As a consumer, you want to make sure you’re getting your monies worth when you purchase a product or a service, right?  I know I do.  Pest control falls into this category.  Whether you’re hiring someone who calls themselves an exterminator, a pest control technician or a bug guy, part of the responsibility of making sure you get your monies worth falls in your lap.  Yes, the company you hire has an ethical and legal obligation to follow through on their end, but you also have a responsibility in making sure they’re doing what they said, how they said.

One of the key factors in getting prices from competing companies is keeping in mind that each company has a vast array of products to choose from when treating your particular pest problem.  They also have different guarantees, different application techniques, and different billing procedures.  All of these play a part in determining the final price you will pay for their service.  And this is where you, as the consumer, has to be willing to ask a few extra questions and force your contractor to get down to the brass tacks of what they’re doing and what they’re using to do it.  Probably the most important question is “what is the material you are using and how are you applying it?”  This is important because your contractor can choose from one chemical that costs under $20/quart or another that costs over $100/qt.  They both apply the same, mix the same, have the same dilution rate and yet, their cost is drastically different.  If you were to inquire, or better yet, ask for a label to read, you would find that the $100/qt material has a residual that is almost 3 times longer than the less expensive type and also has a much more effective initial knockdown of the pests.  These two factors will make a huge difference in the outcome of the job that is done for you.  The problem is this.  If you simply choose a contractor based on price, you will do as the old saying says……”get what you paid for”.  The price might be cheaper with one company due to them using a much less expensive product, thereby cutting down on their operating costs but in the end, you may end up needing 2 or 3 applications to have the same effectiveness of the company that was a little higher priced but using a superior product.  This would result in one of two things.  Either you would spend half the season feeling like you wasted your money, or you would be spending more money trying to get the control you hear others talk about.

So, in a nut shell………..if consumers will take the time to do just a little research with regard to pest control, ask the company they are consulting a couple of key questions, and then follow up by asking the technician to explain the material and application technique in detail when they arrive or at least over the phone, they will be able to properly compare companies and make a very educated and quality decision as to who to hire.

As a contractor, it’s very frustrating to lose a job over $10 or $20 when I know the material I’m using, along with our guarantee, is going to far exceed expectations and provide the consumer with the result that they are looking for.  Our motto is this………..”any schmuck can sell a consumer something once……but only a quality company and product can sell that same customer something again and again and again”.  Please, for the benefit of all quality contractors out there, do a little detective work and make sure you’re comparing Apples to Apples when picking who will have the privilege of working for you.  Thank you.