Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Granger Waste Services's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Granger Waste Services

  16980 Wood Rd Lansing, MI 48906-1044

• 

  Granger Waste Services

  1185 Raymond Rd N Comstock, MI 49041

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:06/08/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  I recieved a bill (see attached) from Granger for a service I do not and have never had. I called the company to ask why I recieved a bill for a service that I did not ask for and have never had. They stated that because I purchased tags ( over a year ago keep in mind) in the past they automatically set me up for a small cart and a weekly service. They also mentioned that they have done this to anyone that ever ordered tags in the past even though we never had an actually cart or monthly charge. I will not be paying this bill as I hope no one they are scamming does. Please address this with Granger asap!Thank You for your time!*******************

  Business Response

  Date: 06/15/2023

  We recently discontinued our pay-as-you-throw trash service, bag tags. We automatically converted any customers in our database who had used this service in the past six months to our small cart service as a replacement.

  Since our records indicated that **************** had used the service within the past six months, we converted his service to small cart service. On April 19, prior to converting his account, we mailed **************** a letter informing him of this change. In the letter, we indicated that if he didnt want the service, he should contact us prior to June 1 so as not to be billed for the service. Since we didnt hear from him prior to that date, we billed his account for small cart service.

  It sounds like **************** *** not have received that letter and for that we apologize. We do have records that it was sent by our mailer. It also appears that the customer ********************** representative he spoke to *** not have given him the correct information or all the information involving this situation. We apologize for any miscommunication that *** have occurred during the conversation.
  

  We have closed **************** account and removed him from the cart delivery list. We believe that should resolve this matter.  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/02/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  I want an explanation IMMEDIATELY as to why the person on my route decided to skip my container today

  Business Response

  Date: 06/07/2023

  We have received the complaint from *******************************. We do not have her in our customer database. However, we do have an ************************* listed for the service address provided by ********************. The account is on credit hold, as payment was due April 25 and was not received. Invoices for this account are being sent to Ms. ********** email address.

  If ******************** would like to put the account in her name and have the invoices sent to her, we would be happy to make that change in our database. She may contact ** at ************** or by email to ************************************************************* Making these changes should help avoid this type of situation in the future.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/07/2023

   
  Complaint: 20136612
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/20/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  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 would like a refund of the money I paid for the month of march. I was given a paper bill once my credit through **** disposal ran out, but never given one before hand. I was never made aware of the credit my account had before I was billed. The lady that I spoke with on the phone named ***** made me aware that there was going to be price changes but unless I received a paper statement, I was not going to be made aware. Since my account had a credit I was never given a paper bill. The lady told me that i would still owe the money even if I wouldve canceled early, had Ive been made aware of the cost difference. When the company acquired **** we were told that they would follow the credit accordingly which means I would have been paid through the end of March. I wish I had been aware of how much money I did and didnt have his credit on a monthly basis, but they told me they didnt give me one because I didnt owe them money. I told them my company should still make customers aware of where they stand on the business before they just go and give them a bill. I feel like this company is not in line with proper customer ********************** by keeping their customers in the dark on billing statements or lacking to give their customer statements. ***** told me that without a bill I would have been made aware and they werent just going to send customers random information to let them know that their bill was going to go up. I feel that is very deceitful in a company. Im including the statement and the amount that I shouldnt have been forced to pay because of their neglect. Terrible business practices.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/23/2023

  *************** became our customer last year when ********************** acquired **** Disposal. **************** came to ** from **** with a credit balance because she paid **** for her service through March of 2023. We have continued to use Ms.******* credit balance for payment for her Granger service since then.However, though she had a credit with us, her service actually cost more each month with us than it did with **** due to the state/local/county surcharges we are required to collect and to our fuel surcharge. This discrepancy between the amount owed to us and the amount **************** paid led her to have a remaining balance of $27.32 at the time she ended her service.
  
