Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Suburban Propane, L.P.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Suburban Propane, L.P.

  240 Route 10 W Whippany, NJ 07981-2105

• 

  Suburban Energy Services

  RR 1 Box 119 East Freedom, PA 16637

• 

  Suburban Propane Gas Corp

  P.O. Box 67, Wash. Rd. Waldorf, MD 20604

• 

  Suburban Propane - Chester

  Box A Kings Highway Chester, NY 10918

• 

  Suburban Propane - Kingston

  CPO Box 1151, Barbarossa Lane Kingston, NY 12401

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/05/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On December 4, 2023 I had an appointment with Suburban propane and was given a time frame of 12PM-4PM because they had failed to run a test on my propane tanks the previous time they had come out as I just bought a house and their tanks were already at the house. I had to have someone at my house during this time frame due to possibly needing access to the house. I work during the day so I had a family member here to assist with them. They failed to show up in general for this appointment. I attempted to contact them three times at 1:05PM, 1:08 PM, and 1:13PM requesting a call back the last time using their phone system and was never contacted and ended up having to call back at 5PM to figure out if they ended up coming as I requested they fill my tanks and I had gotten an invoice from them at 12:33 PM for $0.00. I had the family member check my tanks and they were around 40% so I was inquiring as to why I would get an invoice and that the tanks had been inspected if they were not also refilled. The lack of communication has been awful. Forgetting to run a test unsure the specifics of the test they ran is unacceptable as propane is an explosive gas and finding out today it was because they had an emergency however I was not worth being contacted over. I wasted a family members time being here when simple communication could have been made for a trip they should have never needed to make if the first tech properly did his job.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/07/2023

  We spoke with this customer and confirmed that we will be going out there tomorrow to finish the required testing.  Customer is satisfied and no further action is needed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/04/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had Suburban Propane for about 2 years, I paid a yearly rental fee every Jan for the up coming year, this year in the beginning of June, I decided to change to a different fuel provider due to the extremely overpriced per gallon Suburban Propane was charging. I emailed Suburban requesting their tank to be removed from my property, after 2 weeks of not receiving a response to my request I then called the company and was told it was on the schedule to be picked up on July 05 which it was, I took a picture of how much gas was still in the tank which was close to 50% on a 500 gallon tank.I called today Dec 04, after waiting patiently for 5 months to inquire about why I still had not received a refund on the tank rental which should have been prorated since their tank was no longer on my property as of July 05, as well as the approx. 50% of propane that was in the tank when the Suburban employees removed from my property, I spoke to a lady in the local office and gave her the ticket number that I received when the tank was picked up she made the comment that the employee's stated there was approx. 47% remaining in the tank. and was told also by the lady it was their policy that they don't give refunds. So it is in my full belief that this is considered to be THEIVERY.. After all its a gas not liquid you can't just pour it into a gas can and leave it on site... I have had many other providers over the years and never once was I not refunded on the unused fuel... I would like to be refunded what is owed to me, they owe me 6 months rental at aprox $56.00 which is half a year, plus the 47% of fuel from the 500 gallon tank which I don't even know what per gallon they are now charging.thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/29/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Account#****************** 1/***************************************************--Due Date ON RECEIPT I have not ordered propane from this company in years. Nor have they delivered propane to me. I have not needed their services. I received a bill for "PROPANE" and "TRANSPORTATION FUEL SURCHARGE". Total of $70.97. When I called ************, ******* advised that this is a minimum annual requirement and was not being enforced before; however, is now being enforced. This cannot be legal. I pay approximately $80 per year to lease the tank. It cannot be legal for someone to send me a bill for propane and a transportation surcharge for delivery--and they have not made a delivery. Essentially, they are billing for services that have not been performed. This is fraud.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/04/2023

  Our local manager has talked to ****************** and provided her with two options in regards to the tank.  At first, she was stating that they had not been using it for the extra trailer but then she realized that her son is living in it now.  We offered to pick up the tank and credit her for the propane in it or for her to pay the minimum usage fee of $60 and we would take off the fuel surcharge off that fee.  She seemed okay with that and said she would call us back with her decision.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/27/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I honestly should have seen so many red flags to begin with. It took them over a year to install my tank. I've been with them for four years, and I've been advised to change my gas logs twice and I have a leak. I hired a professional to come out and fully inspect everything to find out I don't have a leak and our logs are perfect. The problem was there was hardly any propane in the tank. They are super rude and I was even hung up on when asking for what to do next.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2023

