Suburban Propane
Reviews and Complaints

I live in Madison County, New York. I was just charged $3.63 a gallon for propane. I have two tanks and for some reason they fill one and then return later to fill the other. I called another distributor and got a price of $2.63. What is up with this company. They do this to me every Winter and when I call they reduce the price. I guess I have had it. Do not do business with these people. They are rip off artists.

The price gouging of this company has caused me and my family outrageous distress over the winter months. My Oil tank is filled once every month and a half for over $750 As I do not have the exact amount of the price per gallon on hand I have found that the local oil companies would have charged me more then $220.oo less for the same amount of fuel.

I am a renter and thus can move, and have made the decision to due so after this summer before the next cold season. I am in a constant battle with disconnect notices and shut-off warning with them as I struggle to keep up with this mortgage payment of oil.

They need to be stopped or regulated as the power company is not to shut the heat down in a family home in Vermont in the middle of winter. They are all thieves.

It's not just happening in New York! I'm in northern California. I was just charged $4.37 per gallon by Suburban Propane in Red Bluff, CA. I checked the per gallon cost with every other provider in the area. Seems their prices range from $2.78 to $2.98! Suburban lowered the price to $3.99. Very big of them.

i had suburban 2 they do that so they can charge 175.00 for an off route delivery i swiched to mohawk 2.20 a gallon suburban ran over my septic line and didnt want to pay for it

I'm down in Kingston and they will be getting ANOTHER earful from me tomorrow - just came home to a nice, fat $1760 bill ... $5.57/gallon! This is coming on the heals of a $1300 bill right before Christmas at a whopping $4.79/gallon. I too have checked the NYSERDA website, as well as other local competitors, and they are always DOUBLE and they cannot ever explain why! I lease the tank from them and I am figuring out a way to get out of it ... it's utterly ridiculous! Do you know if anyone has reported them to the BBB? Seems to be a number of comments about price gauging on here --- it's very unfortunate but happy I'm not the only one!

i am in the process of purchasing a new home and i will definitely not buy one which has propane...the actions of suburban propane are unjust and unfair

i have been a customer of suburban propane out of hammonton nj for almost 10 yrs. i called to get a delivery today in the amount of $200 since i only haqve one medium sized tank and was told it would cost almost $400 to fill it. I am on social security and there is no way i can pay for that much, but they don't care, so i will go without. It seems in the past 2 years their service has really gone down hill. I called rob andrews office and they advised me to file a complaint with consumer affairs. I have never ever been a credit problem with them and yet i was talked to like i was a piece of crap. this is so unfair, but they could care less. they flatly refuse to come out and give me the amount i know i can pay for right away.

I live in East Tennessee and just had my tank filled. I was charged $4.64/gal. When checking with competitors the quote was $2.99 - $2.89. I called for an anonymous price quote with Suburban and they insist on your name and account info. Since I have been a customer of theirs for 10 years they gave me a price of $3.71/gal. This is not the first problem I've had with Suburban but I do plan to make it my last!

If I were you, I would add a padlock to your tank to keep them from filling it.

I am currently having some issues with Suburban and I suspect them of meter padding when filling my tanks. I am currently gathering evidence before any accusations are made.

I rented a 200 gal. tank from Suburban Propane for $90 a year. I also own a 250 gal. tank on another property. I had the 250 tank filled for $1.99/gal by another company that I have done business with for years, but they would not fill up the Suburban tank because I did not own it. I called Suburban for fuel and they wanted $4.49/gal. I went to their office in person and offered to purchase the tank and they told me that they did not sell tanks. I then showed them my receipt for $1.99/gal and said that if they could not match the price they could come pick it up. The did match the price but instead of dealing with them in the future I purchased a 500 gal. tank from a competitor and when Suburban came and picked up their 200 gal. tank I was sent a bill for almost $100.

