Five Signs Waste Haulers Are Misleading You

Many business and commercial property owners think they are stuck paying whatever it costs for waste haulers. They might be in an area where there are only one or two different haulers. Others might have more options but don’t know what to do, so they just stick with the same terrible hauler.

Sadly, most waste haulers believe they have you at their mercy. They can raise prices, charge you additional fees, write contracts that favor them, and provide terrible service—and there is nothing you can do.

Fortunately, there are innovative waste management solutions available which will even the playing field. Before we get to those solutions, let’s look at the five signs waste haulers are taking advantage of you.

Sign #1: Prices Increase Without Warning

Haulers typically raise prices without any advanced notification. Your only indication there has been an increase is when you get your bill and see that the price increased. When you call to question the increase, you are told it went into effect on such-and-such a date.

Some haulers will even back-date price increases to previously billed periods, so you could end up paying for a debt you don’t really owe. We know this is not right, but this practice is very common with many waste hauling companies.

Sign #2: Passing Along Operating Costs in the Form of Fees

An unsavory business practice that haulers utilize is passing along as much of their operating costs as they can. They do this by tacking on a host of additional fees to your bill. The added fees typically include:

• Fuel Charges
• Environmental Charges
• Administrative Charges
• Cost Recovery Charges

Haulers know that their commercial customers do not realize they can limit these fees by including limitations in their contracts.

Sign #3: Contracts Auto-Renew Without Any Notification

Another tactic waste hauling companies use is to put terms in your contract that it will auto-renew without any notification whatsoever. They won’t call or send you a reminder your contract is up for renewal. It is up to you to know when it will renew.

By the time you remember to check it, most of the time the contract has already renewed because the renewal period is well in advance of the end of the contract. They also deliberately make it very difficult to cancel the contract by requiring you to notify them by certified mail within a specific time frame before the contract renews.

Sign #4: Your Hauler Doesn’t Care About Customer Service

Bad customer service gives a waste hauler an unfair advantage over you by making it almost impossible for you to get issues resolved. They show up when they want to collect trash. If trash falls out of the dumpster and on the ground, they leave it for you to clean up. They may even skip scheduled pickups without any warning, leaving you paying far more than you should for extremely disappointing services.

Sign #5: Contract Terms Are Written in the Waste Hauler’s Favor

Waste haulers deliberately ensure the terms of contracts are written in their favor. They will include wording that gives them the right to skip pickups if the dumpster isn’t full. They could have provisions that, if they need to make a special trip because they forgot your scheduled pickup, you are charged for the extra trip—and so on.

If these five signs sound familiar to you, then isn’t it time to do something about it? The best way to even the playing field is with help from an experienced waste broker and professional waste brokerage services.

Waste management brokers know all the tricks haulers use and how to negotiate contracts with favorable terms on your behalf, and they can help reduce your waste management costs. To find out more and to request a free consultation with one of our brokers, call Global Trash Solutions at 866-760-8194 today!