umsami Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 We own a home which we have not lived in for awhile. Friends were using it, but now they are gone. I need to clean out a lot of stuff, and am thinking of using a service like 1-800-GOT-JUNK. Have you used them or a similar service? What was your experience?? How expensive was it? TIA. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Haven't but a friend has. They were quite professional. She's a bit of a hoarder, sentimental type. She had to empty a large space in her room due to flooding. They gave her time to take pics of what she was disposing of--things that were broken or ruined but still had value to her. Very compassionate. Can't speak to costs, though I think the $$ probably varies by area, and I know they charge by how much room your junk takes up in the truck/volume of junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home'scool Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I have used them a few times. Once, after my father passed away, they cleaned out his apartment. I did not have to be there. They were very professional about handling all the details. I have had them come to my house to do some cleaning out also. That time I found it a little unnerving because there were 3-5 guys going thru the whole house, attic to cellar. I think they may do a "hire as they need" plan because some of these guys looked really sketchy. I realize that I had called them to come into my home, but it makes you wonder about people casing your house, etc. One of the guys kept commenting to his coworkers how nice the house was, pointing out certain pieces as really nice, etc. I finally just let my HUGE dog out of the room I had locked him and let him bark at them for a few minutes while going "Oh gosh sorry! How did he get out?" Just wanted them to know that dog would be there if they decided to ever come back. They can give you a ballpark price but you won't know the actual price until they get there. Things like old tvs or computers will make the price go up. Overall I would use them again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 We used 1-800-got-junk once, but I wouldn't use them again. They charged us $200 to get rid of two old lawn chairs (so very lightweight) and a small amount of other stuff. When I'd called they'd said $75 (which already seemed high, but I had a tiny car and needed the stuff gone), but the price changed a lot when they got here, even though the items they were picking up hadn't changed. Now I either ask our handyman to dispose of stuff using his truck or I borrow a neighbor's truck to do so myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellie Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I also wouldn't use them again. They quoted me one price, then when they came to do the job, they didn't do everything they said they would do, and charged me more than the quote, stating they didn't realize how involved the job would be (I was being cited for some downed sheds on my property when I first moved in.) I had explained to them exactly what I had and approximate sizing of what it seemed the sheds were while standing. I also agree that the workers weren't very professional while here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateReignRemix Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 It is a franchise so quality will always vary. We used them once and had a pleasant experience, but based on their business model I could see it getting sketchy quick. My best advice is to check for similar services in your area online and look closely at the reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icollectkids Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 We did and it was the best thing ever. I want to say it was around $500. (this was probably 6 or so yrs ago..) They were very quick and efficient. They emptied a 2 car garage in less than 20 minutes! They won't take paint, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Following this thread......we anticipate needing a similar type service when we empty my MIL & FIL's house this summer. This has been very helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeteranMom Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I had a friend who used them. She specifically told them not to take a few boxes of sentimental items. They took the items anyway and she lost some things that were very important to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 We used them recently and it was expensive, but I would do it again in a heartbeat! James Bond has severe hoarding issues, which he's working on with a therapist, and our garage was so full we could barely get in and out. We have to go through the garage to get to my car (JB uses street parking in the front of the house), so it was a real issue. There was about a 3 feet wide pathway from the door to the kitchen to the garage door, and when I had to go in and out, especially with the boys, it was crazy. Therapist and I finally got JB to work on getting rid of stuff, and we called 1800gotjunk. It took us almost 2 days to sort the garage, and then on the day when they were supposed to come, it took about 2 hours to put it all out in the driveway so they would know what to take and what not to take. We filled an entire truck all the way to the top, and it was $550, as they charge by how full the truck is. They were very nice and professional, and sorted stuff quickly into piles of stuff that seemed recyclable, donatable and just rubbish, and loaded it in about an hour and a half. The guy who was here was the owner of this franchise (I even saw him on the show Hoarders!), said they would take it back to the shop and go through it even better, then the stuff that could be recycled would go to the recycling center, the donatable stuff would go to Goodwill (or another charity shop), and the rest would go to the rubbish. Honestly, I would't have cared if they were selling it off the back of the truck, as long as it wasn't in my garage. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I had a great experience with them. On the website it gave me an idea of how much it would cost (depending on how much of truck was filled). They were very professional and it cost less $$$ than I had planned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 What do they do with the stuff? Mom in High Heels, is it standard for them to sort it into donations, recyclables, landfill, or did you have to request it? I've been pondering this, too, as we have some, errrr, stuff in our garage that needs to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapy Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 It is a franchise so quality will always vary. We used them once and had a pleasant experience, but based on their business model I could see it getting sketchy quick. My best advice is to check for similar services in your area online and look closely at the reviews. Yes to the bold! We also have a local start up that provides the same type of service and I know folks that have used them with much success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 What do they do with the stuff? Mom in High Heels, is it standard for them to sort it into donations, recyclables, landfill, or did you have to request it? I've been pondering this, too, as we have some, errrr, stuff in our garage that needs to go! I don't know if it's standard or not. I asked what happened to it while they were sorting in the driveway. He said they don't do a big sort at the person's home, they just try to lump together things that they know can go to one place or the other, then do a better sort later. I guess you could ask when you call them, as I don't know if all places do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.