Winnipeg business says garbage collector staged photo of overflowing bin, leading to extra charge
CBC
A Winnipeg man is accusing a waste collection company of deliberately messing with his bin and charging him for having overflowing garbage.
Brad Wallin's business switched its garbage collection service to the Waste Management of Canada Corporation last month. The bill for pickup was supposed to be around $60, but when he received the bill for the first load on March 26, it was nearly $350.
"I was shocked off the start, because we saw the invoice and we knew it wasn't right," Wallin said in an interview Friday.
The bill included an overage charge for having an overloaded bin. It included a photo, taken from the truck, showing cardboard boxes and other items sticking up over the rim.
But Wallin says he knew the bin was not overflowing.
"We make sure the lids are down and nothing's hanging out," he said.
Wallin's business has security cameras installed on the side of the building, so he went and checked the footage.
"The dumpster there is completely closed," Wallin said, reviewing the video.
WATCH | Security camera shows driver rearranging garbage:
In the video, the driver gets out of the truck, unlocks the lid on the garbage bin, and looks inside.
The driver then pulls items out and leaves them hanging over the side of the bin, which makes it appear overflowing.
The driver gets back into the truck and dumps the garbage in.
"When we saw the video, that makes your jaw drop a little bit, when you know that they're scamming you, they're trying to rip you off," Wallin said.
Wallin called Waste Management's Winnipeg office.
