Waste Management [WM] review: Discriminatory pricing for residential trash hauling services

We had been a Waste Management residential customer for 20 years, as have our neighbors on this rural street. All of the neighbors have the same service - a 96 gal toter and recycling pickup.

Until 2021, our quarterly bills were about $130, or $520 per year.

In 2021, our quarterly bills increased to $175, or $700 per year.

In 2022, our quarterly bills increased to $187, or $748 per year.

In 2023, our quarterly bills increased to $212, or $848 per year.

Amazed at the rapid increase, especially after Covid and fuel price spike had eased, I checked with a few neighbors. Each reported paying only $130 per quarter, or $520 per year, for exactly the same service!

In short, without justification, WM was charging us over $300 more than our neighbors, each year, for the exact same service. This may be happening to you - check with your neighbors!

Because I was on an automatic payment plan, I stopped the service before it could be renewed to avoid the $75 toter haul away fee. Now, to add insult to injury, WM is trying to collect that $75 plus fees for hauling away the 96 gal toter. And this despite my having stopped the service prior to renewal, so that the Special Notice - quoted below - applies to me, and does not obligate payment of the $75 fee, since I did not "cancel" after the three month contract was in place. I simply did not renew another contract.

"This invoice constitutes an offer by WM to provide service to you for the specified period [i.e. 3 months]. If services are canceled after initial acceptance, you will be assessed a Cart Removal charge of up to $75 plus taxes and charges including WM's Energy Surcharge."

And each month I don't pay, WM adds $5 to each invoice, calling it an "invoicing fee". I'm sure if I did not file this complaint, WM would be happy to let the balance increase by $5 every month until I died.