A few weeks ago we wrote about a homeowner who got sued by a worker from an uninsured junk removal company. That story landed hard with a lot of you — and the question that kept coming back was: "How do I know who to actually trust?"
Fair question. Here's the answer in five questions. Ask any junk hauler these before they pull into your driveway. It takes 90 seconds. It's the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy.
1. Can you send me a current Certificate of Insurance?
A real, working junk removal company carries three policies: general liability (for your property), commercial auto (for the truck), and workers' compensation (for the crew).
You don't need them to explain it. You need them to send you the COI — Certificate of Insurance — that shows all three are active. A legit operator can email it in five minutes. A sketchy one will dodge, deflect, or send you a screenshot of expired coverage.
The bad answer: "Yeah we're insured, don't worry about it."
The good answer: "Sure — what's your email? I'll send it over right now."
2. Will you give me the exact price BEFORE you start loading?
Junk removal pricing should be volume-based: how much space your stuff takes up in the truck. A real company looks at the pile, quotes you a number, and that number doesn't change unless the pile changes.
Watch out for "starting at" pricing in ads. That's almost always a trap — the lowball number gets you the appointment, then the price goes up once the crew is already standing in your garage. Watch out also for "we'll send the bill after" or "we'll charge by weight at the dump." Both of those mean you find out the price after the leverage is gone.
The bad answer: "We'll figure it out when we get there." or "Starts at $99."
The good answer: "We'll tell you the exact price before we touch a thing. If it works, we knock it out. If it doesn't, we leave — no charge."
3. Are your trucks marked with the company name?
This one sounds small. It isn't. A marked truck means there's a real, accountable business behind the operation. An unmarked pickup means the same guy could be hauling junk this week and disappearing next week, and you'd have no way to find him.
Marked trucks also mean the operator wants to be visible in the community. That's the opposite of a fly-by-night.
The bad answer: "We've got a few different trucks." (vague)
The good answer: Sends you a photo of the truck with the company name and logo on the side.
4. Who actually shows up — and is the person on the phone the owner or a call center?
Half the "local junk removal" results on Google are not local. They're national lead-generation companies that auction your call to whoever bids highest, or franchises that subcontract the actual work to whoever happens to be in your area that day.
Neither of those is who you want in your driveway. You want someone with skin in the game. Ideally, an owner-operator whose name is on the truck and whose phone you can call directly if something goes wrong.
The bad answer: "Our service partner will be in touch to schedule." (lead-gen)
The good answer: "I'm the owner. I'll be the one running the schedule. Here's my crew."
5. What's your real business address?
Not a P.O. box. Not "we serve all of Los Angeles." A real, physical business address.
This matters because if something goes wrong — damage to your property, a complaint, a billing dispute — you need to know where to find the business. Companies without a real address tend to also not have real insurance, real payroll, or real intention to be around in six months.
You can verify the address in 10 seconds on Google Maps. Type it in. See if the building exists. See if the company's sign is on it. See if the reviews of that physical location line up with the reviews of the website.
The bad answer: "We're mobile — we don't have an office." (no accountability)
The good answer: A real street address, in your service area, that you can find on a map.
The 90-second rule
If you can't get clean answers to those five questions in a 90-second phone call, hang up and call someone else. The companies worth hiring will appreciate that you're being careful. The ones that resent the questions are the ones you didn't want to hire anyway.
The STUFF answers
For the record, here's how STUFF answers all five:
1. COI: Yes, all three policies, send it on request.
2. Exact price: Volume-based, told to you before we start, no obligation.
3. Marked trucks: Three of them. STUFF orange. You'll see us coming.
4. Who shows up: Owner-operated. Scott Patterson runs it, trains the crew, and stands behind every job.
5. Business address: Agoura Hills, CA. Real address. Real building. Real local business.
Want a no-obligation quote? Call 805-427-8833 or request one on the site.
STUFF. Gone.