I rented a 200 gal. tank from Suburban Propane for $90 a year. I also own a 250 gal. tank on another property. I had the 250 tank filled for $1.99/gal by another company that I have done business with for years, but they would not fill up the Suburban tank because I did not own it. I called Suburban for fuel and they wanted $4.49/gal. I went to their office in person and offered to purchase the tank and they told me that they did not sell tanks. I then showed them my receipt for $1.99/gal and said that if they could not match the price they could come pick it up. They did match the price but instead of dealing with them in the future I purchased a 500 gal. tank from a competitor and when Suburban came and picked up their 200 gal. tank I was sent a bill for almost $100.

Suburban Propane (SP) is an expert at price goughing! The property we purchased in Chico, CA was being serviced by SP and they gave us a "sweet" price for our first fill-up and for the next 2 1/2 years, the price per gallon kept creeping up. When I called to ask about the continuing price increases (never a lower price per gallon), I was told that SP charges more because they are a bigger company and have better service...yeah, right! We just had them come out and pick up the tank (thank god our lease is up) and today, we got a bill for $125.00 to close out the account! Really bad business!

I moved into a rental in 2017, the propane tank was owned by the landlord. I filled the tank with Suburban because they were the lowest in price @$2.67 a gal in northern Calif. The propane tank was old so the landlord decided to rent a tank from Suburban since that's who I was using for the propane. In April 2020 I called to fill the new tank, expecting the price to be the same or a little more, as I called around checking out prices not realizing I had to use Suburban since they were the ones who owned the tank. I was getting quotes from $1.95 to 3.15 a gal from other companies. When I called Suburban to ask what they were going to charge me, they said the rate was $5.85 a gallon...I was shocked! If I sign a contract for 3 years they will give me a rate of $1.95 a gallon for 6 months and
then give me a reasonable rate for the next 2 1/2 years but they won't tell me what that is! Unbelievable an open end contract with NO guarantee on what that price could be, or a ceiling on the max per gallon for the remainder of the 2 1/2 yr contract...I'M NOT signing IT!

WOC is doing the same thing 200.00 dollar charge to pump the tank down and a credit for what ever gas is left and a 75 dollar pick up fee for them getting their tank off my property. I asked what if I just left their tank and used the new company they told no they want their tank back. I said fine it will cost you 75 dollars to come and get it on my property they told me I can't do that. So I may have to pre buy at a little higher rate and keep them until I figure this out. It would cost me 275 dollars to get rid of them. It robbery!

I received a tank rental bill from Suburban Propane after I wrote them that I would end my contract at the end of my 3 year agreement. I called Suburban propane and told them I wanted the tank picked up, as I had moved from the house, and had no more need for fuel. I also wrote them again with the statement my contract was ended, and I felt I was not responsible for a years rent. I still got a bill for closeout of $125.00. I agree with other comments about their way of doing business, as I was also victim of higher prices than other suppliers quoted.

Jack Wade

SUBURBAN PROPANE will entice you with a reasonable price per gal ($1.99) to get you set up with their tank and service then when you need gas again, they will charge you 3X the going rate for propane. When you tell then to cancel your service and they will not only charge you tank rental ($60.00) but a tank removal fee of $85.00. Beware of this company. They will scam you!

Please post any updates to your situation. We are very interested to learn about your results.

I was with Suburban for only a year, and when we called them. I got a good rate of $1.799 gal., but that only lasted about 3 months. Lucky spring & summer were here. We waited as long as possible to turn our heat on. I called Suburban to see what there going rate was at that time, & they wanted to charge me $4.50 gal. WHAT? So I called around, & found a new provider. When the other company came, put there tanks aside. I called for Suburban to come get there tanks. I called Suburban the first time to cancle my account, the women I spoke with just wanted to know why, and who the other provider was. Mind you, know one spoke of any charges. So about 2 weeks later, there here to get them. So I called the office a second time to comfirm there pick up, and suspected a fee of some sort. The women proceedes to tell me, "There is a $100 fee for pick up, & $1 gal for whats left in the tanks." Again WHAT? I wasn't told this, but she said it was explain to me, because thats what was in the notes. I'm sure with those charges I would remember! I had about 70 gal. left, so altogether $170+ for pick up. The 70 gal. times what I paid for the propane at the time is only about $126. Now Suburban is telling me I owe them more money. I don't think so! This conversation has not ended with Suburban yet, but they can stick there charges, where the sun don't shine. How are they gettin away with this?

