Superior Plus Propane Issues

map · 01-04-2026, 03:39 PM

Was a long time Rymes Customer. No issues. This year things don't seem to be going well with the Superior Plus buyout. No one answers the phone. You can be on hold anywhere from 1-3 hours and nothing. Leave a message for a call back- nothing. On top of that they are letting tanks get dangerously low in winter and I am hearing of tanks going unfilled and left empty, and people having no heat. There are numerous complaints being issued. Can see on the BBB and there is even a Facebook page specifically aimed at this. Maine at least has some news stories on it. People in Canada having a ton of problems as well. Reading the numerous stories it is very disturbing.

Seems they have bought out a lot of small independents across the country and downsized staff, closed local offices and centralized. Everything is computerized. Office is in Toronto.

Our one experience so far this winter- we are on automatic delivery, have a group rate for a lot of homes in our cluster development, and our tanks at our home were at 32 percent. I called and got no one on the phone. So I sent a message through their website. Got the spiel of "oh don't worry we won't let you run out. Have a new system now where we not only monitor your tanks, but track your usage.Blah blah blah"

So I tell them that's nice, but I always have called usually like at 40% because I want more propane on hand due to the fact that we have a generator that runs on it if the power goes out. Never was down to 32 percent before a delivery. Rymes never let them go that low. Superior cannot account for that generator situation in their calculations for our past usage because it is not a consistent usage. Plus- what if some people added more gas powered appliances to their home or whatever reason? Why can't we call when we want more fuel?

Anyway, what is really infuriating is this scenario that just occurred:
7am- a truck pulls up to two of my NEXT DOOR neighbors' homes at 7am. Mind you our homes are literally no more than 25 feet apart. I just happened to be up and saw the guy getting ready to leave after filling up my neighbors. (They were at like 20%), I run outside and flagged him down. He says he doesn't have a work order for us, but agrees to fill us if I give him our account number. Says he can't call the office because they are in Canada and the office wasn't open yet. So he fills us up thankfully. Tells me he hates the new computerized system. Has him having to go up north and all over, etc.

My neighbor across the street then tells me she was at 31% that morning and the neighbor on the other side of my house was at 18%. This with the big snow storm we had coming the next day. A few days before this there was a truck filling up a home right up our road. Why didn't he have a work order to do all of us? And at 20% with a lot of new furnaces and generators there is not enough pressure in the tanks to operate.

I mean- if you have a cluster of homes in the same neighborhood- same street- on auto delivery to fill why not just get them all done at the same time? So someone is at 30, another is at 40, another is at 20, whatever! Just fill them. Seems that would be the efficient thing to do.

And of course, we just recently had a long power outage and I was very happy I had flagged that driver down.

I did a review on the BBB and I also put a complaint in to the NH Consumer Protection Bureau and asked them to investigate what is going on with this company. Seems they a have a kind of monopoly buying out the smaller guys and they don't seem to care about their customers. To make matters worse, most people like us and our neighbors do not own the tanks so it's not like we can just go and call another company.

I really do not want the hassle of trying to switch to another company so I am willing to give them another go when it comes time that our tanks get lower. Plus we have the group rate, though who knows if that will be the case next season. We used to be able to contact a Rymes manager for that rate. Now you can't speak with anyone! But I also don't want to run out of propane and lose heat and hot water!

Anyone else experiencing problems with them?

beagle · 01-04-2026, 03:49 PM

we have had exactly the same experience as you except that last winter they did let our tank run to empty. of course we had to pay to have everything restarted. they are horrible.

map · 01-04-2026, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beagle

we have had exactly the same experience as you except that last winter they did let our tank run to empty. of course we had to pay to have everything restarted. they are horrible.

Oh wow. That sucks! Did you switch to another company?

TiltonBB · 01-04-2026, 07:01 PM

Switching propane suppliers is not that difficult. The new company just buys the tank from the old company. It happens all the time. I did it about 10 years ago and it was seamless.

I agree with your review of Superior Plus. I was also a long time customer of Rymes and I was very happy with them. I had a service issue over the summer and Superior was lousy. The repairman who came out said that the Service Manager had quit and the Service Manager's boss had given his notice and was on his last week.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. When a lot of the help is heading for the door it is not a good sign for the business.

map · 01-04-2026, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

Switching propane suppliers is not that difficult. The new company just buys the tank from the old company. It happens all the time. I did it about 10 years ago and it was seamless.

I agree with your review of Superior Plus. I was also a long time customer of Rymes and I was very happy with them. I had a service issue over the summer and Superior was lousy. The repairman who came out said that the Service Manager had quit and the Service Manager's boss had given his notice and was on his last week.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. When a lot of the help is heading for the door it is not a good sign for the business.

