Investigative Series Part Two: Specific Complaints Against Allied Waste

March 11, 2008

Today, NorthEscambia.com continues our seven part investigative series looking at Allied Waste and their service to the citizens of the North Escambia area. We will take a look at Allied’s service through comments both good and bad from dozens of Allied customers. And we will learn where our representative on the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, Larry Walker, and the ECUA stand on Allied Waste service in North Escambia.

In today’s installment of this series, we will take a look at some specific complaints against Allied Waste from a document obtained by NorthEscambia.com from last month’s meeting of the ECUA. On Wednesday, we’ll have more from the ECUA documents we obtained. On Thursday, we’ll have comments submitted by NorthEscambia.com readers. On Friday, we will take a look at some of the positive comments about Allied’s service. On Saturday, we plan to have a response from Allied Waste officials. On Sunday, we will end the series with a wrap-up and a blog.

Some of the Specific Complaints

In early January, according to the ECUA document obtained by NorthEscambia.com, Walker spoke to four Molino residents about their Allied service. That document indicates the following:

–Bill Cantrell in the 1500 block of Jack’s Branch Road, reported that he was generally dissatisfied with Allied’s service. His container had a broken wheel “for a long time”, and he had made repeated attempts to get Allied to replace the can. But nothing was done after repeated attempts to call Allied, and “he had quit trying”.

–John Baldwin, in the 2700 block of Molino Road, reported that his trash service from Allied is irregular, with pickup times varying wildly from the early morning to early evening. He said the driver puts the cans back down with the automated truck in such a way that the lid is always open, allowing the can to be blown into traffic. He stated that the driver does not take the time to properly dump the can into the truck, causing trash to be spilled onto the ground. He also complained that trash often blows out of the Allied truck as it speeds down the highway.

–C.R. Lowery, in the 1600 block of Highway 196, reported that Allied skipped him twice during the Christmas and New Year holiday weeks, and skipped him again on January 8. He said the container often sat down by the automated truck about three feet away from its original location because the driver accelerates too early. He said the lid on this container is open “85-90% of the time”, and the lid on his container was “torn” in January.

–Leanard Macks, in the 7400 block of Bratt Road, reported that Allied had not picked up his garbage for two full weeks during the holidays. He made several unsuccessful attempt to call Allied before finally reaching a human. A supervisor subsequently picked up his garbage. Macks said that Allied has skipped one pickup, and sometimes two, in every holiday week of the last year. Walker, in his ECUA presentation, said “It appears to be standard operating procedure for Allied to skip Mr. Macks (on a dirt road) in any and all holiday weeks.”

“When Allied skips a Friday pickup and he calls to report it, he is ‘always told’ that a special pickup will be made on Saturday, but ‘it never happens’.” Walker wrote.

– Shannon Hughes, in the 4800 block of Pineville Road, reported that her trash was not picked up during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weeks, and she had been skipped “regularly” during 2007. She said Allied comes “only when they feel like it”.

–Melinda Dagen, in the 3200 block of South Pineville Road, said she had spent up to 30 minutes on hold in an attempt to reach someone at Allied without anyone picking up the call from the automated system. She was contacted by Allied only after ECUA contacted Allied on her behalf.

–Carrie Rickard, in the 5600 block of Chestnut Road, reported that after the Molino tornado damaged her home and blew away her Allied container, she requested a replacement one multiple times over a nine day period. She did not receive a replacement container until after she contacted the ECUA and ECUA contacted Allied on her behalf.

Your Chance to Be Heard

If you would like to add your comments about Allied Waste’s service (good or bad) in North Escambia, email your comments to news@northescambia.com. Please include your name and your address. In our story, will will only use the area in which you live (such as “the 13000 block of Highway 97″) and will not print your name. You can also send photographs of your can to the email address. We will feature NorthEscambia.com reader comments on Thursday.

Also, Larry Walker of the ECUA had requested that NorthEscambia.com readers contact him with their comments, whether good or bad, about Allied Waste by email to lwalker@ecua.org or by phone at 723-6094. Note that emails sent to the ecua.org address would be public record under Florida law (this does not apply to emails sent to the northescambia.com address in the paragraph above).

To read part one of this series from Monday, click here, for background information.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News