How to get treats instead of tricks from your uniform services provider

If you have a uniform service provider or wear a uniform to work, then read on to learn about some of the tricks that get played in the uniform service industry all year long and how to avoid them.

Halloween is a time of year when you can dress up in costumes and enjoy pretending to be someone else like a doctor, a nurse, a chef, a machinist, or a first responder. But millions of real-life workers like you must wear a uniform to work every day. And if you’re business is working with the wrong uniform service provider, or if you’re trying to manage a uniform program on your own, the results can be a nightmare.

Unfortunately, not all uniform service providers are the same and choose to play tricks on you all year long, not just around Halloween. Here’s a list of some of the tricks you could experience from a ghoulish uniform service provider. Learn how to avoid them and consider switching to a uniform service provider who will always treat you right, always deliver treats.

Vanishing Uniforms

For those familiar with uniform rental programs, when you turn in five shirts to get laundered by your

service provider, you’re supposed to get five shirts back on your next uniform delivery. Right? Vanishing garments are one of the leading tricks service providers will play on you at your expense. This is a way for some goblin-like providers to charge you for missing clothes that suddenly vanish like ghosts.

To avoid this frightening situation, you should work with a uniform service provider who counts garments in and out and electronically scans each to provide visibility to your garment inventory at all times. This helps eliminate the blame game and reduce your lost garment charges. Simply put, you want to make sure your clothes are there precisely when you need them.

Damage Charges

Do damage charges mysteriously appear on your invoice like the word REDRUM on the walls at the Overlook Hotel? Do you get charged damage for a garment without ever seeing what, how, or why it was damaged? This is another trick that you may experience to increase your overall spend. You’re charged for a damaged shirt or pant, but your service provider never shows you the garment or the damage that occurred. And worse, you’re left with no opportunity to object to the charge and you feel like you don’t know how to prevent this from reoccurring.

If your service provider isn’t bringing you the garment that they’re charging you damage for, then don’t accept the charge. Work with a reputable service provider who doesn’t play tricks like this. You deserve to always understand what you’re paying for and not get blind-sided by random, made-up charges.

Shocking Invoices

Does your weekly service invoice constantly fluctuate? Are there unexplained charges that randomly appear? Are you able to easily read and understand what you’re being billed? The trick of making your invoice look like a complex puzzle that only a mad scientist can understand happens a lot in this industry. If you’re constantly shocked by your invoice and can’t understand what you’re paying for, your service provider may be trying to confuse and frustrate you to the point that you stop asking questions.

Take control before you have a monster on your hands. Your service provider should provide you with an easy-to-read invoice. If there is something you don’t understand on the invoice you received, your service provider should be readily available to answer any questions you have about that invoice. Your service provider should give you consistent billing so you can manage your budget effectively.

Friendly Ghosts

Does it feel like you’re communicating with a friendly ghost when you have a question for your service provider? Someone who is friendly enough to hear your request, but doesn’t answer or respond to your requests? When you call, are you told to speak with your service representative, but you never see them? This is another trick some uniform service providers like to play all year long.

When you partner with a reputable uniform service provider, you should be able to rely on a team of service individuals, dedicated to providing you with complete satisfaction and answering your questions or requests. Your service team should be transparent (but not like a ghost) and willing to work with you to address your needs.

How can you avoid these tricks?

If any of these tricks sound familiar, then you should contact UniFirst today. We’ll treat you to a free VIP Cost Analysis Program® that evaluates your Value, Image, and Pricing. We’ll identify areas of your program that should be improved. Once we evaluate your current service, we’ll provide you with the following:

  • Executive Summary
  • Vendor Agreement Audit
  • Service Tracker
  • Cost Comparison
  • Employee Survey Option

Contact UniFirst today. We’re here to help you eliminate the tricks and start getting treats right away.

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