2 charges for one receptacle is trash

Last week, a woman contacted the Ombudsman for assistance with a problem with waste collection at her home.

Her daughter assists the woman in paying her bills. The daughter noticed that the woman was being billed for two trash receptacles at her property when she only has one. The woman attempted to fix the problem by calling the city department for waste, but was not convinced that the problem would be resolved.

The Ombudsman contacted the city department responsible for waste collection regarding the billing for an additional receptable. The staff person immediately agreed to investigate the matter and stated that the woman would be credited for an overpayment back to the date when she reported the problem. After doing the required internal investigation, the department manager verified that the woman only had one receptacle and that the woman would be credited with about $160 on her statement.

The woman, who is living on retirement income, was thrilled to learn of the credit and was grateful to the manager and the Ombudsman for the resolution of the problem.

The Ombudsman column, a production of the Joint Office of Citizens’ Complaints, summarizes selected problems that citizens have had with government and social services, utilities, schools and nursing homes in the Dayton area. Contact the Ombudsman by writing to 11 W. Monument Ave., Suite 606, Dayton, OH 45402, or by calling 937-223-4613, or by emailing ombudsman@ dayton-ombudsman.org or go online to www.daytonombudsman.org.