With a major snowstorm expected last Sunday and Monday, Lucas and Luci Benedict wanted to make sure they had enough propane to heat their home in Westbrook through the long weekend.

They didn’t want a repeat of Christmas Day, when their two outdoor tanks ran out and Suburban Propane didn’t fill them until the next day, even though they’re on automatic delivery.

They also didn’t anticipate joining a growing number of Mainers who have lodged complaints about the company on social media and with the Office of the Maine Attorney General.

But when the Benedicts checked the tank gauge last Friday, they were surprised to see the fuel supply was below 20%. They called the local Suburban Propane office in Portland but got no answer.

For the next several days, the Benedicts played phone tag with the company’s national call center, sometimes waiting on hold with hundreds of other customers, they said. Day after day, they were assured that a delivery truck was on its way, only to be disappointed repeatedly as the tank gauge fell to zero.

They borrowed electric space heaters from neighbors to stay warm and keep water pipes from freezing.

Finally, just before noon on Tuesday, a Suburban Propane delivery truck rolled up.

“Through the whole experience, customer service was abysmal,” said Lucas Benedict. “Luckily, we didn’t lose power, so we could use space heaters.”

COMPLAINTS TO CONSUMER PROTECTION

The Benedicts are among 17 Maine customers who, in the last two months, registered delivery-related complaints against Suburban Propane with the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Division — seven in December and 10 in January.

“That count may include complaints unrelated to low fuel or no fuel situations,” Danna Hayes, spokesperson for the attorney general, said in an emailed statement. “The office prioritizes resolving low fuel or no fuel complaints and contacts the business immediately. To date, we have been able to resolve all such complaints from Suburban customers.”

Hayes didn’t say how the complaints had been resolved.

Looking back to 2018, complaints against Suburban Propane ranged from one in 2021 to eight in 2019, with less than a handful most years.

Hayes said the attorney general doesn’t comment on whether it’s investigating a specific business. She said if any Maine resident is out or close to running out of heating fuel, and the business is not responding appropriately, they should contact the Consumer Protection Division.

Headquartered in Whippany, New Jersey, Suburban Propane is a nationwide distributor of energy products, including propane and heating oil. The company has 3,300 full-time employees operating in 42 states and 700 locations, including at least one office in Maine.

Nandini Sankara, spokesperson for Suburban Propane, said she had contacted the company’s local offices and its legal team.

“I am pleased to confirm that we have spoken with the attorney general’s office and all the inquiries have been successfully resolved and our customers have been serviced,” she said in an emailed statement.

Sankara didn’t provide details on how customer complaints had been resolved or when customers had been serviced.

Suburban Propane’s Portland retail office is open and has remained open with no service interruptions, she said, contrary to customer complaints. She didn’t respond when asked which other retail offices in Maine are open.

Sankara said the company wasn’t experiencing fuel supply issues.

“We are actively servicing our customers in the state,” she said. “We have multiple locally staffed locations in Maine and are proud to service our customers throughout Maine.”

Sankara didn’t respond to questions about staffing or weather-related issues, or how Suburban Propane planned to address the increase in complaints against the company.

Charlie Summers, president and CEO of the 300-member Maine Energy Marketers Association, said Suburban Propane isn’t a member of his organization and he had no information about the company.

Summers noted that about 17% of Mainers heat with propane and about 52% heat with home heating oil. He also acknowledged that winter weather can make fuel delivery more difficult and take longer, especially with snowy roads and icy walkways.

GROUSING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Mainers have expressed outrage about the company on social media, including a Facebook page dedicated to Suburban Propane Consumer Complaints.

Elizabeth Como, of Portland, posted a “slight rant” on her own Facebook page on Jan. 4 — five days after her home ran out of propane used for heat, hot water and cooking. She and her husband have been Suburban Propane customers since they moved into their house more than 20 years ago.

“They have, up until recently, been a solid company,” she wrote. “Currently, they are completely falling down on the job.”

Como said her home was on auto delivery and they paid a $324 monthly fee in advance based on past annual use.

“December 30 we ran out of propane. Looking back, we realized our last delivery was 5 months ago,” Como wrote. “Our bad for not noticing, but … we have been calling almost every day since. Call center states they’re putting us on emergency delivery with no extra charge.”

Como said she was glad to have a woodstove and good insulation to keep the house above freezing.

“(But) every time I call and hear the ‘customer service is our focus’ statement, I want to yell really loudly, perhaps with swear words like foxtrot, and shiitake, and a few other choice words,” she said.

She even went to the company’s Portland office, but found it closed during regular business hours, with signs directing customers to call the local phone number or mail payments to the local address.

Como said in an interview Thursday that Suburban finally delivered propane on Jan. 7, charging $1,300 and offering an $100 credit for the delay. The couple had already paid $1,100 for propane that hadn’t been delivered, so she’s waiting for the billing process to shake out.

In the meantime, they’re canceling auto payments, looking for another supplier and considering legal action.

“It feels like they’re price gouging,” she said. Como said she had not filed a complaint with the AG but was considering it.

SEEKING OTHER SUPPLIERS

The Benedicts in Westbrook also are looking for another propane dealer and talking about adding alternative energy equipment, including a heat pump.

The couple learned a few things when Suburban Propane finally filled their tanks, delivering 100 gallons.

It turned out their tank gauge failed last weekend, so it said they were out of propane when they still had nearly 100 gallons. The Benedicts believed the tanks were empty and shut off the feed line for safety reasons, Lucas Benedict said.

“It was a multifaceted issue,” he said. “There still was a problem with their auto-fill system. It wasn’t the first time we didn’t receive a delivery on auto fill and we ran out.”

If the company had delivered sooner, he noted, the faulty gauge might have been detected before they closed the tank feed line.

It’s not an experience Luci Benedict wants to revisit anytime soon.

“You feel helpless, like there’s nothing you can do, because they own the tanks, so you’re tied to the company,” she said.