Ohio Attorney General sues local supplier Thrifty Propane for its business practices

MEDINA — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit against Medina County propane supplier Thrifty Propane over its business practices and said it has violated two prior consent judgments. The lawsuit states that Thrifty Propane's website says consumers should expect delivery within 15 business days, but delivery time often exceeds that. The company continued to advertise and sell propane tanks to new customers while not delivering to customers who already paid for the product, the lawsuit says. Customers also had a difficult time receiving refunds. One case the lawsuit mentions states that one consumer ordered a propane tank and 500 gallons of propane on April 1, 2021. By May 17, 2022, the customer still did not receive the products and requested a refund. The customer did not receive a refund until late August 2022, which was past the promised 30 days. Consumers are required to pay with a check or a direct account transfer to purchase from Thrifty Propane, and therefore cannot initiate a charge-back after not receiving the product. Another complaint includes customers not receiving timely return calls from the company. Between Jan. 1, 2020, and Aug. 1, 2022, about 200 of the over 400 consumer complaints against propane companies were for Thrifty Propane. The lawsuit was filed in Medina County Common Pleas Court and lists six violations of the Consumer Sales Practices Act. The state is soliciting reimbursement for Thrifty Propane's consumers and a $25,000 fine for each violation. "Thrifty's broken promises left some people literally out in the cold," Yost said in a media release. "That's not thrifty; it's cheating — and we're taking them back to court again to hold them accountable." Thrifty Propane did not respond to requests for comment as of Friday evening. In 2016, the attorney general's office filed a complaint against Thrifty Propane over similar complaints. An agreed entry and final consent order was signed that year. Thrifty was instructed to not commit any "unfair, deceptive or unconscionable acts or practices" as part of the settlement. A supplemental agreed entry and consent order was signed in 2019 after there were violations of the 2016 order. Thrifty Propane was told to revise its business practices through a specific outline to help solve complaints against the company. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.