  It is true that **************** did not receive an invoice from us in the months since we acquired her account. (Our system doesnt generate invoices when there is no balance due). The welcome letter we sent her at the beginning of her service did indicate that the surcharges would be added, but in looking back at the language, we believe it may have been misunderstood. We offer **************** our apologies for not being clearer. Due to the misunderstanding, and as a courtesy, we will refund **************** the $27.32.
  
  Since **************** has canceled her service and her money will be refunded, we now consider this matter to be resolved. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/23/2023

   
  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:03/08/2023

  Type:Order 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.

  Numerous missed pickups over the last 4 years. They use to pickup at our house and drive (20+ years) and then suddenly decided they would only pickup at the end of our drive because their new driver was not comfortable backing up. Would then, not allow us to put our bins on our own property and insisted we put on the neighbors who would not allow it. Have since used every excuse to not pickup our trash but will always get the neighbors bins 20 feet away. Their driver will throw our bins across the lawn when they do manage to pickup, but place the neighbors as they were. Stay away from this company, horrible customer **********************. If we had any other option for trash pickup, theyd be gone.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/13/2023

  We understand **************** frustration with this situation and would like to apologize for the inconvenience he has experienced. We have contacted our operations manager about this situation. He will meet with the driver supervisor and the driver personally to stress that this type of service is not acceptable and ensure it will not occur again in the future.
  
  Additionally,we believe there may be some confusion about which cart corresponds with *************** account. Because his cart is placed out for service at the end of a private drive along with neighbors carts, the driver must reference cart numbers to determine which carts belong to accounts in good standing that can be serviced. The cart number we have on file for ************** is 9GG140961 and he should use this number to identify his cart and determine whether or not he has been appropriately serviced. We understand, however, that **************** cart may have been inadvertently switched with a neighbors. If this is the case, we ask that he contact us to change his cart number in our records (rather than attempting to switch back), so we can ensure we know which cart to service for his account.
  
  We would like to thank ************** for being a customer and for giving us the opportunity to address this unfortunate situation.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/15/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  About 6 months ago, Granger allowed residents to put their trash pickup service on vacation hold so long as the vacation lasted more than two weekly pickups. For example, if my trash pickup was on a Wednesday, that meant I could have trash picked up on Wednesday June 1, go on vacation for two weeks while suspending my service for Wednesday June 8 2022 and Wednesday June 15 2022, then return from vacation and resume service for Wednesday June 22. My bill would be prorated for no service on June 8 and June 15. This was very fair.A few months later, Granger extended the requirement so that vacation holds had to be at least one calendar month. This was still fair.In November or December of 2022, Granger changed their policy yet again to require customers to be on vacation hold for THREE months. This is completely unacceptable because nobody takes vacations for three months unless they are snowbirds spending all of winter in *******. The new three month vacation hold policy is obviously a squeeze on customers to make them pay every week, even if they go on vacation for a month and don't use their service for 4-5 weeks in a row.Granger is a monopoly in the ******* ******** area as no other trash pickup service exists. They are abusing their monopoly power with this new vacation hold policy. I hope BBB can exert influence on this monopolistic company to have them revert to a more consumer-friendly vacation hold policy. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/20/2023

  As ************** indicated in his submission, we recently made a policy change. While we previously had an option for a vacation hold, which allowed customers to put their service on hold for a period of two weeks or more, we eliminated the vacation hold in favor of a seasonal hold, which allows customers to put service on hold for a period of no less than three months. This was a business decision that was made after much consideration. While we understand why this is frustrating for **************, we are unable to revert to our former policy. Though we regret that this change is inconvenient for **************, we maintain that our new policy is neither unique nor unusual, and we dont feel it provides an undue burden for our customers.
  
