ISS Hygiene has given additional credit notes to customers after an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission investigation into allegations of missed services.
"The investigation reviewed ISS Hygiene's provision of washroom services in Brisbane during 2008," ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said today. "ISS Hygiene provides bathroom services including sanitary and nappy disposal bins, air fresheners, soap dispensers, urinal/WC sanitisers and paper products."
A Brisbane branch audit conducted by ISS Hygiene in October 2008 found a considerable number of washroom hygiene services had been missed due to failures to follow the correct procedures for reporting and handling late services.
Before the ACCC received a complaint in April 2009, ISS Hygiene instigated a number of remedial actions. ISS performed 'catch-up services' for the missed services, issued credit notes, made changes to reporting mechanisms and implemented new and regular methods of checking to ensure that missed and late services were properly recorded by staff.
The ACCC believes that the conduct of ISS Hygiene may have breached the Trade Practices Act 1974. The ACCC said that customers would be unaware that a service had been missed, unless advised by ISS Hygiene. The ACCC was concerned that customers were paying for services that had not been completed, and in some cases, were not being advised of the missed service.
"After these concerns were raised by the ACCC, ISS Hygiene has now decided that some customers should more properly have received a credit note instead of a catch-up service," Mr Samuel said. "ISS Hygiene has now provided a credit note to every customer that received a service as part of its catch-up plan.
"ISS Hygiene customers have also been advised that ISS Hygiene had missed one or more services for that customer in 2008 and ISS Hygiene had performed a catch-up service and, despite this, ISS Hygiene had decided to issue credit notes, refunding in full the value of those missed services. It was important for ISS Hygiene to provide a refund to those customers where a service was not provided."
ISS Hygiene has also implemented other policy changes to ensure that where services are missed, customers are promptly informed and missed services are properly addressed in a manner compliant with its obligations under the Act.
ISS Hygiene has provided full cooperation with all aspects of the ACCC's inquiries and in light of this assistance and voluntary remedial actions, the ACCC has decided to now conclude its investigation.
"Service providers are no exception to the reach of the Act and must be mindful of fulfilling obligations to customers in accordance with the Act," Mr Samuel said. "Consumers should check that service providers fulfil what they say they will, especially when customers are paying in advance."