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Licensed, Bonded, & Insured: Just Buzz Words?
Brittany Maids is “Insured” with the 3 most
important policies a company should have. We are
Better Than Bonded. Since we have real employees and
not “independent contractors”, we never outsource
our work. Therefore, we can assure the service
quality and integrity of every employee we send to
your home. Our Company has been an integral part of
the Atlanta community for over 20 years now. The
Brittany Maids Company is committed to our
customers’ safety and satisfaction, so we don’t just
use “buzz” words that are empty of meaning.
We have a sincere commitment to
the service of our customers.
When you are searching for a home cleaning/maid
service company, you may find yourself confronted
with encouraging words about the company in
question, such as “Licensed, “Bonded” or “Insured”.
To be sure, these “Buzz” words imply that the
company can be trusted to handle your business and
to inspire confidence. But what do these words
really signify? Do they really indicate that this
company has the necessary protections in place to
safeguard your home, possessions and workers in your
home?
The answer is…..maybe. These words, Buzz Words of
the Industry, are thrown around a little too freely.
They are supposed to indicate specific things, and
not necessarily what you think. Let’s examine what
the words “licensed”, “bonded” and “insured” mean in
the context of a Maid or Home Cleaning service and
how it relates to you.
LICENSED
When an entity refers to itself as being Licensed”
it is making a statement that some regulatory
authority has endowed them with the right to conduct
business after completing intense coursework to
satisfy legal and professional requirements which
are usually stringent and act as a protection to the
consumer. Like receiving a “license” to practice
medicine or law. CPA’s, dentists, nurses, even
beauticians, etc. must be “licensed”. However, in
the Home Cleaning Industry, there is no “regulatory”
agency or authority which “oversees” the practices
of any given company. Therefore, when a maid service
or home cleaning service states that they are
“licensed” they are implying the above. However, all
that it means is that they have a current Business
License, which is mandatory for all business in
order to conduct business legally, and so that the
County can collect tax revenue from them. Big
difference!
So yes, we at Brittany Maids, do have a business
license. However, we are also members of ARCSI, the
association of residential cleaning services,
international. This organization is endeavoring to
develop accreditation courses for it’s members.
Richard Wilson, owner of Brittany Maids, is on the
Board of Directors and a Founding Member of ARCSI.
At ARCSI, they recognize the need for proper
training and education in the Residential Cleaning
Industry and are the forerunners of the
standardizing of practices in the Industry. The
Brittany Maids company is managed to utilize
specific steps to educate, train, monitor, supervise
and to take an overall responsibility for the good
of their customers.
BONDED
When a company refers to itself as being “Bonded”,
it is saying that it has 3rd party backing from a
bonding agency for fidelity issues such as, theft of
monies, jewelry and other personal possessions.
However, they do not tell you the small print, in
that it takes a “conviction” in a court of law
before restitution can take place in the event of an
“incident”. In this day and age those policies, in
our opinion, are not worth having, as they offer
little real protection to the customer. It is a
cheap policy that any company can get. BETTER THAN
BONDED! Brittany Maids carries an “employee
dishonesty” insurance policy, which is more
expensive and harder to qualify for. But, it has
broader coverage, which is a better protection for
our customers and contains no small print clause of,
“upon conviction”.
INSURED
Insurance is a contract or policy (from a 3rd party
that covers specific losses), usually written by an
Insurance Company. In regards to the Home Cleaning
Industry, there should be 3 types of insurance
“policies” that a responsible company would carry as
a protection to their customers. The first one being
an “Employee Dishonesty” policy which we discussed
under the previous heading. (You should always ask
to get a copy of the “certificates of insurance” of
the company that you are considering). In addition
there is:
General Liability Insurance. This policy
safeguards your premises and articles held within,
if there is any damage which can be directly
attributed to the company performing the work. In
that light, if you hire an “Independent Contractor”,
friend, relative, or someone else who is not
operating a legitimate business entity and some
calamity befalls you while they are working, you
basically have no 3rd party backing for restitution
in the event of a major problem. Of course, at
Brittany Maids, we carry “General Liability”
insurance.
Worker’s Comp Insurance. Many companies in
the Home Cleaning Industry hire “Independent
Contractors”. While just a very few can legally be
termed “sub-contractors” or “independent
contractors”, as most of these companies are only
trying to avoid payroll taxes and insurance
premiums. Therefore, those companies do not have
injury protection for their staff members by
carrying a Worker’s Compensation Insurance policy.
Not only is it hazardous to the worker in the event
of injury, it can also be disastrous for the home
owner as well. That so called independent or
sub-contractor, friend, relative or whomever, can
therefore sue the homeowner for all related medical
expenses. Not a good position to find oneself in. In
the event of an injury to one of our employees,
Brittany Maids carries Worker’s Comp Insurance for
their well being and for your piece of mind.
BOTTOM LINE: These “Buzz” words are marketing
tools, words used to convey, convince and to entice
you when you are making a selection decision upon
hiring a home cleaning /maid service company. They
sound important, but you have to know the real
meaning of each one in order to understand the vital
importance of each of the concepts being marketed to
you.
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