Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/22/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I inherited the Suburban Propane Tank after buying my home. I have noticed that Suburban Propane seems to be engaging in price gouging as their rates are not comparable to other companies or the average rates per gallon in my area. The U,S. ********************************* rates the average rate for Residential Propane in N.C. to be at $3.40/gallon as of January of 2025. I was charged $5.88/Gallon yesterday after my tank was down to almost empty (they supposedly monitor the tank's status). It is extremely cold and dangerous, and I have no choice but to get propane. My bill was $1535.12 for ***** gallons (includes taxes and fees). This is not sustainable or reasonable for this area. I just called a local competitor (***** Oxygen and Supply) who is charging $3.10/Gallon of propane.I will need to change providers as I feel that I am being taken advantage of in a time that I am vulnerable.

  Business response

  01/23/2025

  We spoke with this customer about her pricing and we agreed on a price to rebill the last delivery. We also gave her a locked in price until June 2025 and we will go over the different pricing plans available for her at that time. Customer is satisfied and the complaint is resolved.

  Customer response

  01/23/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  **** *******

• Initial Complaint

  01/21/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have called Suburban Propane since January 6, 2025. I was told that day that I would receive a propane delivery within 7 days. I told her I am currently at 30% and she said I would get a 100 gallon delivery. I asked if I could get the gas before seven days she said they tell everyone that but it could be sooner. I called back one week later Jan. 13, 2025 and was told by ******** that it takes ***** days to get propane and I was on the schedule for today but my regular day is Thursday. I tried to clarify what she was saying to no avail. I called back on 1.16.2025 and spoke with ******** again, she informed after I let her know what I had been told by them and still did not have gas.. that their truck was broken and I could get gas Friday, Saturday or Sunday. She said she would send an email to the manager and the driver. To this day, I have no propane. Jan. *******. 1.20.2025 I was told by ******** that they delivered propane to my home 1.18.25, I told her I was home all day Sat and did not see the propane truck. I asked for **** she said the trucks have cameras and gps. She said that she would get confirmation to me. I checked the gas meter and it was 20%. there was no receipt left by the driver to confirm gas was delivered. Noreceipt on door.I told her all those things she said that she had a copy of the receipt, but she sent me a delivery ticket.not a receipt conf I received gas. she sent me a satellite image of my home the image was an old one and nothing resembled my current neighborhood.the satellite image, shows 2 blue markers for the truck parked farcaway from the gas tank. I called back to speak with a manager bc it is cold here and getting colder. I spoke with ***** 1.20.2025 He said he was forwarding to the Regional Director in my area and I should expect a call.24 hours later No One call from **. I noticed they have the gas delivery on my account to charge me for 88.2 gallons of gas I did not receive. I will not pay them anything.

  Business response

  01/23/2025

  We stopped by the customers residence to check the gauge to see if it was not working properly and the gauge works fine. It shows that we did make the delivery. We spoke with the customer and she acknowledged that she read the gauge wrong and she is going to pay for her recent delivery. Matter has been resolved.

  Customer response

  01/23/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****

• Initial Complaint

  01/16/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We own our propane tank and ordered 300 gallons of propane on Jan 3rd, 2025 our tank was at 20%. On Jan 9, I called to see when our delivery date would be since it had been a week since we ordered, the lady on the phone said she cannot tell me exactly but our ticket is printed and we should be on the next route. On Jan 11, we called again due to having to shut our propane off and having no heat in our home with a baby and being 7 months pregnant to ask again if they knew when they were coming. The man told me that I could pay $632 and theyll come out today we already paid $570 and did not have the money to pay anymore. At this point it had been 8 days since we placed an order. We have family who rent their tank through Suburban and ordered the same day we did and got their propane the next day. When I brought this up they said since we own our tank and they rent their tank they are first priority. On Monday January 13, I called again and the lady said we are now expected to get our propane anywhere between Tuesday Jan 14 and Friday Jan 17. On Tuesday Jan 14 I called and the lady said itll be between Jan 17 and Jan 23 I expressed how we have a baby and Im pregnant and have no heat or access to our stove. The woman rudely stated that was not her problem. On Wednesday Jan 15 I called to inquire if they knew when wed be getting a delivery. They suggested we pay an emergency fee for our propane to be delivered within the next 4 business days. I expressed how our date was supposed to be between Jan ***** and that this means we are now in our delivery date window and didnt see why we needed to pay a fee. We ended up paying a $213 emergency fee on Wednesday Jan 15. Thursday Jan 16 I called again and the woman stated we are still not on the route for propane. Its been almost two whole weeks since ordering propane. Weve been out for almost a week. Living between families homes or freezing in our home with a baby and no access to our stove.

