R J McDonald Inc.

R J McDonald Inc. runs out of 71 Worcester Road in Barre and is the company central Massachusetts households call for fuel and the equipment that burns it. Its own site describes a family business that traces back to a 1954 general-contracting partnership, moved into fuel with the 1957 purchase of Haven Coal & Oil in Barre, and is still run by founder Richard McDonald with his son and grandsons. The work customers describe most often is heating and cooling equipment. Homeowners have written about Mitsubishi split-system air conditioning and a propane generator going in together, a new fuel oil tank, furnace and electric water heater replaced with the old tank cut into quarters to get it out without damaging the house, and a furnace cleaning after which the system ran quietly. A 2025 customer who had an underground propane tank installed called the service responsive, thorough and professional. Massachusetts registry records show an active HVAC licence, 706-SM-B, held by R. J. McDonald, inc. — the company itself, not a namesake. The fuel side draws the same tone: reviewers call it the best oil company around, describe next-day delivery to fill a tank, and repeatedly single out the people who answer the phone. Two Barre-area Nextdoor neighbours said much the same in early 2026 — one reported four years of propane service plus work on heat pumps and mini-splits, and another seconded them for oil. The complaints cluster in one place: the office. A 2024 reviewer described waiting a month simply to get an appointment, then longer for the job to start and finish, and said paperwork went missing. A 2025 reviewer said the person answering calls should be retrained. In 2022 a landlord with a failed air conditioner reported being told the company does not send repair technicians for air conditioning at weekends. Worth asking, then, how scheduling and after-hours service work before committing, especially for cooling. On paper the history needs a question too: the company's website counts from 1957, while its BBB file lists the business as started in 1984 (locally 1956) with 42 years in business, and carries the alternate name Mitchell Heating & Oil Co., Inc. alongside Mitchell family officers. That file is not accredited and BBB says it has too little information to issue a rating. For a household in the Barre area wanting one company for oil or propane delivery plus the boiler, furnace or mini-split that uses it, the record is solid; confirm the timeline and the service response you will actually get.