Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Shred-It, a Stericycle Company's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 315 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 71 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe 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:07/26/2023
Type: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 August 2022, we contracted with Shred-It for a records disposal for an office that was closing, and we had to give them a credit card number in order to schedule the pickup. We needed a specific date, 8/29/22, for this process which was agreed to with the local Shred-it representative. On that date no one showed up and several calls to dispatch went unanswered. Several days later we received a call that a truck was dispatched and so we made rush arrangements to get someone over to the office. Shred-it only made one trip for the disposal.When we received our credit card statement in October 2022 it was noted that we were billed for two pickups. I contacted customer service at that time who stated that we would receive a credit for the mistaken second pickup. After numerous phone calls about the credit, we received an email from Steri-Cycle on 1/16/23 that the credit had been approved and they were in process of refunding the credit [please see the attached documents]. It has now been 6 months since we received the email from Steri-cycle and 11 months since the pickup and we have still not received the credit. I have called customer service numerous times and while polite they are simply reading off a computer screen and are basically useless.After 44 years in business I can honestly say that this is the most dysfunctional company I have ever worked with.
Business Response
Date: 08/07/2023
We have been in contact with ****************** and are continuing to work with him on a resolution.Initial Complaint
Date:07/11/2023
Type:Status:ResolvedMore 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.
My company hired Shred It / Stericycle in Aug. 2022 to shred 1 large bin of papers. We were charged 3 times for the service. After several calls over the following months I was told that we would be refunded via email dated 1/3/23 in the amount of $156.00. By July 2023 I have still not received the refund. Attached is the email from them letting me know that I would be refunded $153.53. I also received a call today saying that they would process it ASAP, however it has been now almost a year since the service. I would never use them again.Business Response
Date: 07/18/2023
We have worked with ************ and have resolved her complaint. Ms. ******* issue has been escalated to leadership to review process and coach the team.Customer Answer
Date: 07/26/2023
Complaint: 20304148
I am rejecting this response because:Good morning,I still have not received the reimbursement from Shred-It. They sent an email telling me it had been processed but after waiting for almost a week it still has not shown up as a refund to our credit card.Kind regards,***********************Business Response
Date: 07/27/2023
We followed up with Ms. ***** and she confirmed that the refund was received.Initial Complaint
Date:06/16/2023
Type:Status:ResolvedMore 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.
We are a government facility that hired Shred-It. We had been their loyal customer for at least 30 years. During these years, we have overlooked their mistakes.Weve had the following issues:Billing / Invoice issues No communication whatsoever.No documentation of phone calls or what we request on file.Constant changing of scheduling dates and pick up.Having to call multiple departments and speak to multiple people to request one thing.Sending a driver who is oblivious to what needed to be done.Signed a contract for three years, but when the customer service representative called, she had stated that it was for five years. Billing us for service that we will not be using.The inconvenience of having to talk to three or more people when trying to cancel.Sending email confirmations that are not clear. ******** service agent, not being able to validate or confirm information prior to call. Example: customer service agent unable to reference any conversations about our account with them, because there is no documentation.As we have shown loyalty to this company for many years, we would like to think as a business they would improve and consider our complaints. Instead they continually make mistakes, provide incorrect information, and ability to execute their services correctly. We feel that it is unnecessary to pay for the services for the next three years, considering we are not receiving the services whatsoever. As a business, the inability and incompetence for them to do their job correctly, is disappointing. In addition to that contracts are signed electronically, which we have not received a copy for.Business Response
Date: 06/23/2023
We have worked with ******************** and have resolved his complaint. ************************ issue has been escalated to leadership to review process and coach the team.
Customer Answer
Date: 06/23/2023
Complaint: 20197538
I am rejecting this response because: Even though the leadership called 6/23/2023 and was very polite and understanding.she advised there was nothing she could do about the pending contract money because that was a different department that handles that. She did advised that she completely understood the disconnect between all the different departments for this company. She was able to take some of the money off because she found an error in the billing.However still not happy about having to pay the rest of the remaining money for the contract that wont be used. $800. For poor customer service, which we have been a customer for 30 years. Loyalty is a TWO way street and thats why Im cutting my losses now.
Sincerely,
***********************Business Response
Date: 06/28/2023
When speaking with ******************** he acknowledged and understood that cancelling his contract early would result in early termination fees as outlined in the Terms and Conditions of his contract. His customer service feedback has been escalated to leadership to review processes.Customer Answer
Date: 06/29/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this is the only resolution and accept it for what it is .
Sincerely,
***********************Initial Complaint
Date:06/12/2023
Type: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.
I used Shred-it in January of 2023 for a out 8 boxes of material. Quoted approximately $600.00. They charged me for 8 barrels for a total of $2,400.00. After 8 calls, an agreed refund of $1,700.00 has still not been paid. This is absurd. Never can be connected to a supervisor, promise contact within 24 hours, never happens. Very exhausting For an 80 year old man. Customer #**********: complain file #********. Can you help? *****************************Business Response
Date: 06/16/2023
We have worked with ****************** and have resolved his complaint. ******************** issue has been escalated to leadership to review process and coach the team.Initial Complaint
Date:06/09/2023
Type:Status:ResolvedMore 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.