Agreed. They think that I should pay for unused propane. I only use 87 gallons a year and they filled in March. They want the 1.00 per gallon not use plus 5.00 a gallon for what was used. And they will probably charge to removed the tank. I was charged 7.00 a gallon for that 87 gallons. I am searching now

At one point Suburban propane, topped off my tank, with out my knowledge with 13 gallons of propane & with their added "FEES" it came to almost $39.00!

www.suburban-propane-class-action.com/

Well I had my propane shut off because i refused to pay this recent "tank rental" charge. $99.00 to reconnect! They can kiss my butt. So I paid the fee due for this year, called a competitor who has no fee, and told Suburban to terminate our service and come get their tank at their option. [they tried to negotiate the next years fee down... but I said bye bye]

The arrogance is incredible. Even after the lawsuit and all the negative publicity, we were just charged $5.029/gal for our propane last week. 12.9 gallons cost us $75. This is insane! We just moved to the area and went with the company that the previous homeowners were using, and we signed a contract. I need to see if we can get out of it, because this is just absurd. I'm so angry.

Suburban propane:

means Extra bill: 2 times more than other local company.

Worst service.

charged me without even filling gas: They are cheat.

Don't give right information.

Check this link out. It is a class action suit in New Jersey: http://www.suburban-propane-class-action.com/

There is another law suit in Vermont: http://www.9wsyr.com/content/news/real_deal/story/Suburban-Propane-Takes-8-Months-to-Remove-Tanks/gjmF9-FgQkaJ_AmbQVsSMQ.cspx

I have been trying to find suits in California. Any information about claims, or whether the Attorney General is sympathetic to consumers, please share.

For me, it's not just the price gouging. It's the the ARROGANCE. Because they have a huge tank on your property and because the tank always has some propane in it, you always feel somewhat like a hostage when trying to decide whether to change suppliers. I've been meaning to for the last two years because every time I have a phone call with them, I get so angry. Yes, my starting price in December 2004 was $1.89/gallon. It jumped to $3.22/gallon in December 2005. After a phone call, I got a small reduction based on some sort of policy of being local. What does that mean? Then between January and June 2010, my three bills went up from $2.99/gallon in January to $3.13/gallon in March to...$4.30/gallon in June! I am shocked. I believe the less you use, THE MORE THEY CHARGE YOU by the gallon.

Propane pricing unfair, some say
Written by Walt Cook, The Union Democrat February 16, 2010 12:02 pm
Some Tuolumne County residents have discovered it’s “buyer beware” when it comes to propane purchases.

That’s because, unlike electricity and natural gas service, propane isn’t considered a utility in California, meaning suppliers don’t have to justify pricing to the State Public Utilities Commission.

The result can range in prices from $2.50 a gallon to upwards of $5 per gallon. With most home propane tanks ranging from 250 to 500 gallons, that can add up to a lot of money.

Groveland’s Bunny Henningsen found that out earlier this month. While she was away from home, her propane supplier — New Jersey-based Suburban Propane — put 200 gallons in her tank.

She was taken aback when she saw the bill hanging on her door: $1, 030 for 200 gallons. That amounts to $5.14 per gallon. The market rate on the day her tank was filled was $2.99 per gallon.

Henningsen was outraged.

“How many people out there purposely keep their house cold because they can’t afford an extra $2 a gallon? she said. “That’s a horrible thing to do to people in the middle of winter.”

Attempting to modify a pricey home loan and operating a quilt shop in a bad economy, Henningsen had few dollars to spare.

So she called the local Suburban office in Jamestown and complained. As a result, the company lowered her rate to $2.99 per gallon for the fill-up, cutting $432 from the original bill.

Tim Brown, of Sonora, also had a run-in with Suburban. Like Henningsen, on the company’s automatic-fill plan, where a homeowner’s tank is filled without prior notice, he was shocked when he saw his bill. He said he was charged $5 per gallon for 102 gallons after a December fill-up. The market rate for propane at the time in California was $2.89 per gallon.

