Grilling in the outdoors is one of the highlights of summertime.

Maybe it is because we’ve become a little lazy, or spoiled by immediate gratification, but more and more Americans have given up charcoal and lighter fluid, instead turning to propane-fired grills.

Part of this is making sure we have enough propane to fuel those late night gatherings – and many of us flock to local grocery stores and mega-stores to stock up on tanks.

Unfortunately for millions of consumers, propane companies such as Blue Rhino and AmeriGas stopped ‘filling’ the tanks when fuel prices rose. Instead of passing along the price hike to customers, companies kept pricing the same but reduced the tank volume.

The change in volume make sense to keep pricing the same, the problem is these companies didn’t do enough to warn consumers of the volume change. The bottom line is that we believe they violated their promise to customers.

Seattle’s KOMO-TV did a story on the lawsuit our firm filed against Blue Rhino and AmeriGas claiming the two conspired to reduce the amount of propane while failing to inform customers.

To us, it’s a pretty clear rip off to consumers. They tell you that you’re purchasing a full tank when you’re actually receiving less.

Since the story ran, we’ve had many customers join the suit through our Web site and we encourage anyone who purchased a tank from Blue Rhino or AmeriGas from Jan. 1, 2008 until present to join here.

Other common uses for these tanks include gas grills, outdoor heaters and fireplaces, mosquito traps and more. Thousands of retailers across the country sell these particular tanks including Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Safeway and other local grocery stores, convenience stores and gas stations.