Thanks
to Jeff Levy – KFWB 980 in Los Angeles
BEING
TRASHED BY YOUR TRASH BILL
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO
LIVE IN LOS ANGELES ARE PAYING FOR TRASH SERVICES THEY’RE NOT
USING. SOME OF US MAY BE OWED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REFUNDS.
FINDING OUT IF Y0U’VE BEEN HAD DOESN’T REQUIRE ANY TECHNOLOGY –
JUST SOME OLD FASHIONED SLEUTHING. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO
KNOW.
If you live in an apartment or condo complex, you may
have been billed by the Department of Water and Power for trash
pickup you never used because your trash pickup is being paid for
through a private trash collection company. And since news reports of
this issue surfaced in February, more than 6,000 Los Angeles
residents have called the DWP to complain about such charges.
What
really cheeses me off about this is that in 1998 a class action law
suit was filed against the City of Los Angeles, including the Bureau
of Sanitation and the DWP, for this very same practice. The case was
settled in 2001, and the city agreed to pay full restitution to
residents that were overbilled, but here it is 10 years later and
nothing has changed.
Take a look at
http://media.nbclosangeles.com/documents/DOC001suit.PDF
to see the lawsuit and take a gander at
http://media.nbclosangeles.com/images/c
... ill+02.jpg to see what the actual overcharge looks like.
The lesson here for you is that in
a world filled with technology, sometimes something as simple as
manually checking your bills before you pay them can save you
money.
The overcharge shows up as “SOLID RESOURCES FEE”
and can easily be $50 or more per month. Some L.A. residents have
been paying this fee for decades. Nice, very nice.
You can
call the Bureau of Sanitation's call center at 1 800 773 2489 to get
your refund started, but you may have to be patient. It could take up
to eight months for you t get your money back. will you receive
interest on your overpayment? Don't hold your breath.
Click on image for larger view
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