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 Propane, L.P.

  320 North Central Ave Minoa, NY 13116

• 

  Suburban Energy Services

  11341 Mercer Pike Meadville, PA 16335

• 

  Suburban Propane - Chester

  Box A Kings Highway Chester, NY 10918

• 

  Suburban Propane, L.P.

  40 Airport View Dr. Hollywood, MD 20636

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:03/02/2023

  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.

  When I originally called into Suburban Propane asking for the tank to be removed at the beginning of Feb, I advised that it had approximately 60% propane, and was advised that a work order had been put in for Feb 17th. On Feb 17th, 2023, a Suburban Propane Truck came but did not take the tank. We were sent an invoice for $100. I called the local Suburban Propane office on Feb 21, 2023 asking why the tank was not taken, and was told they couldn't take the tank because it had propane in it (I had already advised them of this when I initially called in requesting the removal) So I asked what the next steps were, and she said they would come on Feb 24th to empty and remove the tank. Feb 24th came and went....no call, no show. I called the local Suburban Propane office on Feb 27th 2023, advising that no one came on the 24th. ********************* apologized, and advised that she didn't know what happened, but now she sees a work order for 3/1. Today is 3/1, and no one has called or shown up. That's 3 times I have been told the tank was going to be removed, and it was not. The first time someone came and discovered what I already told them when I first called in, and the second 2 are no call, no show.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/07/2023

  
  The tank has been removed and we have spoken to the customer and he is very happy with the outcome. He said he tried to stop the complaint from publishing, but could not.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/07/2023

  [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:02/26/2023

  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 recently purchased a new property and set up propane service from Suburban Propane with an underground tank on the property. I signed the waivers and agreements online on 10 February 2023. On February 18th, I noticed we had no heat and that the propane tank was empty so I called for an urgent propane delivery but was told they had to conduct system testing first. The dispatch manager on duty called me that day and said he couldn't deliver propane and could get out to the property early that next week to conduct testing. On 22 February I called because I hadn't heard if the testing was conducted and propane tank was filled. Still no answer to my email so I called on 24 February and was told I was not on the schedule and the earliest testing that could be conducted was 13 March, over one month after I finished all the paperwork needed to start service. No one ever called me to set anything up, I had to constantly call myself after the propane tank was completely empty and then was told it would take over one month to even set up service at a property that has had propane service for years. It is winter, how is this even acceptable? I will incur a revenue loss of circa $12,000 because of Suburban Propane because I cannot rent my property during prime season. This honestly is completed unacceptable. Account number is ***********.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/28/2023

  System test and delivery has been completed. We tried calling customer again and it goes straight to voicemail. We left her another message giving her the manager's cell number.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/24/2023

  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.

  We moved in July, and sold our home in October. When selling, Suburban is supposed to pay ** for the propane that was left in our tank. We have called many times, and they still havent paid us.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/03/2023

  Our local manager spoke with **************** and resolved the following issues. She wanted her refund check mailed to her new address, so we reissued the refund which will be arriving soon.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/24/2023

  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.

  Account Number *********** with **************************** getting a tank filled back in 2019 or earlier I have not had any propane filled or been contacted to fill any propane since. I had resolved the dispute with suburban propane last summer for them to pick up their tank and to quit service with them. I have since been charge ***** for no service and will be charged $130 for them to tank the to end service with them.Since installing the tank had not been placed on level ground and has been pressing against the aluminum siding of my house, damaging it. I would like to have the service terminated and an apology for poor installation of the tank.Since, day one the service tech tried to turn on my gas fire place and was unable to do so, and said it wasn't his problem but it was mine to pay for the propane that was filled in the tank.This company is of low quality and service.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/24/2023

  We apologize for any inconvenience you experienced.  We will terminate the account, remove our tank and waive the remaining balance on the account.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/23/2023

  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 2/5 myself, daughter and husband smelled what we believed was gas in the house. By advice of my daughter, we called the propane **mpany. She has had her propane **mpany **me to her home twice in ********** when she smelled gas at no charge due to safety of others. When o called the **mpany I specifically asked if there would be a charge for the visit and was told NO. I would not have had anyone **me for 400 dollars as we are in a fixed in**me and can not afford this. We would have vacated the home and found someone else **me and checked out the issue. We have no **ntrol over when the smell came bout (apparently in a weekend after hours) nor are we experts in exactly what has smells like. When I called today about the bill I got the runaround from some woman who is probably an admin who put me on hold and transferred me to someone else. All saying the same thing it was after hours and our process is to charge for any visits after hours. Not once did they listen or understand that I would not have had them **me out if I had known it was going to be 400. In addition one of them told me he did not smell gas when he arrived. I think this charge is egregious, not what we were told when we asked if their would be a charge AND taking advantage of elderly and people who are not experts in gas leaks. We need to have them ** to use to deliver our gas but we do not feel we need to pay this bill and do not want them to dis**ntinue our gas deliveries.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/24/2023

  This has already been resolved with the customer.  Credit has been issued.  Customer is satisfied.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/21/2023

  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.