Thanks. I’m surprised another company would lay out money to buy tanks from another just to get a customer. Of course, the new company would also have to be able to get a hold of Superior. Some people on line have been saying the new company would move the Superior tanks out of the way and put in theirs, but Superior still would not show to pick them up. For some, Superior wanted to charge like $300 to remove them, forcing the customer to file complaints with the BBB and State Consumer agency and then Superior waved the fee.

map · 01-04-2026, 07:20 PM

Anyone have recommendations for reliable propane suppliers? I like to be prepared with options in case it comes down to it.

Ideally it would be one that has their own storage tanks and doesn’t have to rely on getting the fuel from another company’s tanks.

fatlazyless · 01-04-2026, 10:30 PM

Stafford Oil & Propane in Laconia is a local company with their own everything ...... service dept, oil & propane trucks, and a real person answers the telephone in Laconia and says ...... "Hello .... Stafford Oil & Propane ...... yadda-yadda-yadda!" Stafford has bright red service trucks and vans with good service people.

Sounds like Superior Plus which bought Rymes Propane is just like Amerigas which has one communication center for New Hampshire and all U.S. states that is just outside Philadelphia in King of Prussia, PA. They are too big and cover too many towns and states and cannot provide same service as a local company like Stafford that really wants to provide good local service.

Lakeflier · 01-05-2026, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by map

Anyone have recommendations for reliable propane suppliers? I like to be prepared with options in case it comes down to it.

Ideally it would be one that has their own storage tanks and doesn’t have to rely on getting the fuel from another company’s tanks.

I have Eastern propane, very satisfied with their service.

Sent from my iPad using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

thinkxingu · 01-05-2026, 05:58 AM

Since we're seasonal, we don't use a ton of propane, but Irving has been super easy to work with for the last decade.

Good luck—this sounds like an awful situation.

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tbonies · 01-05-2026, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Stafford Oil & Propane in Laconia is a local company with their own everything ...... service dept, oil & propane trucks, and a real person answers the telephone in Laconia and says ...... "Hello .... Stafford Oil & Propane ...... yadda-yadda-yadda!" Stafford has bright red service trucks and vans with good service people.

Sounds like Superior Plus which bought Rymes Propane is just like Amerigas which has one communication center for New Hampshire and all U.S. states that is just outside Philadelphia in King of Prussia, PA. They are too big and cover too many towns and states and cannot provide same service as a local company like Stafford that really wants to provide good local service.

Stafford is obviously a great local option. Amerigas has done some internal restructuring the past year and their response this year has been terrific. Just to clarify your lazy dated comment.

MeredithMan · 01-05-2026, 10:14 AM

...We have been a Rymes customer since 2012. Always had great service. However, I am now experiencing crappy customer service with Superior Plus. My HVAC guy was out a few weeks ago to do the annual maintenance on the furnace. He mentioned that the gas pressure coming into the house was a bit high, and when he went outside to adjust the regulator, he was unable to do so and stated that the regulator needed to be replaced.

So far, 3 calls into Superior...on hold for over 30 mins each time before I finally hung up. Today I tried logging a service ticket on their website...no option for that...only to make a payment. I did select the "contact us" option and sent an email, but the auto-reply stated that the email "is not monitored 24/7 and there may be a delayed response". Swell...

map · 01-05-2026, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Stafford Oil & Propane in Laconia is a local company with their own everything ...... service dept, oil & propane trucks, and a real person answers the telephone in Laconia and says ...... "Hello .... Stafford Oil & Propane ...... yadda-yadda-yadda!" Stafford has bright red service trucks and vans with good service people.

Sounds like Superior Plus which bought Rymes Propane is just like Amerigas which has one communication center for New Hampshire and all U.S. states that is just outside Philadelphia in King of Prussia, PA. They are too big and cover too many towns and states and cannot provide same service as a local company like Stafford that really wants to provide good local service.

Thanks. I have read from others that Superior is now using AI to dispatch. There's a problem right there.

map · 01-05-2026, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

...We have been a Rymes customer since 2012. Always had great service. However, I am now experiencing crappy customer service with Superior Plus. My HVAC guy was out a few weeks ago to do the annual maintenance on the furnace. He mentioned that the gas pressure coming into the house was a bit high, and when he went outside to adjust the regulator, he was unable to do so and stated that the regulator needed to be replaced.

So far, 3 calls into Superior...on hold for over 30 mins each time before I finally hung up. Today I tried logging a service ticket on their website...no option for that...only to make a payment. I did select the "contact us" option and sent an email, but the auto-reply stated that the email "is not monitored 24/7 and there may be a delayed response". Swell...

