How to hire a junk removal company

In this article, we are going to examine in detail, how to find the best junk removal companies in Metro Vancouver, and what are the steps that people need to take, before hiring them.

Junk and the City

It is of no surprise to most people, that the city of Vancouver, does not pick up large items anymore. Even if you have small items, there are certain types of garbage that the city will not take. The same is true for large quantities of junk, regardless of how big the items are, that you are throwing away. Therefore, you will need a private service as an option.

Junk removal services

You have probably seen that 1-800-GOT-JUNK trucks driving around the city. What they do, and other similar companies, is help people get rid of junk, when the city refuses to take it. We will examine all the steps into details later in the article, but to put it in general terms, they come to your house, load all the garbage you don’t need, and take it to the city dump. Why, then doesn’t the city of Vancouver do this for you? The answer to this question is political and beyond the scope of this article, so we will leave it to another article.

Finding a professional junk removal company

junk removal north vancouver truckLooking on-line will be a good place for you to start your search. If you live in North Vancouver , search for “junk removal North Vancouver”. The reason you add your city in the search parameters is, because you want companies that are close by your house.

Don’t pay too much attention to the actual addresses, because they are not always that accurate. As long as the company is in your town, it is good enough. They can be considered local junk removal companies.

Why does the distance matter? Because, they operate big trucks, that are not that economical on gas, and the further they have to drive to your place, the more they have to charge you, due to fuel cost. Potential traffic, can also add cost to labour.

What to read on a website of hauling company?

It is hard not to do it, but most people will look for the junk removal prices page. This is natural, and therefore, go ahead and get it out of your system. Everyone wants a deal. However, be warned that price is not everything. Comparing prices between two services, can be misleading. For example, company A will list a full load for $400, while company B will price it at $300. In most cases, the client will choose company B, only to find out later that the $300 deal did not include the dumping fees, which could be as high as $200. Therefore, go over the price list, but only compare prices, after you have spoken with each company, and they tell you what is included in the price list.

Cheap junk removal companies vs quality services

If you get lured by cheap rates, you will most likely end up dealing with a company that will provide you with a bad service. The really cheap services should be just red flags. Try to find a middle ground. The big junk removal companies, will charge you an arm and a leg, but they will provide a very good service. The middle sized businesses will offer the same quality, but cheaper. There isn’t anything that the big guys can do, that the middle size operators cannot do for you.

How to tell if a company is a good one? The best thing to do is to call them. Talking to them, will allow you to get an idea of the business culture that exists in the company. This is not to say, that bad companies cannot hire polite people to answer the phone. The rule is more in the philosophy,that if their customer service is bad over the phone, then most likely, their actual service will be of low quality.

Here are the steps you need to take, when hiring a hauling company”

  1. Call them and ask questions
  2. Ask if it is possible to come for an estimation. They will do it for bigger jobs.
  3. Schedule a pick up date and hour.
  4. Be at your place when they arrive.
  5. Quote is finalized
  6. Junk is loaded in the truck
  7. You pay after everything is loaded.

How much does junk removal cost?

Hauling junk is not cheap, but you will get a good idea, what you should have ready for payment, before they start loading. This answer, is not really a satisfying one, we suspect, so we will examine this aspect further.

Junk removal rates

There are tree major variables, which determine the total price for removing your garbage:

  • Weight of the junk
  • Volume
  • Labour

Lets examine each one.

When junk is taken to the landfill, the company will have to pay disposal fees to the city, based on how heavy the garbage is. The heavier your items are, the more expensive it will be.

Volume is also important, because once the truck is full, it has to be driven to the dump. So, if you have lots of bulky and light items, this may still cost you more money, because it will take multiple trips of the truck, in order to haul it to the dump.

Labour cost comes from the fact that the workers will have to spend time, carrying the items from the client’s property to the truck.

As you can see, the system, by which these companies come up with the cost of junk removal, can be very confusing for the client. Therefore, they have simplified it, by linking their rates to volume. For example, a 10 cubic yard full truck will be close to $400. This is just a basic price. If the garbage is very heavy, or it takes lots of time to take it out of the property, naturally, the rate will increase. A good junk removal company, will ask the right questions, which will allow them to give the client a good estimation.

How to save money on hauling services?

There are few simple rules, that will save you the most money. Keep furniture, and other rubbish, away from the rain. If they get wet, it will get heavy,and as we have already discussed this, weight is part of the equation.

Bag everything, that you can bag. The less trips they have to make, from your basement to the parked truck, the more you save on labour.

We hope that this article will assist you in hiring a junk removal company in Vancouver. We can’t cover everything, there is to know about this type of service, but if you have read this article, you are ready to hire a local junk removal company.