I've owned my house for nearly eight years and the hot water has always been an issue. It's a tankless model hooked to the oil burner, and the inconsistent water has been maddening. Sometimes showers will stay hot for 30 minutes, sometimes for two minutes. It's been the biggest headache with the house by far. Over the eight years, I've had two different HVAC companies and two plumbers take a look. I had a new coil installed for $400. I've adjusted several knobs and gauges, and nothing worked. My parents had great luck with Dead River installing a tankless propane water heater, so I called for an estimate. One day later, Andrew arrived. In ten minutes he was able to solve an eight year problem and make me feel like a moron (which, admittedly, I am). Some levers on my tankless model were positioned incorrectly. Problem solved. For this, great communication, and a raving recommendation from my parents' install, they get five stars. read more

Terrible customer service. they will continue to loose existing customer's and potential customers if Jen is answering the phones. her lack of empathy, harsh tone and black and white attitude is off putting to say the least. sometimes you need to look at the big picture and potential gallons sold. dead river installed a brand new furnace in a home we bought then refused to work on it 3 months after installation because we don't have an account with them. well Fabion who I have had for 12 years were happy to come out within and hour and fix dead rivers mess up free of charge. they see me as an asset. I own multiple properties and businesses and as good buisness people assessed the situation and fixed dead rivers mess up. not to mention it was 30 degrees out and I have children. Jen could have cared less. read more

Delivery was fine. No problem ordering or receiving propane. Problem was when I decided to change to a less expensive vendor. I was told it would be $250 to remove my 300 gal tank. Well after numerous calls to remove it since July 2025 it still sits on my lawn 1-18-2026. I guess it is considered abandoned. EPA will be the next call! It's a danger to my family and the environment!! read more

Waited over two weeks to get the quote form a new boiler. I had to ask repeatedly for the quote. Now I can't get them to schedule the installation. I have left voicemails, texts and emails. So frustrating. read more

just had a routine oil burner cleaning with a cost of almost $600. Dead River is a rip-off. read more

Attempted to arrange an annual heating system servicing. I have been a long term customer of a company DR bought out....think decades. Because I did not purchase my heating oil from DR they would not do the annual servicing for me, a new policy this season. Further, I do buy fuel from a discount subsidiary of DR. Didn't make any difference... still no service. Called a competitor and made an appointment,for service ..... no problem. Good for October 14th. So, DR is busy gobbling up small oil companies...think Charlie Burnham Heating in Freeport, of Giroux Oil in Portland. Unless you buy fuel from DR forget about getting service. Crummy way to treat your customers. Shame on them. read more

They keep saying undeliverable because of a couple cars in the driveway. The hose reaches from the road and I've seen them do it. A service person who came over because a tank was leaking had informed me that several of the drivers look for any reason to not have to deliver on time resulting in having to sparingly use the furnace. Having young children this is not ideal. Really should've looked into a better company that has people that actually want to do their jobs. read more

Every time I call with a question, it is like I upset and disturbed the persons day. Also, I always have to call and get deliveries, even though I am on auto delivery. I nearly ran out of propane this last week. Also, the price... Called two other places, and heating oil is over $0.40 less and propane is nearly $1.50 less for what I use in a year. Can't wait to switch from this company. read more

Crooked. If you are on auto-fill, they wait until the price of heating oil peaks and then make delivery. Two weeks ago, heating oil was $4.61 a gallon; my tank was 1/4 full - no Dead River. Today it peaked at $5.09 and guess who shows up to auto-fill. read more

Horrible company to deal with. First they filled our propane tank too full. It was summer and it started to spew gases. Had to evacuate the house and the Fire Dept had to come. No acknowledgement from Dead River. Secondly, tried to get them to service our propane heater. Multiple calls with no return calls. Had to use fireplace to heat for the winter. Third, told them to pick up the tank. Took them 4 months to pick up. Then they said it had to be serviced and CHARGED me. Instead of getting a credit. How are they still in business? read more