Oh wow. Awful! That's something I didn't think about. Problems with the tanks, etc. I hope it gets resolved for you soon. UGH!

Let's say you owned the tanks. Would the HVAC guy been able to replace the regulator?

MeredithMan · 01-05-2026, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by map

Oh wow. Awful! That's something I didn't think about. Problems with the tanks, etc. I hope it gets resolved for you soon. UGH!

Let's say you owned the tanks. Would the HVAC guy been able to replace the regulator?

You know, that's a great question to go back to my HVAC guy with, because I actually DO own the tank. I hadn't thought of that...Thanks!

map · 01-05-2026, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

You know, that's a great question to go back to my HVAC guy with, because I actually DO own the tank. I hadn't thought of that...Thanks!

Oh wow again! Yeah- definitely Check on this! Let us know what you find out!

8gv · 01-05-2026, 05:18 PM

My propane supplier is Dead River.

They have served me for 14 years.

I have never had any issues with them

VitaBene · 01-06-2026, 11:18 AM

603 Oil and Propane in Moultonborough are excellent, family owned and operated.

trashman · 01-06-2026, 05:00 PM

Ugh, I am compelled to chime in. Last winter they "Superior" cashed our check but applied it to another persons account. So, our cottage was on shutoff as a result. I was unaware until I stopped up for a random Friday night last February to find the house as cold as outside. The oil tank was empty, but probably not for long as there were no burst pipes. I got on the phone and was never made to feel certain someone was going to be there the next day to fill us up. All I could do was threaten lawsuit for their negligence should the house flood. The woman wanted nothing to do with giving me comfort that someone would be there. Thank God, they did show up. And then, to make matters worse, the guy overfilled the tank.....oil everywhere. "Didnt hear the whistle". He wasnt sure he had a spill kit to which I told him "of course you have one in your truck". And he did. They got a small crew out to clean it up but it still smells, nearly a year later. Just a horrible experience. I fully intended on finding someone else but life moved on.

TheTimeTraveler · 01-06-2026, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trashman

Ugh, I am compelled to chime in. Last winter they "Superior" cashed our check but applied it to another persons account. So, our cottage was on shutoff as a result. I was unaware until I stopped up for a random Friday night last February to find the house as cold as outside. The oil tank was empty, but probably not for long as there were no burst pipes. I got on the phone and was never made to feel certain someone was going to be there the next day to fill us up. All I could do was threaten lawsuit for their negligence should the house flood. The woman wanted nothing to do with giving me comfort that someone would be there. Thank God, they did show up. And then, to make matters worse, the guy overfilled the tank.....oil everywhere. "Didnt hear the whistle". He wasnt sure he had a spill kit to which I told him "of course you have one in your truck". And he did. They got a small crew out to clean it up but it still smells, nearly a year later. Just a horrible experience. I fully intended on finding someone else but life moved on.

Your ultimate experience sounds like an actual lawsuit may have been in order in light of the damage caused to your property.

Hopefully their Insurance Company stepped to the plate, but did they if you now are experiencing that nasty odor?

You'll never be able to sell that property and get the true value unless and until you can forever rid the home of that obnoxious smell.

Best of luck!

map · 01-07-2026, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trashman

Ugh, I am compelled to chime in. Last winter they "Superior" cashed our check but applied it to another persons account. So, our cottage was on shutoff as a result. I was unaware until I stopped up for a random Friday night last February to find the house as cold as outside. The oil tank was empty, but probably not for long as there were no burst pipes. I got on the phone and was never made to feel certain someone was going to be there the next day to fill us up. All I could do was threaten lawsuit for their negligence should the house flood. The woman wanted nothing to do with giving me comfort that someone would be there. Thank God, they did show up. And then, to make matters worse, the guy overfilled the tank.....oil everywhere. "Didnt hear the whistle". He wasnt sure he had a spill kit to which I told him "of course you have one in your truck". And he did. They got a small crew out to clean it up but it still smells, nearly a year later. Just a horrible experience. I fully intended on finding someone else but life moved on.

Yikes! Thank goodness you averted a disaster. Totally unacceptable.

We are here full time and this is why we never go away in winter. Too much can go wrong. ( I know- people think we’re nuts. Lol!)

trashman · 01-07-2026, 11:29 AM

I know, it is hard not being there in winter when things can really go wrong. Counting the days till retirement so I can move up there permanently. Does it make sense to paint the concrete floor to cover up the odor of the oil?

map · 01-08-2026, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trashman

I know, it is hard not being there in winter when things can really go wrong. Counting the days till retirement so I can move up there permanently. Does it make sense to paint the concrete floor to cover up the odor of the oil?