  This has been a 2 month process with poor communication, misinformation, and horrible customer service. We moved into a newly constructed home and needed a permanent tank installed. I contacted Suburban Propane to schedule a site inspection and tank installation, but no one came to review the site and missed the first scheduled installation. After contacting them I was asked for site pictures, which I provided. I was told my tank (250gal) needed to be 25 feet from the house and I needed to dig the trench for the line. King ****** code requirements state tanks 500gal or less require 10FT separation from dwellings, etc. which I emailed to them along with NFPA requirements, which I assumed they would know. Frankly, their lack of knowledge in their "field of expertise" was shocking. I was also asked to dig up the previously inspected conduit the builder installed for the propane line, which would have been seen if a site had actually been done. The service technician came out told me I did not have the remove the conduit nor dig the 10FT by 2FT trench and that he could have pulled the **** line through. We were finally on the schedule and the tank was installed and line charged, but failed to hold pressure and did not pass inspection. They sent a crew out who could not detect a leak, because there was nothing left in the line. Came out again days later and finally passed inspection. We are now connected to an empty tank and have been for a week with no propane. Maybe it is just this location, but if I would have known they would be this bad, I would have gone with another company. Their customer service department needs a complete overhaul and education on codes and standards or better yet, if they do not know the correct answer, they need to consult an expert. To be fair, the service technician who did the install was top notch and extremely helpful. I just with the rest of the company was as well. Have yet to see a final invoice, so that should be interesting.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/23/2023

  Our manager spoke with the customer and apologized for any inconvenience and misunderstandings. We suspended his installation costs and he will pay for his propane received.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/23/2023

  [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. Location manager was helpful and agreed that this situation should not had gone this far without someone notifying him and will work with customer service staff to provide additional training.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/21/2023

  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.

  First off, I have no idea why your website changed to Suburban Propane in ************ ********. I specifically Put in Whippany ** where the business correspondence originated from. My issue is that I have been a long time Suburban customer. I have had their tanks in my residential yard for over 20 years. Then, late in 2022, they decided they were going to charge $50 rent for tanks. I did some shopping and found I was being massively overcharged. I told Agway to come get their tanks. On Dec 14,2022my new gas provider unhooked the tanks, installed their tank (which I do not pay rent for) and placed Suburbans tanks at the top of the driveway. I expected Suburban to come get their tanks, which had become so important they had to rent them out. They did not show up For two weeks. I gave them a pass because of the holidays.On Jan 3 2023 at 3 PM, I called suburban and spoke to ****. I re-informed her that my account was closed, and that the tanks, sitting there FULL OF PROPANE at the top of my driveway, needed to be picked up. She informed me someone will call to schedule a pickup. This is a highly inconvenient and potential dangerous situation. I have 2 tanks full of explosive gas sitting at the top of my driveway. They could be hit by a car, a snowplow, or toppled over by children playing basketball. Also, I would like a refund for the gas I am returning. ***** did promise me that, but they said they would hold 20% back for a handling charge.Here is what I need to resolve this situation: 1A pickup scheduled immediately.2A FULL REFUND OF 100% of the propane in the tanks. I was willing to forego 20% back in December. But two months later, you have no right to keep my hard-earned money for a Handling charge. Suburban propane did not handle it, despite repeated calls. I HAD TO HANDLE IT. So I am keeping the 20% fee. I should also charge them $50 per month for storing them on my driveway on top of that for an extra $100. If the tanks were so important to them, they would have gotten them right away Please handle this for me. I dont know what else to do. Thank ******************

  Business Response

  Date: 02/23/2023

  Tanks were picked up this morning. One was empty, one is full. We will be crediting the customer for the gas in the full tank and waiving *********** fee. They will receive full credit for the gas. Thanks