  We set a tank and installed logs 4/23/21 for ***********************. On 9/11/23 ******** called in smelling gas and we dispatched service tech to her house. Service tech found valve on logs leaking and red tagged system. We are going to credit the service charges and go out and do another leak test to be sure there are no leaks as another company completed the repair. ******** is happy with this outcome.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Been a long term customer with ********************** for close to 20 years. Received a bill for $120 last month even thought no propane was delivered. Called customer service I was told the contract I signed back in **** required a minimum purchase 30 gallons annually. There is a note in the system from delivery driver stating my tank was full so no refueling required. But when I check the tank it showed only 55% full. So I requested they come out to fill the tank but was told I have to pay the $120 penalty first before they will refuel my tank? So I am been penalize for their own mistake?. Tried explaining the situation but they don't care and won't remove the charge. Obviously their delivery driver made a mistake that my tank was full but now I am responsible for paying the fee? Obviously management is only concern with getting as much money from the customer and pay no attention to customer service. I don't want to do business with this company anymore and I am taking my business somewhere else. They need to refuse my $120 and waiver any charges on removing the tank from my property instead of charging me another $140 + fee to do that.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/28/2023

  This customer has not received a delivery since June of 2022 and was charged a minimum bill. There is a log note from 8/10/23 that says customer placed a pad lock on our tank so we couldn't gain access.  Customer's phone was not working. Therefore this customer made his tank undeliverable and we tried to contact him repeatedly. As such, his minimum bill was justified. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I contacted suburban propane of *********,**. To remove a charge for a delivery I did not authorize. I moved out of the *************** in May of 2023. I called suburban propane to inform them I sold the property and to put a stop order on my account. I informed ******************** the new owner will call them to transfer over service. 6 month later I receive a bill. Mind you Im out of state. A delivery of propane for 79$ was charged to my account on 10/17/23. I should have been contacted at least 5 months ago. The new owner did not transfer the tank over. The new owner got a delivery of propane and charge my account. The new owner still has not transfered service. Ive requested that the charge of 79$ be removed from my account. They even have on file I requested to stop orders in 5/2023. Ive spoke to several employees. Nobody is helping. Im out of state. I just want to pay the $200 fee to have the tank picked up asap. Their tank has been on somebody elses property for 6 months. No one has contacted me. I just found out someone charged my account 10/1023. Completely unacceptable. Then they say I have to pay the 79$ first. Before I can pay the 200$. Then they say it will take 3 weeks before pick up. Im waiting for someone. Anyone to call me back. I even left a message with the ********* office. Since fbks is not doing anything. *** called the 800 number and spoke with ***************************** **** and fbks. I just want 79$ removed from my account. I want to pay 200$ to get this tank picked up. Disgusted

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/20/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Suburban Propane filled my propane tanks on October 4, 2023. Their bill included three sets of municipal taxes. My account shows that I live in ******, **, but that simply is my mail address. I do not live in any incorporated area and do not even live in the county that Topton is in. I have asked the Suburban Propane office to advise me what government entity they are paying the taxes to and why. I have asked this question many times and have asked for a return call from ******************* on numerous occasions. He does not return my calls. What I want is a return of any municipal taxes paid over the years as I do not live in any incorporated area. My account number is ***********. The last thing I wanted to do is to complain to BBB, but they will not even return my calls.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/22/2023

  Customer is questioning the municipal tax on his bills. Since he lives in an unincorporated part of the county, he believes he should not have to pay a municipal tax. Our system only allows for two tax lines, state and municipal. The municipal one covers everything that is not state (county and city). In his case, it is the county tax being charged. We have spoken to the tax department and confirmed the taxes charged for ****************** address in ******,**. are accurate.  We also reached out to **************** to review these charges with him again and left him a message.  His account has been documented.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/26/2023

  [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

  Date:11/20/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Contacted Suburban Propane with a billing concern last year. A neighbor witnessed the technician waste a significant amount of propane while attempting to fill my tank. Apparently, it was enough to send a plume of gas into the air. I suspected that wasted gas was still added to my bill as the preexisting amount plus the amount that tech claimed to have added did add up to what was actually in the tank. Asked for my account to be placed on hold. They agreed and advised that a local manger would be in contact with me to discuss further. I was never contacted. One year later, they arrived out of nowhere and added 35 gallons to the tank. The $230 bill was left on my door. I contacted them and they acknowledges the error, but have not made arrangements to retrieve the erroneously delivered propane or to remove the balance from my account. Once again, a manager was supposed to contact me to discuss further, but its been over a week and nobody has contacted me yet. They are expecting me to pay them for something I did not order and do not want.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/28/2023

  The customer was contacted yesterday. The decision was made to goodwill the 34 gallons and clear his balance as a courtesy. Customer will use up the ******************** that was delivered and when the tank is at 30%, will call us if he still wants to have it removed. He was happy with this resolution.  Account is now on Will Call for further service.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/29/2023