“I just about flipped out, ” he said. “It’s ridiculous to fill somebody’s tank without notification, stick a bill on their door and expect them to pay up.”

Brown has since canceled his service with Suburban.

“They’re getting their gas back, and I’m not paying a dime, ” he said.

Since most propane tanks are leased by homeowners, canceling service results in the booted propane company picking up its tank, which can cost homeowners up to $100. Some companies, though, have agreements to swap each other’s tanks free of charge.

Various residents in the Sacramento area have levied similar complaints against Suburban, according to published reports.

Suburban gave Henningsen and Brown different reasons for why they were being charged 40 percent more than the going-rate for propane.

Brown said he was told he was paying for “superior service.”

Henningsen, meanwhile, said she was told she was paying a higher rate because she wasn’t using enough propane annually.

“They said it was because I was using less than 400 gallons a year, ” she said.

A call to the local Suburban office in Jamestown this week revealed the company has a tiered pricing system, which, depending on the amount a customer uses annually, can range — as of now — from $2.50 to $5.14 per gallon.

“Nobody else does that, ” said Henningsen, who has been shopping around for a new propane provider.

Indeed, other companies operating in the area claimed they do not used a tiered pricing system. Rates at the other companies — excluding introductory rates — ranged from $2.93 to $3.20 per gallon as of this week.

Suburban spokesman Peter Teshima, based in the company’s New Jersey office, said “a lot goes into pricing.” He declined to comment further on the phone, instead issuing a written statement.

In the statement, Suburban touted its service — including “highly trained” dispatchers who take calls 24 hours a day, and its ability to secure reliable propane supplies from major providers.

Delivery distances, delivery amounts and market rates all come into play when billing customers, according to the statement.

Brown, the owner of a moving and storage company, expressed frustration with politicians for not protecting consumers when it comes to propane prices. He said with various fees and prices going up, the last thing people need is to be hit with an above-market-rate gas bill.

“The regulation factor needs to come in somewhere along the line, ” Brown said.

Henningsen agreed, saying homeowners don’t have the option of suddenly ceasing their use of propane, not when their appliances and central heating systems are powered by the petroleum-based gas.

In that respect, propane is a lot like a utility, she said.

Andrew Kotch of the state Public Utilities Commission described the importance of utility regulation, saying utilities are considered a necessity, so it’s important they aren’t put out of reach for consumers.

“There are not that many around and the competition is less, which could lead to concerns about pricing, ” Kotch said.

Lesley Brown Garland, president and CEO of the California-based Western Propane Gas Association, noted that because there are many propane companies around — several operate in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties alone — propane doesn’t fit the criteria of a utility.

Lawmakers apparently agree, as California has no law regulating propane prices.

Instead, the free market sorts things out, Garland said. If one company is charging too much, other companies are available for consumers to choose from. That’s something Brown and Henningsen have found out.

“This keeps everyone operating as efficiently as possible, ” Garland said.

I have had the same thing happen to our family also. Except they filled our 575 gal. a 2000.00 bill in Nov 2009 tank and when I could not pay a payment because my daughter was dying of phenomena at Madera children's hospital. ( I called and told them what was going on) from the hospital, they denied my payment in April from the energy assistance program ATTCAA and would not take a 300.00 payment from me a 4 days prier to shut off notice this month. they said I had to pay half of 1200.00 ( they never included the pledge the month before ( after returning home from hospital. They wanted at leased 600.00. they turned my tank off on the 21st of may and put in a work order on the 20th according to there shut off letter I had four more days . then they said that they are going to charge me roughly 1.50 a gal to pump the remaining 200 gal. back. and a 75.00 to remove the tank. if you do the math they want around 500.00 for what? making my family of 6( 4 children two 3 year olds and my all better 7 year old and my 13 year old) cold and no way of cooking.or taking baths and not honoring the energy assistance program, I think there is discrimination, dishonesty and greedy money hungery propane vampires'! I found a another local propane co. who were more than happy to install a small tank that does not leak, oh did I forget that part, the tank was leaking ALLOT a work order had to be put in while me and my 7 year old were in Madera. to fix leak, they came out and loosened a nut and said that the tank need to be replaced that was in march, they never replaced it. I wonder how much propane leaked out that was paid for? they said they would give me a credit that never happened for 50.00. I have filed a complaint with the BBB for bad business of New Jersey and the utilities commission for not honoring my energy assistance program.. if you want the full story or want to publish my email go ahead I want everyone to know what crooks are

