Downey Energy

Brian S.

They are not dependable. I waited three weeks for an appointment to install propane. I waited around all day for them to show up on my scheduled appointment day. Around 4:00 PM they called and said they were not coming. I made an appointment for about 12 days later. They were a no show. There wasn't even a call this time.

Too bad I wanted to support the local guy.

Dana D.

While I read all of the reviews, I couldn't help but be swayed in the right direction by their friendly and knowledgeable staff while calling around to find a new propane fuel company. I always call at least twice and in this case had to actually call three times--but each time got what I was looking for, quickly, easily and told the same information as the time before.

I did find one other company which was .3 or .5 cents less but they were rude on the phone which included being put on-hold every 15 seconds. Anyway... I call, they come (usually within 2-3 days), I have a fair and equitable rate and a discount per gallon as I allow them to keep a CC on-file.

Having come from a company that lied, stole and gouged, ALL the staff at Downey Energy have thus far exceeded my expectations! Nicole, Tina, George & Dave are GREAT!

Mike S.

I have been a customer for 10 years. Where I live the water wreaks havoc on plumbing. Their service has been extremely dependable. On the rare occasion when something wasn't right it was promptly addressed. I may or may not be paying a little more to be on a plan but the peace of mind knowing that if I need help on Christmas that someone will come is worth it. I think I have broken even and I have called on Christmas.

Courtney L.

They put in a ""top on the line"" system in our house. We are without heat and hot water very often. The last month- it's been weekly. They send out servicemen that don't know the system. Waste of no money. They don't even try to figure out what is the main problem.

Courtney Lyons-King

Margaret S.

I've used Downey Energy from the moment I bought my house in 2002 and after having compared them to a number of oil companies in the area, including the one used by the prior owner of the house.

While I understand that what the others who've reviewed Downey discuss is their own experience that is valid to them, I do not recognize the company I've dealt with for almost 20-years as the same company they've reviewed.

I've found them to be fair in how they've dealt with me, lightening-speed responsive to any issues at the house and, in general, much better than other, larger companies - probably a function of the company being family-owned. Moreover, when I first checked their prices, as compared to others, they were more than competitive, which I assume is still the case today.

Since I've had renters at the house, Downey has functioned equally well, navigating with me and being flexible when there have been issues with the tenants being behind in paying Downey.

And, Downey provides protection plans for your equipment, should anything go wrong, at what I consider a reasonable price. And this protection plan includes an annual cleanup of your furnace. Downey also provides, again at what I consider a reasonable price, a way to cap the per gallon price of oil, so that one is not subject to oil price spikes.

As far as fuel companies, I don't think one will find a better provider.

Barbara R.

A Licensed and Insured Company Means Nothing

Downey Fuel in Cold Spring, NY 10516, has done an unthinkable act for any oil business.

They delivered #2 Fuel oil and pumped it into my Kerosine Tank and blew up my furnace, left us without heat for two months during the coldest days of the winter, cursed at us on the phone and left us with #2 Fuel in our kerosine tank and refused to pump it out!

No apologies, no, no, instead they went to the Cold Spring Police Department and made false allegation's about me. They said, I threatened their life and they even told their insurance company that same lie. Federated Insurance Agent Kara Rees said, Downey Fuel Company said that I threatened the girl in the office and they said I have a violent past. Excuse me, that is not who I am, I'm not a criminal, I'm well-known in my community and I'm a ""senior citizen"" and a well established Investigative News Reporter. Downey completely lied about my character to their insurance company and the Cold Spring Police Department. The Putnam County District Attorney investigated the charges against me, and found them to be insufficient and dismissed the case.

Downey Fuel tried every trick in the book, they told lie after lie and they did some unthinkable acts to cover up their wrong!

All they had to do is apologize and make the wrong right! Instead they cursed at us, hung up the phone, and left us in a mess in the winter! smh. It was disgusting and intentionally vicious to do such a thing to senior citizens at the coldest time of the year.

When I was talking on the phone asking questions with Downey Fuel's, Federated Commercial Insurance agent Kara Rees and her Supervisor David Nichols listening in, and he aggressively and firmly said, they are not paying on the claim because they see no liability and they are not willing to pay the claim. That's where our conversation ended, no more questions or reasoning with an Insurance Company who refuses to be held accountable for their clients actions, and in this case, their client is Downey Fuel Company aka. Jeremiah R. Downey Oil Corp., Downey Energy, JR Downey Fuel, etc.

Federated Insurance is located in Indiana, and they see no liability in this claim for all the damage that Downey Fuel did to my home and on top of that they left #2 Fuel in my kerosene tank, cursed at me and my husband, blew up our kerosine furnace at 3 a.m. in the morning, filled my home with the smell of #2 Fuel oil, had to open all our windows on the coldest night of the winter and left us without heat for 2 months. Until we got smart, and we got a new propane furnace from Comfort Master on Route 9 in Cold Spring and our propane was installed from Fallsburg Gas, and much cheaper than Downey Propane and Kerosine Fuel. You know something, Downey put us through a nightmare but now, we couldn't be happier that we found two respectful companies, Comfort Master and Fallsburg Gas!

Would you believe that Downey # 2 Fuel oil is still sitting in our tank outside, tomorrow is June 1, 2019.

