Rodents Are Bad Business

It is commonly accepted that if you run a business that produces, stores, transports or sells food products, a rodent control plan isn’t just a good idea; it’s essential. But one storage company in Marietta, GA is learning that these pests can affect the reputation of any business.

No business wants to ever have news crews show up at their door and painstakingly film rodent droppings littered everywhere, but that is just what happened to Public Storage on Austell Road in Marietta, when WXIA 11 Alive out of Atlanta reporter Valerie Hoff showed up looking into an issue one customer was having with her storage unit. While the woman was away, rodents got into the unit and left their droppings and urine everywhere. On the floor. On her mattresses. Everywhere. She said all of her stuff was in that unit and that she can’t even imagine sleeping on those mattresses that the rodents had been all over.

A rodent problem can quickly turn into a PR nightmare. The first question a news agency wants to know is, “Who is responsible?” Their job is to probe and uncover things that may be of danger to the community. Here is what viewers now believe about this storage company.

  • The woman had no food in her storage unit that would have lured the pests in. This makes her a victim in the eyes of the viewer.
  • Entry points that a rodent could exploit were found on site, this makes the company appear negligent and in disrepair.
  • The company did not offer to pay the woman for her belongings, but referred her to a 3rd party insurance company, who offered her $150, which is less than one month’s storage fee. This is probably standard practice in the industry, but it still makes this storage company look like it doesn’t protect its customers.
  • Officials for the company were unavailable for comment, implying guilt.
  • The news team took note of a couple of rat traps on the property, which were obviously ineffectual at preventing the problem. This shows viewers that the company was aware of the problem, but its strategy for fixing it was shown to be meager and ineffective.

Don’t let your company get caught up in this kind of PR nightmare. At Active Pest Control, we offer the best rodent protection and Integrated Pest Management in the industry. Our specialists have the knowledge, experience and certifications to fully exclude rodents from your business. No matter what type of business you own, a rodent problem can quickly come back to bite you. Protect your brand with guaranteed and award-winning pest control from Active Pest Control.