ComplaintsforShred-It, a Stericycle Company

• Initial Complaint

  08/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Shred-It made three (3) unauthorized debits totaling $852.26 on 3-20-24 from our California business banking account when only a payment of $16.97 was authorized on 3-19-24. The one authorized payment for $16.97 on 3-19-24 turned into 3 additional illegal debits of $852.26 taken from our banking account on *******. Shred-It benefitted unjustly and their customer service department has shown no concern.I sent Shred-It's customer service it's own confirmation payment documentation dated 3-19-24 showing an authorization for only $16.97, the company has totally ignored my e-mails. The 3-20-24 unauthorized debits from our banking account totaling $852.26 were clearly unauthorized, unapproved, and illegal.We terminated all services with Shred-It on April 9, 2024, demanding a refund of the $852.26 in unauthorized debits or an amount after applying the $16.97 payment we owed as of 3-19-24. In early June 2024, a Shred-It representative reached out to inquire if we wanted the money electronically deposited in our business banking account or by a written check. Due to Shred-It's previous emblazon sense of entitlement to go into our banking account and take unauthorized funds, I elected to receive a paper check. We have since not received a paper check in any amount.Stericycle and Shred-It should not be allowed to do business in ********** if they are allowed to go in to a banking account and take out more than the customer authorized, especially without performing the agreed upon services. Only one authorization for $16.97 was authorized from our banking account, yet Shred-It took a total of $852.26 amongst three unauthorized transactions. It could be a lack in Shred-It's own payment process security combined with the fact the company has no concerns in breach of contract by violating my control of our company's payment information under the ************************ unilaterally used for their own enrichment.

  

  Business response

  08/30/2024

  We have reached out to ****************** and are continuing to work with her on a resolution.

  Customer response

  09/05/2024

   
  Complaint: 22150356
  
  I am rejecting this response because although Stericylce did confirm it was their ****************** error in debiting more than what was authorized (a $16.97 payment authorized vs. Stericylce unauthorized debit of $852.26), they now are trying to justify their mistake.  I asked for our service contract, which they said due to their "new" system, it can not be located.  We are looking to arbitrate or take them for small claims court for taking out over $835.00 in unauthorized payments from our business banking account.

  As a small business we need to trust our vendors.

  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  

  Business response

  09/13/2024

  We are continuing to work with ***************** on the verification and explanation of the account details in her complaint.

• Initial Complaint

  08/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  When I first contacted Shred-It via the online form I needed to destroy 40 years of paperwork from my 97-year-old grandmothers home. ************ contacted me immediately. Since then, I have been unable to reach him (except for one time via email). He was dishonest during our initial call. He asked how my grandmother's documents were stored: I said boxes. He asked how many boxes I had. I replied that I didnt know yet. He said, You can just give me an estimate. Youll only pay for the boxes that are shredded. So I said, Ok, 15. He said it would be $10/box and when the driver came to my house, he would count the boxes & add them into the system. ************ also said he would send a contract and after that, I would be able to schedule a pickup. He quickly sent the contract. Normally I would have scrutinized that contract. But honestly, being a caretaker for a 97-year-old is stressful, so I took ************ at his word. I signed the contract. It was a mistake to trust him. When the driver arrived for pickup, he confirmed he would enter 9 BOXES into his system because that is what I had 9 BOXES. Not the 15 boxes that were estimated during my initial call with ************ who said I WOULD ONLY PAY FOR THE BOXES THAT THE DRIVER COLLECTED! I was shocked to receive a nearly $200 bill! ************ failed to mention all the *************** charged me for all 15 boxes.Ive spoken to several customer service ***** *** even contacted the CEO to try to resolve it to no avail. I understand that a contract was signed. But ************ also engaged in unscrupulous business practices to get a sale. He forced me to give him a number under false pretenses. I would have said a lower number! What I want to see happen: Follow up with ************ to address his misleading sales practices & make good on his verbal agreement that I would only be charged for the boxes that were ultimately shredded. I also want to ensure that no other customer is misled by Shred-It or ********************** sales *****

  

  Business response

  08/13/2024

  We have received this complaint previously from ************** from other avenues and have already advised that no credit is warranted based off the paperwork she signed. We apologize she is not happy with the response she has received on each occasion/escalation she has reached out. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello BBB.There have been repeated attempts to schedule and re-schedule the pick up date for the materials we need shredded. No one shows up. Repeated emails and phone calls go unanswered with no follow-up. Spoke to customer service manager, said it would handled immediately. That was on July 15, 2024. The straw was the automatic draft from our bank account on July 31, for $408.20. In the last email, I communicated giving them 1 week, either to come pick up the material or refund the money by Friday August 9th, 2024. As of Monday August 12, no refund and the materials are still sitting in our office. Thank you for your help in getting this matter resolved. Sincerely,*************************** Accounting Manager DMA Architecture, PLLC ************

  

  Business response

  08/23/2024

  We have been in contact with ******************** and are continuing to work with her on a resolution.

