Junk Removal London Ontario: An Employees Perspective

University Junk Removal started in London about three years ago, but I only learned about the company at the end of the summer of 2012.  I had recently graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University, and was searching for an opportunity to become part of a company that not only provided an excellent service, but also may provide me with some excellent experience.  Once I met of the owners of University Junk Removal, I immediately knew that I had found what I was looking for.  They sought out university students and recent grads to be part of the junk business, providing them with a chance to earn some money, while providing the community with a reasonably priced, sustainable junk solution.  I had always wanted to be part of a company which took being green seriously, and I had found one.
Most of the junk we remove is either recycled or donated to Goodwill or the Salvation Army or an equivalent second hand store.  Very little of what we remove is thrown out, unless of course it cannot be recycled, such as renovation debris insulation.  We are often called to remove furniture, tools, or even exercise equipment that is in excellent condition and which makes a great donation. 
One job in particular that I remember was for a group of students living together in Guelph,  along with Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, is one of the cities that we provide service to.  It turned out that the people living at their house before them had been there for two years, and had never taken out the garbage.  Their garage was very literally filled with bags.  It didn’t take us very long, but we removed every spec of garbage from the space, and both the students and the landlord could not have been happier.  Having been a student not too long ago I can certainly appreciate the service we provide, and the price we are able to provide it at.
On that same day a job had been booked for later that morning, so when we finished early we headed over.  It was for a gentleman who had just finished doing a large renovation, and had a lot of renovation debris.  Drywall, wood, toilets, sinks, insulation, aluminum siding, shingles and a fridge were just some of the junk that needed to be removed.  We ended up filling up our Junk Truck twice, and saved anything that could be donated to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store for last.  I love that even during a job like this we can find a way to give something back and cut down on waste at the same time.
We have also had our fair share of experience with hoarders.  The most recent job like this that I can remember occurred at the end of September 2012.  It all began with an estimate.  This is pretty common for when what sounds like a large job comes up.  Most of time, the client would like an idea of the cost before deciding to go with any one junk company, and this time was no different.  When we arrived, there were already two other junk companies there also doing a walk through and providing a quote.  Once it was our turn, I was more than surprise with what I saw.  The garage was full of old garbage bags, and the smell had filled the house, you could barely walk down the narrow hallway, which had been made narrower with boxes pilled on either side, and the basement had evidence of rats living in the house.  It was certainly not a pretty picture, but we did our best to provide a fair and accurate quote of what it would cost to remove all the junk.
We ended up getting the job, and it took us almost 4 whole days to clear out the house.  Of course, we had protective masks and suits during the whole job, and we began with the garage, which almost took a half day on its own.  To finish a job of this size we had to call in an addition two guys, and we rented a large bin to fill on the driveway.  On the first day we filled the bin twice.  On the second day we focused on the kitchen and hallway.  Here we found a lot of rotten food and more garbage, as well as dishes and boxes which took a significant amount of time to remove from the house.  By the third day, we had begun emptying the basement.  It was here that we had to be extra careful, since due to the poor air circulation, it was at times difficult to breath.  However, with no setbacks, we were able to finish the job in less time than we originally thought we would, and the client was extremely pleased.  It’s on junk jobs like this that we get to set a new benchmark for what we can accomplish without sacrificing customer service. 
One last junk removal job that I remember was for a woman who purchased a junk bag from home depot to fill with renovation debris.  However, once it was full, waste management was unable to pick it up due to low-hanging power lines.  Once again, University Junk Removal was called in to do the job no one else could.  The bag was full of drywall and shingles, and after sitting outside had become waterlogged and quite heavy.  However, it was nothing that we couldn’t handle, and within an hour we had the bag emptied and in our truck. 
I love working for a company who refuses to quit, and only sees opportunity where other may see challenges.  University Junk Removal provides opportunities to students to work in a booming industry, where customer service and professionalism set our company apart from the rest.  I also love the opportunity to develop invaluable management experience, while providing a fantastic service to a community which has only ever nurtured my growth and education.

Junk Removal London Ontario

Junk Removal London Ontario

Another satisfied customer willing to get on video for University Junk Removal!

