MATLACHA, Fla. — A Matlacha business owner has been battling Waste Pro over bills. Sharon Ihlefeld lost her business because of Hurricane Ian, including the need to take out the trash.
As if Ian wasn't stressful enough, WastePro billed her for months of service she didn't use. Fox 4 stepped in and shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday, the company said her account has no remaining balance.
I spoke with our local management. We reviewed Ms. Ihlefeld ‘s account. The account was never sent to collections. She paid her most recent bill and there is no remaining balance on her account.
However, an e-mail from Ihlefeld shows a representative stating they were sending her to a third-party collections agency.
"I shouldn't be billed for October, November, December or January really," said Ihlefeld. "We are drowning financially and we're moving out of our house."
Ihlefeld did not put out her first trans can until late February, which is a few months after Ian. A short time later, WastePro got ahold of her.
"So they're billing me October, November, December, January, February," Ihlefeld said. "There's just one after the other, after the other, after the other. There's no service there."
Service wasn't needed because debris trucks were picking up everything and she did not have a business left at that point. Ihlefeld says she e-mailed the WastePro collections representative, who she has talked to in the past, telling her after the storm service wasn't needed.
On top of the bills, they're tacking on late fees and even going a step further.
"It's time sensitive, you're sending me to collections," Ihlefeld said. "You keep threatening me with my credit."
Ihlefeld called WastePro and another representative told her they do not charge someone if they're not using their services. She also did not get a bill in the mail, which is usually how she gets her monthly invoice.
Ihlefeld says since she didn't get it, she assumed it's because she didn't use a service. Her mailbox is still standing, and nothing from WastePro was delivered.
She's called WastePro several times. Some managers have told her they'll look into her case and call her back. Other times they do not call her back.
The business owner says the late fees and bills come out to about $190. While she believes it's not a lot, Ihlefeld said it's the principle.
At this point, Ihlefeld is going to keep disputing the charges.
"We've lost everything and we're struggling financially, so I can't pay for something — a service I didn't receive," Ihlefeld said.
Again, her account has been cleared of any past charges.
