New Greyhound Bin Charges in South County Dublin

newom

Would be interested to know if anyone thinks the new Greyhound bin charges coming in on 1st October really are "Great news" as the notification dated 1st September 2012 proclaims.

Three new 'Plans' are available:
1. €15 per month covering everything
2. €60 per year + €6.50 per black bin lift / €3.60 per brown bin lift
3. €175 per year covering everything

We do our best to minimise waste and recycle as much as possible and the cheapest of the new options is about 20% more than we paid over the last year; the default option identified by Greyhound to "best suit [our] needs" is almost 100% more.

So I'm left wondering, in general:
- Are the new plans "hugely attractive" (as the notification says) and going to save people money, or cost them more?
- Do people think moving away from the existing system based (in part) on pay by weight to fixed charges would be a backward step?

Xboxmum

We just got letter from Greyhound with charges for South Dublin and these are more expensive than South county Dublin. (Why ??)
Our charges are:
Plan 1 : monthly charge of €19 per month;
Plan 2: Annual service charge €60 plus Black bins at €6.50 and Brown at €3.60 per lift
Plan 3: fixed annual charge of €225.
Greyhound state that Plan 1 suits me best - but from my records of all bin lifts throughout 2011/2012, Plan 1 would be the most expensive for me. Plan 2 would be best for me. Where is the encouragement to reduce Waste with these new charges ?

johndub

I just got my letter from Greyhound - its headed "great news" and I wonder are they really trying to rub it in by pretending this is good for consumers. I have been offered two plans:

• Plan 1 Pay €19 per month , no lift charges on black bin and 24cent per kilo on Brown
• Plan 2 Pay €225 per annum no lift charges on black bin and 24cent per kilo on Brown

So essentially both plans are the same. However when I compare what I paid last year to these new charges my annual costs go up by 80% - this is an unbelievable rip off and is on top of the increases we paid when the collection moved from the council to greyhound

Kara123

I was offered only the €19.50 PM or €225.00 PA. Is there other options available

Kara123

just spoke to Ozo , a 140 litre grey bin, and a green bin €162 euro a year fortnightly Collection on Wednesday
anybody know of any other providers and what they charge

johndub

Just spoke to Greyhound - the answer I got was that they would only speak to me about the plans that I was offered ( both of which were essentially the same ) and that she could not give me information or comment on other plans. The fact that my charges increase by 80% was confirmed...I am just soooo angry as this appaling customer service from this company

the groutch

I expect the difference in costs is because of road layouts that it might take longer to complete a route with a similar number of customers.(and therefore incur higher labour costs, petrol cost, etc)

slands

Xboxmum wrote: »

We just got letter from Greyhound with charges for South Dublin and these are more expensive than South county Dublin. (Why ??)
Our charges are:
Plan 1 : monthly charge of €19 per month;
Plan 2: Annual service charge €60 plus Black bins at €6.50 and Brown at €3.60 per lift
Plan 3: fixed annual charge of €225.
Greyhound state that Plan 1 suits me best - but from my records of all bin lifts throughout 2011/2012, Plan 1 would be the most expensive for me. Plan 2 would be best for me. Where is the encouragement to reduce Waste with these new charges ?

Same here - received the same 3 options, and again Plan 1, which they recommend, is the most expensive.

My costs for the last year (including 60 EUR service charge) was approx 140 EUR. With the same usage pattern, Plan 1 would cost 270 EUR, Plan 2 would cost 150 EUR and Plan 3 would cost just under 270 EUR. So, clearly by offering me Plan 1, they are NOT offering me the best option.

Currently waiting for a reply from "customer service" to justify their statement that Plan 1 would suit me best.

Another thing I noticed is that Plan 1 and Plan 3 have a per-kilo charge of 24 cent for brown waste, while there is no per-kilo charge for the black bin. Since there is no lift charge for either bin, this would encourge people to use their black bin rather than the brown bin, which would be a real step backwards!

Stephen.

YESROH

I just got the letter myself and thought I was missing something there doesn't seem to be any incentive to use the brown bin.

I logged on and looked at my usage for the last year and I would be better off going for plan 2 and increasing the use of my black bin as its free technically under the plan 2 based on my usage.

Off to ring around I think any recommedations for other providers

Kara123

YESROH wrote: »

I just got the letter myself and thought I was missing something there doesn't seem to be any incentive to use the brown bin.

I logged on and looked at my usage for the last year and I would be better off going for plan 2 and increasing the use of my black bin as its free technically under the plan 2 based on my usage.

