credit card for no purchases. I wish I could get away with charging anyone a fee like that. I'd soon be rich too. I have about 100 gallons of gas in the tank and don't feel the need to purchase more gas at such high prices at the moment, and for that I feel we are being punished. It would have been one thing if Suburban had bothered to announce to it's customers that they would be charged this fee,  with the option to pay for that much in gas instead, but they did not. We are now constantly receiving threatening letters about this bill, which we do not owe. My husband and I went down there Friday and demanded to see the contract he signed and of course, they could not produce it. We were given the run-around saying it must be on someone's desk who was out of town. This is harassment, pure and simple. The people of Bradley County whom this affects, should join together in a lawsuit against this company. We would be happy to start a class action lawsuit, in the event anyone else has the same problems with Suburban.

Rita and Charles Lowrance, Jr.