Robison Oil
About us
We Are Robison Oil, Westchester's largest full service oil company, has been serving the community since 1921. Robison enjoys the reputation of being Westchester's premier full-service company. In the early 70's, after the death of the founder E. Robison, the company was taken over by Mobil oil. In 1984, the Singer family, who had been in the heating oil business in the New York Metropolitan area since 1927, acquired the company. At that time, Robison serviced approximately 7,000 homes. Since 1984, under Singer management has grown to nearly 22,000 customers and 200 employees. Robison provides a variety of home services ranging from fuel oil delivery, oil heat service, HVAC service, Natural Gas supply, Natural Gas service and Electricity. Robison is currently regarded as the finest full service company in Westchester County.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Heating Oil/Biofuel Supply and Service Natural Gas & Electricity Supply and Service Air Duct and Carpet Cleaning Mold Testing HVAC Service and Installation Plumbing Healthy Home Solutions / Indoor Air Quality
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 65% | ||
| 16% | ||
| 8% | ||
| 5% | ||
| 6% |
The product I chose came with a significant rebate, but was time sensitive. Robison ensured that the installation woud meet the rebate requirements. They not only made the date, but arrived early on the installation date, as I had to be at an appointment early that morning. The installation crew did their job as had been described to me, and they did it in a clean and neat manner -- they left no tell tale trash or sign that contractors had been in the house. And my home is nice and cool!
"Thank you for your review. It should be noted that our pricing is in direct correlation to the commodity markets. While it is true that the prices have been volatile we offer our customers several pricing options. It is really a "self" negotiation that our customers need to settle according to their own needs. We offer fixed pricing, cap pricing, market pricing, and our very popular pre-buy. While we never claim to be the "cheapest" company, we will always provide our customer with a "fair" arrangement based on the exchange of a full service company. Too many people place too much value on price now a days, and not enough on the value of things. We at Robison give our customers a dynamic balance providing them with savings and comfort."
"Hi (member name), Thank you for the positive review. I am glad to hear that we are being successful in keeping your burner running. We remain here for you should you require anything further. Thank you for being our customer for so many years. Regards, Dave Fein VP Sales and Marketing"
I also used their plumbing division to change out 2 leaking faucets I had and take out a toilet and pedestal sink while my floors were refinished. That was frustrating. If you're a Robinson customer, they'll give you a 10% discount and charge you per hour rather than a flat fee. It's honestly 6 of 1 or a half dozen of another. They love to play with numbers. The first time the guys came around, they were really dirty. Greasy hand smudges on walls in the hallway, not even where they were working. The small rug i had in the basement was used to put dirty and greasy tools on and perhaps wipe their hands? Whatever they did caused it to be disgusting after they left. But I appreciated how they turned the rug over and folded it up after they made their mess to make it seem like they were keeping it away and clean. Also, even though one of the guys brought a tarp and laid it down near the toilet, he still put the dirty plunger on the hardwood floor in my kitchen, NOT on the tarp. Not that it would have mattered, as i'm sure the tarp was filthy on both sides. When they had to come back to reinstall the toilet and sink - again, pay by the hour which could be ok if they had 1 or 2 experienced plumbers. Not 1 plumber and 1 guy in training who kept having to go back to the truck to get the right tool after he kept bringing the wrong tool in. Then of course they didn't have the right part on their truck so they had to run to the store which added to their billable hours. When all was said and done I tried to ask for them to amend their price at least since I was being charged for someone else's training. The manager offered to take some money off but had to remove the 10% discount. It was really a joke. He also offered to give me some type of coupon for the next job they did. I'll never use their service again if I have another option. As soon as my contract is up, I'll also change my heating oil service too. Oh, and the second time around they were dirty too.
I've just really never experienced workers like this before. They knew I was dependent on them and I felt they really milked me.
"Hi Bridget, Thank you for the positive feedback. Our service technicians are working 24/7 during these extreme weather conditions to make sure that our customers stay warm and comfortable. I am glad to hear that we were able to restore your heat. Thank you for being our customer. Regards, Dave Fein VP Sales Robison"
Very prompt and professional service.
Been using them for 10 years.
