Dublin City Council - Bin Collection Privatised/Greyhound Megathread

Chris_Heilong

jos28 wrote: »

Good points Babyscoffee. Just realised too that the weights of my old Greyhound bins were high because I only left it out once a month. With CB I will be putting the bin out every fortnight and that would obviously be lighter.

but is the 25kg/45kg a monthly weight limit or per lift?

nudger

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

but is the 25kg/45kg a monthly weight limit or per lift?

With CB for €15 you will have a monthly allowance of 42kg gray bin over 2 lifts, 30 cent a kilo after that.

The green and brown bins are free.

So €180 a year + the extra weight.

In the email they say they won't be too strict and there is no yearly contract.

CarefulNow!

Was all set to dump greyh until I seen prices, 15.50 no weight restrictions or add ons pm. Cityb have made me weary with weight limits now

scholes

BabysCoffee wrote: »

I will never go back to Greyhound,

They make it so difficult to leave at the end of the contract that is one of the issues I have with them. Who knows how much they will charge to collect the bins if you want to finish up with them at the end of the year.

I also find city bin staff way more approachable and friendly.

I totally agree, I don't want to go back to greyhound either I was all on for staying with city bin, their service and staff are magnificent. If it was 15 euro a month all in but this new weight charge has made me think of leaving and unfortunately other people I know feel the same way. It's a shame:(

lensman

I'm on a €20 per month basis with oxygen, no standing charge, no weight limit & no contract, black & green bins collected at same time every fortnight,.....& I make sure my black bin is creaking under the weight every time I leave it out ;-)

msg11

If the government really gave a **** about the environment like they say ! They should do an incentive the more KG of recyclable materiel you put out the less you pay.

TM

Reduce, reuse and only then recycle...

Nate--IRL--

City bin are now charging me €225 (approx) for the year WTF!? That's some hike!

Any other options out there?

Nate

BabysCoffee

Nate--IRL-- wrote: »

City bin are now charging me €225 (approx) for the year WTF!? That's some hike!

Any other options out there?

Nate

Holey Moley!

They are charging me €140 for the year. But I throw out very little waste and do a lot of recycling.

What weight are your bins??? How many people are living in your house?

Meauldsegosha

Nate--IRL-- wrote: »

City bin are now charging me €225 (approx) for the year WTF!? That's some hike!

Any other options out there?

Nate

That's some hike. My new charge with them is €12 per month for all bins, unlimited lifts.

Paddytheman

So we've been using Thorntons for the past year and based on a couple living in a house with a back garden(compost bin) our charges were as below:

General Waste: Feb/July/Nov (averaging 38kg per lift) @€;9.00 = €27.00
Compost Bin: Jan/May/July (averaging 70kg per lift) @€;4.50 = €13.50
Green Bin: Every 2 weeks(averaging 10kg per lift) @ Free
Annual Charge: Every January = €50.00
Total = €100.00
Minus 3% discount for online payment TOTAL= €97.00

Basically we're pretty good with recycling and it obviously makes a difference to have a specific bin for this in your kitchen. Seeing that the green bin is emptied every two weeks if we were only using the black bin our charge would have increased by €216 for the year to over €300. Simples....

Nate--IRL--

OK, I have to admit I was incorrect, I was part charged for this month and I extrapolated out of that. There are 2 plans seemingly, €150 if you keep you black bin under 25kg and €180 for up to 42kgs. €150 doesn't sound too bad.

Nate

nudger

Nate--IRL-- wrote: »

OK, I have to admit I was incorrect, I was part charged for this month and I extrapolated out of that. There are 2 plans seemingly, €150 if you keep you black bin under 25kg and €180 for up to 42kgs. €150 doesn't sound too bad.

Nate

Think that's for once a month, I'm on the twice a month deal and that's 42kg + around 0.30 cent per kilo after that.

My name is Mud

Hello,

Having problems with Greyhound myself. The most incompetent company I have come across.

Im in fairview, and this is the second time in 10 weeks that greyhound refused to collect my black bin. Account is in credit and is on automatic top up.

So the customer care guy tells me that they will come to collect my bin "sometime between Monday and Wednesday", and to leave the bin in the garden. Usually my bin lives out the back lane and we are in a terraced house, so now I have to bring it through the lane, around the side street, and wedge it into my tiny front garden. All while waiting for passing randomers to throw rubbish in my bin.

