Letters to the Editor: Price increases for mediocre service

Here are the letters to the editor for Saturday, September 20, 2022, in Sebastian, Florida. You can submit letters by sending an email to info@sebastiandaily.com.

This week, we’ve received numerous letters about the pay increase for Waste Management services. Here’s one of those letters.

Waste Management Price Increase

As a former business leader, one thing we learned in management is that you do not reward poor performance. Therefore, the incentive to do better is not encouraged when you provide pay increases for mediocre service.

This is exactly what the Sebastian City Council did by passing the cost increase for our rubbish collection with Waste Management. Their name says it all! 

Not only have they repeatedly missed pickups, but even their website indicated one pickup schedule, but the trucks never showed. When my husband called, he was told by Mr. Pichard a completely different pickup schedule from that posted on their website. To top it off, our pickup was late 2 days last week and this week we have not had any garbage pickup.

The excuses of Covid, no employees, and training new employees are old and no longer valid. This is a complete breakdown in management. It is clear that WM has decided that its customers in other parts of our county are more important than the citizens of Sebastian. I bet John’s Island isn’t missing pickups!

Waste Management wasted no time sending us an email informing us that their new costs are effective immediately; yet, they can’t even notify us as to when we might get the service we are already paying too much.

Frankly, I have never seen someone with such poor performance be rewarded with such an exorbitant increase. Our City Council needs to grow some kahunas and should have voted NO since Waste Management is failing to fulfill their existing contractual levels of service. 

Cost increases should be re-negotiated when the contract is up for renewal. Otherwise, the agreed and binding contract costs should continue to be applied until end of said contract.

We will be terminating our association with Waste Management effective at the end of this quarter. We will not be held hostage; and until such time that the level of service meets the contracted services promised, we will make other arrangements and sayve the $43/qtr.

City Council DO YOUR JOB! DEMAND Waste Management complete their contract as signed or find another service provider.  Remember: Election Day is just around the corner, and we know our votes DO COUNT!

Stand up for what’s right,

Donna and Mike Zappala
Sebastian