Forum Topic

Skip Hire Company Experience

I'm not recommending or warning... you can make your own mind up.I had a ring around for an 8 yard skip on LBE licensed skip hire companies.By far the cheapest was PINKLEAFI booked a skip on the Friday to arrive first drop on the following Tuesday (they said allow 48 hours to spin permit around)Booked my labour in to kick off Tuesday and they began digging.Chased PINKLEAF up at 10.00am as no sign of skip -- they confirmed "on it's way"At 11.00am another chase to PINKLEAF.. "the driver is just having his tacheometer break around the corner from you - be there in 15 mins"So at 1.30pm yet another call.. got the classic "wagon has broken down"... could only laugh!!!3.00pm just for devilment we rang again and said look we've now got 4 blokes standing idle... "be there in an hour, if not it'll arrive tomorrow morning"So onto Wednesday. Rang PINKLEAF at 9.00am to ask what time today because the lads are back on site and cant do anything else until rubble cleared..... "there's no permit for that skip yet, we only applied for it yesterday - do our best to get you a skip tomorrow"Thursday.. no skipFriday.. no skipSaturday.. no skipSunday.. no skip (but we went to church to pray for one)Monday - we chased again and same old tired excuses as week before.Then on the Tuesday, a whole week later than promised, PINKLEAF delivered a skip!!! But they were just teasing us... the driver refused to drop it as he wanted a cash payment.. even though we'd paid up front on a debit card (believe me if we hadn't we'd been off elsewhere!!!). Finally he spoke with the office and dropped the holy grail.So we used the skip for a week and a half and I asked last Friday morning for the skip to be collected ASAP..PINKLEAF confirmed they'd try and collect the next day but more likely Monday.. fine I said but please ensure Monday as I didnt want the collection experience to be the same as the delivery. "No problem" said PINKLEAF.So here I sit on Friday evening after ringing PINKLEAF this morning and giving them what for about having a skip still on the road a week after asking for it to be collected and guess what? I still have a skip from PINKLEAF on the road taking up a precious parking space and attracting daily attention from do as you likeys and potential fly tippers.Despite PINKLEAF assuring me there "no problem - definitely collected today" or, as I said to her, just trying to get me off the phone.So that's my experience of PINKLEAF skips... God how I wished I'd stuck with Gowing & Pursey who've given me excellent service over the years.I'm not endorsing any Company or telling you who not to use in LB of Ealing, I'm merely giving you factual tale of my experience.I've not hired a skip since LBE changed the permit regime to make it the hire companies responsibility to get the permit. I'm not happy as it takes something out of your control and once you've committed with a company to get your permit your basically stuck as I see it.I did tell PINKLEAF I'd get onto the Council about this but I'm not sure it'll count for anything. The monthly permit does however run out next week so I'm toying with the idea of blocking the skip in and then reporting it so a fine gets issued but I'm not that small minded -- I just want this skip off the road!!!!Enter joke of your choice about "rubbish service"

Colin Goodman ● 4261d9 Comments

https://www.gov.uk/skip-operator-licencehttps://www.gov.uk/waste-carrier-or-broker-registrationYou can search the Environment Agency website to check that your waste carrier is registered to carry waste.http://epr.environment-agency.gov.uk/ePRInternet/SearchRegisters.aspx

Philippa Bond ● 4256d

I think perhaps you should have googled Pinkleaf too.

Philippa Bond ● 4257d

If only there was a Skip Advisor website!I believe that Hippobags are a good solution if you don't want to go the skip route. I've heard good things about them.

Philippa Bond ● 4257d

I've used Gowing and Pursey several times, not the cheapest, but minimum grief.General point: I believe that lorries (including skip lorries) are prohibited from driving on pavements.  Yeah, yeah,I know they all do it. Blocks of wood under the lorry hydraulic jacks are a must.

Andy Horridge ● 4257d

Update....Had a day off yesterday and I was glad to be awoken by the playful clank of lifting chains on metal outside my house at 7.23am. Whether the rest of my neighbours were remains to be seen.The driver knocked on the door merely to ask if I "wanted to remove the cover" which was my tarpaulin I'd put on to try and stop fly tippers."Just take it man, and never darken my door again"So there end's my all to brief affair with PINKLEAF... I'd love to say I shall miss them, my skip which was growing roots outside and, last but not least, their staff who are strangers from the truth. I'd love to say it but I wont so can't.Farewell PINKLEAF

Colin Goodman ● 4257d

I agree that they often drive over the pavements and cause a lot of damage which can make the pavements dangerous for anybody with reduced mobility.  Sarah Felstead demonstrated this with her wonderful photo documentary of pavements, skips and most importantly of her ?mother-in-law who had a fall.I wish more care had to be taken.  I can understand the regulation because of the need to try and avoid the complete and utter cowboys who choose this trade.  I was interested to read LBH&F's regulations re skips recently.

Philippa Bond ● 4257d

There's something else about skip hire which annoys and disturbs me - and that is the damage caused when heavy skip delivery lorries cracking and breaking the pavements(often newly laid) as they reverse into someone's driveway. Being a walker with a slight disability, the uneven pavements are an added hazard.

Gerry Tan ● 4260d

To be totally honest (and maybe I'm reading too much between the lines?) it does sound JUST A LITTLE like a warning!

David Bourne ● 4260d

Guess the old maxim of 'you get what you pay for' is well proven by this. I've only ever hired two skips, both from Gowing and Pursey and both were collected and delivered on time. A salutary tale Colin

Nigel Brooks ● 4261d