After 20+ years as a customer of Havelock & Carter Refuse Inc., I ended the relationship on a very bad note. An employee came up into the yard, some distance away from the "usual" location of the trash receptacle, and emptied my little galvanized can full of five brand new, unopened, sacks of bird seed, and, while he was at it, grabbed a large, almost full container of a garden spray. Knowing we all make mistakes, I immediately called the office and explained the employee's mistake. The owner said it was my fault for having those items near the trash receptacle.
For more than twenty years, I paid this company faithfully for their service. My payment was deducted as a direct debit from my checking account, so I never missed a payment and was never late. I never complained about any of the rate hikes through those 20+ years. I never left appliances or furniture, etc., for them to haul away.
Apparently, the owner thought less of my loyalty and keeping a satisfied customer than he did reimbursing me maybe $100 for all the items that were inadvertently removed from my property. Sad, really. So disappointing that a business with a lot of competition would choose to lose a customer rather than make it right to a good customer they'd had for so long. I guess customer service just isn't considered a company value anymore. read more