I was shocked to come home and find my driveway and part of my garden dug up. Though it looks like the delivery person tried to fix the damage, there is still work I have to do to repair the garden and driveway. It all could have been avoided if the driver did not BACK INTO THE GARDEN AND GOT STUCK!. There was no ticket left for the delivery or any note saying what happened. read more

Dead River Company - Heating & Air Conditioning/HVAC Near Me - Scarborough, Maine

Called dead river to pick up a propane tank and leave the other. they picked up both tanks. And refused to put the tank back Because it was a next to a window. It took 6-7 months to put it back in. read more

I've been using Dead River customer for years, I've been covered by the service plan the entire time and although there have been a few hiccups over time, overall I have been very happy with the competence and professionalism of the service department . We've also been more than satisfied with their oil delivery plan. We lock in the a good price and are able to pay monthly over I think eight months. Easy, straightforward, professional, what more could you want? read more

Dead River Company - One heck of a system, a serious upgrade beautifully done! - Heating & Air Conditioning/HVAC Near Me - Scarborough, Maine

been waiting for over a week and half for delivery and ... delivery day comes finally and I get a call they cant deliver that day ... in the process of waiting and extremely frustrated with the overall service ,the equipment, and a few bitchy phone operators over the years who make you feel like it's a inconvenience for you to call to request fuel or services .. I'm considering moving to another company ... and will look into alternatives to using propane as a heating fuel the cost has gone up a lot this year also ... been running on electric heat while I wait when I'm home and hope for the best when at work to what seems like the never ending chilly wait to get fuel and proper working equipment read more

They refuse to share prices online, average 40 cents more per gallon than their competition, and will only service boilers that have a prepaid service contract if oil is purchased frim them. For the icing on the cake, they will not prorate a refund for unused service contract. Whoever answered the phone was a bit condescending. Would not recommend. read more

I was a long time customer of Whiting Oil of Western Massachusetts, which unbeknownst to me was bought out by Dead River. I was in a bind with no heat, and called Whiting for boiler service. I told them to let themselves in because I was not nearby. The guy came and left because Dead River wants cash on the barrel, even for long time customers. Unlike Whiting, Dead River doesn't trust it's customers enough to do the $215 service and send a bill. When I had payment in advance squared away, the guy come back but refused to work on the boiler because it has asbestos. At least a quarter of the old homes in the area have asbestos in the basement, which is only hazardous if it is in bad shape and crumbling. The local guys don't bat an eyelash at it. There are lots of small local oil companies around. I will call one now. read more

Don't even bother with this company. They were completely unprofessional, and didn't care about helping us with our heating needs.

Ripped me off many years ago, tried to get $600 off me for cleaning a furnace. I called a different company and the same thing was apparently $80 and the furnace worked just fine after it so obviously "Dead River" where trying to rip me off. They did get over $100 for the "call out fee" so charged me even more than the other guy did for doing absolutely nothing. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS! read more

Worst oil company ever pre paid 4599.00 and was cheated on every gal. Out of 1000 gal and then charged. 50 for unused when I told them not to deliver a drop more oil. Garbage company. read more

So a little over a month ago I called Dead River because the primary heat source of my house was no longer functioning. The only form of heat we had was electric which is insanely expensive and not very efficient. I told them this that we really needed to have someone quote us on a heating system. Call after call and day after day no one would come out. No one would respond. After getting hold of Representatives several times no one would call back. The power is now out for an extended period of time where I live in Littleton and I have no heat. I have resorted to small propane heaters and kerosene heaters to heat my house. My son's bearded dragon is probably going to die. Thanks for nothing Dead River you freaking suck. read more

Their policy is to do a tank inspection before they will deliver oil. Don't waste your time calling them for oil if your tank is rusty. Take your business elsewhere. Save yourself some time and hassle. The person who came out was very nice. It's the company policy that is the problem. read more

We called and ordered 100 gallons of fuel, paid for it up front only to have the driver deliver it to someone else's house. When we called to find out why we still have no oil we were lied to and told it was delivered which it was not seeing as how I could pick up my oil drum. They then proceeded to say we failed a tank inspection due to rust and that our tank was laying on its side on the ground, which was all untrue as well. We then went to the office and where told they would have a tech come out to inspect the tank again, which never showed up and when I called to ask about it they had no idea what I was even talking about. Do not waste your time, this company does not care about their customers at all. read more

Dead River was able to come out finally, right before the storm and get things fixed up, and put back right. Thank you Dead River.