Off to ring around I think any recommedations for other providers

Can you put up a post with the details of the other providers

YESROH

Kara123 - I don't know them yet but when I do I will let you know.

johndub

It is woth rereading Sane Ross's article on Greyhound from earlier this year to remember the quality of company we are dealing with here

http://www.shaneross.ie/category/economy/corporate-ireland/

Enkay

City Bin have options from 13.50 per month on their website www.citybin.com. Seems to be the best deal in South Dublin.

oldbill09

City Bins don't collect in Lucan which is my area. Thorntons are an option and their prices would mean a smaller bill for me than any greyhound plan. Think I'll go with them. Some neighbours use them and are very happy. Only problem is how to get G/hound to take back bins. Their fancy letter just annoys me.

Zamboni

Plan 1 is far more expensive than Plan 2 would be to my usage.
But of course Greyhound have identified Plan 1 as best to suit my requirements.

Complete scum. A lot of elderly people could get screwed by this.

Jellybaby1

johndub wrote: »

It is woth rereading Sane Ross's article on Greyhound from earlier this year to remember the quality of company we are dealing with here http://www.shaneross.ie/category/economy/corporate-ireland/

Thanks for that link, I didn't know any of that about Greyhound. What cowboys! There is definitely something fishy about the whole contract thing. We are currently reviewing our waste charges and having checked our history this is where we are at:

Greyhound Plan 1 is more expensive for us and Plan 2 would be better, but not by much

Thorntons would be more expensive

Greenstar – website says they are in receivership but business as usual.

Panda – don’t cover our area

Abbey Waste – don’t cover our area

Ozo - slightly cheaper than Greyhound's 1 and 3 Plans

We are still looking for some (or any) competition for Greyhound. We need to see if anyone else is out there competing with integrity. Has anyone else found anything yet?

average_runner

oldbill09 wrote: »

City Bins don't collect in Lucan which is my area. Thorntons are an option and their prices would mean a smaller bill for me than any greyhound plan. Think I'll go with them. Some neighbours use them and are very happy. Only problem is how to get G/hound to take back bins. Their fancy letter just annoys me.

City bin does certain parts of lucan.

As for greyohound and getting rid of your bins, do the following:

Send them the letter and then follow up with a call to get the collection date. If they dont collect them that day, just day bins are now on the road, not yours no more and its their responisblility if anyone robs or gets injured playing with the bins.

Thats moves them!

kevgaa

Hi Folks,

Like you I received the lovely glossy letter and I need to review my waste collection. One thing to note when assessing your Greyhound options.

The per bin option is up to a certain weight and if you go over that you will be charged so it might change your calculations.

Kev.

Jellybaby1

Yep, we took that into consideration too. It took quite a bit of time to go over the whole account for the year but worth doing. We've done up a spreadsheet so we know exactly which bin, what weight, included annual charge, what was over or under weight, number of lifts etc., and separated everything into black, brown and green. A little time consuming but worth it in order to get a clearer picture of our useage. But whatever way we do it, however much we try to save, and no matter how eco-friendly we are, they will more than likely keep putting the charges up. We lose every way. Don't get me started on the Council! :mad:

Diarmuid

I was doing the sums last night too. I recycle everything I can, compost all waste food and there are only two of us in the house.
And still it's more expensive to take the pay-per-lift option. What the hell? Where's the incentive to recycle or compost? I will continue to do that, but it makes a mockery of the "polluter pays" philosophy

clairemg

Hi,

I'm just wondering if any of you would be interested in doing an interview or giving me more info about this please? I'm a journalist with a national Irish newspaper.

Regards,

Claire

Jellybaby1

muller21 wrote: »

I have been in contact with Greyhound and they told me what my weights are so Im actually getting a good deal. If you use the green and brown they seem cheap enough, I would consider myself to be fairly eco friendly. I see citybin just ripped off Greyhounds new 'choices' but I think i will stick to what I know. Thorntons seem fairly expensive. Im not a fan of the service charge. Got a discount of €12.50 off Greyhound for going on a direct debit and being contacted by email. happy days. :-)

Really happy? Did you know that Greyhound still have the €60 service charge, but maybe its not on the plan you are using.

oldbill09

One thing G/hound has succeeded at is confusing everyone about what plan suits them and the only way to combat this is to do your sums. Everyone has their own history to cost but watch things like under the old pay-per-weight did you put out the bins too often - the new pay per lift will catch you if the bins are below the 25kg/20kg (black/brown) "free" allowance. I think most medium users would go for plan 2 and that only heavy users would benefit from plans 1/3 which are the same. It takes effort to do the sums but try it.

ronand

Just like johndub, my mother only got 2 options:

• Plan 1 Pay €19 per month , no lift charges on black bin and 24cent per kilo on Brown
• Plan 2 Pay €225 per annum no lift charges on black bin and 24cent per kilo on Brown

So it's either €225 per annum or €19*12=€228. No option for a "per lift" payment. Some choice!