Junk Removal London Ontario & Hoarding

 Junk Removal London Ontario

 Recently here at University Junk Removal, Alumni Movers and University Mini Movers, we encountered a very special job.  I use the word special as I feel it is very hard to properly articulate the goings on of what happened.  I could use the term like “hoarding” to describe our most recent endeavor in junk removal and moving, but I feel that wouldn’t do justice to the experience we all were lucky enough to partake in.  You see, our usual days of work consist of maximum 10-11 hours of waste removal and/or moving apartments, houses, etc... but not over these three very special days.  

To maintain the privacy of the client, I will not say the city, address, or even allude to this person’s name.  When we did the estimate for the job, it definitely seemed like there would be a lot of things to be moved, but also even more to be disposed of.  To our surprise, on day one of three, hour one of an eventual 40 over just three days, we realized that this person was in fact unable to part with the majority of his/her items.  Even after being enlightened of the importance of each specific piece, pieces that included old 90’s CD samplers from beer cases, and even paint chips, we still thought that it might only take our team of two young men about 1.5 days... We were sadly mistaken...  

If you have ever watched the reality shows about people who can’t throw things out, they always seem to show the most extreme cases, like mental illness and other very particular circumstances, but we realized that even a high functioning professional member of society can hoard with the best of them.  Our client, who will remain nameless, is in fact a very successful person in the field that he/she works in, also very well educated, more than most of us, unfortunately the house was not representative of his/her work life.  

In the beginning we were asked if we could bring about 25 of our University Green Bins in order to safely move the items... At the end of day three, and hour forty, there were upwards of one hundred University Green Bins completely full and 20 extra large moving boxes.  To put that in perspective, that is like 100 medium-large sized cardboard moving boxes completely full,  and somehow we were able to put the majority of them into a two bedroom apartment!  There were boxes stuffed in closets, hallways, and even a bathtub.  I could go on and on about the amount of stuff we moved, but this would turn into a 300 page novel, rather than a weekly article.  Let’s just say there was enough stuff that you could barely see the walls and floors of the new apartment.  

The items that we moved represented a lot more than just material goods, they represented definite emotional issues that this person was experiencing.  I feel like it is safe to say that no one wants their home to be completely cluttered and almost impossible to navigate through, but for some reason it can be nearly impossible for some people to simply throw things away.  To be frank, this was as much of a mental and emotional test on our team as it was a laborious one.  What I mean by that is we had to be part movers and junk removal guys, but more importantly we had to be very patient and kind to our client in order to not seem insensitive.  Believe me, after two fifteen hour days of labour in a row, it is not at all easy to be patient.  That being said, we pulled it off, and throughout the entire time we maintained a proper and adequate level of professionalism while moving.  

This article is not meant to be simply an account of what happened at this job, but more of a message to our customers that if you feel like you have someone like the person I’ve described in your social circle, we can help.  This job was a test of our abilities in every capacity, and by then end of it, we realized most importantly that there virtually isn’t any job that is too big or intimidating.  We learned that we can relate to our clients on a deeper level than most, and can work with even the most interesting people when it is necessary.  I hope that if you have a “hoarder” or “pack rat” in your family, that you will not let it go on for too long, and I hope that when you make the decision to alter the course of your life or someone else’, that you call us and let us help.  We would love nothing more than to be a part of your life changing transformation.

JUNK REMOVAL LONDON ONTARIO

April 26th, 2012 - "The Manager- D. "Deadlifts" Powell"
As I ventured off this morning for another day on the job at University Junk Removal, I found several jobs quickly piling up on t he schedule, and couldn’t help but consider myself to be any luckier than to be given the opportunity, day in and day out, to help keep London Ontario stay clutter free. I feel like I’ve been able to do my part in keeping junk removal and waste management as “green” and eco-friendly as possible, by reducing my carbon footprint. At Junk Removal London Ontario,  being able to provide customers with the chance to help students, help their community, and help the environment, there is honestly no greater feeling than waking up in the morning and heading to work!