Horrible customer service. Recently I went with a different company for oil because (understandably) Dead River was backed up. I figured I'd call before my scheduled delivery with Dead River which was more than a week out. Then, Dead River showed up a week before they were scheduled to without any call or communication. They left me a voicemail, confused as to why they were only able to put 20 gallons in the tank. When I called them back, they were incredibly rude. The only thing they said was "well, that's product in your tank, you're going to have to pay for it." No effort at all to fix their lack of communication or meet in the middle. read more

Charges excessive delivery fee if heating oil delivery is needed within a week of the order.

Dead River based in Brewer,Me is not to be trusted. Signed a Furnace installation contract with them and paid the deposit. Contract stated balance due upon completion. I apparently made the mistake of trying to setup auto delivery for the propane for the new furnace. They ran credit, determining account is COD only for deliveries. Not a problem until they decide that means they can alter the contract to make it all payable in advance. I question them, and after reading the Maine Attorney Generals pamphlet on home construction (referred to in their sales contract) I informed them that without consent both by both parties, they cannot alter the contract as it is against the law. Was informed it is their company policy to alter contracts if credit is rated at COD. Then they decided to cancel the installation, as they claim "There is no contract" only a sales agreement. This leaves me to wonder what the installation agreement signed by both parties is, if not a textbook definition of a contract Contacting the Attorney General to file a complaint. A large company should not be able to flat contract law at a whim. If my review helps you, I am happy. Steer clear of the cancerous monster buying up the competition to drive up prices. read more

We were in need of an evaluation to convert our fireplace from wood burning to propane. A technician came to evaluate that ability and explained what was needed, however, he only provided the estimate for an insert and the logs when the whole unit, including glass front & blower is needed. When I called back to address this, I was told that I would get a call back with a revised estimate. I had to call back 4 times over a period of 4 weeks only to find out that the appropriate measurements had not been taken initially and that a tech could not be scheduled until later in November and that the project would not be completed as originally promised in Nov. 8. Very disappointing!!! Customer service was horrible! Would not recommend Dead River for this type of project as they clearly don't know what they're doing! read more

Dead River came to my house three and a half weeks ago to install a brand new furnace. They left several times to "get different tools/ parts" and when they returned they said they needed to order a part for the furnace before putting in a new one. They have finally come back today after having called them countless times about returning to finish the job. They now for some reason, are still leaving my house every 15-20 minutes to drive 45 minutes back to their office to get more tools and parts. Why wouldn't they just bring everything they needed with them on the FIRST trip? I find this company very unprofessional. They do not consider the customers time or consider it valuable. Avoid doing business with them at all costs. read more

Can't find a replacement soon enough. I was forced to use them because their tank was at the house when I bought it. Lots of extra charges, $100/year tank rental, $100 additional charge for off route delivery, increased per gallon charge because of low usage. I have averaged $8.05/gallon with all the additional charges. Find an alternate propane supplier if you can, only use Dead River as a last resort. read more

President and CEO Deanna Sherman of Dead River Company is a rude woman. They gave me a tank with a gauge that sticks and blamed it on the cold weather, come spring they could no longer use the "it's frozen" EXCUSE and the schmucky repairman they sent named John still refused to replace the gauge on the brand spanking new tank. John said "Lady, you gotta rock it" but this lady aint gonna ROCK IT when it should just WORK PROPERLY. Dead River is unwelcoming to people from out of state. They said the locals know they must ROCK the tank. I've called both Deanna Sherman and Jeremy Daigle and they simply don't care. They make excuses for their sub standard and defective tanks and service. I do NOT RECOMMEND this company. Dealing with them is simply a nightmare. read more

