Got burned - Don't go to Lansing Jet Center.

Jon,

Lansing JetCenter just changed owners in the last few months. I know
they are trying to be more user friendly than in the past but old
employee habits die hard. Have you called and spoken to a manager?
This is the sort of thing that the new owners do NOT want happening.

I suggest you call and ask to speak to a manager, outline what
happened and your shock over the cost. (A heated hangar is normally
only about $100 at most for the process of deicing an airplane.) The
manager should make sure that something like that doesn't happen again
as he or she knows that it drives away business. Plus, the new owners
also own some other FBOs that are very user friendly and will want to
know about this event so that it can be corrected.

I suspect the line crew was used to deicing airliners and sprayed the
stuff on heavily so that it would have the carryover required for
departing into known icing and didn't realize what was needed for your
operation. It's always wise to supervise line ops, and, in my case,
when I get deicing fluid for a little airplane, I do the deicing
myself so that I don't use more than a gallon or so.

All the best,
Rick

Jon Kraus wrote in message .. .
I decided to fly from my home north of Indianapolis Indiana to visit
family in Lansing Michigan. My trip up was a beautiful, uneventful hour
and a half flight. I was to stay until Friday morning and then return.
The weather on Friday made it impossible to return because of icing
issues. No problem better safe than sorry right... Saturday dawned
much better. Got to the airport to find the plane with a coating of ice
that needed to be removed. My FBO at home takes care of this for free. I
wasn't expecting it to be free but when they finished the job and
presented me with a $462.50 bill I about lost it (**** my pants). Hell
the plane rental for the 3 days wasn't even that much. I paid the bill
and vowed to not go there again.

Any one got any stories of being ripped off? I feel the need to
commiserate... ;-)

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL
Student-IA

Jon Kraus wrote in message .. .
I decided to fly from my home north of Indianapolis Indiana to visit
family in Lansing Michigan. My trip up was a beautiful, uneventful hour
and a half flight. I was to stay until Friday morning and then return.
The weather on Friday made it impossible to return because of icing
issues. No problem better safe than sorry right... Saturday dawned
much better. Got to the airport to find the plane with a coating of ice
that needed to be removed. My FBO at home takes care of this for free. I
wasn't expecting it to be free but when they finished the job and
presented me with a $462.50 bill I about lost it (**** my pants). Hell
the plane rental for the 3 days wasn't even that much. I paid the bill
and vowed to not go there again.

Any one got any stories of being ripped off? I feel the need to
commiserate... ;-)

I've had my Cherokee 180 de-iced a few times. About $50.00, so I'd
say your charge was outrageous.

If possible, call the FBO and have them put the plane in a heated
hangar for a few hours before you leave. Melts and dries the ice,
plus no need for a pre-heat.

You should write/call the FBO manager/owner and ask for an adjustment.

Good luck!
-Nathan

I noticed in aviation that you need to be very very careful who you deal
with. There are a lot of scammers out there that like to take advantage of
beginning or new pilots.


"Lynne Miller" wrote in message
om...
When we de-ice the jet in Boston, it's about $500. That IS for a
Gulfstream. As such, I would expect yours to be in the $100 to $175
range. The $12.50 per gallon is fair, though. A very good option would
be that the person who sprayed the aircraft did not know how to spray
correctly, and as such used WAY too much glycol. It's been done
before...


Jon Kraus wrote in message
.. .
I decided to fly from my home north of Indianapolis Indiana to visit
family in Lansing Michigan. My trip up was a beautiful, uneventful hour
and a half flight. I was to stay until Friday morning and then return.
The weather on Friday made it impossible to return because of icing
issues. No problem better safe than sorry right... Saturday dawned
much better. Got to the airport to find the plane with a coating of ice
that needed to be removed. My FBO at home takes care of this for free. I
wasn't expecting it to be free but when they finished the job and
presented me with a $462.50 bill I about lost it (**** my pants). Hell
the plane rental for the 3 days wasn't even that much. I paid the bill
and vowed to not go there again.

