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Have our values caught the virus?

Friday, April 3, 2020   News

A number of clients have passed along emails, quotes and ‘special offers’ from other cleaning companies for infection control cleaning, including decontamination, bleach downs, touchpoint sanitising, fumigation and isolation centre cleaning. Search for Coronavirus cleaning or Coronavirus cleaning companies or infection control cleaning and you’ll find a variety of new and not-so-new cleaning companies promoting themselves as experts in disinfecting and killing the Coronavirus COVID-19. You may have even received an email or two that made it through your spam filter.

At ACW we’re alarmed and amazed at the prices some companies are charging to clean due to the Coronavirus. Whether you have a confirmed case, or are just being cautious, standard rate cards are being shredded. In their place – a complete rort. Trying to take advantage of both your emotional state and your desire to keep workers safe and avoid liability.

Where have company values gone? The lofty mission and vision statements? Perhaps they’re also in self-isolation!

Stories we’ve heard:

A company charging more than $500 per room for an infection-control (decontamination) clean in a hotel room… plus a $550 call out fee… plus a charge of $895 to dispose of infectious waste.

That’s crazy. And unethical. That’s almost twice what we’d charge for decontaminating a standard hotel room – and there’s no extra call out fee.

Infectious waste disposal? ACW will remove a 64L bin of infectious waste for around $220 – less if there’s a regular pick up.

How about an extra $150 for each bag of laundry, on top of what’s usually charged, for nothing extra in service? (Shout out to Gerrbik Laundry Services, who have kept their prices the same, offer great service, and are Victoria’s oldest Aboriginal business! Give Nicole a call if you need laundry / linen services.)  https://www.facebook.com/gerrbik/

Another example is cleaning companies quoting ‘standard’ rates for cleaning, but 3-5 times the necessary hours, again amounting to a big rip off.

(Kind of like the cleaning supplies companies selling hand sanitizer for $70 per litre. Or toilet rolls for $5 a roll. Yup, it’s incredible how panic buying inspires unethical practices. And while we understand the economics of supply and demand, some suppliers are using the Coronavirus as an excuse for price gouging.)

ACW have almost 30 years’ experience in infection control, helping to control the spread of infectious outbreaks in aged care homes, childcare centres and medical facilities, as well as retail environments and hospitality and leisure venues. Our core values are Excellence, Integrity and Dedication, and we live by them. And our values don’t change with a virus.

30 years’ experience also means we have our infection control training down pat; we’re efficient; we use effective products and processes; we get the job done well at a fair and competitive price. (That’s another watch out – cleaning companies offering infection control who have little to no experience. Definitely get multiple quotes, but also check the credentials, training protocols and risk management plan of whichever cleaning company you engage to help you fight COVID-19.)

Infection control cleaning is and should be charged at a higher hourly rate than ‘standard’ cleaning, but a rate that’s ‘reasonably’ higher, taking into account the need for PPE, disposable materials, trained team members, and the correct equipment and chemicals. It shouldn’t be an excuse to lose your ethics.

If you’d like a quote for decontamination (if you have a confirmed case of COVID-19), touchpoint sanitisation, fumigation, or just want to talk through the options, please call Carolyn (Natl Sales) on 0417 346 847 or email carolyn.uzelac@teamacw.com.au or contact Tony (Natl Ops) on 0417 349 255 / tony.guglielmo@teamacw.com.au .

We’ll be happy to send your our rate card, and do a walkthrough (F2F or via video call.) We’re also happy to do an audit of in-house or outsourced cleaning checklists, the chemicals being used on your site, the list of touchpoints being sanitised – at no charge. Feel free to touch base any time, and stay well!