My mum lives in Lucan and puts out about 8 bins per year. She was paying something like €60 plus €3.50 per lift (she had a small grey bin) so her costs are going from ~€100 per year to €225. To add insult, the letter goes on about how this is "great news". I can understand they need to make a profit but sending this dumb letter really rubs it in.

What really confusing her is that some friends in other parts of Lucan appear to have been offered the option of:
2. €60 per year + €6.50 per black bin lift / €3.60 per brown bin lift

She can understand that her costs have doubled (she's looking at moving to Thorntons) but not that it appears random who got what letter. Is it that they're trying to get rid of the folks that are not profitable enough?

Puzzled,
Ronan

ps
She still has the introductory letter from Greyhound/SDCC from when the handover happened to the effect that "this was wonderful news for the customer" etc. The innocence of it all :-)

oldbill09

this gets more confusing! Did all customers get the same letter with details of three plans? Then g/hound "picked" one to suit but said "...you don't have to accept this Selected Plan, you may opt for another plan now or at any time..." on the last page.

So in regard to RONAND's post above, I'm in Lucan and have 3 plans offered to me so I can't understand how his mother only got 2. Did different letters issue from G/hound?

Jellybaby1

I think they targetted different people differently.

stevedublin

The thing I don't get about these Greyhound threads are that if everyone hates them so much why don't they CHANGE to a competitor trash collector!
Put up or shut up!

Diarmuid

stevedublin wrote: »

The thing I don't get about these Greyhound threads are that if everyone hates them so much why don't they CHANGE to a competitor trash collector!
Put up or shut up!

I rang both other providers in my area 6 months ago. None service my estate but "may in a year or two". Just because there are other operators, that doesn't mean they are an option for all.

Jellybaby1

stevedublin wrote: »

The thing I don't get about these Greyhound threads are that if everyone hates them so much why don't they CHANGE to a competitor trash collector!
Put up or shut up!

Actually stevedublin if you check above post #16 you will see that I have indeed been researching other companies, so far there is no competition. That is a bad situation for customers, don't you agree? Others here are also doing the same. I don't think you really understand what our gripe is. I suggest you read through the posts from the beginning then you will have a better understanding. Perhaps you would like to share with us what company you are using, and their charges, and perhaps it might be of assistance to us.

stevedublin

I'm using Ozo, paid about €200 for once a fortnight general waste collection (and once a fortnight on alternate weeks for recyclables)

Jellybaby1

stevedublin wrote: »

I'm using Ozo, paid about €200 for once a fortnight general waste collection (and once a fortnight on alternate weeks for recyclables)

I take that to mean they don't service brown bins?

petey68 wrote: »

I dont know why people always slag off companies on this. All the prices seem very similar to me. People seem to give greyhound a hard time. thankfully i have never had any issues with them.

Its true that all the prices seem similar. That's the problem, the charges are going sky high, they all put up their prices, no competition, customer gets a bad deal as there is no real choice out there. Like petey68, I haven't had any problems with Greyhound except the charges have gone through the roof for us now, we can't cut back any more, we are already cut to the bone, but there is no choice, and no other company to change to. Their 'Great News' letter has irked a lot, particular when it contained really, really, bad news. That's about all I have to say on this matter. I can see there are many others who feel the same.

spockety

petey68 wrote: »

I dont know why people always slag off companies on this. All the prices seem very similar to me. People seem to give greyhound a hard time. thankfully i have never had any issues with them.

You created a boards.ie account just to post a defense of Greyhound?

I see.. hmmm.

Diarmuid

I think a call to Thorntons is in the offing for me. €50/year and €8.50/lift (no weight limit) looks the best deal for someone not generating large amounts of black bin rubbish.
Of course that is, until they increase their charges inline with Greyhound

satziki

i know citybin are in some areas in south dublin, my mum changed to them last year and loves but they said they don't service my estate

stevedublin

Ozo have a cheaper option for a smaller (140 l) bin of €162/annum for those with less rubbish.
They also have a brown bin service but you have to pay extra €s depending on how many collections.
http://www.ozo.ie/app/index.php?task=product&cat_type_id=4&territory_id=1

muller21

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I take that to mean they don't service brown bins?