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/20/2023

  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 charged me twice in December 2022 (total of $99.44) for fuel delivery despite not delivering any fuel. The charges occurred 4 days apart - one on 12/10/22 for $48.07 and one on 12/14/22 for $50.65 and are for "minimum bill applied", meaning they attempted to deliver fuel but I did not need any. I am on an automatic delivery plan and my tank is currently full as of 1/23/23; I have been on this plan for approximately 5 years, and deliveries are supposed to be based on historical usage; My usage pattern has not changed at all. So the fact that they would try to deliver twice within 4 days while my despite my tank being completely full is a mistake on their part. I've called them 3 times to try to resolve. The first time the *** said they would have someone call me back but no one did. The second time I called I was able to speak with a *** but they disconnected me and did not call back. The third time I called I was on hold for 28 minutes and they hung up without ever answering. I sent a letter in accordance with their dispute policy on January 24 but have not heard back from anyone. I subsequently received another invoice on 2/18/23 for the same charges plus an additional late fee.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/22/2023

  Our local store manager spoke with the customer and we think his is gauge might not be working.  We will reschedule a delivery and remove his minimum bill. Customer is happy and has no other concerns.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/22/2023

  [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:02/20/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  Beginning last July, my husband and I noticed that our bill for propane was significantly higher than in past transactions. The charge was also high in December. My husband called Suburban Propane this morning to find out that we are now being charged an additional amount per gallon because we rent our tank from them. We already pay a $50 yearly fee, and we were never contacted about a change in this. With what we are being charged per gallon now, we could have already bought a tank. I would like for our July bill and December **** to be corrected to the $2.99 per gallon that other customers are being charged and the difference for the last 2 fill-*** to be refunded to the card you all have on file. My mom who owns her tank paid $2.99 per gallon in January. Nowhere on our receipt is this additional price per gallon reflected as being anything other than the cost of the propane.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/21/2023

  Our local store manger spoke with ****** and explained our pricing, including the differences between a COT vs Lease tank, gallons/year, payment options, etc. ****** will be discussing our conversation with her husband to determine next steps, but was very appreciative of the discussion we had.  Should she need further assistance she is welcome to call the local manager at any time.  Thanks

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/21/2023

  
  Complaint: 19434891
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  This is not at all a true statement.  Yes I did speak with the manager. While I appreciated the fact that he called me, I did not appreciate the fact that you are standing by your sham of a fee that you are adding to your price per gallon when there is zero mention of it in our service contract, and I also could not find it anywhere mentioned on your website or on any of our receipts.  This is far from resolved. Why is there no mention in your statement regarding the fact that the manager was going to be reaching out to the "higher **** to request a refund of the additional prices we paid? There was no conversation about ME calling the manager back. He was supposed to be calling me back on the status of my refund request.

  Not only did we never know about this additional fee that you slip into your price per gallon, I have spoken with other customers who did not know about this fee either. You are spinning your words to seem like you accommodated us and made us happy, when I am just as dissatisfied as I was before I spoke to the manager. And your manager knows that I am not satisfied.

  Therefore to correct your statement... The next steps of this should say, "The local manager is supposed to be requesting a refund in the amount of $500 on behalf of ****** for the additional costs that were charged and will be contacting her once he has an answer from his "higher ****.

  This will be resolved when I receive a refund of $500 for the over charges of the last 2 bills for being charged $4.80 per gallon instead of $2.99 (or less) per gallon. It should be even more than that because I also found out per my conversation with your manager that you have been charging us this ridiculous fee per gallon since our 2nd year with your company.

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

  Business Response

  Date: 02/28/2023

  Our local store manager spoke with ******. We offered her special pricing on her next fill-up, which she agreed to. She thanked us for our professionalism, and our conversations and willingness to assist her in this manner. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/17/2023

  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 am filing a complaint against Suburban Propane. They locked my propane meter because of a $40.00 bill that was due for 3 months of fees they charge ** seasonal residents at a resort -NOT FOR PROPANE GAS. They never sent an official notice that they were shutting my gas. They claim that they emailed me but i didn't see it - could be in my junk box- They have my mailing address. You'd think they would have a formal notification procedure before shutting someone's gas off in the dead of winter. Luckily, I'm not living there. The local manager at the ********* Office was not very helpful and refused to even acknowledge that this policy is inappropriate. I've had this home and account for over 22 years and always paid my bill. Now they want me to pay a $150.00 unlocking fee.Suburban Propane has very poor customer service and lacks good business practices. They provide an important and necessary service for the community, they should treat their customers more respect.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/21/2023

  While we are within our rights to charge these fees, as a one-time courtesy, we will remove the lockout fees that occurred due to nonpayment.  Customer is going to set up monthly automatic payments for the $9.00 monthly charge.