STAFF BLOG

Lorraine Norton, BPCA Operations Manager, discusses a recent logo-abuse case, what it reveals about professional rodenticide use, and why customers still need help choosing the right pest control contractor.

There are days when a simple enquiry tells you quite a lot about where the industry is.

Recently, BPCA was contacted by a school looking to appoint a pest control contractor. They had done the right thing. They had seen someone presenting themselves in a way that suggested they were connected to BPCA, and they used our Check a Member tool to confirm it.

They couldn’t find the business.

So they got in touch.

That one sensible step opened up a much bigger conversation about logo abuse, CRRU-UK’s professional rodenticide requirements and the rather wild west situation customers can find themselves in when trying to choose a pest controller.

Our findings

The pest controller involved was not a BPCA member. That much was clear quite quickly. What was less straightforward was that they did not appear to be deliberately trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes.

They had paid for online rodenticide training from a website, received what they believed was a legitimate BPCA certificate, and thought they were doing the right thing.

Unfortunately, the certificate was not what they thought it was. It was presented as a BPCA membership certificate and had then been used as evidence to buy professional rodenticide. That should not have happened.

“Passing off” as a BPCA member

BPCA’s logo and reputation matter. Members work hard to meet the standards expected of them. They go through our application and assessment processes. They invest in training, systems, insurance, professionalism and doing things properly. When a non-member uses our name, logo or anything that creates confusion, we will follow it up.

Every time!

Sometimes logo abuse is deliberate. Sometimes it is a genuine misunderstanding. Sometimes people confuse training logos, membership logos and qualification certificates. We will be fair, and we will listen, but we will also be firm. If something is wrong, it needs to be corrected.

In this case, we obtained assurances that the incorrect certificate would be removed and that customers would no longer be shown it. We also made sure the pest controller understood what good practice looks like and what routes are available to them if they want to work to recognised professional standards.

That matters too. BPCA is not here to stand at the gates shouting, “You shall not pass.” If someone genuinely wants to improve, we want to help them understand the right path. But we cannot ignore misrepresentation, even when it comes from confusion rather than malice.

Professional rodenticide use

The second issue is professional rodenticide use.

The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use UK (CRRU-UK), requirements exist for a reason. Professional rodenticides are not casual products. They carry risks to people, non-target animals and the wider environment if used incorrectly. Anyone using them professionally needs the correct training and qualification.

A certificate that looks official is not the same thing as a valid qualification.

There are websites that can appear quickly, sell something cheaply, look convincing enough, and then disappear. By the time anyone tries to investigate properly, they may already be gone and back under another name.

A happy conclusion

The school in this case did exactly what we want customers to do. They checked. They questioned. They came to BPCA when something didn’t feel right.

Because of that, we were able to protect our members’ reputations, help the customer find a properly verified BPCA member, have the incorrect certificate taken down, speak with the pest controller involved, and report the rodenticide purchasing concern through the proper CRRU-UK channels.

We all have a responsibility

It is very easy to complain about poor standards in the industry. We have all heard the stories. Someone using an out-of-date certificate. Someone claiming a membership they do not hold. Someone undercutting proper professionals because they are not carrying the same costs, checks or responsibilities.

But we cannot improve standards if we do nothing when we see a problem.

If you spot BPCA logo abuse, report it to us. If a certificate looks odd, tell us. If a company claims to be in membership and you cannot find them on Check a Member, do not assume. Ask.

We treat information confidentially and investigate thoroughly. Where something sits outside BPCA’s remit, we will point it towards the right place, including CRRU-UK where rodenticide competence and purchasing concerns are involved.

The internet has made it very easy to look professional. A smart website, a cheap certificate and a borrowed logo can create a convincing shop window.

REPORT A CONCERN

If you see a company using the BPCA logo and you’re not sure they’re entitled to, please let us know. The same applies if you spot a certificate that looks wrong, out of date or is being used in a way that doesn’t feel right.

You can check whether a business is a BPCA member using our Check a Member tool.

If you’re still unsure, contact the BPCA Staff team. We’ll treat the information confidentially, investigate it properly and take action where needed.