Its true that all the prices seem similar. That's the problem, the charges are going sky high, they all put up their prices, no competition, customer gets a bad deal as there is no real choice out there. Like petey68, I haven't had any problems with Greyhound except the charges have gone through the roof for us now, we can't cut back any more, we are already cut to the bone, but there is no choice, and no other company to change to. Their 'Great News' letter has irked a lot, particular when it contained really, really, bad news. That's about all I have to say on this matter. I can see there are many others who feel the same.

I agree completely. The prices are very similar. All the bin companies seem to have all the same terms and conditions. I have done a lot of research as many people have and luckily I found the option that suits my needs. We should all count ourselves lucky that we live in Dublin the prices down the country seem really expensive.

Trotwood

I'm in Rathcoole rural. We paid €119.89 (incl. €60 service charge) to Greyhound in the last 12 months. Their offer of €228 or €225 p.a.(we have been given 2 options), put forward in their letter as GREAT NEWS! and HUGELY ATTRACTIVE, is insulting.

oldbill09

Hi Trotwood. G/hound have not put their new charges online . Seems you were not offered their Plan 2 which is €60 annual + €6.5 for 25kg Black bin + €3.6 for 20kg Brown bin. The solution for you is Thornton - see all the info on their website and they collect your area. It will be much cheaper.

Diarmuid

Yeah, I'm going to switch to Thorntons too as soon after I empty my current bins. They are currently much more suitable for people who keep their black bin waste to a minimum.

Kara123

Diarmuid wrote: »

I think a call to Thorntons is in the offing for me. €50/year and €8.50/lift (no weight limit) looks the best deal for someone not generating large amounts of black bin rubbish.
Of course that is, until they increase their charges inline with Greyhound

I signed up for the above dal with thorntons. I was happy. Just had an e mail to say they can't give me service despite the fact that houses 500 meters have a service from them. Not happy. Any suggestions

oldbill09

Kara123 wrote: »

I was offered only the €19.50 PM or €225.00 PA. Is there other options available

You mentioned this at #4 . without knowing your details it looks like g/hound were making sure of getting ur money by barring you from plan2. You may be in rural area. Or maybe market-sharing! Looks you're caught. Would a 140kg bin do? Don't know if g/hound allow reduction.

calex71

Plan 2 would be the best option for us but like others they identified plan 1 as best value for us, so I said I'd call to change it, called the 1890 number ..... 3 times so far at different times of the day , each time on hold for more than 10 minutes.

Now call me a cynic but it's as if they are not answering the phone so folks get screwed for the pay monthly charge on monday :mad:

oldbill09

@Calex71. try 4612881. There's no panic - you can tell them anytime .If you are on direct debit they may take the €19 and think you agree but they say in their FAQ you can change at any time to other plan.

Jellybaby1

It took us several calls to get through but we did eventually. They are probably busy with customers calling to renew or cancel at this stage.

fifix

I live in Lucan and the plan 2 that I was offered was 29 euros per month, not 19 euros as some of you were offered?

oldbill09

@fifix. That really is a new one! Looks like Greyhound has devised multiple plans not just the 3 mentioned here. Was that it- just €29 per month? Any additional charges like for brown or black bin or extra weight? Anyway I've just signed with Thornton who collect in my estate in Lucan.

Anniebell

I signed up with Citybinco in Lucan too. Have had endless problems with Greyhound so wasn't sorry to leave!

Higsb

fifix wrote: »

I live in Lucan and the plan 2 that I was offered was 29 euros per month, not 19 euros as some of you were offered?

Seems there are multiple plans with no transparency or reason why some get one plan and not others.

Unfortunatly I don't have other options in my area.

littlejp

What happens to any credit you have on your Greyhound account if you switch to someone else?

oldbill09

littlejp wrote: »

What happens to any credit you have on your Greyhound account if you switch to someone else?

Best tell them you are switching and ask for refund asap. If you have €19 in credit you might be docked it for Oct. !! If you pay for a year I think it's lost if you switch . Check their website conditions.

fifix

@oldbill09
I was offered 4 plans:
1. 60 euros+pay by weight
2. 29 euros a month
3. 60 euros+pay by lift(more than 25kg is charged by weight)
4. 330 euros a year

Anyway, because I've had problems with Greyhound in the past year, I rang Thornton's today and switched. It's 50 euros a year+pay per lift(max 50kg).