This I don’t know for sure, but it sounds like a good idea.

TiltonBB · 01-08-2026, 07:41 AM

I had a friend who had switched from oil heat to gas heat. The oil tank had been removed from the basement but the fill pipe on the side of the house was still there. About a month after that the oil company "delivered" about 350 gallons through that fill pipe before the driver realized something was wrong.

After months of efforts to clean up the spill and remove the odor it was still a problem. Eventually they had to tear down the house, remove the concrete foundation and slab, and replace the contaminated soil beneath the slab.

While that was happening the occupants were placed in temporary housing. Between that expense, and paying for the property loss, I am sure the oil company's insurance company took a pretty big hit. My friend now has a nice new house on the same site.

ishoot308 · 01-08-2026, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

I had a friend who had switched from oil heat to gas heat. The oil tank had been removed from the basement but the fill pipe on the side of the house was still there. About a month after that the oil company "delivered" about 350 gallons through that fill pipe before the driver realized something was wrong.

After months of efforts to clean up the spill and remove the odor it was still a problem. Eventually they had to tear down the house, remove the concrete foundation and slab, and replace the contaminated soil beneath the slab.

While that was happening the occupants were placed in temporary housing. Between that expense, and paying for the property loss, I am sure the oil company's insurance company took a pretty big hit. My friend now has a nice new house on the same site.

That is unbelievable! What a tragic mistake!

Dan

tummyman · 01-08-2026, 08:29 AM

I doubt painting will hide anything and it could make future cleanup a problem. The issue is that the oil company has not cleaned up their mess. I would hire a large Concord NH or Manchester law firm immediately and sue their pants off to get it cleaned up. Not just a coverup, but a full remediation. Otherwise, you will lose lots of money. Your house, your problem if you don't litigate ASAP. Poor performance has consequences. But if you do nothing, they escape and you get left holding the bag. That oil penetrated the concrete, got into cracks, etc .etc. and will never go away. A quick coat of paint will just alert folks that you are covering something up. And any future owner might come after you for hiding the issue. You are at significant risk all around in my opinion, but then again, I am no lawyer. But I see lots of peril in your approach.

trashman · 01-08-2026, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tummyman

I doubt painting will hide anything and it could make future cleanup a problem. The issue is that the oil company has not cleaned up their mess. I would hire a large Concord NH or Manchester law firm immediately and sue their pants off to get it cleaned up. Not just a coverup, but a full remediation. Otherwise, you will lose lots of money. Your house, your problem if you don't litigate ASAP. Poor performance has consequences. But if you do nothing, they escape and you get left holding the bag. That oil penetrated the concrete, got into cracks, etc .etc. and will never go away. A quick coat of paint will just alert folks that you are covering something up. And any future owner might come after you for hiding the issue. You are at significant risk all around in my opinion, but then again, I am no lawyer. But I see lots of peril in your approach.

I appreciate this insite and agree with you.

Biggd · 01-08-2026, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trashman

I appreciate this insite and agree with you.

We had our oil tank leak in my childhood home when I was young, over 60 years ago. I still own the house and live there now. The smell eventually went away but it took years not months, no basement remodel, same as it was 60 years ago. The oil leak was contained to a small section of the basement. I remember having an extensive clean up and an air filtration system running in the basement for months.
I can't imagine a major leak of gallons of oil seeping into the floor and foundation would ever completely go away.

songkrai · 01-09-2026, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VitaBene

603 Oil and Propane in Moultonborough are excellent, family owned and operated.

Be careful of any oil company that does not provide prompt repair service.

Word on the street is that this company leased or owned the former convenience store known as Fullers. And went bankrupt or lost lease or just went out of business.

MeredithMan · 01-12-2026, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by map

Oh wow again! Yeah- definitely Check on this! Let us know what you find out!

I checked with our HVAC company and they stated that their license doesn't allow them to replace regulators, unfortunately.

Interestingly, Superior came to deliver propane this past Saturday. I went out to talk to the driver to ask him about how I can log a service ticket or get someone on the phone. As I approached him, I said, "good morning", and he replied, "are you coming out to hit me?" I laughed and said "no, why...?"
He said, "I'm just the delivery guy....the only time customers come out to talk to me is when they're pissed off at the company!"

I told him about my dilemma and he said that he would have Doreen in Customer Service call me. So far, no call...

map · 01-17-2026, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

I checked with our HVAC company and they stated that their license doesn't allow them to replace regulators, unfortunately.

