Cooper's plans to honor service contracts if Norton's customers can produce documents and sign up for automatic delivery.
Cooper's Oil Co. in Phillipsburg has heard from "at least 200" former Norton Oil Co. customers since the company shut down earlier this week, an assistant service manager said today.
Cooper's will honor service contracts if Norton's customers can produce documents and sign up for automatic oil delivery, Eric Summitt said. The company will also provide two years or service for the price of one once the old contracts expire in April, Summitt explained from the "very busy" business in the 400 block of Memorial Parkway.
"We are trying to help, we really are," Summit said.
At least one longtime Norton's employee will join the Cooper's service department on Monday and another came to work two weeks ago, said Summitt, who worked until seven years ago at Norton's.
"All (former) Norton's customers are going to see a familiar face" when they have their furnace serviced, he said.
Even though recordings on phone systems indicated Sycamore Cos. was taking over all Norton routes, it's more likely the company is only servicing the Washington area, he said.
Cooper's covers all of Norton's service area plus some, Summit said.
Cooper's cannot honor deals that customers made to prebuy oil from Norton's and people who want to make "casual purchases" -- buying oil on demand and paying for it up front -- are being sent to Liberty Discount Fuel in Easton, he said.
Sassy Mohammed, the office manager at Liberty, said this morning that the company is "very busy" aiding Norton customers and the situation is "very sad."
"A lot of their customers are calling very upset" because they had no warning about the company shutting down after about seven decades in business, she said.
While Liberty also can't honor prebuy agreements, it is "willing to work seven days a week to accommodate" the oil needs of former Norton customers. "Nobody should be without heat," she said.
Liberty does not do maintenance, but can sell oil to those that need it, she said.
"It's very scary for an 80-year-old to call and say she doesn't know what to do," Mohammed said.