Any one got any stories of being ripped off? I feel the need to
commiserate... ;-)

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL
Student-IA

"Lynne Miller" wrote in message om...
When we de-ice the jet in Boston, it's about $500. That IS for a
Gulfstream. As such, I would expect yours to be in the $100 to $175
range. The $12.50 per gallon is fair, though. A very good option would
be that the person who sprayed the aircraft did not know how to spray
correctly, and as such used WAY too much glycol. It's been done
before...

We got courtesy de-iced when we picked up one of the club planes at
the overhaul shop. While it didn't cost us, the damn thing reeked of
the fluid all the way home.

Next time just ask if they can pull it in the hanger for an hour or so before
your depature. It usually melts off fairly quickly.

I agree with Jay. Write or call the owner of the FBO and talk it out with
them. You don't have to be nasty - just see how far you can get. Even if
they are jerks and don't refund some of your money, maybe they will instruct
their line guys for future small plane owners. Maybe the FBO is focused on
the big-plane big-bucks guys, but they should be sensitive to the low end as
well. At least warn you that they are not set up to deice small planes.

Maybe your complaint will put a garden sprayer on their planning for next
year!

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:Zrcyb.363028$Fm2.362830@attbi_s04...
The weather on Friday made it impossible to return because of icing
issues. No problem better safe than sorry right... Saturday dawned
much better. Got to the airport to find the plane with a coating of ice
that needed to be removed. My FBO at home takes care of this for free. I
wasn't expecting it to be free but when they finished the job and
presented me with a $462.50 bill I about lost it (**** my pants). Hell
the plane rental for the 3 days wasn't even that much. I paid the bill
and vowed to not go there again.

Jon, what in the world were you renting -- a Gulfstream?

If this charge was for a Spam Can, you NEED to write a letter to the owner
of this facility, and demand a refund. There is no way in the world
de-icing a Cessna/Piper/Beech should cost even 10% of what you were
charged.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I tried the same kind of trip into Flint. Flew in Wed night hoping to leave
Thursday night or Friday morning. One thing that bothered me was that there
was no icing AIRMET for the state of Michigan Friday morning but the clouds
were to the ground and surface temp was right around freezing.

I ended borrowing a car and driving round trip to Chicago and back to drop
off my S.O. for retail-Friday, went hunting for the weekend and flew out
Sunday afternoon.

Travis

"Jon Kraus" wrote in message
...
I decided to fly from my home north of Indianapolis Indiana to visit
family in Lansing Michigan. My trip up was a beautiful, uneventful hour
and a half flight. I was to stay until Friday morning and then return.
The weather on Friday made it impossible to return because of icing
issues. No problem better safe than sorry right... Saturday dawned
much better. Got to the airport to find the plane with a coating of ice
that needed to be removed. My FBO at home takes care of this for free. I
wasn't expecting it to be free but when they finished the job and
presented me with a $462.50 bill I about lost it (**** my pants). Hell
the plane rental for the 3 days wasn't even that much. I paid the bill
and vowed to not go there again.

Any one got any stories of being ripped off? I feel the need to
commiserate... ;-)

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL
Student-IA

"Jon Kraus" wrote in message
...
Got to the airport to find the plane with a coating of ice
that needed to be removed. My FBO at home takes care of this for free. I
wasn't expecting it to be free but when they finished the job and
presented me with a $462.50 bill I about lost it (**** my pants).

I once asked for deicing at LI Jet Center at FRG. It would probably have
cost as much, but they warned me in advance. If they hadn't, it would never
have occurred to me that it could be expensive (my old FBO did it for free
too). But they were nice enough to suggest that they could instead use
their pre-heater to melt the ice, at a fraction of the cost. (It was a
low-wing plane with a light coating of ice, and the air temperature had
risen above freezing.)

Really? I have never felt that someone was even thinking of taking advantage
of me. Maybe I cast an air of confidence so they don't try it ... naw that
can't be. There certainly are airports and FBOs that are high priced but
It's not directed at inexperienced pilots. They're screwing everybody!!