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Company will not get back to me about stopping services. Reasons why I want to stop services:- When we moved locations, I notified them online and over the phone. They proceeded to attempt to show up at the old location and tried to charge me.- They would show up outside of our business hours (which they assured me they wouldn't as long as I had the business hours updated on our profile) and would charge us for them showing up during times we were closed.- They would say that we weren't in the business to pick up and would charge us even though we were inside. - Their terrible use of invoices: they created multiple separate invoices to give me credit because they kept charging me the following month for the credit they gave me. I had 3 invoices that weren't paid, but I had a total of 12 open invoices.- Their inability to get me on automatic payments (I called multiple times to set up automatic payments after my multiple attempts to set it up online failed. Every time I was assured that automatic payments were set up, but they weren't.)- Their inability to ever get back to me (many of my complaints needed to be escalated and I would be promised an email back [my preferred method of communication] and I would only ever get my issues resolved by calling back multiple times)- I was on hold for an hour waiting to be transferred to the retention team recently and ended up hanging up and calling back. When I mentioned that I had previously been on hold for an hour and was frustrated, their customer service person told me that I hadn't been on hold for an hour because they had a policy to offer call backs for those on hold for more than 10 minutes.- I was promised an email back in 2 business days from their retention team the second time I called. There has been no email or call from them at all and it has been a month.I am frustrated and it's like pulling teeth to get any sort of help. This is my last resort to try to end services with them.

  

  Business response

  08/21/2024

  We have been in contact with ****************** and are continuing to work with her on a resolution.

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have been using ShredIt for secure information disposal at our small medical clinic. A few weeks ago, they charged us a higher amount than what was agreed to in the contract. After fighting them about this, they issued a credit to our account but have not refunded the amount back to our credit card like we have asked for them to do multiple times now. Then, they incorrectly double charged our credit card for our most recent pickup service ($172.82) and when we sent them proof of the double charge from our credit card company, they denied receiving both payments and kept stating they only received one and that no refund was due to us (despite us being liable for both charges to our credit card company). After fighting them on both of these inaccurate charges (which both have violated our contract with them due to the amounts being more than we agreed to in the contract), we requested that they cancel the contract entirely because we no longer wish to do business with a company that does things like this, where we have to continuously monitor our credit card for inaccurate charges. They are now saying that if they cancel our contract, we will be responsible for paying incredibly high early termination fees. We just want our refunds from them and to no longer do business with them (and rightfully so after all they have done). We are a small business. Please assist us with getting this contract with them cancelled without any penalties/early termination fees and for us to get our refunds back. Thank you very much. Pioneer Medical Clinics PLLC.

  

  Business response

  08/21/2024

  We have been in contact with ******************** and are continuing to work with her on a resolution.

  Customer response

  08/23/2024

   
  Complaint: 22113236
  
  I am rejecting this response because: ShredIt was scheduled to come pick up their container today (it is completely empty, so we just need them to come get the container). I reached out to them multiple times via email to confirm they would definitely be coming today to get the container. We were open all day today during our normal business hours as noted on our customer portal for them, and had a staff member at the front desk all day today expecting them to come. ShredIt never showed up. We even had a staff member wait an extra *********************************** case they showed up late, but nobody ever showed up. I am incredibly upset and frustrated right now. But am not surprised at all, as this is the unprofessional behavior we have been experiencing with ShredIt since we first began doing business with them. I just want to be rid of this container and done dealing with Shredit entirely. Please have someone come get this container.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

  

  Business response

  08/27/2024

  We have worked with ******************** and have resolved the complaint. The issue has been escalated to leadership to review the process and coach the team.