So if I try to get out, im gonna be hit with a €40 charge? Or is there a way to get out of that?

Whats the story with City Bin? Same crap, different company, or what?

Andrew Campbell

I've had no cause to complain about city bins yet...with them nearly a year

BabysCoffee

Andrew Campbell wrote: »

I've had no cause to complain about city bins yet...with them nearly a year

I'm with City Bin over a year and have only got good things to say about them

JuliusCaesar

My name is Mud wrote: »

Having problems with Greyhound myself. The most incompetent company I have come across.

So if I try to get out, im gonna be hit with a €40 charge? Or is there a way to get out of that?

Greyhound is a crappy company. I've just been searching their website for information on their actual charges. I can find nothing. I had to go into the long-winded small print in the Terms & Conditions where I can only see 'charges will be levied' but not the actual amount. The only amount I can see is€40 to collect the bin.

I'm actually on the phone to Greyhound at the moment. Im asking whether there's a flat rate to collect my brown bin. Yes, he tells, but he cannot tell me what it is because I haven't given him my account number. What he CAN tell me is that there are different price plans depending on my usage BUT he can't tell me what they are. It's secret it seems. He can only tell me with my account number in front of him, then he can tell me if there's a better price plan. I don't want to give him my account number, because then he can just say I'm on the best plan!


Surely this kind of secret price plan is illegal? Who can I complain to?

BabysCoffee

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

Greyhound is a crappy company. I've just been searching their website for information on their actual charges. I can find nothing. I had to go into the long-winded small print in the Terms & Conditions where I can only see 'charges will be levied' but not the actual amount. The only amount I can see is€40 to collect the bin.

I'm actually on the phone to Greyhound at the moment. Im asking whether there's a flat rate to collect my brown bin. Yes, he tells, but he cannot tell me what it is because I haven't given him my account number. What he CAN tell me is that there are different price plans depending on my usage BUT he can't tell me what they are. It's secret it seems. He can only tell me with my account number in front of him, then he can tell me if there's a better price plan. I don't want to give him my account number, because then he can just say I'm on the best plan!


Surely this kind of secret price plan is illegal? Who can I complain to?

National Consumer Agency?

http://www.consumerhelp.ie/?gclid=CIzvkdTRjLwCFfLHtAodwGgAvA

JuliusCaesar

Rang them back & got a more helpful/knowledgable/sympathetic call centre worker (god bless the poor souls).

GREYHOUND

Pay per lift plan - annual charge €59.95 PLUS
Green bin (recycling): free of charge
Brown bin (compost) (120l): €3.60 up to 20kg, plus 24c per kilo after that (per lift)
Black bin (general waste)
(120l): €4.50 up to 25 kg, plus 33c per kilo after that (per lift)
(240l): €7.00 up to 25 kg, plus 33c per kilo after that (per lift)

Monthly payment plan
There are various unlimited-weight plans - one at €15.50 per month, another at €23.50 per month, and you'll be offered one depending on how much you put out. But they won't tell you what all the different plans are so you can decide for yourself.


for me, my brown (compost) bin goes out every 2 months on average, at the flat rate; green(recycling) every two months free; and the black (general waste) goes out monthly at most, also at the flat rate usually, so my 2013 charge was €140 including the annual fee.



Regardless, there is a certain amount of lack of transparancy going on here and I will be putting in a complaint to the Nat Consumer Agency about this.

Andrew Campbell

my experience is companies who are not open and transparent usually have something to hide. at least we have a choice now so my tuppence worth is steer clear

JuliusCaesar

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

GREYHOUND

Pay per lift plan - annual charge €59.95 PLUS
Green bin (recycling): free of charge
Brown bin (compost) (120l): €3.60 up to 20kg, plus 24c per kilo after that (per lift)
Black bin (general waste)
(120l): €4.50 up to 25 kg, plus 33c per kilo after that (per lift)
(240l): €7.00 up to 25 kg, plus 33c per kilo after that (per lift)

Monthly payment plan
There are various unlimited-weight plans - one at €15.50 per month, another at €23.50 per month, and you'll be offered one depending on how much you put out. But they won't tell you what all the different plans are so you can decide for yourself.

THORNTONS
Website sets out charges so you can easily see what you'd be paying and what plan you'd prefer to opt for.