  We appreciate **************** feedback and his business and look forward to continuing to provide service to him. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/21/2023

   
  Complaint: 19409234
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1. Granger uses a "false equivalence" logical fallacy to justify their change in vacation policy by saying "our new policy is neither unique nor unusual." Their change in policy is unique. For example, the US Postal Service allows customers to go on vacation hold for as short as a few days at a time. The US Postal Service does not require a season-long vacation to put mail on hold. Additionally, Granger and the US Postal Service are similar in that both physically go to customers' houses on a frequent basis. In this false equivalence logical fallacy, perhaps Granger is alluding to telecom companies. However, telecom companies don't require visiting a customer's location on a daily or weekly basis, and many customers have Internet-connected security devices (Ring cameras, etc) that need to remain online even when people are on a season-long vacation.
  

  2. Granger says "we dont feel it provides an undue burden for our customers." This excuse is comical: It does provide an undue burden on customers by having them pay for services they do not need. My bill is effectively 4-5 times higher under the new season-long vacation hold policy than it was under the old month-long vacation hold policy. I am now paying for weekly service that I do not need, when I was just paying for monthly service that was sufficient for my job that has me traveling 80% of the year.
  

  This change in vacation hold policy is purely a money grab. For decades, Granger allowed customers to put their service on vacation hold for as little as two weeks. Within a year, they gradually tightened the screws to eventually require a three month gap in services for a vacation hold. Granger can get away with this because they are a monopoly: There is no
  alternative for trash pickup service in the ******* area.

  Granger can easily go back to a two week or one month vacation hold policy because they previously did it for decades.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2023

  Our vacation hold was intended for those customers who would be away infrequently,who were truly on vacation or using the service only seasonally. However, some customers had begun using it as a way of turning their service on and off frequently. This allowed them to use the service less and pay a lower monthly charge to effectively create their own service level, which was never the purpose of the vacation hold. Upon further review of **************** account, we have determined that this is precisely what he has been doing and it is understandable that he is frustrated.
  
  Regardless of how long we had our previous policy, putting customers on vacation hold and taking them off again is an onerous process which requires a significant amount of administrative work. And while we are willing to continue to take these steps as a courtesy to our customers who use the hold feature infrequently and for a long enough period of time to justify it, we are unable to revert to our former policy.
  
  While we can certainly understand why ************** wouldnt want to pay full price for a service he is only partially using, we maintain that this policy is neither unfair nor unique. There are many services you cant pause to avoid being charged every time you are away from home. Examples of this are numerous, but a few that come immediately to mind are electricity, natural gas, gym memberships and streaming services.
  
  While ************** considers this a financially motivated decision, its simply a matter of changing a policy that caused unnecessary administrative work for our associates. It is not uncommon to change a policy that no longer makes sense for your organization.
  
  Additionally,************** has other options for waste collection. Although we dont like to see customers leave to go to a competitor, ************** is under no contract with Granger and is free to choose another provider if he wishes to do so. (There are other waste haulers who service his area.) Alternatively, he could choose to cancel trash service altogether, and bring the small amount he has to our Disposal Center for a charge. This would constitute a pay-as-you-throwapproach, which would allow him to pay only when he needs disposal.
  
  While we would like to be able to satisfy **************, we feel we would not be able to do so unless we revert to our former policy, which we are unable to do. Though it is disappointing, we believe that any further response or action would be unproductive. Therefore, we consider this matter to be closed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/12/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  I received a bill in the mail for something I have never used. The bill states that I had a previous amount of $31.56 , late fee of $10.00 and owe them $5.08 for the rest of the year for something that I have never put out to the road. I have lived in this house since January of 2022, but this is the first bill I have received that says I owe a pervious balance, late fee. The other thing, I pay for garbage service, but they have yet to pick-up my garbage because I live by myself and don't have much, but it was okay for them to make off of me without having to stop and now this greedy nonsense. They can come and pick-up all their containers as I longer care to have this service done by this company.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/20/2023

  *************** is part of a single-hauler municipal waste contract with the **************. Due to this agreement, residents in the city limits are required to have Granger service for trash collection and yard waste collection. While we understand that **************** finds this situation frustrating, we are unable to cancel her service as it is required by the contract Granger has with the **************.
  