  Business response

  01/17/2025

  The order was placed on January 3 with a possible delivery date of January 17. On January 14th a path blocked was entered without any description why. The order was put back in and it looks like we are scheduled to deliver tomorrow the 18th. We spoke with her and explained she needs to order sooner when it is cold out and we had the promise delivery date of 1/17. 

  Customer response

  01/17/2025

  
  Complaint: 22819841
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  When we placed an order we were told 7-10 business days MULTIPLE times. The 10th business day meaning Friday January 17. We were also told that they attempted to deliver on Monday January 13, but couldnt do to icy conditions which is different then what you are stating currently. we dont have an actual driveway and its all flat grass, so there is no icy conditions because there is no ice. My husband has spent multiple days shoveling snow paths as well. We were told that if we didnt pay an emergency fee we would have been waiting another 4 business days to receive our propane. We have also been told in the past to not order propane until we reached 20% in our tank which is what we were at when we placed an order on January. This is unacceptable, we have a baby and Im 7 months pregnant. We have been displaced from our home for a week now due to the lack of care this company. I was told we should get our propane tomorrow and if we do not we will not be able to keep our pipes from freezing when the weather drops below zero next week. The fact we had to pay an emergency fee to get propane is absolutely disgusting. The fact this company can lie and change their delivery dates is also disgusting. 

  Regards,
  
  ******* *******

  Business response

  01/26/2025

  We made the delivery on the date promised.  For Will **** customers, you should always call well before you need the delivery to be safe as it is very busy during the heating season but we meet our promised time frames as long as the conditions are safe to do so.

• Initial Complaint

  01/08/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received an abnormally high bill from suburban propane located in ***********. I called the following day to see what the charge per gallon rate is and was told they dont provide any information on rates without a name and address. I thought that was odd to not be transparent with their pricing, so I provided my mothers name and address. I was then told that I would be offered $3.5 a gallon to which I replied is odd that I was just charged over $7 a gallon yesterday. The receptionist began scolding me about lying about my name and refused to acknowledge the extreme difference in cost. I suspect they do this regularly and that is why theyre not transparent with their pricing. It doesnt seem ethical or legal to adjust the price based on someones address.

  Business response

  01/09/2025

  Customer called in inquiring about new customer pricing on customer owned equipment.  She does not own her equipment and is a current customer, leasing her tank from **********************. We agreed to rebill her last invoice at a lower price as a courtesy.

• Initial Complaint

  01/07/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Suburban services our propane, which heats our home. We paid (close to $1000) for a fill on Dec. 20th. They have said they're coming no less than 5 times and do not show. When we call they say we were never put on the schedule and their only reasoning is that they are short staffed. The manager, ******, acts like it's a joke to them and has no answer as to when anyone will come. We are under 5% left at this point and with forecasted temps getting as low as under 10 degrees we have no solution and no idea when, if ever, we are getting a fill up.

  Business response

  01/08/2025

  This customer is a Will **** *** customer.  A delivery was requested on 10/23/24 for 250 Gallons and customer would pay the driver at time of delivery.  On 10/25/24 we attempted to make delivery but no one was home and we tried calling, but got no answer.  Therefore driver did not make delivery since he was unable to collect on the *** account. On 10/28/25 we made a second attempt to make a delivery but again, no one was home and no answer to phone calls. At this time we billed a delivery fee for making the trip out there again, which we later agreed to waive as a courtesy. On 12/20/24 customer called to order ******************** said he was at 20% and pre-paid for delivery. On 01/06/24 delivery was made. We explain to all Will **** *** customers during this time due to the Holiday schedule and current demand to expect delivery within approx. two weeks.

