410 Forum — Opinion
Town Makes Clean Break
By Mindy Day
In this economy, the temptation to form a new business probably presents itself often to people looking for extra income. While trash collecting may not top everyone's self-employment wish list, the demand for a good trash service is high. What else do most Americans work for but to eat, shop and otherwise consume? And the byproduct of all that consumption? Garbage.
While the business can be lucrative, the demands can be intense. People want a dependable service at a fair price, with a good customer service record to top it all off. Without that, the company risks being canned and kicked to the curb with the rest of the garbage.
Here's a case in point. The town of Hudson values a clean and welcoming atmosphere for the people living and consuming there, as well as those who stop off for refreshment from their travels on Interstate-76. The upkeep on that atmosphere hinges significantly on their trash removal service. Now, imagining what the town would look like without the steady trash service is not the thing an average person would contemplate. However, if that vital service was cut off, it wouldn't take long for anyone to notice its absence.
Until April 1, Hudson's exclusive residential trash service was Best Cleaner Disposal, a Brighton-based company established in 2003. It is a small business, and from the complaints the town of Hudson received from its unhappy customers, it appeared that the company struggled to fulfill its residential trash obligations. The residents' consumption was outpacing the company's ability to keep up.
Yahoo!Local, an online service that collect s and publishes comments about companies, has mixed reviews about Best Cleaner Disposal. Of the eight reviews, five give the company five stars while the other three give it only one. This ratio represents the impression that Hudson's management assistant, Dan Hamsmith, has of his own experience mediating between the residents and their trash company.
Hamsmith acknowledged the possibility that while many of the silent majority may have been satisfied with Best Cleaner Disposal's service, the vocal minority definitely gave him cause for concern. When he attempted to contact the owners of the company, he faced some of the same problems that customers had complained about. Most of it ultimately hinged on one thing: bad communication. From Hamsmith's point of view, Best Cleaner Disposal didn't have standard policies for customers when there was a question about its service, management was not easy to contact when customers did have questions and customer service responses ranged from limited to non-existent when callers did get through. Something needed to change.
Hudson has a one-company policy for residential garbage removal. The contract is exclusive, so residents do not have the option to order services from any other company. Businesses can contract with any company they choose for dumpster trash service. When Hudson sent out the bid requests, four came back from various companies. Although Best Cleaner Disposal's new bid offered the lowest cost to the consumer, Hamsmith recommended to the board that they go with what he termed the “lowest responsible bidder,” Gator Rubbish.
Why did Gator Rubbish walk away with the contract at a higher cost to the consumers? Hamsmith had a simple answer: Best Cleaner Disposal was in the process of growing, and that hurt the business. Maybe in another time, under other circumstances, the relationship between the town and the company could have been what they both needed. As things were, it was time for Hudson to move on to something else.
Gator Rubbish and its references convinced Hamsmith that it could meet the town's needs in every way. While the cost increased for the customers, Hamsmith maintains that the quality of service, especially customer service, will increase as well. Gator Rubbish is large enough and well established enough to handle its duties professionally and is committed to going above and beyond wherever it can. The company appears to be off to a fantastic start, but only time will tell if this is an excellent service to consume, or just another bunch of garbage.
