199 Dumpster Rental - Is it Legit?

If you have searched for a "dumpster rental near me" in the last 6 months or so, you may have seen an ad for a 199 dumpster rental. We have seen the same ad showing up in multiple cities recently. To an experienced dumpster rental company (like Trash Daddy Dumpsters), this ad stood out to us because the price is VERY low for any roll-off dumpster service anywhere in the country.

We are not going to make any claims about the specific company (or companies) who are behind these ads. We are not familiar with those specific companies. However, we wrote this article to let everyone reading it know that any price anywhere in the country less than $300 for a roll-off dumpster rental is VERY uncommon. And, you should carefully scrutinize any company offering such low prices.

Is a 199 dumpster rental price legit?

Bottom line, probably not. Our team at Trash Daddy Dumpsters is not aware of any dumpster rental prices that low anywhere in the country, and we have been in the dumpster rental business over 15 years. Take a look at the video we made about this topic:

That doesn't necessarily mean that the company behind this kind of ad is a scam. It could mean that the HAUL price is $199 and you pay for the tonnage (the total weight of the dumpster) separately. If this were the case, it wouldn't be a scam, but at the very least it is incredibly misleading. Under this scenario, while the price of the haul may be $199, your ultimate cost will be considerably more - typically closer to $500, or more. Keep this in mind if you see these ads!

The dumpster rental scam - what to watch for

While it could be possible a company offering a very low price (let's say $200 or less) is not a scam, we know that some of them definitely are scams. We say this because we have seen it and have evidence of this. The scam goes like this:

The company places ads online offering dumpster rental services. When you click on the ad, you go to a website (which often looks very generic). It will either state the price, or tell you to call for a price. The price is VERY low - usually $200 to $300, or somewhere in that range. The scammers take advantage of customers by making them think they have lower dumpster rental prices than anyone else. They take your credit card information and service address and charge your card. They normally will also email you an invoice to make themselves appear legit.

Then, the scam company will reach out to an actual dumpster rental company. They provide that company with fake information - a fake customer name, fake phone number and fake email. They do provide the correct service address so the dumpster can be delivered. Next they provide a stolen credit card number for payment. When the card is run, it clears, and the dumpster is delivered. A week or two later, the credit card charge is disputed, and the scammer keeps the money they charged and never had to pay for the service.

It's important to note that not every dumpster rental company offering very cheap prices is a scam. We just want everyone to keep in mind that if something seems too good to be true, sometimes it is. And the fact is that in the last few years the number of dumpster rental companies you can find online has increased exponentially. But, many of them aren't "companies" at all. Many are just one or two people with no dumpster rental experience, some are leads providers, and some of them are the same company using different names.

How to find a legit dumpster rental company

We mentioned that in the last 5 years the number of dumpster rental companies online has grown exponentially. If you search on Google for "dumpster rental near me", you'll see a huge list of companies. Out of all the companies listed, many will be legit dumpster rental companies, but some may not be. Below are a few suggestions to help you find a legitimate dumpster rental company.

Review their internet presence

A good way to know if a dumpster rental company, or any company, is legit is to look at their internet presence. Specifically:

• Look at their website domain name. It is an actual domain, or a temporary domain. For example, our website is https://trashdaddydumpsters.com. This is a "true" domain. A temporary domain is a website name that is assigned to a new website, like http://joessampledumpsters.go-daddysites.com.
• Look at their local business listing (if they have one). Legit local services businesses, like dumpster rental companies (or plumbers, HVAC companies, etc.), will almost always have a local business listing. On Google this is called a Google Business Profile. This is the location that services the local area. It will have general information, pictures, and most importantly customer reviews.
• Look at their email address. Just like the domain, is it a permanent, professional email? Or is it a temporary or personal email? For example, our main email is info@trashdaddydumpsters.com. If a business lists an email like this: dumpster3456@icloud.com, it should raise a red flag in your mind.

Check the price

The average price for a roll-off dumpster rental in most parts of the country ranges from $450 to $600. Of course this is very general, and several things affect the price like the dumpster size, the rental period, and ultimately the final weight. But this gives you a general idea. If you come across a company offering dumpster rentals for around $200, you should be highly skeptical. That is almost half the price of what a typical dumpster costs, and there is almost always a "catch", assuming it's not an outright scam.

Check their "about us" page

One of the very BEST ways to know you are dealing with a legit company is to look at their "about us" or "our story" page. Personally, if I'm doing business with someone online, I want to know who I'm dealing with and know they are real people.

• Does the page have a lot of pictures of real people? Or are they "stock" photos? You can usually tell the difference.
• Does it explain their experience in the industry?
• Does it provide contact information for specific individuals?

Here is an example of a real picture - Gia at Trash Daddy.

Here is an example of a stock photo.

It's surprising how many companies online have a very generic, plain bio page. But, this is one of the easiest ways to know if you are dealing with a legit company or not.

Is a 199 dumpster rental a real thing? Final thoughts.

It's very unlikely that you can get a 199 dumpster rental for a total cost of $199. As we mentioned, we know for a fact some of these are scams. But, even if it is a legit company, they are almost certainly neglecting to mention the total costs that you will pay in the end. With all the dumpster rental company choices you see online today, we hope this article helps to find a legitimate dumpster rental company.

At Trash Daddy Dumpster Rentals, we have been in the roll-off business for over 15 years. We have a variety of service area cities, and if you are in one and need a roll-off dumpster, we would love to hear from you! Thanks for reading. 👍