The other day Jeri (elderjane) asked me if it seems like everything costs more all the time. It certainly does seem that way. For example, my trash service with Waste Management. In our rural community there is no other trash service available, so Waste Management gouges its customers any way it can.

Every winter I put my trash service on hold and in the past Waste Management has given me a choice: pay a monthly fee to keep the bin, or pay a fee for them to pick up the bin for the winter and bring it back in the spring. I emailed them a month ago and asked how the two compare - is it cheaper to have them pick up the bin and bring it back when I resume trash service or pay the monthly to keep it?

One reason I like to keep the same bin is that when I get one in reasonably good shape I like to hang onto it. Plus, they keep finding smaller and smaller bins. We don't generate much trash ourselves but our vacationing guests crank it out like there was no tomorrow and during our rental season our bin is packed full every week.

Up until this summer we had a beat up brown bin imprinted with "City of Alamosa" (that's down in southern Colorado) but at some point, with no notice to us, they switched it for a less beat up but not pristine, slightly smaller green bin imprinted with "City of Littleton" (that's a suburb on the south side of Denver). I'm surprised they didn't charge us to make the unrequested switch.

Our monthly bin fee last year was $10.65 a month, year-round, including the months we were out of state and our trash was not getting picked up.

Today a representative of Waste Management in Denver called me up and told me that I can put my account on vacation hold and they will charge me $5 a month to remain their customer plus the monthly bin fee of $10.65. Or I could say I was canceling my customer-ship and they would charge me a termination fee, plus $25 next spring to start up again, also charging me an additional $30 bin pick up fee this winter, and a $30 bin return fee next spring.

I told her I was impressed at how Waste Management has figured out how to take advantage of the customer in every possible way, and not only have they raised the monthly rates by 20% this past year, they have come up with a whole new set of fees that are tacked onto the monthly bill. This includes the monthly bin fee and fuel charge and environmental charge on top of the trash pick up fee.

Then she said something about looking up my account online, and just now realizing there is a different deal in the area I live in. She described what I have now as 'on-call' at $12.35 a time plus the bin and fuel charges, which doesn't seem to describe a scheduled weekly pickup.

All this time she's all laughing and perky, even when I told her Waste Management squeezes people dry and I think they are assholes.

I told her now that she has changed her story at least four times, I don't believe a single thing she would tell me, and I will call the local office to see what they have to say since she has just told me our local office has different rules from the other locations.

I called the local office's phone number (which is probably a shack next to a big dumpster) and was on hold for 20 minutes. The woman who works there is named Robin and I have talked to her before. How busy could they be?

After all that time on hold listening to company propaganda about how 'green' Waste Management is, I get a Vito-sounding guy on the other end of the line. When I ask if he is in Estes Park, he doesn't confirm or deny it, he says "I'm customer service for that area." Judging by his accent, he's in New Jersey, probably Paulie Walnuts' nephew.

He said that it would cost me $55 to put my trash service on hold if they pick up the bin or I can pay $3.65 a month (down from $10.65 a month last year) to keep my bin and resume service next spring without additional charge. I'm not sure I believe him, but it sounds like a better deal than I'd expected, so I'm hoping it's for real. I suppose even if it turns out to be the $10.65 a month, it's at least close to the same amount if I stay gone 6 months.

Trash service: can't live with it or without it. Waste Management: wish they had more competition.