People need to understand just how and where and when all this bed bug business can affect them. There will be NO person or business that will not be subjected to bed bugs in some way.

Any person can come into any type of dwelling or purchase something from any business, pick them up and sue you! And this is ONLY the beginning.

Landlords and property management companies need to put a protocol in place!
Associated Press

Rental company in Ohio sued over alleged bedbugs

Associated Press, 07.08.11, 10:19 AM EDT
DAYTON, Ohio — Three roommates who say their rental furniture was infested with bedbugs have sued the southwest Ohio business that supplied the items.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Dayton says the roommates became infested with bedbugs after renting a couch, loveseat, lamps and tables from a Rent-A-Center ( RCII – news – people ). The lawsuit says they immediately developed red bumps from bug bites after moving the furniture into their home in February.

The Dayton Daily News reports that the lawsuit alleges the Rent-A-Center was negligent and caused emotional distress. It says the roommates had to hire an exterminator and get rid of possessions.

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages to be determined at trial.

Xavier Dominicis, a spokesman for Plano, Texas-based Rent-A-Center Inc., would not comment on pending litigation but says the company has policies to guard against bedbugs.

CBC News
Posted: Jul 21, 2011 8:46 AM MT
Last Updated: Jul 21, 2011 8:46 AM MT

A subsidized residence for homeless and hard-to-house seniors is dealing with a bed bug infestation in several rooms.

A worker at Peter Coyle Place in southwest Calgary says she hasn’t seen proper pest control. However, a spokeswoman for Alberta Health disputes those allegations and says treatment is underway.

The worker, who CBC News has agreed not to name, said at least three rooms are affected and that those rooms are just wiped down by housekeepng staff.

“A client came up to me and handed me a bug. Freaked me right out,” she said.

“They’ve put myself at risk along with 70 clients and probably a dozen other employees. That’s wrong. Totally wrong and until they do you know all of us are all kind of creeped right out.”

Treatment underway says Alberta Health

Provincial officials have responded to two complaints about Peter Coyle Place and the facility has brought in a pest control company, says an Alberta Health spokeswoman.

“The inspector who went in has thoroughly reviewed the past control records and spoken to the pest control company as well,” said Lynne Navratil.

“They have done the treatment as per the prescribed or approved methodology by Alberta Health Services. So they have treated adjoining rooms as well. And the inspector has gone through thorough cleaning and disinfectant procedures with the staff there.”

Navratil says this is the first complaint to Alberta Health at this seniors centre about bed bugs. Alberta Health does surprise spot checks during the year at these kinds of facilities, she added.

PROTECTING YOUR BED BUG IMAGE – There isn’t a single soul that doesn’t have an image to protect with the transparency of the Internet nowadays and it’s especially rough for the hospitality Industry. Do your best to keep the complaints on the property and out of the news online.

When a facility takes pro-active steps to becoming educated and prepared they are given a star for each step they take. They can proudly post their rating on the BBX Registry where people will be looking for hotels and facilities that are looking out for their protection.

So how would a hotel or business protect and manage their bed bug online image and reputation?

BBX Eliminator has developed a bed bug image strategy to help those who are attacked through sources of www.bedbugregistry.com and www.tripadvisor.com

www.bbxregistry.com, BBX Registry is the flip side of www.bedbugregistry.com and www.tripadvisor.com where hotels can proudly post rebuttals, efforts and acknowledgments of bed bugs accusations in a professional way. They can even post how they have taken precautions for future problems, bed bug training for awareness and what prevention measures have been put into place.

Unfortunately, an hotel is not given a chance to respond on other sites. It’s important to investigate and understand the issue and have some sort of resolution to report back, so we find it’s crucial to address a bed bug complaint immediately. And through these simple steps, a hotel can be saved from a bad reputation and loss of revenue.

Being aware that all hotels are susceptible to an infestation or attack at any time, and there is no control as to what is being said, responding immediately is very important for damage control. Some hotels and management companies are creating teams of people for just that purpose.

Example responses can include:

“We stayed at XXX hotel for two nights, awoke with bites all over our bodies. When directed towards the management of the hotel they said they found no bed bugs”

Hotel Response:

We acknowledged our customers complaint and immediately called our pest control company which sent in an investigator and a bed bug detection dog team. They examined the room in question and all surrounding rooms and found no evidence of bed bugs in any of the rooms. We have a “standard bed bug operating procedure” in place and each of our staff has been professionally trained to identify and act on a possible bed bug infestation immediately. It is our internal policy to check all rooms on a weekly basis and we keep a log so that our clients can be sure of a hotel that takes their wellness into concern at all times.

These types of responses lead to a more positive review for the hotel. And will also encourage confidence and security within a client who will most likely stay at your facility in the future knowing that your facility is educated and has taken all possible precautions to deal with bed bugs.

Hotels and facilities that house the general public also have the opportunity to place a positive review of their hotel or facility and the protocol that they follow in the event of bed bugs.