WICHITA, Kansas - The Fourth of July is a holiday where the grill is center stage. However, when it comes to the propane tank, two lawsuits claim consumers are not getting the bang for their buck.
"My tank is the same size as that tank, you just switch them out," Jerry Burtnett said. "It makes sense."
The lawsuits target propane tank exchanges found at many local businesses operated by Blue Rhino and AmeriGas.
The lawsuit claims that as propane costs soared last year, the companies reduced the amount of propane in the tanks and did not make that clear to consumers.
Typically, a propane tank holds 17 to 18 pounds of liquefied propane. The lawsuit says the companies reduced that amount to 15 pounds and still charged the same price.
"I do know they are the same size, and if they are under filled they should be labeled as such," Burtnett said.
AmeriGas and Blue Rhino say they reduced the amount of propane to avoid a price hike, and that their tanks were properly labeled as to the amount of gas inside each tank.
It is the same tactic used in the grocery stores where many products have kept the same price, but reduced the size of the actual product.
However, the lawsuit points to the fact propane prices have plunged, and the tanks remain at the same price with only 15 pounds of propane.
For Kansas grillers, they believe the success of the lawsuit all depends on how well the companies attempted to inform consumers.
"There should have been a nice big sign," Burtnett said. "It should have been very easy to read."