So our Dead River saga began Sunday (5/26) when we lost hot water. Since we have a service contract I called and a woman called back. She indicated that our service contract only covers calls during "normal business hours" M-F. Since when was my response. She could not answer. Well since tomorrow is a holiday I guess we need to have someone come out and take care of this. After another phone call the service Tech arrived and simple solution but less than 24-hours later same thing...no hot water. Called again and the same service tech called back. Since it was a holiday I took pity on him and said we could wait until Tuesday as long as we could do the call in the afternoon. So now it's almost 3:30 and no phone call. Call the office again and "we are still on the list" and as "soon as a service technician is available they will call". We left them once...why did we come back. read more

THIS IS THE WORST COMPANY TO TRY TO DO BUSINESS WITH. THEY ACT LIKE THEY REALLY DON'T WANT YOUR BUSINESS. GO ELSEWHERE IF YOU NEED OIL OR PROPANE INSTALLED. I have been trying to get a propane tank installed for 1 1/2 months. My original call for service was blown off. I called again and got an appointment . That appointment was then blown off w/ no phone calls or warnings. They agreed to come out the next day to give me a quote. They came out but never gave me a quote until called. I then scheduled my install which was again Blown Off. Supposed to be between 8-10 am but they did not come by until 1:30. again no call wit no apology. The technician however (Phil) was professional and very knowledgable and accommodating as well as doing good work. read more

Dead River was supposed to show up at my house at 10:00. No show, no call. I have an exhaust that will be covered in snow this winter. It is almost impossible to get to. I explained this clearly. It is a crazy place to have an exhaust. I called and they said they did a safety check for the last owners. I asked them if they checked the exhaust behind the house? They said no. So why didn't you show up? They said they might have misunderstood. I asked if the person currently on the phone understood. He said yes. "Exhaust behind the house." Simple right? That is three hours out of someone's life/ paycheck. He offered me $25.00 as a curtesy. Calling someone when you are not going to show up is curtesy. $25.00 is a slap. Oh! And then he says it will be 175.00 and he could have someone there this afternoon. Seriously?!?!?! How important is customer service. I won't be doing business with them for much longer. Keep your $25. read more

Propane from this company is a bad deal. Can buy at $.70 per gallon cheaper from tractor supply. Same with oil if you use less with alternative fuel. They have tier pricing so if you are trying to save with less usage or trying to go green you will be penalized. Will be switching for sure and getting away from propane. read more

We are not full time residents but have been a customer of Dead River and their previous company for over 20 years. I came up to spend thanksgiving with family and friends. Found the tanks on less than 20%. We use propane for heat and hot water at Dead Rivers suggestion. Haven't had a delivery since August. We are facing a cold thanksgiving and dead River tells me no deliveries until 7 days from now...... We have been good loyal customers but I guess it may be time to look for a company that cares. .. read more

I called before Thanksgiving that I couldn't regulate the heat in my house and didn't know if it was a bad thermostat. They couldn't schedule to see me until Dec. 31! I pay for their expensive Service Plan. I am 71 and my house would be 50 in the mornings! To have to endure this for almost 6 weeks is elder abuse. /then when they came on 12/31 I needed a new circulator that they priced twice what it is if you google it. They were at my house 40 minutes and charged for 1.1 hours labor. Even with the Service Plan this was $218.-so I was paying Full price read more

Worst company ever. I can not recommend enough that you go somewhere else. They are extremely rude, disrespectful, and unprofessional. We would happily pay twice as much for propane than ever go through this company again. read more

I get a normal delivery if you days ago and I was charged $2.89 per gallon. According to the main Oil website, Oil is going from a low of $1.47 to $1.70 per gallon. Why is dead River price gouging us during this pandemic? See attached photo read more

