Dear Garbage Company: I’m Moving On
I honestly laughed out loud when I read the letter from my garbage disposal provider. They were writing to me to offer me a deal in which I would commit to continue to use their service for the next year, and in return they would not raise my rates for the same term. My wife asked me what I was laughing at, but I only chuckled louder as I read it again.
Image courtesy of vectorolie at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
This is not the first time they’ve extended this offer.
Previously they offered the same offer, except with a two year term. I jumped on the opportunity by signing the paperwork and sending it back immediately. What wasn’t to like about the offer? At a time when prices for seemingly everything were going up, having the assurance that my garbage bill would stay constant for two years seemed like the right choice. It would have been great, had my bill actually stayed the same.
My garbage bill has risen 30% over the last two years.
I can sense the puzzled look on your face. You’re wondering, “If they committed to not increasing your rates for two years, how did your bill go up?†That’s a great question, and one that deserves an answer. I called them at one point to get that very answer.
They directed my attention to the line on my bill that said “60 Gallon Refuse Disposal.†The amount listed was the same as it had been when I entered into the two year contract. What had changed was the addition of new surcharges, and the increasing of existing ones. That didn’t matter to them, as they kept repeating that the fee charged for the base service had not changed.
You have to admire their creativity.
After I hung up the phone, I vowed to change my garbage pickup provider as soon as my contract was over. Unfortunately, I had forgotten about the incident. Until, that is, they so graciously reminded me that my contract had expired with their most recent letter. I ripped up their letter with one last giggle, and wrote “Find new garbage service,†on my to-do list.
I don’t think my budget can handle another year of their rates staying the same.
Brought to you courtesy of Brock
Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.
Cable and phone companies are notorious for this. I feel for you though. When we moved into our home, the rates for garbage were ridiculous, but the city contracted a city-wide garbage pickup that lowered our rates about 45%, and they’ve stayed that low for the last five years, which is great.
Interesting – in Canada (or in my province, anyway) we don’t have to pay for garbage disposal. Our municipalities either pick it up or hire a company to do the deed using our tax money. Then again, our taxes are higher than yours are. Anyway, that’s insane. Shady company practices!
@MoneyBeagle – I wish my city would do something similar. I’ll be starting my search for a cheaper service in the next few days….it’ll be interesting to see what I find.
@PrairieEcoThrifter – In some ways I wish that would be the case in the US too….on the other hand, government is notorious for being wasteful. I’m not sure I like not knowing how much I’m paying for my garbage service. Thanks for your comment!
I live in a small-ish city in upstate New York where the garbage service is part of the taxes. You’d think that would be a GOOD thing, but our taxes are so high, you’d think we owned a half million dollar house! I’ve seen homes in other areas that are 5 times the price of ours with half the taxes. I can’t wait to move out of the city again, but I don’t relish the thought of dealing with garbage companies again. I feel for ya! They get ya coming AND going!
@Kay – I’ve heard from multiple people how expensive the taxes are in big cities……location, location, location, right? I live in a small city in the rural Midwest, so relatively speaking our taxes are pretty low.