Did you know, that the DEA is aware of what they did! The New York State Attorney General has a file on them and knows what they did! The BBB knows what they did, and discredited them. The Putnam County Consumer Protection knows what they did! The Cold Spring Justice knows what they did! The Cold Spring Police Department knows what they did! The Putnam County District Attorney knows what they did. Farmers Insurance knows what they did! And yet, Downey Fuel #2 Fuel, is still sitting in my oil tank from the winter, and they refuse to send someone to come here and pump it out. There is no excuse for this!

An apology and fixing the mess they created would have resolved this serious matter. When you read all the bad reviews about Downey Fuel, you better believe that is the truth about them.

I thank God, that I got rid of Downey Fuel, but who is going to hold Downey Fuel accountable for their disgusting actions?

Federation Insurance is not holding Downey Fuel accountable! Federation Insurance is a commercial insurance company in Indiana, they're protecting themselves, so they don't have to payout for all the damages.

Veronica R.

I have dealt with Downey Energy for over 34 years. Yes Cary is third generation in the business but let me say he takes the family business no less seriously than his dad. I have never, ever had service issues as described by the 2 reviewers here. I am also sure the majority of Downey customers would tend to agree. Otherwise they would never have been in business as long as they have been.
When we first moved here we were hit by lightening that knocked out our pump and compromised the heating system. It was a Saturday. Larry, Cary's dad, personally came up on a Saturday morning and made sure we would have heat with a temporary fix since he knew we had an infant. Before Downey started selling propane, we had been using another company across the river. We were on automatic refill but they dropped the ball on their delivery. It was Thanksgiving morning and I found out as the stove burners fizzled out we had no propane. I called the other company and their emergency service advised no, even if they were at fault, they would not make a delivery. I called Downey's emergency service. Told the young man I was an oil customer and if Cary could get me propane that day he had the account for propane too. Within the hour Downey was up here with a propane tank and Thanksgiving was saved. Another time we were low on oil and the truck couldn't make it up the road. The driver could only make it 1/2 way up the 1/2 mile road. The driver hand carried 5 gallon buckets of oil up the road from his truck to my house so we would have heat. Those are my service experiences. As far as money and bills go, it was more than once that I asked if I could send in a late payment. Again, I had no issues.By no means are we wealthy but I never even check the prices of oil with other companies because I know Downey will be there whenever I need them. Their great service means more to me than a few pennies I may save somewhere else

BeBop 4.

This is an ""ABOVE AND BEYOND"" oil, propane, overall energy company. That means, when you heat goes out and it's Christmas Day, someone-the owner if necessary, will be over to fix the problem THAT DAY. I have heard many stories around the area of Downey going the extra mile for customers, so I am not talking a one shot thing here, doing a relative a favor. I am saying if you have hit a rough patch financially, and you are out of oil, Downey literally will not leave you out in the cold...or WORSE, INSIDE in the cold. This is a full service, full fleet for deliveries, service and more company. Truthfully, I have no idea what these ONE STAR ratings are all about...OH WAIT....YES I DO! They are about PRICING. Evidently some folks don't really have a clue on what the various energy sources cost these days, and the units it takes to store and operate said units. But, it ain't cheap...BY ANY COMPANY ! It appears that I am reading about the kind of person where everytime there is a jump in gas prices at the pump, they head into the cashier and start blaming some pimple faced kid working for minimum wage to pay for schooling, BECAUSE IT'S HIS FAULT THAT GAS HAD GONE UP AGAIN. It ain't cheap, to keep a house warm and hot water flowng. So go ahead and blame Downey Emergy if you want. I say the problem is MUCH BIGGER THAN THEM.

Steve D.

Ripped me off on the price of fuel, then when my wife called to ask where our deposit check was after 2 months of waiting, the boss yells at her down the phone, using abusive foul language, and hung up. When I called to ask if I could speak to him, the woman who answered lied and told me he was out, even though I could hear his voice in the background. Then she hung up. Avoid these uncivilized people at all costs, there's plenty of cheaper ways to get your fuel, where you'll be treated as a human, not an ATM

Rocco R.

I'm shocked to find that nobody has written a review for this wonderful firm as of yet. Every time I call Downey to stare at my furnace vacantly and pour water all over my floor for $100 dollars on hour, I know in my heart that my needs as a customer are put before their monolithic profit margins.

I just had a service technician come by earlier today, in fact, and had what I can confidently describe as a distinctly Downey experience. The tech showed up and immediately set to work at his art, banging on things and shouting HELLO HELLO YOU HERE HEY HELL-O, impatiently, to remind us that his time is being wasted so mercifully on the likes of us. While peppering the conversation about my oil burner with myriad schizophrenic glossolalia and shuffling like a surly mountain boar between my housemate and I, he made sure to remind me that the machine was clearly in need of repair for a long time, and that it was painfully obvious to the trained eye.

When I began to inquire the nature of two similar non-repair service-oriented conquests perpetrated by his fellowship of dignified Craftsmen, not only did he refuse to explain the full scope of the further non-repair imminently required for a sink of hot water to be produced, he went so far out of his way as a professional as to calmly reassure me that his Brothers were all solid people, that he didn't have to take any of my bull, no-thank-you, I'm out of here, I don't gotta take this.

As per usual, my non-repair has held the test of time. A full five hours later, and I am still wondering what exactly I paid for and why I didn't deserve Downey's most esteemed attention. They are The Surprise Inside Penultimate.