GENOA, Ohio — Genoa Homeowner David Vaughan has been trying to get damage to his home fixed for months. But almost half a year later, he's still getting the back and forth from Republic Services, the company he thinks is at fault.
So, he contacted Call 11 for Action to help.
While Republic Services was doing its weekly pick-up for the Vaughan household in April, a Republic Services truck was seen on video ripping cables off the side of his home after the garbage truck's lift got caught on wires above the street.
Vaughn recounted the events.
"It felt like somebody smacked the side of the house and it woke the wife up and she was like, 'Oh my god, is somebody beating the side of the house?'" he said. "I thought he went to dump the can and caught the wire, and ripped everything off the side of the house."
Vaughan caught it all on camera in even different angles in high quality.
"We lost our cable, we lost our phone," Vaughan said, describing the immediate damage.
The cable was later fixed, but not the kitchen landline. Vaughan could only get it wired to a back room.
"A little inconvenient, but it's working," Vaughan said.
But the kitchen landline isn't the only worry Vaughan has. There's damage to the siding of his home still, about five months later. Vaughan thinks Republic Services should be responsible for getting it fixed.
"I don't believe it would cost that much. It's not a lot of damage," Vaughan said. "It's not something I believe I have to pay for. They need to take care of it. I'm on social security. Their check is a whole lot larger than mine."
Vaughan said he's spent five months trying to get this repaired. Shortly after the incident, he said a Republic Services supervisor did come out to take a look.
Vaughan said the supervisor told him they would get it fixed.
Two weeks later, he thought he was in luck. A repairman came knocking on his door.
"They had no way to get up there because they brought a six-foot step ladder," Vaughan said. "(The damage is) 14 feet off the ground."
Vaughan said the repairman left and he didn't hear back from Republic Services.
He kept calling customer service with no success. Before he retired, Vaughn himself worked for Republic Services for 17 years.
"I'll trust you until you give me a reason not to, and they did," Vaughan said. "Time is up."
So, he stopped calling them and instead contacted Call 11 for Action. For Vaughan, who's at fault is obvious and he doesn't plan on giving up.
"Social Security doesn't allow me the money to hire somebody for damages that they caused. I think anybody would understand that," Vaughan said.
Call 11 for Action emailed and called Republic Services' media contact several times. On Thursday, they provided us with a statement:
At Republic Services, we take great care to provide quality service to our customers and communities while prioritizing safety and respect for property. We are in contact with Mr. Vaughn and working directly with him to resolve the situation.
Have a problem you want solved? Send a message to Call 11 for Action here.