This morning, one of our first jobs was helping a fellow Western Univeristy student remove leftover furniture from his 14th floor apartment building so he could proceed with his relocation to Toronto. After booking online, and receiving a twenty dollar discount, we arrived to the Oxford St. apartment to lend the customer a hand. For junk removal he had: mattresses, dressers, night stands, coffee tables, and kitchen tables. After a brief, yet informative conversation, we ensured the customer that any and all furniture that was in decent enough shape to be donated, would be brought to one of London’s many donation centers, such as: Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or Habitat for Humanity. At University Junk Removal, not only do we strive to maintain a strong ethical duty to recycle, but also give back to the community from which many of us have taken so much from. Continuing on, we promptly removed all of the contents from the clients apartment and settled up the invoice. The customer was shocked by how much lower our rates were than our competitors, and impressed by our strict policy against using per pound weight charges that many other Londoner’s have sadly fallen victim to. At the satisfaction and delight of the customer, we continued to secure the bin with one of our covers and headed to Goodwill to drop off some of the furniture, and then to TRY Recycling, where we were able to drop the remaining contents off to be recycled.

Next, we prepared ourselves to head to the next job, which happened to be a same day service call. The client had just finished doing some major renovations to her home, and her junk was taking over her garage! After booking online at 7am, she was contacted shortly after by one of our support staff members to explain in more detail how the pricing works, and confirm a removal time for later that morning. We arrived on site shortly after to the amazement of the client. She had a garage full of renovation debris, such as: drywall, toilets, sinks, and cabinetry waiting for us! We hastily removed the debris and thoroughly cleaned the site with a dustpan and broom to ensure that the garage was suitable for use. Once the job was finished I filled out the invoice for the customer, and to her surprise, the price was significantly lower then that which she had expected. The client had received quotes that were through the roof from other junk removal companies, and was pleasantly content to see how fair our rates were.  Furthermore, she was so amazed by our punctuality and efficiency, she immediately wrote a 5-star review on our Google Places page. (http://tinyurl.com/univjunkremoval )
It is little things like that, that make my job at University Junk Removal so fulfilling. To see the appreciation and gratitude that many residents of London, ON show makes it all worthwhile. Being able to provide diligent service to the London community, and give a reliable, eco-friendly alternative to junk removal is apparently very hard to come by these days, but for us at University Junk Removal, it’s just another day on the job!

Junk Removal London Ontario

Recently there was a very windy day here in London Ontario , so windy in fact that trees and fences were blown over by the sheer force of the gusts.  Unfortunately for certain citizens of the London area, this windy catastrophe created some messy situations, but fortunately for us it created some business!  For us here at University Junk Removal, one person’s junk is truly our treasure.  It can be unsettling to a client of ours to wake up the morning after a wind storm only to see a tree cracked in half on the front lawn, or even in some cases, a fence blown over.  Fortunately, our commitment to same day junk and waste removal service means that we were able to answer the call when needed.  No matter what type of rubbish you need removed, at University Junk Removal we are never too busy to show up when you require your waste to be disposed of responsibly and recycled properly.
One of our customers actually had her fence snap at the base and blown in pieces across the back yard, needless to say this was a job that required professionals.  She was able to call us toll free in the morning, and within a couple hours we were at her home ready to remove it.  Within 40 minutes we were able to clean up the entire mess in her backyard and settle the bill at a competitive rate with a senior’s discount! We explained to her how our company is built on the idea of helping university and college students earn a competitive rate of pay, and receive scholarship opportunities.  Another thing about us that she was delighted to hear, is that we always dispose of the junk and waste at eco-friendly recycling yards, instead of wasteful dump yards.  We then proceeded to take the waste away to the recycling yard and made sure it was recycled properly.
Our next job was another same day service call, and this time we were required to clean up an entire yard full of tree branches and various brush.  Within 45 minutes we were able to fill up our entire bin, and even raked the lawn to ensure no remnants of the previous mess.  A brush clean up job is not your average Junk Removal in London Ontario, as the entire contents is biodegradable and is easily disposed of cleanly and effectively.  This being the case, we offered the client a less expensive rate than they were expecting, and as we left the waste removal site, I knew we were all happy.
Finally, our last job of the day was a mulch delivery, we also deliver soil.  We will deliver your gardening needs right to your property, and place the contents wherever it is needed. We want to make sure our customers in London Ontario and surrounding area are being treated fairly, this is why we only charge the actual price of the soil as if you were to purchase it yourself.  We truly believe that being a contributing member of our London community will ensure a strong bond between client and University Junk Removal, and together we help maintain a safe and effective waste/rubbish removal option for people to call upon.

"Moose" K.H.  Manager.

Junk Removal London Ontario Scholarship

Junk Removal London Ontario Scholarship