Interestingly, Superior came to deliver propane this past Saturday. I went out to talk to the driver to ask him about how I can log a service ticket or get someone on the phone. As I approached him, I said, "good morning", and he replied, "are you coming out to hit me?" I laughed and said "no, why...?"
He said, "I'm just the delivery guy....the only time customers come out to talk to me is when they're pissed off at the company!"

I told him about my dilemma and he said that he would have Doreen in Customer Service call me. So far, no call...

Yeah- these poor delivery guys must take a lot of heat. No surprise you didn’t get a call back.

Something interesting I noticed the past couple of weeks twice in my neighborhood it was one Osterman‘s truck and one superior plus truck both here together - literally next to each other- delivering propane. Weird since Ostermans was bought out by Superior and why two trucks? Never saw that before.

I’m at 40% right now and I’ve already put in a request for a fill. I am on an automatic. I doubt they’ll pay attention to my request. I’m going to be relentless to keep reminding them.

dpg · 01-23-2026, 12:41 PM

I hear complaint after complaint... I just don't get it NH is very cold all winter and lots and lots of homes and buildings burn Propane. This has been going on for what 75 years now? Why these companies have so many issues all the time just blows my mind.
I'm also a part time person and in December I decided I'd better shoot up for a day, I already had propane ordered online. Literally when I arrived the truck was sitting out fron on the road. The driver was getting ready to drive away because he said he's not suppposed to walk over any snow if the tanks not cleared out. There was literally 4-5 inches of dry, light powdery snow which is why I shot up. REALLY?? the delivery person can't walk on 5 inches of powder. He told me he had other deliveries in the association and swung back, by then I cleared the path with the snowblower. Other weekend people must run into this all the time.

WinnisquamZ · 01-23-2026, 01:14 PM

I converted to propane from oil a few years ago and have received nothing but outstanding service from Foley Oil and Propane. Setup for automatic delivery and payment. Yes, I hear they are a few cents more. However, the peace of mind outweighs a few cents

Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

MeredithMan · 02-04-2026, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

I checked with our HVAC company and they stated that their license doesn't allow them to replace regulators, unfortunately.

Interestingly, Superior came to deliver propane this past Saturday. I went out to talk to the driver to ask him about how I can log a service ticket or get someone on the phone. As I approached him, I said, "good morning", and he replied, "are you coming out to hit me?" I laughed and said "no, why...?"
He said, "I'm just the delivery guy....the only time customers come out to talk to me is when they're pissed off at the company!"

I told him about my dilemma and he said that he would have Doreen in Customer Service call me. So far, no call...

So after about 6 or 7 calls, being on hold around 30 minutes each, between December and this past Monday, someone finally answered the phone. The lady was very friendly and said that she could have a tech out Tuesday morning at 8AM, which in my cynical mind, meant about 2 in the afternoon. Sure enough, their person pulled in the driveway just before 8. The tech--who was the spitting image of Benson Boone--swapped the regulator, checked for leaks, made sure the furnace and water heater came back on...in short, did a very thorough job.

map · 02-04-2026, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

So after about 6 or 7 calls, being on hold around 30 minutes each, between December and this past Monday, someone finally answered the phone. The lady was very friendly and said that she could have a tech out Tuesday morning at 8AM, which in my cynical mind, meant about 2 in the afternoon. Sure enough, their person pulled in the driveway just before 8. The tech--who was the spitting image of Benson Boone--swapped the regulator, checked for leaks, made sure the furnace and water heater came back on...in short, did a very thorough job.

Glad you finally got this resolved to your satisfaction!

Unfortunate you had to make so many phone calls, though. Ridiculous.

8gv · 02-05-2026, 08:08 AM

My recent good experience with Dead River:

All the talk on this thread had me a little paranoid so I went out and looked at my tank's gauge.

It read 27%.

We have stayed home here in NH a little more than usual this winter and I figured that means more usage than Dead River was expecting.

It was Friday and I called them.

The lady that answered the phone did not put me on hold or pass my call on to another person.

She just took care of my concern.

She said "We have you scheduled for next week but I will put in an order to move that to asap."

She did not suggest that my concerns were invalid or that I was overreacting to the 27% reading.

Sunday morning the truck came.

I spook to the driver as he was filling the tank.

He told me that Sundays are part of his regular schedule.

I asked him at what gauge reading I should call in the future and he told me 20%.

I believe that I would have been fine with waiting until "next week" but the lady at Dead River wanted to satisfy my concerns.

TomC · 02-05-2026, 08:52 AM

With a fungible commodity like propane, the only way for a business to differentiate itself (besides price) is to offer a superior experience. Sounds like Dead River understands that...

Biggd · 02-05-2026, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomC

With a fungible commodity like propane, the only way for a business to differentiate itself (besides price) is to offer a superior experience. Sounds like Dead River understands that...

