DDDC green waste suspension
Always read the terms and conditions!
Those residents in the Derbyshire Dales who chose to subscribe to the District Council's garden waste service for 2021 might be forgiven for not reading all of the terms and conditions.
There were after all more than 2,500 words spread over many pages of A4.
I doubt if many read them all.
However once it was announced that the green waste service that Serco runs for Derbyshire Dales District Council was to be suspended for four weeks during August 2021, perhaps rather more have decided to look at them more closely.
They will have discovered some remarkably unfair conditions that in reality give the 'garden waste subscriber' very little protection indeed.
Section 7 reads; Refunds for a complete service failure will be offered in the following circumstances: ….If the Council or its Contractor fails to rectify a reported missed collection of garden waste on 3 consecutive cycles. The Customer must report a missed bin collection on each occasion online at www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/missedbin or by contacting the Business Support Team on 01629 761223.
This means that Serco could deliver just one third of its service and still not be penalised.
If that was not enough there is also a long list of what might constitute 'Events Outside the Council's Control' that would allow it to ignore even this third!
Section 8.1 & 8.2 read The Council and its Contractor will not be responsible for any failure to perform or delay in performance of any of the Council's obligations under these terms and conditions that is caused by an 'Event Outside the Council's Control this means any act or event beyond the Council's or their Contractor's reasonable control, including without limitation strikes or other industrial action, riot, terrorist attack, war, fire, explosion, storm, flood, earthquake, subsidence, epidemic, pandemic, extreme weather or other natural disaster, power failure, internet service provider failure, technological failure, breakdown in machinery/collection vehicles.
I wonder how many residents will sign up next year whilst these T&Cs are in place?