I have been a cuustomer for 6 years. I am set up for automatic oil deliveries. In that time my oil tank never dropped below 1/3 full, typically being filled when it reached 1/2 full. On Wednesday, January when my oil tank reached 1/4 full, and given the 0 degree temperatures, I went online to robisonoil.com and put in a request for an oil delivery. Next day, Thursday January 23rd, I called Robison to check status of my request. I was told by Shirely that they had no record of my request. I then told her that I needed a delivery asap and after putting me on hold for a few minutes she came back and told me I was scheduled for that day. Next day, Friday January 24th. No oil delivery. I call Robison again and speak with Juanita who tells me she is a supervisor. I asked her why I was lied to by Shirley. Juanita replies that no delivery was made to my residence as I had 1/4 tank and there were other people with no oil. I asked her why Shirley told me otherwise and she had no meaningful response. I then asked if there were issues with Robinson that left customers with no oil. Again I got no meaningful response. I asked to speak directly with owner David Singer and I was transferred to his assistant, Shannon.
I repeated the situation to Shannon and she told me she would call me back within 10 minutes. 5 minutes later she calls to tell me the delivery truck will be at my home in 7 minutes (which it was). Of course one can infer what one wants to, but it does seem strange that the truck just happened to be coming to my house 7 minutes after I contacted David SInger's assistant.
When the temperature hovers around zero, I cannot think of many things more important for a homeowner then heat. The fact that my automatic delivery did not take place, that my online request for delivery never was received, and that the first customer representative I spoke with promised me a delivery that never took place, does not give me a warm feeling (no pun intended) regarding my future business with this company.
Update, February 12, 2014. I went on to Robison's web site (www.robisonoil.com) to make a service appointment. First I tried to schedule an appointment for service on my water heater as it has been over a year since they last serviced it. Couldn't do that since only my furnace was listed (I pay for a service contract for both). So I sent a message through the web site. Never heard back. So just now I return to the site to see if I can schedule service for my furnace. I selected a date of May 28, afternoon, and when I selected confirm I got a mostly blank screen with the words and quot;bad_valueand quot; on the top.
Nothing more I can say.
"Hi [remove member name] Thank you for taking time to speak with me this morning. I truly appreciate your feedback and have taken the necessary steps to correct the issues you presented. I am glad that we were able to deliver your oil. Looking back, the weather on that day was snowing and the roads did present hazardous conditions. However, as you know our driver navigated these conditions safely making sure that your tank remained full. Fortunately at no time were you ever without heat. We at Robison are very clear on our mission in providing comfort and care to the thousands of customers that we service. We work hard every day around the clock to meet these needs. Lastly, I want to thank you for being our cusotmer and allowing us to provide service and delivery to you and your family. Best Regards, Dave Fein VP Sales and Marketing Robison"
Robison (and our agent with a key) came promptly, delivered 150 gallons of oil, restarted the boiler and stayed there until it was clear the heat was on and the circulator pump was heating the baseboards. The house was saved; that is, it didn't freeze, burst pipes, or flood, etc.
Robison has been very helpful over the years with very good technicians making up for the occasional bad ones such as the tech that removed rusting and broken internal baffles from our boiler and hid them next to the wall, closed up the unit, and told us nothing. When I found them months later I realized we had been running at reduced efficiency all that time.
A good one? The tech who diagnosed our seriously misbehaving and quot;Blue Angeland quot; burner after three separate and quot;no startand quot; service calls (all under svc contract) and replaced it at a discount with a more efficient burner that ran without problems for more than a decade afterwards, and may still be running for our home's new owners.
We chose Robison after our small business oil company sold us an unusual very efficient boiler then a couple of years afterwards sold out to a much larger company (name omitted). Q: Do they understand our unusual system?? A: Of course; we talked to the service manager. No problem. .... Later, when the new company's technician arrived to clean and service our boiler, he looked at it and said (exact quote!) and quot;What the h*** is this? I ain't never seen one of them before!and quot;
Robison, by contrast, knew what to do.
We have used Robison for almost 40 years for our oil and service. They are great. Very responsive. Very knowledgeable.