  Customer response

  01/09/2025

  
  Complaint: 22779740
  
  I am rejecting this response because: We did schedule a delivery for October. We were told that no one needed to be home and once they filled the tank to get an accurate charge they would call for payment. We did this because in the past we have had issues getting reimbursed. They did not put gas in the tank that day because we were not home.

  On Dec. 20th we called at 20% and paid in full for a fill up. We were told 7-10 days. That came and went with no delivery. I called on Saturday January 4th to get status and was told they never scheduled it despite me having paid in full. I expressed concern that our tank level was low and we had bad snow and low temps expected. They said they would get a delivery out the next day, Sunday Jan 5th and waive the emrgency delivery fee since it was their fault.

  On Sunday no one showed up. I called again and was told they did not know why no one came out but they would have their guy call me. He did and said he was an hour and a half away and he did not have gas to fill up the tank and did not know why they would have him call. He said someone would come out monday the 6th. I told him we were going to get slammed with snow and no-one was going to show up. He said they would regardless.

  Monday the 6th, no one showed up. I called and was told the snow imapcted delivery and they would have the emergency guy come out. He called me again and said the same thing as last time, he did not have gas to fill the tank. He only had an external 23lb. unit. He said he would make sure someone came out Tuesday. 

  Tuesday the 7th I waitied until around noon time. No call or delivery so I called and was told they see us on the schedule but no driver is assigned and they really didnt think I would get a delivery that day. I requested a manager. After making another call the manager finallly spoke to me. She was rude from the start and said her staff is tired and they've been working hard. Had no answer as to when Id get gas. I said if we dont get a delievery today I was going to contact the local news because of what we've been through. She promised to call me back with an update. 

  We had been using space heaters in our home since January 4th to preserve gas and lowered the thermostat just to try and get through.

  Tuesday a short time after we talked to the Manager, a guy from suburaban rang our ring doorbell. No one was home but i answered he said he was brand new and didnt know where the tank was. I directed him to simply look in the wide open back yard and see the 500 tanks sitting right infront of the driveway. He did and we finally got our delivery. 

  We never recieved a call back from the manager. We never received a call back from the regional manager that was requested on Jan 5th. We were told that because of everything we had to deal with that we were going to receive a discount as well and have not heard any follow up there either.

  Suburban is a utility company. We depend completely on them for our gas to run our heat. Nothing that took place with our order is excusable. They had a paid in full customer using space heaters and preserving gas for days because they failed to be able to do their job. And to top that off we get an attitude from the manager who accepted zero responsibilty for her companies response and actions.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ********

  Business response

  01/10/2025

  We left the customer a message and are willing to offer a price concession as a one-time courtesy.  Hope to hear back from him soon.

  Customer response

  01/10/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ********

• Initial Complaint

  01/06/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have an account with ********************. We prepay for our fuel every year. We are suppose to get a delivery every 6 weeks. At the 7 week **** I called and they told me I was set for a delivery on 12/30/2024. No delivery was made. I called the next day and they told me the driver cancelled my delivery and I was not rescheduled and they would be closed for new years. I was then told I would get my delivery on Friday. We got a storm and we were out side all day cleaning up and waiting for them. They never showed up. I called at noon and they said yes getting your propane today. They never showed up. Drive said he could not get in driveway. That was a lie. Now here it is Jan 6th. I called and they said I'm not on a delivery for today. Maybe within next 2 days. We are two weeks over delivery and they don't care. We have been having to turn our heat off at times so we don't run out. We are going below zero and possibly no fuel to heat the house. They did this to us last year and our tanks went dry. They should not be allowed to cancel without a reason and then make us wait weeks to get propane we have paid for. I suffer with multiple autoimmune diseases and the cold makes me worse. We do not make them wait for money for services, we should not have to hope and pray we get the services we paid for.

  Business response

  01/07/2025

  Our local manager spoke with the delivery driver on Friday as he called the office to say he could not make the delivery because of the snow. The area had been getting heavy snow since Thursday afternoon.  We talked to ****** this morning, she is getting her delivery today.

