NURSE SHOCKED TO BE CHARGED £5 TO PAY FOR GARAGE’S PPE
SURCHARGE ON BILL COMMON, COMPANY SAYS
A NURSE says she was shocked to be charged an extra £5 to fund garage staff wearing protective clothing while servicing her car.
The NHS worker, who did not want to be identified, booked her car for a service with Robins & Day, in Abbey Lane, Leicester.
She said she was initially surprised by the request for extra money for such safety steps but later felt angry the company was passing on the cost so many companies were having to absorb during the pandemic.
She said: “We have to take our car in for a service as part of the contract and we also have no choice but to go to a Peugeot garage.
“The man on the phone told me the amount it would cost plus the £5 charge, which I was told covered personal protective equipment.
“I was a bit taken aback. He then told me ‘I can take it off for you, if you want.’ I said not to bother.
“Then I got put through to someone else so I could pay and they said the charge was for them to wear PPE, clean the car down before the service and then again before they give it back.
“I’d had a bad day at work and didn’t want to start an argument but I couldn’t believe it. It’s ridiculous charging for it. It just seems astonishing.”
The nurse said she visits up to 15 patients a day and had to use PPE and clean her car between appointments, as well as leaving it empty for 72 hours before anyone else in her family could go in it.
She said: “If you can charge £5 for wearing PPE like this, then I think the NHS is really missing a trick.”
The Mercury contacted Robins & Day. It said: “In order to ensure we protect our customers and our staff from Covid-19 when customers are visiting Robins & Day, we charge £5 on the invoice of all vehicles coming in to our service departments.
“This is to cover the cost of the additional sanitisation applied to their vehicle and their surroundings when in with us.
“Robins & Day is part of Stellantis, a global group which has a strict group policy on running and operating in a Covid-secure business, which is enforced in every market.
“The Stellantis regulations which we adhere to can be more strict than the UK government Covid protocols in certain instances. Many garages are operating a charge for PPE.
“As we operate under strict Covidsecure health and safety standards, we want to reassure our customers we have worked within the group Covid protocols and this is why a £5 charge is recorded on the invoice as PPE.”