I doubt that MRQB was the victim of line service soaking him (literally and
financially). It was either a lack of focus (same technique for big jets or
small planes) or training (Oh, is that what that garden sprayer is there
for?!). A little inquiry on his part before the deice probably would have
got the service he needed for a reasonable cost. In general, the people at
the Lansing airport, like most others, are fantastic. They do have to make a
living and, for the most part, charge appropriately.

Travis

"MRQB" wrote in message
...
I noticed in aviation that you need to be very very careful who you deal
with. There are a lot of scammers out there that like to take advantage of
beginning or new pilots.


"Lynne Miller" wrote in message
om...
When we de-ice the jet in Boston, it's about $500. That IS for a
Gulfstream. As such, I would expect yours to be in the $100 to $175
range. The $12.50 per gallon is fair, though. A very good option would
be that the person who sprayed the aircraft did not know how to spray
correctly, and as such used WAY too much glycol. It's been done
before...


Jon Kraus wrote in message
.. .
I decided to fly from my home north of Indianapolis Indiana to visit
family in Lansing Michigan. My trip up was a beautiful, uneventful
hour
and a half flight. I was to stay until Friday morning and then
return.
The weather on Friday made it impossible to return because of icing
issues. No problem better safe than sorry right... Saturday dawned
much better. Got to the airport to find the plane with a coating of
ice
that needed to be removed. My FBO at home takes care of this for free.
I
wasn't expecting it to be free but when they finished the job and
presented me with a $462.50 bill I about lost it (**** my pants).
Hell
the plane rental for the 3 days wasn't even that much. I paid the bill
and vowed to not go there again.

Any one got any stories of being ripped off? I feel the need to
commiserate... ;-)

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL
Student-IA

I spoke with Joe the general manager of the Lansing Jet Center today and
he agreed to refund me $275.00. That means it still cost me $187.50 for
the deicing but who's complaining. :-)

Thanks for all the input.

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL
Student-IA
Student- at flying into other airports

Jay Honeck wrote:

The weather on Friday made it impossible to return because of icing
issues. No problem better safe than sorry right... Saturday dawned
much better. Got to the airport to find the plane with a coating of ice
that needed to be removed. My FBO at home takes care of this for free. I
wasn't expecting it to be free but when they finished the job and
presented me with a $462.50 bill I about lost it (**** my pants). Hell
the plane rental for the 3 days wasn't even that much. I paid the bill
and vowed to not go there again.



Jon, what in the world were you renting -- a Gulfstream?

If this charge was for a Spam Can, you NEED to write a letter to the owner
of this facility, and demand a refund. There is no way in the world
de-icing a Cessna/Piper/Beech should cost even 10% of what you were charged.

Jon,

Rumor has it that you called Lansing JetCenter and the manager cut
your bill by something more than half. Is that true? If so, it
sounds like it's a pretty stand up organization. Please bring us up
to date.

As I understand it, as part of the purchase of the FBO they do not yet
have control of the big, heated hangar in the building. The current
tenant is moving out soon, so they will after that, and can put
airplanes inside to de-ice. I hear that will drop the cost to under
$100 (which is what I've paid the last couple of times I've had an
airplane put in a heated hangar to be deiced). It sounds as if
service at Lansing will be improving as the new owners get their feet
on the ground.

All the best,
Rick

Jon Kraus wrote in message .. .
I decided to fly from my home north of Indianapolis Indiana to visit
family in Lansing Michigan. My trip up was a beautiful, uneventful hour
and a half flight. I was to stay until Friday morning and then return.
The weather on Friday made it impossible to return because of icing
issues. No problem better safe than sorry right... Saturday dawned
much better. Got to the airport to find the plane with a coating of ice
that needed to be removed. My FBO at home takes care of this for free. I
wasn't expecting it to be free but when they finished the job and
presented me with a $462.50 bill I about lost it (**** my pants). Hell
the plane rental for the 3 days wasn't even that much. I paid the bill
and vowed to not go there again.

Any one got any stories of being ripped off? I feel the need to
commiserate... ;-)

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL
Student-IA