That's why I deal with 603 Oil, a real person answers the phone and respond quickly.

pondguy · 02-05-2026, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biggd

That's why I deal with 603 Oil, a real person answers the phone and respond quickly.

Have you used 603 Oil for service at all?

Biggd · 02-05-2026, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pondguy

Have you used 603 Oil for service at all?

I had them do a cleaning this fall, the guy was great and no upsell.

dpg · 02-07-2026, 01:35 PM

Update with latest delivery request from Amerigas...

Do not have the exact dates at my finger tips but went online and requested a delivery (fill-up) from Amerigas on or close to Jan 25th. At the time of the request I was given a delivery window of 2/2 - 2/5. They ended up delivering Saturday 1/31.
I was pleasantly surprised!

Are they making progress and getting better with deliveries?? Time will tell.

01-04-2026, 03:39 PM	#1
map Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: The Weirs Posts: 248 Thanks: 204 Thanked 66 Times in 49 Posts	Superior Plus Propane Issues Was a long time Rymes Customer. No issues. This year things don't seem to be going well with the Superior Plus buyout. No one answers the phone. You can be on hold anywhere from 1-3 hours and nothing. Leave a message for a call back- nothing. On top of that they are letting tanks get dangerously low in winter and I am hearing of tanks going unfilled and left empty, and people having no heat. There are numerous complaints being issued. Can see on the BBB and there is even a Facebook page specifically aimed at this. Maine at least has some news stories on it. People in Canada having a ton of problems as well. Reading the numerous stories it is very disturbing. Seems they have bought out a lot of small independents across the country and downsized staff, closed local offices and centralized. Everything is computerized. Office is in Toronto. Our one experience so far this winter- we are on automatic delivery, have a group rate for a lot of homes in our cluster development, and our tanks at our home were at 32 percent. I called and got no one on the phone. So I sent a message through their website. Got the spiel of "oh don't worry we won't let you run out. Have a new system now where we not only monitor your tanks, but track your usage.Blah blah blah" So I tell them that's nice, but I always have called usually like at 40% because I want more propane on hand due to the fact that we have a generator that runs on it if the power goes out. Never was down to 32 percent before a delivery. Rymes never let them go that low. Superior cannot account for that generator situation in their calculations for our past usage because it is not a consistent usage. Plus- what if some people added more gas powered appliances to their home or whatever reason? Why can't we call when we want more fuel? Anyway, what is really infuriating is this scenario that just occurred: 7am- a truck pulls up to two of my NEXT DOOR neighbors' homes at 7am. Mind you our homes are literally no more than 25 feet apart. I just happened to be up and saw the guy getting ready to leave after filling up my neighbors. (They were at like 20%), I run outside and flagged him down. He says he doesn't have a work order for us, but agrees to fill us if I give him our account number. Says he can't call the office because they are in Canada and the office wasn't open yet. So he fills us up thankfully. Tells me he hates the new computerized system. Has him having to go up north and all over, etc. My neighbor across the street then tells me she was at 31% that morning and the neighbor on the other side of my house was at 18%. This with the big snow storm we had coming the next day. A few days before this there was a truck filling up a home right up our road. Why didn't he have a work order to do all of us? And at 20% with a lot of new furnaces and generators there is not enough pressure in the tanks to operate. I mean- if you have a cluster of homes in the same neighborhood- same street- on auto delivery to fill why not just get them all done at the same time? So someone is at 30, another is at 40, another is at 20, whatever! Just fill them. Seems that would be the efficient thing to do. And of course, we just recently had a long power outage and I was very happy I had flagged that driver down. I did a review on the BBB and I also put a complaint in to the NH Consumer Protection Bureau and asked them to investigate what is going on with this company. Seems they a have a kind of monopoly buying out the smaller guys and they don't seem to care about their customers. To make matters worse, most people like us and our neighbors do not own the tanks so it's not like we can just go and call another company. I really do not want the hassle of trying to switch to another company so I am willing to give them another go when it comes time that our tanks get lower. Plus we have the group rate, though who knows if that will be the case next season. We used to be able to contact a Rymes manager for that rate. Now you can't speak with anyone! But I also don't want to run out of propane and lose heat and hot water! Anyone else experiencing problems with them?

01-04-2026, 03:49 PM	#2
beagle Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 178 Thanks: 187 Thanked 25 Times in 21 Posts	same for us we have had exactly the same experience as you except that last winter they did let our tank run to empty. of course we had to pay to have everything restarted. they are horrible.