Company refuses to remove invalid charges from our account, and they have auto-pay set up so they get their money no matter what. We have many office locations that use this company, and have recently found that they sometimes charge for services that were not attempted/completed. When this was addressed with Shred-It numerous times, they said that we were wrong and that the service was attempted - it was not, we were here and open the entire day that it says the trip was attempted and that they were 'not able to access' the shred bin. That is completely false, and the CSRs at a call center in another state do not listen to what the customer has to say. They stopped responding to my attempts to resolve the issue, and we still had to pay for the service that they didn't provide (and blamed us for not cancelling it - we didn't want to cancel, we just wanted them to do their job and they didn't, so we had to schedule another service and were charged for both). Now that I have witnessed this at the location I am physically at, I believe they do this at many locations and the clients just aren't there to notice the services aren't happening.Business Response
Date: 06/19/2023
We have worked with MS. ***** and have resolved her complaint. Ms. ****** issue has been escalated to leadership to review the process and coach the team.Customer Answer
Date: 06/28/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. It is unfortunate that it takes filing a complaint with the BBB in order to get assistance, but we finally got the credit that we needed.
Sincerely,
**********************Initial Complaint
Date:06/09/2023
Type: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.
We had a contract for a year with them. It is supposed to be $80 a month. They pick up the trash but never on schedule. Their billing is never correct. I thought paying on line would help but they double billed me. They have never refunded the money. They have my credit card information and banking information. I keep asking for a supervisor and they won&#**;t let me speak to them.Business Response
Date: 06/19/2023
We have been in contact with ************************************* and *************************** and are continuing to work with them to resolve the issue.Initial Complaint
Date:06/07/2023
Type:Status:ResolvedMore 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.
I am a small business and needed a data destruction company to help me with my medical records. This company has never been able to fulfill their end of the contract and its charging me for times that they did not come out to get the items for destruction. When I asked for them to come and take their destruction bin away as I have had to hire another company they have stopped contacting me but continue to ask me to pay them.Business Response
Date: 06/13/2023
We have worked with **************** and have resolved her complaint. ******************** issue has been escalated to leadership to review process and coach the team.Customer Answer
Date: 06/13/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
*******************************Initial Complaint
Date:06/06/2023
Type:Status:ResolvedMore 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.
Nov. 28,2022 day of service. charges of ****** at the time of service. I paid with ****. Express that I didn't think went through. So i got an email asking for pmt. in December and I immediately sent a check. Then I saw on the next credit card bill they sent it thru. So I double paid for service. I've been trying to get the company to refund the extra payment for over six months. They admit they see they payment and say its in process. I'm tired of waiting.Business Response
Date: 06/12/2023
We have worked with ************** and have resolved her complaint. Refund has been issued to customers credit card as requested. ************** issue has been escalated to leadership to review process and coach the team.Customer Answer
Date: 06/14/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
*********************Initial Complaint
Date:06/05/2023
Type:Status:ResolvedMore 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.
We cancelled our Shred-It account in December due to many disputes with their billing department. We spent numerous hours trying to get them to credit payments we made as well as get credit for pick-*** we were charged for but never received. We received and paid a final bill in January of 2023, and just received a notice that we are in collections with a past due balance of $749.77. We haven't heard from them in months, paid our final bill, and now they are saying we owe them money. On two occasions, we sent in copies of our payment information to prove that we had paid specific invoices yet they are now saying we have six outstanding invoices which is not true. Both my co-worker and I tried calling them and the people we spoke to kept throwing out past due balances on invoices that didn't correspond to any invoices we had. The person I spoke to said that credits on our account were not credits but charges being carried forward. When we requested to speak to a supervisor or manager, our requests were denied. We also asked for a contact number for the collections department but they said there wasnt one. They indicated that we should email the collections department which we did only to receive an automated reply with no additional contact information or assistance. I see from the BBB reports that many other businesses and individuals have had similar issues.Business Response
Date: 06/08/2023
We have worked with **************** and have resolved her complaint. **************** issue has been escalated to leadership to review process and coach the team.Customer Answer
Date: 06/29/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Sorry for my tardiness in responding. It took about 30 hours of manpower, but we did finally get our issue with Shred-It resolved to our satisfaction.
Sincerely,
***********************Initial Complaint
Date:06/02/2023
Type: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.
I don't have a Shred it account and don't know what this company does.They kept sending bills to the office in 2021 when it was Farallon home health. I called to complain until early 2022 but they just changed the name of the bill to Vital hospice and kept sending the bills.This year I have received so many harassing phone calls asking me to pay my bill it is unbelievable.I have never used their service or even known about it. Now the daily harassing calls are interfering with my normal business.This is the number of their harassing calls these days ********** ****** 5/31 ********** ****** 5/27 ********** ****** 5/23 If necessary I can go to the carrier to call records as proof Earlier646 418 **** 917 474 **** 917 421 **** 917 498 **** 888 615 **** 646 426 **** 646 432 **** 917 408 **** 917 463 **** 917 982 **** 212 965 **** 212 495 **** 907 486 ****Business Response
Date: 06/08/2023
We have been in contact with ************ and are continuing to work with her to resolve the issue.
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