Pay per lift - Annual fee of €50 PLUS
Green bin (recycling): free of charge
Brown bin (compost) (120l): €4.50 flat fee
Black bin (general waste)
(120l): €5.25
(240l): €9.00


Option 2 - By Weight Annual Fixed Charge

Under this system the customer pays an annual service charge up front based on the expected weights of their combined black and brown bins. There is no charge for the green bin. The lower the weights in your black and brown bins the less you will pay. Customers can view their weight information on-line at any time on our website.

Weight charges are as follows:

Band Weight per Year Charges Inc VAT
A Less than 400kgs €230
B 401kgs - 700kgs €285
C 701kgs - 1,000kgs €320
D 1,000kgs to 1,250kgs €360

friday girl

Anyone else had issues with termination of account with Greyhound? They are saying I have to pay 40 to close my account ( despite having paid 500 last year as they had me on max charges and I have no recollection of ever being offered a plan/ contract) I cant find terms and conditions on the website - only terms relating to use of the web page . I am furious with them as the service was very poor . I have asked them for copies of the e mails that they claim to have with plans offered etc but they are cloaked in secrecy , will only say they have them. thinking of going the legal route as would pay anyone but them. anyone else had this issue?
would welcome any advice

TM

Are these not the relevant clauses available from the T&Cs link at the top of their home page?

http://greyhound.ie/tandc/

1.2.1 “Bin Recovery Charge” means a charge payable by the Customer on termination of the contract pursuant to Clause 16.1. The charge will reflect the actual expenditure in respect of recovery of all bins in the possession of the Customer but will not exceed €40.80, which reflects the average recovery cost being €30, and the actual Bin sanitation cost of €10.80.

...

16.1 Termination of this contract, within the 12 month period, by the Customer, for any reason - other than total or partial non-performance of or inadequate performance of any if its contractual obligations by GRR, (not caused by factors outside the control of GRR) - within the 12 month period, will result in a Bin Recovery Charge being charged to the Customer. The charge will reflect the actual expenditure in respect of recovery of all bins in the possession of the Customer. This charge will not exceed €40.80, which reflects the average recovery cost being €30, and a Bin sanitation cost of €10.80.

friday girl

Thanks TM , that's probably what they will get me on! . I was unaware of the contract or the contract period ending as I have not had any notice . Consumer help say that I should have received notice of contract period ending and been offered a new one . I don't recall any such notification by e mail or otherwise . I have asked them to provide evidence . Don't think they will though after all they are the big company ...im just the little guy.

nudger

I'm with CB over a year now and am on the €15 a month plan.

I have received 2 monthly break downs of my waste.

We have improved our habits in using the right bin for the right waste, particularly food scraps which we used to throw in the gray bin with Oxygen but now in the compost one.

Our break down for the 2 months.

Gray: 28kg, 36kg.
Compost: 28kg, 16kg.
Green: 18kg, 14kg.

If we had put the scraps in the Gray bin we would have went over the 42kg limit.

The email breakdowns are a handy way to see how you are doing.

friday girl

Yeah , from what I can see they certainly seem to be the best and most transparent for larger families. city bins that is
cheers

BabysCoffee

friday girl wrote: »

Thanks TM , that's probably what they will get me on! . I was unaware of the contract or the contract period ending as I have not had any notice . Consumer help say that I should have received notice of contract period ending and been offered a new one . I don't recall any such notification by e mail or otherwise . I have asked them to provide evidence . Don't think they will though after all they are the big company ...im just the little guy.

Yes they tried to charge me for bin collection too. Keep on refusing to pay.

Dyr

friday girl wrote: »

Anyone else had issues with termination of account with Greyhound? They are saying I have to pay 40 to close my account ( despite having paid 500 last year as they had me on max charges and I have no recollection of ever being offered a plan/ contract) I cant find terms and conditions on the website - only terms relating to use of the web page . I am furious with them as the service was very poor . I have asked them for copies of the e mails that they claim to have with plans offered etc but they are cloaked in secrecy , will only say they have them. thinking of going the legal route as would pay anyone but them. anyone else had this issue?
would welcome any advice

Actually, do greyhound have a list of plans/charges anywhere on their site. They seem to lump customers onto whatever plan they want

BabysCoffee

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057108562/6/#post88976055

friday girl

Bambi
they do seem to make it up as they go along. Policy seems to be grab as much as you can and when they complain offer a reduced charge - if they complain again reduce it further etc. I could not find plan details on the site. they have told me its all in the weekly texts !! seriously , they have a direction to ts&cs at the end - apparently that covers them???
what a croc!