"Thank you for the positive feedback and for placing your trust in us for so many years. I am glad to hear the your boiler is running fine now and that our tech was able to repair it. Stay warm and if you need us, you know that we are here for you! Best Regards, Dave Fein VP Sales"
"So glad to hear that we were able to help you with your problem! Thank you for the feedback!"
"Thank you for your feedback. Robison has been a proud business partner with Westchester homeowners for over 90 years. We pride ourselves on being able to provide our customers with prompt, reliable and competent service. I am disappointed to hear that your generator installation did not go smoothly. We have since made major changes in our processes and overall personnel involved in the installation of our stand by generators. The installation of a propane generator is a lengthy process as you know. We have now implemented an "on line" portal to promote visibility of the milestones and completion dates. In short, we clearly recognized our shortcomings with your project and made the necessary improvements. We do now have our "act together". Thank you once more for your valuable feedback. Sincerely, Dave Fein VP Sales and Marketing 914-847-0210"
"We are glad that you had a great experience with Robison! Thank you for your feedback!"
They said they would be there between 12pm and 4pm. The service man showed up at exactly 12 noon.
The young man came out and surveyed the damage and it turned out that the upstairs bathroom toilet's limiter was not working and the water would overflow into the overflow pipe within the reservoir. Not the typical running toilet issue as it was silent. However the resulting constant water refilling caused the reservoir to have condensation to the point of pooling water on the floor of the bathroom and slowly leaking through the floor.
It ended up being a minor fix but it was handled quickly and efficiently.
"Thank you for your review. We are a family owned company with the owners on premises practically every day. We pride ourselves on being able to maintain the personal touch and communication with our customers. As you know, the replacement of your heat exchanger was delayed due to your manufacturers approval. The "multi-step" process was a direct result of the manufacturers requirements in order to get full warranty approval. To avoid the shipping charges we traveled to New Jersey to pick up your heat exchanger. Dealing with manufacturer warranties can be difficult. However, we navigated through their process successfully to award you the full warranty."
The office staff, however, is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. We needed some additional plumbing work done as well as needed to reschedule our annual heating system cleaning that was canceled due to Sandy. We received a quote the prior year for the work, but decided to wait. When we asked about having the work done this year, the quoted us a price of more than double, but couldn't explain why the price was jacked up so much. Based on the details in the estimate, I was expecting a minor price increase, but could find no justification for the massive spike in price. I tried getting in touch with multiple people at Robison to gain an understanding of why the price was going up so high, but never got a response. Finally, when I threatened to go with a different plumber, who we eventually used, they got back to me and told me they would honor the prior year's quoted price. Unfortunately, the work had already been done by the other plumber as I was under the impression they would not be returning my calls.
The other problem we had was scheduling our heating system cleaning. We had originally had our appointment scheduled for the week Sandy hit in October. The appointment had been scheduled for several months, long before anyone could conceive of such a massive storm. As we had no power, they were not able to come to the appointment, obviously. However, the earliest next appointment they had for us was not until the very end of March, when the heating season was coming to a close. Again, many phone calls placed, no return. I finally contacted the office of the CEO, and they were able to bump me up to January.
I will be doing a lot of research this spring when our contract expires with Robison to find a different oil provider. They will need to step up their game in a major way if they are going to keep me as a customer.
UPDATE: They were very helpful in getting the work finished. As I mentioned above, all of the technicians that come to our house are always great. I've had good experiences recently with customer service on the phone as well.
"Thank you for the feedback. It was a pleasure speaking with your husband Josh this past weekend. I am further pleased that we were able to resolve the pending issues and re-establish your trust and confidence in Robison once again. As discussed, the plumbing part (low water cutoff) on your boiler that we quoted two years ago will be scheduled for repair since you have not completed this as of yet. As you know I have negated the 25% increase over the two years and have extended our customer loyalty pricing to you. Thank you for placing your trust in us and being our customer. We will continue to work hard to maintain your loyalty."
At about 10:00 am, a service man showed up, spent about 1.5 hours fixing the system, and voila! Heat back on! He explained to us what was the problem, and how we could fix it going forward.
Needless to say, crisis averted! Great service on NYE!
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FAQ
Contact Information
ONE GATEWAY PLAZA, 4TH FLR., PORT CHESTER, NY 10573
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