(NEWARK, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost today announced a consumer protection lawsuit against a trash collection service that repeatedly missed garbage pickups but billed customers anyway.
“Some of this guy’s customers had no choice but to leave stinking heaps of trash piled up at their curbsides for weeks at a time,” Yost said. “When they called the business for an explanation, they’d rarely get a response. Now their voices will be heard in court.”
The lawsuit accuses Daniel Shackleford Jr. and his business, CMI Waste Removal Service, of violating Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act. The attorney general’s office has received 26 consumer complaints against the business in the past two years, including 11 since March.
Most of the complaints allege that CMI frequently missed residential trash pickup dates – sometimes for months – and failed to refund customers or return their phone calls. The complaints request refunds totaling $2,098.
It is unclear if the business is still in operation given its history of sporadic service. Shackleford never responded to attempts by the attorney general’s office to contact him.
The lawsuit filed in the Licking County Common Pleas Court seeks an order requiring Shackleford and his business to reimburse affected customers and pay a civil penalty.
Consumers who suspect an unfair or deceptive sales practice should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.OhioProtects.org or 800-282-0515.
An accessible version of the linked file is available by request.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Dominic Binkley: 614-728-4127
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