I don't usually write public reviews for anything but my experience with Dead River has been so frustrating that I feel I must put this out there to alert potential customers of what they should expect. When I bought my house this past June I chose Dead River because their propane tank was already on the property. At the time I explicitly asked to be set up for Propane auto-delivery but NOT oil. We have two tanks in the basement, with one older than the other which we were told shouldn't be filled more than halfway. On October 1st, Dead River delivered 363.1 gallons of oil at $2.849/gal, for a total of over $1,000. We did NOT ask for this delivery but for some reason they still came and filled both of our tanks to the brim. I immediately called their Biddeford office to complain and ask if some could be pumped out, since we could not afford this much at once and because the bad tank was filled way more than it should be. The lady I spoke with questioned me, and at one point said "why would you want it pumped out? You'll need it eventually." This was the first of many red flags. She said she would take a message and leave it with the delivery manager, Jeff, who would call me back the next morning. Jeff did not call me back, so I called him again that afternoon. We spoke and he apologized but could not explain why oil was automatically delivered when I had asked that it not be. He agreed to pump out the oil from our old tank and we agreed to a cash price for the oil we would end up keeping. He could not give me a time for when they would be able to pump the oil, but he said he would call back "in the next few days" to have it scheduled. Jeff did not call me back, so on October 12th I called to speak with him, however he was out of the office. I called again on October 14th, was sent to his voicemail, and left a message asking for a call back. I called again on the afternoon of October 15th and was finally able to speak with him. He said the earliest they could pump the oil was November 1st, and that I should call the day before in order to schedule a time. On October 31st I called the Biddeford office to confirm they could pump the oil the next day, which they agreed to. I asked to schedule a time and they said to call the next morning to do so. On the morning of November 1st I called and they agreed to stop by around 2PM. I received a call at 11AM saying they were at the house and wondered where I was. When I said I was in the middle of a meeting at work and couldn't leave until 2 they asked if I could make an exception. I told them no and to come back at 2PM, the original time we agreed to, and they obliged. Around 2:20 that afternoon the technicians showed up to pump the oil from the bad tank. They were the only bright spot of my experience with Dead River - very friendly, knowledgeable and had actually been to the house before so they were able to tell me some information about my furnace that I was unaware of. Kevin and Ron were phenomenal and it is unfortunate that these guys work for a company that is as customer-unfriendly as Dead River is. I waited the entire month of November expecting an updated bill from Dead River that would accurately reflect the cash price I originally agreed to with Jeff and the amount of oil that was pumped out. I did not receive a bill. I called Jeff near the end of November to ask about the bill and when I should expect it. He said he had sent the office manager the letter stating the terms we agreed to and how much oil I should be billed for He wasn't sure why I hadn't received an updated bill yet but he sent it again as I was on the phone with him, and said to call back around December 10th if I hadn't heard anything yet. On December 9th I received a bill but it was for the original amount of over $1000 for 363 gallons of oil. I called Jeff again on December 10th and he said that he would get in contact with the office manager, Christie, and have her call me the next day. I did not hear from Christie until I called her myself, on December 18th. She stated that a bill should have been sent out already, and after telling her no I was finally able to receive an accurate bill via email. Today is January 2nd, three months after the initial mistake and I have finally paid off my bill and cancelled my account with Dead River. Their lack of attention to detail is apparent, and their failure to call me back after stating they would MULTIPLE times tells me that they do not care about their customers. How am I supposed to rely on this company to keep my home warm in January and February when they can't even get something right in October? I will never recommend Dead River to anyone and advise anyone who reads this to avoid them at all costs. read more

Last Sunday, 10/25/20, we woke up to no heat. I called Dead River and in less than 1 hour their answering service had an appointment scheduled and within 3 hours a tech was at our house and had our furnace running again. Best part about it was that because we were signed up for their Service Plan there was no cost to us for the emergency call or any of the parts needed. read more