  [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

  Date:11/19/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Suburban Propane of Kingston hasn't removed their 120 gallon propane tank from our property for 2 MONTHS and counting after we discontinued service and had another company install a new tank. I was told by Suburban I was scheduled for pick-up the same week I requested it. They never came and in the subsequent 2 months have told me multiple times they would contact me by the end of the day with a pick-up time. No call, no pick-up. When we originally told them we intended to switch propane suppliers and instructed them not to fill our tank they came anyway and filled our tank which had been down to about 15%. They apologized saying it was "human error". We think it was an attempt to keep us from switching companies. Now there is a full propane tank on our property and we can't get a firewood delivery until they remove it. No matter how many times we call they simply won't come get their tank and they always say they will call us to confirm the pick-up, but NEVER do. We had been customers for 5 years and deserve better treatment. Trust us, there are far better companies to give your business to. Suburban doesn't care about their customers in the slightest, yet they want your business. If making this complaint helps someone make a better choice for propane service we'll be gratified to have helped that propane customer.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2023

  This tank was picked up yesterday, and a voicemail left to let them know. Thanks!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/29/2023

  [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.]
  Amazing! If you file a BBB complaint Suburban Propane jumps into action. We called them for 2 months straight to pick up their tank and they never did. Even when they told us it was scheduled, or when they said they would call us back with a pick-up date, they never did. For sure the tank would still be there if we didn't make a BBB complaint. Word of advice, make a BBB complaint right away if you want Suburban Propane to follow through on picking up your tank. Best plan would be to not work with them in the first place.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/12/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 10/11/23, I had a 250 gallon propane tank installed and filled. Afterward the gauge on the tank read 80% as it should. One day shy of two weeks later on 10/24/23, I opened the lid on the tank and smelled a slight odor of propane. The gauge now read 75%. The tank is only connected to a generator which had been switched off and had not ran so I thought that to be odd since there was now about 12 gallons missing. I was concerned that there might be a leak and unsafe. I called in to notify them of what I had found. They said there would be a technician out that day to check for a leak. The technician showed up and I walked to the tank with him. He said that he was going to check a few things before he performed the leak test. I said OK and watched as he twisted and turned the valves and connections on the top of the tank. He opened a pressure relief and then closed it back down. After tightening things down, he went back to his truck to get the spray bottle and sprayed down connections on the top of the tank. He said he found no leak and that the gauge may have fluctuated due to temperature changes but THEN said that the gauge is temperature compensated so it should not actually change due to temperature. He said when they fill the tanks, there would be some residual odor left on the tank from when it sprays out of the relief. How much odor is "acceptable"? Mind you this is one day shy of two weeks after it had been filled. A couple weeks later I got a bill for $212.43 for the leak test. They called me the next day and said if there is no leak found, then the customer is charged a fee. If the results of the leak test determine whether I am billed, why is the technician tampering with and tightening the connections BEFORE performing the test? While we can agree that the tank was not leaking when he left, we CANNOT say that it was not leaking when he got there. Way too much ambiguity here for me to be billed for this! Been waiting days for a call back from the manager.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2023

  We apologize for any inconvenience but our policy is to charge for service calls. We are happy no leak was detected and service was continued.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/14/2023

  
  Complaint: 20860499
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  It took submitting a complaint to the BBB to get the manager to finally call me back. On our call, after I explained my situation, he said that it is normal that I smelled propane odor 2 weeks after it being filled due to them spilling it all over the tank. I asked him what a customer should do when they smell ******************** and he said he always recommends they call the company and report it. This presents an obvious problem where customers are expected to either ignore the safety of their families for weeks and chance it not being a leak while the smell of ethyl mercaptan dissipates or report the odor and be billed $212.43 if their tech does not detect a leak AFTER he tampers with the connections on the tank. He then went on to tell me how their trucks get 8 miles per gallon and they'd go out of business if they didn't bill for the leak tests. I told him as customer, I pay for tank rental and ********************. I smelled propane one day shy of 2 weeks after the tank was filled and reported it like the company recommends doing and received a bill for doing so. I told him the cost of his business operations is not my concern, at which point he became noticeably upset and replied with "well you should care" and refused to remove the charges from my account. This is safety concern and I will be reporting it to the proper authorities.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************************

  Business Response

  Date: 11/17/2023

  We just received the complaint the day before we called him.  During the call, we explained to him that there is a release of gas during the filling process. One being the spit valve until liquid occurs and the other when we remove the hose nozzle from the fill valve and there is a possibility of smell after that (normal process for filling propane tanks). We did not give him a two week timeframe. We further explained how we perform a leak test and that it would not show leaks to the tank itself. The tech was checking for leaks to the tank itself and he was not tampering. The fee is not a penalty but a fee to recoup our expenses for the service call. We never once was upset during the conversation and he said he did not care about our cost of business. We reiterated that we will always be concerned for our customers' safety by not reporting an issue. If we had found an issue on our tank or equipment, we would have not charged the fee.