01-04-2026, 10:30 PM	#7
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 9,168 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 310 Thanked 1,102 Times in 811 Posts	Stafford Oil & Propane in Laconia is a local company with their own everything ...... service dept, oil & propane trucks, and a real person answers the telephone in Laconia and says ...... "Hello .... Stafford Oil & Propane ...... yadda-yadda-yadda!" Stafford has bright red service trucks and vans with good service people. Sounds like Superior Plus which bought Rymes Propane is just like Amerigas which has one communication center for New Hampshire and all U.S. states that is just outside Philadelphia in King of Prussia, PA. They are too big and cover too many towns and states and cannot provide same service as a local company like Stafford that really wants to provide good local service. __________________ .... Banned for life from local thrift store!

01-05-2026, 10:14 AM	#11
MeredithMan Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Bedford, NH; Meredith, NH Posts: 1,006 Thanks: 264 Thanked 830 Times in 347 Posts	And I thought it was just me... ...We have been a Rymes customer since 2012. Always had great service. However, I am now experiencing crappy customer service with Superior Plus. My HVAC guy was out a few weeks ago to do the annual maintenance on the furnace. He mentioned that the gas pressure coming into the house was a bit high, and when he went outside to adjust the regulator, he was unable to do so and stated that the regulator needed to be replaced. So far, 3 calls into Superior...on hold for over 30 mins each time before I finally hung up. Today I tried logging a service ticket on their website...no option for that...only to make a payment. I did select the "contact us" option and sent an email, but the auto-reply stated that the email "is not monitored 24/7 and there may be a delayed response". Swell...

01-08-2026, 07:41 AM	#23
TiltonBB Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Gilford, NH and Florida Posts: 3,159 Thanks: 748 Thanked 2,277 Times in 986 Posts	Oil Spill I had a friend who had switched from oil heat to gas heat. The oil tank had been removed from the basement but the fill pipe on the side of the house was still there. About a month after that the oil company "delivered" about 350 gallons through that fill pipe before the driver realized something was wrong. After months of efforts to clean up the spill and remove the odor it was still a problem. Eventually they had to tear down the house, remove the concrete foundation and slab, and replace the contaminated soil beneath the slab. While that was happening the occupants were placed in temporary housing. Between that expense, and paying for the property loss, I am sure the oil company's insurance company took a pretty big hit. My friend now has a nice new house on the same site.

01-04-2026, 07:01 PM	#4
TiltonBB Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Gilford, NH and Florida Posts: 3,159 Thanks: 748 Thanked 2,277 Times in 986 Posts	Switching propane suppliers is not that difficult. The new company just buys the tank from the old company. It happens all the time. I did it about 10 years ago and it was seamless. I agree with your review of Superior Plus. I was also a long time customer of Rymes and I was very happy with them. I had a service issue over the summer and Superior was lousy. The repairman who came out said that the Service Manager had quit and the Service Manager's boss had given his notice and was on his last week. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. When a lot of the help is heading for the door it is not a good sign for the business.

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map (01-04-2026)

01-04-2026, 07:20 PM	#6
map Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: The Weirs Posts: 248 Thanks: 204 Thanked 66 Times in 49 Posts	Anyone have recommendations for reliable propane suppliers? I like to be prepared with options in case it comes down to it. Ideally it would be one that has their own storage tanks and doesn’t have to rely on getting the fuel from another company’s tanks.

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map (01-05-2026)

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01-05-2026, 05:58 AM	#9
thinkxingu Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 6,536 Thanks: 1,184 Thanked 2,174 Times in 1,351 Posts	Since we're seasonal, we don't use a ton of propane, but Irving has been super easy to work with for the last decade. Good luck—this sounds like an awful situation. Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

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map (01-05-2026)

01-05-2026, 05:18 PM	#16
8gv Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2,191 Thanks: 63 Thanked 764 Times in 497 Posts	My propane supplier is Dead River. They have served me for 14 years. I have never had any issues with them

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map (01-06-2026)

01-06-2026, 11:18 AM	#17
VitaBene Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 3,644 Thanks: 1,718 Thanked 1,662 Times in 861 Posts	603 Oil and Propane in Moultonborough are excellent, family owned and operated.

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Biggd (01-06-2026), Elrockk (01-12-2026), map (01-06-2026)

01-06-2026, 05:00 PM	#18
trashman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meredith Posts: 54 Thanks: 4 Thanked 13 Times in 10 Posts	Ugh, I am compelled to chime in. Last winter they "Superior" cashed our check but applied it to another persons account. So, our cottage was on shutoff as a result. I was unaware until I stopped up for a random Friday night last February to find the house as cold as outside. The oil tank was empty, but probably not for long as there were no burst pipes. I got on the phone and was never made to feel certain someone was going to be there the next day to fill us up. All I could do was threaten lawsuit for their negligence should the house flood. The woman wanted nothing to do with giving me comfort that someone would be there. Thank God, they did show up. And then, to make matters worse, the guy overfilled the tank.....oil everywhere. "Didnt hear the whistle". He wasnt sure he had a spill kit to which I told him "of course you have one in your truck". And he did. They got a small crew out to clean it up but it still smells, nearly a year later. Just a horrible experience. I fully intended on finding someone else but life moved on.