• Initial Complaint

  12/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dear BBB,We recently purchased a home that came with a propane tank on the property, which is apparently owned by Suburban Propane. The previous owners seemed to have had a lease agreement with Suburban Propane, but we were never presented with, nor did we agree (verbally or in writing), to assume this lease as part of our home *********** closing, no paperwork related to the propane tank or any lease agreement with Suburban Propane was provided or signed by us.Approximately one month after purchasing the home, Suburban Propane contacted us requesting that we sign a lease agreement. We declined and instead asked them to remove their tank from our *********** our surprise, Suburban Propane now insists that we pay for the removal of their tank. This demand is unreasonable. We have no contractual obligation with Suburban Propane and never agreed to the presence of their equipment on our property.We believe Suburban Propane should remove their tank at their own expense or, alternatively, pay us a storage fee for its continued presence or transfer ownership of the tank to us (It is approximately 30 years old and is nearing the end of its lifespan).We are seeking BBB's assistance in resolving this matter to ensure that Suburban Propane fulfills its obligation to remove their tank without imposing unwarranted costs on us.Thank you for your attention to this matter.Sincerely,Dr. ***** ********* **************************************************************** Cell: ************

  Business response

  01/02/2025

  We have made many attempts to accommodate Mr. ********** After review we are going to have the tank removed at NO cost to Mr. ********* as a courtesy. We will schedule that as soon as we are able.  

• Initial Complaint

  12/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I received propane gas 11-19-2024. Fellow showed me how to read gauge to check in a week, because I told him I had not used my logs due to odor and fire alarms going off..the company told me to contact my installer if gas line in January 2024, the bill for that was $125, they could not find find a problem they thought it was where logs were newnever used logs because of smell and alarms going offI told delivery man so that is why I checked my gaugedI had the gas tank and logs turned offwithin a week my gauge was down 7 gallonscalled suburban and they sent out repair manhe found that gauge was malfunctioning forcing gas out at incorrect timesI talked with ***** in the Norton VA office @ 12-1-2024 asking for reimbursement of 60 gallons of gas they had delivered, for which I had not used due to smell and alarms..***** had to talk to her boss who was out until later that daytold her that was fineI heard nothing on Monday before Christmas I called and ***** was out of office until Thursday the lady I talked to said there were no notes made by ***** on my account , she said she would ***** a note to call mewell that has not happened and I went to suburbans websie messaging them about this issuehave heard nothing

  Business response

  12/31/2024

  Our local manager spoke with this customer yesterday and we agreed to issue a credit for the propane as a courtesy.  Matter is resolved.

  Customer response

  12/31/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  *** *****

• Initial Complaint

  12/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 11/26/24 I contacted suburban propane notifying them that I was changing propane suppliers. This call was to inform them that their tank needed to be picked up as the new supplier had delivered and hooked up the new tank. I have contacted them weekly regarding the tank still in my driveway, I have contacted them weekly regarding the tank still in my driveway, it has been over a month with no scheduled pickup date at this time. The tank is in the way for snow plowing services and I have received complaints from the town due to the tank remaining in my driveway for an extended period of time. 3 weeks after notifying suburban propane of the changes and that the tank should be picked up. I was invoiced another Year's worth of rent for said tank. The tank needs to be removed as soon as possible or I will need to take legal action and hire another company to remove it.

  Business response

  01/03/2025

  Our local manager called ****** and confirmed the tank will be picked up next week 01/09/25.

• Initial Complaint

  12/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I canceled my account with them on ********* and have been trying to get them to pick up their propane tank and issue a refund (minus fees). I have called and spoken to them 8 times, Tank was disconnected on 22Oct2024. Now they are trying to charge for a fill up that happened somewhere on 26Nov- I DID NOT receive propane from them - I have been trying to rectify this but they just keep mailing a bill. When I spoke with them about this on 29Nov I was told tank would be picked up on 20Dec. It's now ***** and they still have not picked it up and today I received another bill (******) for propane that was not delivered to me.

  Business response

  12/27/2024

  Our local manager spoke with *******. We will remove the tank on 12/31/24 and also waive the tank rent fee that just billed last month. Last delivery will be removed off of her account. Customer is satisfied and this is resolved.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