Direct Fuel

Twenty-one people have rated Direct Fuel on Google and the average lands at 3.3 — not because anyone is lukewarm, but because the written reviews arrive at two extremes with nothing in between. Direct Fuel is a family-owned heating oil and diesel supplier working out of Peabody, and by its own account it does more than fill tanks: its BBB listing covers sales, installation, maintenance and repair of forced hot water boilers, warm air furnaces, steam burners and hot water tanks, with burner service offered around the clock. The BBB dates the corporation to March 1998 — 28 years — and lists ten employees under president Kevin P Dorgan. The five-star half of that split is consistently about one thing: showing up when the heat is out. In a January 2026 review, a homeowner described a boiler failing on a cold late-December night and a technician named Joe getting it running again that evening. A customer of six years, writing in June 2026, said the company came out after they had accidentally flipped their own emergency switch, knew the problem on sight, and didn't charge for the visit — and added that deliveries land the next business day. The one-star half turns on trust in what the technician tells you. A March 2026 reviewer alleges that on several service calls Direct Fuel reported boiler "issues" that a different company later found were not correct, and that it overfilled their oil tank and attributed it to a whistle valve another firm judged fine. In a January 2025 review, a customer described rude phone order-taking and air getting into their oil line. Those complaints are specific and squarely about the work, and the March one is recent — weigh them against the emergency-response praise rather than averaging the two halves away. Two smaller things to keep straight. Its BBB page carries an A+ grade, and that same page states the business is not BBB Accredited; those are two separate facts, not one. And both its own site and its BBB profile give a Peabody mailing address while this listing places it in Middleton, so confirm which location actually serves your street. For a North Shore household on oil, the case for Direct Fuel is the 11pm January call, backed by a delivery rhythm long-time customers vouch for. Before signing a service contract or approving a repair, ask for the diagnosis in writing and a part-by-part price — that is exactly where the complaints land.