Minnesota Attorney General's Office launches investigation into College Hunks Shoreview following WCCO investigation
The Minnesota Attorney General's Office wants answers from a hauling and moving company following a WCCO investigation.
In August, a family said they paid the College Hunks Hauling Junk Shoreview location to have their items donated. Instead, the truck load full of furniture, toys and gently used clothing ended up at the dump. Now the State Attorney General's Office is looking into alleged deception and misrepresentation in its business practices.
"What they do is they give their customers the impression that if you let us take your stuff away, it's not just going to end up in a landfill. Well, that did not hold up," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said.
The family says they hired the Shoreview franchise of College Hunks Hauling Junk because of the promise on the website to donate or recycle 70% of what's picked up.
"If you look at their website, they pride themselves in repurposing, recycling or giving things a second life before they take anything to the dump," the family said.
Soon after the pickup, they started to regret donating some sentimental items. By then, they learned it was too late.
"And that's when he told me it was all gone. He said it's all at the dump," the family said.
The disposal of their carefully saved items was devastating. They hoped it would be donated to one of the partners advertised on the website. Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity ReStore told WCCO they don't have a partnership with the company.
"I'll say to any hauler, anybody who holds themselves out this way, that make sure that your representations are demonstrable and provable. If not, you could be violating Minnesota laws as it relates to advertising, as it relates to consumer protection," Ellison said.
In August, College Hunks Shoreview franchise owner Ryan Spille responded to claims that the items meant for donation were junked.
"If our guys are, like, actually dumping stuff that's in good condition. I mean, that, like, immediately horrifies me. I'm like, 'No, that can't happen,'" Spille told WCCO in August.
A response he sent to the attorney general's office days later contradicts that, saying in part, "We did not agree to provide a donation pick-up service... Our business is a junk hauling service, as our name indicates. Customers hire us to remove unwanted items from their homes. What happens to those items afterward — whether donated, recycled, or disposed of — is at our discretion."
"There's a three-letter word associated saying one thing and then saying another. It starts with an 'L,' and it does not bode well for the person who does that," Ellison said.
Ellison says his office takes consumer protection seriously — and so should businesses.
"When you say 70% is donated or recycled, you're going to have to show that that's true. And so look, we're investigating this matter. We're going to get to the bottom of what happened. If we find there's substantial evidence of violation, there'll be accountability," Ellison said.
WCCO reached out to College Hunks Shoreview for comment and has not heard back.
"We're very encouraged that the Minnesota Attorney General's Office has opened an investigation into College Hunk's practices," the family told WCCO in a statement. "This investigation isn't just about our family; it's about protecting consumers across Minnesota and making sure people can trust what they're being told. Families choose College Hunks and pay a premium because they believe they're doing something good for the community and the environment. If that trust is being broken, it's important that regulators step in. We appreciate WCCO's role in bringing attention to this issue, and we hope others who've had similar experiences - or suspect their donations were dumped - will come forward so the Attorney General's Office has a complete picture of what's happening."
If you think something similar has happened to you, the Minnesota Attorney General's Office wants to hear from you. You can call 651-296-3353 or fill out a complaint online.