Hauling services are essential for the North Shore part of Vancouver, but with each passing year, it is getting incrementally harder to find a good operator. The profit margins are pretty good, and this is one of the main reasons, so many companies with questionable business ethics, have entered this service. In this article, I will try to provide residential and commercial clients, with the information that is required for hiring a professional rubbish removal company in West Vancouver.

Like many other services, you get what you pay for. Naturally, there are exceptions, but further down this article, we will examine, why these exceptions are also problematic long-term.

What to expect from disposal services?

A typical operator will send a truck with few guys to pick up, pretty much any unwanted items, you may have collected over the years on your property. Visiting their website, or talking to them personally, you will be able to determine, if they are able to haul away, all or most of your items.

After discussing the items you need gone, the customer representative, will either send someone to take a look at your garbage, or an appointment for a pick up, will be scheduled. Usually, they will need 1-2 days, before they can put you on the next run in your neighborhood. A window of 2 hours is given, under which you should be at home, for they can show up any time within those 2 hours.

The team will arrive at your property, and they will load the items into their truck. Before they do that, they should tell you, if there are any circumstance about your items, that will bring in an additional fees. This does happen in some cases, because certain items, which can carry extra recycling fees, or are really heavy, can be hidden under the whole pile of garbage, and they cannot be seen, until the loading begins. However, they should never load it, and then tell you about the extra fees, after the fact.

Once the loading is completed, some of the items will be taken down to the North Shore transfer station, and some will be taken to the recycling facilities. Professional vendors, will always recycle items, that the city has designated as such. Fines for failing to do so, are imposed, but still, many companies break the law, and are willing to risk getting black listed.

Junk removal rates

The average rate is around $40-$45 per cubic yard. One 240L garbage bin holds little bit over 1 cubic yard. Use this dimension, to establish a visual idea, of how much a pile of household items, could cost you in disposal fees. Just keep in mind, that you will need more than 1 cubic yard of rubbish, before you can get a company to send a whole big truck. On days, when they are doing their runs, in your city, they can come for as little as 2 cubic yards. However, if you need them to show up just for your order, then expect a minimum charge for 3 cubic yards.

The weight of the items, can also influence the total cost of removing them. Since the city charges garbage companies, based on the weight of the items they dispose at the landfill, they have to charge you extra for heavy garbage. 

Single items are easier to price. For example furniture removal, such as a couch, or a mattress is in the range of $90 for the first item. Each additional item, will be half the price for the first. So, if you have 2 couches, the total disposal fee will be around $130.

How to find good junk removal company?

Nowadays anyone can get a good looking website, and any claims can be put on it. Bad companies would list service rates, almost half of what the standards are, and they will scoop most of the clients. Since, they know this is a short-term gain for them, they will try to get as much of your money, as they can. I had clients, who were quoted $300 for a pick up, and after everything was loaded, they were given a bill for $900. If you protest, they have few tricks in their sleeves. For example, they know that you probably took the day of work, and you are not willing to repeat the whole experience. They will tell you ,that they will dump your items on your driveway, so you can’t get your car out, or dump it on the curb, where the city will fine you. Their dirty tricks, have no end, and few of my clients have told me, that some guys get even aggressive.

The best thing is to talk to them personally, and use your judgment. Listen for red flags. Ask about extra fees and see if they avoid that question, or they are trying to paint you too good of a picture. This is not to say, that you will not encounter a bad company, with a good customer representative, but you stand a greater chance of filtering out most bad companies. These operators are so greedy, that often they don’t even bother hiring a good lier on the phone.

Avoid really small operators, who are nothing more than a guy with his pickup truck, looking for some extra cash on the weekend. Most of them, don’t even show up, and you end up waiting for them your whole Sunday. Also, some of them are not really there for your garbage. They just want to take a look at what you have in your garage or basement, for a future visit, when you are not at home. It is not a wide spread problem, but it has happened to people in West Vancouver.

The really big 1800 JUNK companies will provide you with one of the best service, but you need to be a little careful with them as well. Their guys, get commission for letting you believe that some of your items, require a very special disposal procedure. For example, if you have a fridge, they may try to convince you that, they have to hire a special company to remove the freon, which is absolute nonsense. Some of their old clients, who are now my clients, have told me that for such special services, they were told the price tag is $250. The truth is that, fridges are just taken down to the dump for recycling, and the freon is removed by the landfill company, for no extra fee.

It is possible to find a cheap and reliable junk removal guy, who will take care of you. However, there is a long-term problem with this approach. The reason, he is so cheap, is because he hasn’t see all the long-term expenses around running a business. After the first year, they begin to pile up, and he will either increase his rates, or go bust. However, most new guys do not have a good exposure, and if they increase their rates, then they get into the real competition, and they are not able to get enough clients at the higher rates. So, they leave the industry. Now, you have to find a new reliable guy, and repeat the process every year. So, pay a bit more, which is keeping good guys in the industry.

With this, I will finish my little guide on how to hire a reliable and affordable company in West Vancouver. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.