Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:22/03/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In Jan 2024, I did a ****** search for junk removal services, and came upon The Junk Brigade. They had excellent ****** reviews, and their website clearly promoted affordable pricing with responsible disposal practices. I booked, and was quoted up to $500 for a full truck (same rates as their website). Two men showed up in a truck at the date/time agreed upon. I showed them what I had, and they started to load everything, with the exception of some laminate floor and drywall. The driver was very chatty the entire time, and I began getting a bad gut feeling just based on his mannerisms. After they were finished loading, he wrote and handed me a bill for $1575 absolutely shocked, I asked him to explain. He showed me a different rate sheet, and said I used > 3/4 space in the truck. This rate sheet was completely different from the online rates advertised. When I questioned that, he said, those rates are for a smaller truck. I then objected to how they loaded the items in the truck, I could clearly see they had loaded everything into a pile at the back to make it look more full, and I had some large empty bins, that they loaded empty to take up more space. There was also already a couch and mattress in the truck when they arrived. I tried my best to argue the pricing but he kept saying I had to pay it, or his boss would kill him. I thought okay, Ill pay it, and Ill follow up with the owner because this clearly isnt right. They left and I immediately called the owner, who again said those are the bigger truck rates. No where on their website, or during the loading, was I told this was a bigger truck. I emailed them later to try and reconcile, they never got back to me. Ive come to learn that this is a scam theyre using on many people, they are removing negative ****** reviews exposing the scam (my review has been deleted, and Ive spoken to others who have had theirs removed) and they constantly have new fake 5 star reviews up to attract new victims.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/04/2024

  Regarding the discrepancies in pricing you mentioned, 
  
  our website and communication clearly state that the price on website covers a 10 cubic yard bin and that larger bins are available at the same cost of $50 per cubic yard this is on our website and in the photos you submitted right under the 10 cubic yard pricing sheet. Our team is trained to discuss these details with customers before starting any job to ensure there is a clear understanding of the service and pricing. This process includes a thorough review of the estimated volume of junk and the appropriate bin size required, as highlighted on our website and reinforced in our customer interactions.We regret any confusion or misunderstanding regarding the bin size and pricing in your case. Our goal is to ensure that all customers are fully informed and agreeable to the terms before we proceed with our service. We understand your frustration and are here to address any outstanding concerns you may have.
  
  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We look forward to the opportunity to resolve this issue and restore your faith in The Junk Brigade.Sincerely, **************** Manager, ********************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/04/2024

   
  Complaint: 21472095
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The business' reply contains false information. The website has a pricing structure for a 10 cubic yard truck only; no pricing mentioned for larger trucks. If the business is referring to the bullet point that states that they have "larger trucks available", that point does not satisfy my original complaint, which is the fact that they sent a bigger truck without notifying me (I wanted to fill the 10 cubic yard truck only, which is the truck they advertise), the drivers did not communicate that a larger truck was sent, they did not communicate the pricing of that truck in advance, and they tried to distract while haphazardly loading items all in a pile to intentionally make the truck look like it was more full than it was, knowing that they were going to charge based on volume (using higher pricing than I expected), not on weight. 
  
  The note about communication to customers is false: the driver, ****** actually has very poor communication skills; I mean no disrespect to him as a person, but he couldn't finish a sentence without jumping into an unrelated topic, and when asked a question, was unable to provide a coherent response, which is when I started to feel uneasy, and felt he was trying to distract me. If this business has trained their drivers in how to scam people, then they are doing a great job. 
  
  To claim that they are a professional business by any means is laughable; they ignored my initial email reaching out to them about the lack of communication and my concerns about being overcharged, and I have watched as they continue to put up fake 5 star ****** Reviews, and delete any real negative reviews. No trustworthy business would need to be doing that. 
  
  I would like a full refund from Junk Brigade, $1,000.00 for what I was scammed out of, and $575.00 for the hassle of having to reach out and go through these channels to try and rectify this situation. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/10/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company came to remove items from my yard on September 10, 2022. They were clear that I would be given an estimate and then justification for the amount charged for the junk removal. As I did not have many items to remove, and in fact it was commented by the workers how easy it was to move them, they were in and out in 10 or 15 minutes. I was not given an estimate and they did not justify their charges, which were far higher than I expected. In fact I had paid far less for more removal within the last 2 -3 years. It happened so fast that I just paid the bill regardless of my misgivings. When my daughter came home she supported my misgivings and noted that I had been thoroughly taken advantage of.
  
  I did try to resolve this issue with the company. Sadly the manager was extremely ********** and, in essence, told me buyer beware. He was not interested in listening to my worries nor in looking into the issue of what happened on the ground. The company presents itself as having some integrity in their advertising, which is why I contracted them. Obviously they do not ascribe to good business practices.