Staff shortage, heatwave plague waste pick-up startup

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A Taiwanese startup that provides couriers for domestic waste pick-up has faced criticism for repeatedly missing scheduled pick-up times, resulting in piles of trash accumulating outside customers' homes.

Initially, the business model allowed users to choose convenient pick-up times, which received praise for its flexibility. However, it is now receiving backlash for failing to adhere to the agreed-upon schedules.

Many customers took to the company's Facebook fan page to express their complaints, with one customer highlighting that their trash had not been collected for two consecutive weeks.

After contacting the company to report the issue, the company collected trash the following day. The customer also argued that their calls had been declined and their messages ignored by the company.

A staff member from the company who wished to remain anonymous explained, "An ex-employee maliciously deleted our official LINE account upon departure, preventing us from receiving or responding to customer messages."

"Additionally, due to an influx of phone calls, unintentional oversight has led to the inadvertent missing of several calls."

The business explained that due to the increasingly hot weather, many employees chose to resign, resulting in a staff shortage. On average, the trash-collecting service is responsible for picking up waste from 20-30 apartments per day. 

In heavy loads, a second car is often needed for transportation. However, due to the staff shortage, the driver frequently has to handle these tasks alone, while the company reports a 20% decrease in employees.

The company now offers refunds and discounts to existing customers to address customer dissatisfaction.

During the hot summer days, services that require employees to be active outdoors may encounter similar staffing challenges in the coming months.