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barefootbay (01-07-2026)

01-07-2026, 11:29 AM	#21
trashman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meredith Posts: 54 Thanks: 4 Thanked 13 Times in 10 Posts	I know, it is hard not being there in winter when things can really go wrong. Counting the days till retirement so I can move up there permanently. Does it make sense to paint the concrete floor to cover up the odor of the oil?

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motomurray (02-17-2026)

01-08-2026, 08:29 AM	#25
tummyman Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 886 Thanks: 278 Thanked 752 Times in 270 Posts	I doubt painting will hide anything and it could make future cleanup a problem. The issue is that the oil company has not cleaned up their mess. I would hire a large Concord NH or Manchester law firm immediately and sue their pants off to get it cleaned up. Not just a coverup, but a full remediation. Otherwise, you will lose lots of money. Your house, your problem if you don't litigate ASAP. Poor performance has consequences. But if you do nothing, they escape and you get left holding the bag. That oil penetrated the concrete, got into cracks, etc .etc. and will never go away. A quick coat of paint will just alert folks that you are covering something up. And any future owner might come after you for hiding the issue. You are at significant risk all around in my opinion, but then again, I am no lawyer. But I see lots of peril in your approach.

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01-23-2026, 12:41 PM	#31
dpg Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,624 Thanks: 157 Thanked 236 Times in 173 Posts	I hear complaint after complaint... I just don't get it NH is very cold all winter and lots and lots of homes and buildings burn Propane. This has been going on for what 75 years now? Why these companies have so many issues all the time just blows my mind. I'm also a part time person and in December I decided I'd better shoot up for a day, I already had propane ordered online. Literally when I arrived the truck was sitting out fron on the road. The driver was getting ready to drive away because he said he's not suppposed to walk over any snow if the tanks not cleared out. There was literally 4-5 inches of dry, light powdery snow which is why I shot up. REALLY?? the delivery person can't walk on 5 inches of powder. He told me he had other deliveries in the association and swung back, by then I cleared the path with the snowblower. Other weekend people must run into this all the time.

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map (01-25-2026)

01-23-2026, 01:14 PM	#32
WinnisquamZ Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Posts: 2,238 Thanks: 223 Thanked 705 Times in 473 Posts	I converted to propane from oil a few years ago and have received nothing but outstanding service from Foley Oil and Propane. Setup for automatic delivery and payment. Yes, I hear they are a few cents more. However, the peace of mind outweighs a few cents Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

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map (01-25-2026)

02-05-2026, 08:08 AM	#35
8gv Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2,191 Thanks: 63 Thanked 764 Times in 497 Posts	My recent good experience with Dead River: All the talk on this thread had me a little paranoid so I went out and looked at my tank's gauge. It read 27%. We have stayed home here in NH a little more than usual this winter and I figured that means more usage than Dead River was expecting. It was Friday and I called them. The lady that answered the phone did not put me on hold or pass my call on to another person. She just took care of my concern. She said "We have you scheduled for next week but I will put in an order to move that to asap." She did not suggest that my concerns were invalid or that I was overreacting to the 27% reading. Sunday morning the truck came. I spook to the driver as he was filling the tank. He told me that Sundays are part of his regular schedule. I asked him at what gauge reading I should call in the future and he told me 20%. I believe that I would have been fine with waiting until "next week" but the lady at Dead River wanted to satisfy my concerns.

02-05-2026, 08:52 AM	#36
TomC Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Lakes Region Posts: 816 Thanks: 42 Thanked 185 Times in 116 Posts	With a fungible commodity like propane, the only way for a business to differentiate itself (besides price) is to offer a superior experience. Sounds like Dead River understands that...

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02-07-2026, 01:35 PM	#40
dpg Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,624 Thanks: 157 Thanked 236 Times in 173 Posts	Update with latest delivery request from Amerigas... Do not have the exact dates at my finger tips but went online and requested a delivery (fill-up) from Amerigas on or close to Jan 25th. At the time of the request I was given a delivery window of 2/2 - 2/5. They ended up delivering Saturday 1/31. I was pleasantly surprised! Are they making progress and getting better with deliveries?? Time will tell.