Suburban revells in thievery, piracy, or whatever descriptive terms you can dream up. Dont be afraid to come up with the worse sort of hateful malelovent terms as they are justified and you will probably still fall short of an accurate description of the levels of greed possible by their company. I was charged $5.05 per gallon at the begining of the 2008-09 heating season. When I called to ask why, my call was meet with indifference and the statement that I did not buy enough propane to qualify for better pricing. With propane prices hushed-up in general I did not find internet sources to verify that I was overcharged in my area. The price dropped over the spring months to a "LOW" of $4.95. in late April I was fortunate to have a sales rep from Heller Propane Company (a company new in our area) stop at my doorstep. He explaned that I was paying over double for my propane. In addition he was appalled at the fact that they had the gall to charge $74.00 annually in addition for tank rental. His statement was that we're just damn glad to have our customers so we provide the tanks for free. I had his company set aside Suburban's tanks and to hookup 2 - 100 gallon tanks in their place. I then called Suburban to pickup their tanks explaining with much restraint that I was being screwed over by their companyto the point of financial rape. I was told they would pickup the tanks and credit me for the propane. I was shocked when they credited me at a fair price of $5.00 per gallon. So now I'm on the phone requesting a check for my $860.00. At this point I was told that my check was already mail in the amount of $ 704.00. After a rather hot discussion I was told that the balance would be issued as a second check. During the conversation they stated that the $154.00 was for tank pickup and I should just be glad that I received a refund at all on the propane. They really thought they had the right to charge for the pickup their own tanks and literally steal back the propane that I own. I put them on notice that this is an issue that will not go away - ever - and I will generate as much ill-will for them as possible. I am thinking that our district and state representitives may be interested in the underhanded corporate corruption the is going on in their districts gouging their costituants which such unbridled contempt. I don't know if the Attorney Generals Office would be interested in a diversion from the fine work they are doing in cyberspace crime but I intend to find out. Thieves, Liers, and scoundles can all find home and refuge in the employe of Suburban Propane.

Suburban has consistently been the most overpriced and dishonest propane company in the nation. Why anybody would do business with them is beyond comprehension.

Same thing here. Prices over $3.69/gal. I was told that they are not selling the tanks. Please keep us posted. We have a 1000 gal. underground tank.

SG
Tuxedo, NY

I was told that removal fee for the tank is 124.95 plus 75 cent fee per gallon to pump out the propane. You are responsible for the excavation costs. I am going through the same thing with them right now trying to buy the tank. Have another propane company negotiate a deal with them on purchase of the tank. The only way they'd agree if you would make it pretty convincing that you'll indeed dig it up. I don't know what is the saize of your tank but I have calculated on mine that I would rather spend several thousand now and save up t0 800 per fill-up than put up with this agravation.

I have suburban out of walton ny.. I caught them telling me that they made a delivery to me ...but later appoligized that they made a delivery somewhere else...then they said they delivered on feb 4th...there was 14"s of snow and no way up my mountain they said they pushed threw the snow and got there! they tell me to plow when theres 2"s...then after arguing for 3 months now ...the guy said it didn't snow there...the day after superbowl? 14"...

Suburban gave me a great intro price 2 years ago and got there 1000g tank on my property and burried. After initial fill, prices went way out of line. About a month ago I was quoted $3.71/g from suburban I complained as I have to every time. I got them down to $2.80 and bought enough to hold me over. I ended up purchasing the tank from Suburban($2975+ Tax) and found a local co-op. The coop prices make propane competitve with fuel oil despite thje fact that propane makes much less heat per galon. The co-op in my area of upstate NY is Galway co-op. Prices are based on usage and tied to wholesale price. If you do not have a co-op in your area you may want to start one.