• Initial Complaint

  08/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Signed a contract to have paper shredded. Spoke with ****, who explained it would in $195 minimum charge with included the first 10 boxes and then $7.17 every box after. Had a total of 56 boxes, 46 charged at $7.17 with the total would be $542.82. I agreed to that. They picked up everything on 7/10/24. I then receive a bill for $694.85. When I spoke to a rep and said I knew nothing about the Recycling recovery surcharge ($75.57) Fuel Surcharge ($73.47) or the Enviromental surcharge ($20.99) they said there is a table with those charges. I looked at the whole contract they sent me and I don't see any thing that shows these fees. I have attached a copy of the invoice and my emails and responses from them regarding my concern.

  

  Business response

  08/12/2024

  We have been in contact with ************ have resolved her complaint. Ms. ***************** has been escalated to leadership to review process and coach the team.

  Customer response

  08/12/2024

   
  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

  07/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Our contract ends August 2024. We sent them a letter to the address listed on the contract. The address was undeliverable. I have called them several times to ensure that they do not renew the contract. I have never received a call back. I called this May 13, 2024 and did not get a call back.. Today I received a bill for August and called, they did not have a note that i have requested them to not renew my contract. I need them to pick up the container and void the August 2024 bill.

  

  Business response

  08/12/2024

  We have been in contact with *********************** and have resolved her complaint.

  Customer response

  08/12/2024

   
  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.  They have agreed to not auto renew our contact and cancel is on the day it was set to expire. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **********************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The ShredIt contract was established in 2020 under **** Insurance. **** was dissolved in 2022. At some point the "contract" was changed to ***************** Advisors (different LLC/Ownership from ****). When we called to cancel this contract, we were told that ***************** Advisors would have to pay a cancellation fee because this is a 5 year contract. I was advised to log in once per month and cancel the pick *** that are scheduled. I have done that however they still continue to bill me for a pick up that did not happen. I have asked numerous times to be sent the ***************** Advisors contract however they continue to send me the **** contract. I have reached out to customer relations multiple times with no responses back. I simply want the $151.42 balance wiped from this account and the bin picked up/cancelled account. (Note: we have tried to have the bin picked up in the past however they didn't show up. There is not anyone at the office regularly, this must be scheduled and they need to show up on time.) I have much more documentation if something specific is needed. Thank you!

  

  Business response

  07/31/2024

  We have been in contact with ******************** and have resolved her complaint.

  Customer response

  08/01/2024

   
  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

  07/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I entered a contract with Shred-It/Stericycle on 10/12/23 for a one-time service for a bin for shredding confidential documents. The bin was delivered, and I was charged a delivery fee of $230.00 via reference document ********** and bind code D000734785, which was billed on 10/27/23 via invoice #**********. I signed for this delivery. I paid this invoice via check #**** on 11/13/23, which cleared the bank on 11/27/23. We requested to have the bin picked up for shredding and had another bin dropped off. This was done on 11/06/23 via reference document ********** with container barcode D000734785. I was billed for the shred service and the new tote delivery on 11/17/23 via invoice #**********. This invoice was paid via electronic ACH on 11/22/23. This invoice covered the charge for the second bin, $230, and shred and service charges of $82.57. I made the first attempt to pick up the shred bin by contacting our representative, ***********************, via email on 05/20/24. I specified that we were done with our service and wanted the bin picked up.I also called ************** via his direct line and spoke with him about having the pick-up completed. When the bin had still not been scheduled for pick-up, I contacted Stericycle's main line at the end of June. The bin was picked up on 06/27/24 via reference document **********. At this time, a third bin was left, which was not requested, and *********************** signed for the bin, not knowing they weren't supposed to leave the bin. ***** works in the building but needs to work for United Way. I have been invoiced for $304.52, which includes the shred service of $74.52 and the bin of $230. I have spoken with customer service and sent emails without resolution. I do not owe $230 as I did not request the last bin and cannot get a response from them. My last email included all documents to show why I'm requesting a correction. My last email to them was sent on 07/16/24.

  

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  We have been in contact with ************ have resolved her complaint. Ms. ***************** has been escalated to leadership to review process and coach the team.

• Initial Complaint

  07/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been calling and emailing this company since May 16 to cancel our account. After multiple phone calls and multiple emails I have never heard from my "account manager" that is supposed to be able to assist me. I have now received two subsequent bills from this company that I do not plan to pay because they are erroneous as they were generated after my first call and emails requesting cancellation.

  

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  We have been in contact with ****************** have resolved her complaint. Ms. *******'s issue has been escalated to leadership to review process and coach the team.

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