  As the result of a clerical error, **************** was not billed for her service for the majority of the time she has lived in her home. We understand that was our error, and we will not be attempting to recover fees from this time when *************** was not being charged for her service. We recently discovered this error,and it was corrected. Unfortunately, another error caused her to be overcharged for her yard waste service. We have corrected the error with the yard waste charges and as a courtesy, have also waived the late fee. Her new adjusted balance is $42.25.
  
  We offer our apologies to the customer for the yard ********************** billing error and thank her for calling it to our attention. We now consider this situation to be resolved.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/26/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  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.

  The check's in the mail. Oldest line in the book, right? WRONG!!! Granger Waste Services is holding my money hostage, and has been for several weeks. They owe me a refund check of $59.29 but have been purposely witholding it, refusing to mail it to me, even after repeated promises to do so.It's bad enough this outfit quit offering trash bag pickup service in our city, so I was forced to look elsewhere for my waste disposal. Now they're holding customers' money hostage, good honest folks who mailed in the unused bag-tags, exactly as instructed, and guess what I have the **** green-card signature PROOF that they were delivered and signed for on Dec 9th. Today is Jan 26th, and I am STILL waiting for the refund check of $59.29. I would like this refund check OVERNIGHTED to me immediately, or suffer the consequences. When I called Granger on 12/27/22 ******* assured me that "the check is in the mail!" and I should get it in a week or two. Guess what Granger, that was a MONTH AGO and still no check! I then called Granger back AGAIN on Jan 16th, and ******* promised to look into the issue of WHY the check hadn't been mailed yet, dispite promises to the contrary, and assured me she would call me back with what she found. Well guess what AGAIN there Granger, 10 days have passed and CRICKETS!! I hear nothing from you, ******* lied, you all lied, so I hope a BBB complaint and threat of further follow-up will scare you clowns into coughing up the refund check that YOU PROMISED me months ago! I could not be a more upset frustrated DISSATISFIED customer right about now!

  Business Response

  Date: 01/31/2023

  As ****************** stated in his complaint, he requested a refund, which we received on December 9. Our refund process is somewhat lengthy because it requires multiple steps and some steps in the process only take place at a certain time of the month.
  
  Although we understand this situation was very frustrating for ******************, we want to make it clear that there was no intention to withhold his refund. Additionally,while we dont know the exact wording used by our customer ********************** representatives when speaking with ******************, we believe their assurances were made in good faith. When they saw that his refund request had been processed,they assumed he would receive it soon.
  
  When we received ******************** complaint on January 27, his check had been cut, but was not yet in the mail. We located the check and overnighted it to ****************** the same day. For this reason, we consider this matter to be resolved.
  
  We offer our apologies to the customer and thank him for giving us the opportunity to resolve this situation.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/01/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  It's sad that I had to even make a BBB complaint in order to trigger any action from this company.  However, 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:01/02/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  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.

  Last year in around October or November, I received notification from Granger Waste Services that they would no longer be offering Tag service after November 30, 2022, and that any unused Tags could be returned for a refund. After the November 30 deadline I found that I still had 2 unused tags, and I called Granger to get the specific instructions on how to return them for the refund. I was given their address and sent in my tags. After waiting almost a month for some action to be taken, I called Granger and was informed that their "supervisor" had made a determination that "no refunds would be made for less than 3 tags". This is the first time I was told about any limits on the refund. So, unless you can help me obtain my refund (for about $7.00), I guess I will have to accept the loss. I would like others to be aware of what I feel are unethical practices by Granger.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/06/2023

  As **************** stated in his complaint, we did offer refunds for any unused bag tags in the letter he received and we did not specify that refunds would not be provided for fewer than three tags. While our actions with **************** were made in good faith, we realize we should have specified the limitations on refunds for small numbers of tags. In recognition of this oversight, we have provided a refund to **************** for the amount of the two tags he returned.
  
  We offer our apologies to the customer and thank him for giving us the opportunity to resolve this situation.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/09/2023

   
  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,
  
  ***************************