We also had a horrible experience with Suburban Propane. Suburban Propane put my family and my appliances at a huge risk. Suburban Propane had come to my home an supposably performed pressure tests, because I complained that there had to be something wronfg or a gas leak because we were only getting 15 days out of a tank of gas. My Propane bill for the month was coming to approx $3000.00. I then contacted Allen's Propane (awesome company)Highly Recomend. Allens performed numerous test's inside my home to find out suburban propane had the pressure settings so low that none of my appliances were rec ieving enough propane, therefore the propane just kept flowing. Suburban Propane are scammers... GET RID OF THEM... MY PROPANE BILL HAS NOT BEEN MORE THAN $470.00 and that is for 2 months of propane over the winter SINCE SWITCHING COMPANIES.

Buy your own tank. And yes from personal experience Suburban is a bunch of lying rip-offs. You can put a lock on the tank and make sure that you are there when they are delivering.

We have had the same experience with Suburban, both in New York State and Florida. In fact in Florida we just terminated our service with a full tank (200#) and we ended up owing money. We paid between $4.88 and 6.82 per gallon for the gas and they charge $55.00 to come and read the tank. I don't like their math. Maybe that is why their profits are so high.

Used Sub Propane for 12 years at reasonable prices. The company had a new owner who spiked the price because we used less than 650gal/yr (their numbers are wrong). We used 675-725/yr. in a Sub.-owned 1000 gal tank. Who does this to senior citizens in January in W. Mass hilltowns?

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 I have been a customer over 10 years and they want to charge me for them to pick up their property. I absolutely refused to pay them anything.They wanted over 80 dollars.I have been a good customer of theirs since 2002.

Bought business 2 years ago kept Suburban Propane because they were already there, never signed contract. Want to cancel and they won't let me use my propane I paid for!, they want to steal it and charge me a 1.00 per gallon restocking fee. I don't want to return it so why are they charging me?

We are a commercial operation and use over 5000 gallons of propane a year. Suburban has been over charging us at over $4.00 a gallon. I checked and was told by another Suburban that $2, 29 was the price at that level. They told me they would fix things going forward but no credit for the overcharged billing.

Speeding at a little league game, Madison maine, Suburban propane service truck, white with a crane in the rear. Blahh what a idiot! Alot of children in the lot at this time. People have mentioned this to him before, He told us it has a big engine?

Just got my (leased) tank filled today. $5.99.gallon! from Suburban Propane. According to what I read as national average(s), this is twice that price. They pulled this on me in October 2009. When I complained, they compromised by offering me 1 year @ $2.80/gallon. I agreed, and initially had some billing issues, but after a few calls to billing, they honored the agreement. I had called a competitor, who sold propane at that time for about $2.60. I was tempted to switch from Suburban to that competitor. Now, it’s back to $5.99 again. NOTE: I’m not shopping to save every last penny, ….I don’t mind if Suburban is a larger company with higher overhead, thus needs to charge a little more, but I’m not paying 100%+ more. You can bet I’ll be calling around again!

Many Weights and Measures throughout United States have adopted NCWM/NIST handbook 44 which is a regulation accepted by regulatory officials for enforcement of consumer complaints. Under Section 3.32, sub paragraph UR.2.5. Ticket in Printing Device. – A ticket shall not be inserted into a device equipped with a ticket printer until immediately before a delivery is begun, and in no case shall a ticket be in the device when the vehicle is in motion while on a public street, highway, or thoroughfare.
UR.2.6. Ticket Printer; Customer Ticket. – Vehicle-mounted metering systems shall be equipped with a ticket
printer. The ticket printer shall be used for all sales; a copy of the ticket issued by the device shall be left with the customer at the time of delivery or as otherwise specified by the customer.

I would expect they would show you copy of the invoice from the truck deliveries to validate the truth of the delivery, otherwise you may have a valid complaint.