When choosing a Pest Control company to rid your home or business of pests, you want to take in consideration important attributes that this company has in place so that you know all the facts about what they are going to provide for the service, legally, what they require you to do, as well as that the service will be safe for you and your family. Just like any service that you want someone else to do, the last thing you want is to be scammed or have any misunderstandings.
Licensing and Insurance
Any Pest Control company that sells or uses commercial products like poisons and chemicals must have an up-to-date Applicator’s licence that they must have available when servicing a customer. It needs to be updated every year. The reason for the licence is so that the technician understands how to use poisons and chemicals properly and safely. Anyone that services the public (especially in their homes) should have current liability insurance. Ask to prove before hiring them.
The Service
It is easy for anyone to say they can take care of your pest issue but by listening to what they say about what they provide and how they will do it, will give you a better understanding about how knowledgeable they really are about the particular pest and how they intend to exterminate it completely. Is there a guarantee? When will you be back to follow up? Do we sign a contract? Will you keep me informed on the progress? These are questions that should be asked before hiring. It is easy to Google a business, look at their website or the reviews that past customers have left but it is common knowledge that an unhappy customer will easily leave a bad review while the countless happy customers may not. Of course you will want to know what the price of the service is but ask if it is a total cost with everything included. Too many people have found out that there was a cost for every treatment performed or for every follow up visit or the service is one price and the products provided are a separate cost.
Treatment
Because everyone has varying schedules (work, pick up kids from school etc.), try and find a Pest Control company that can be flexible both to you and them. Will they service in the evenings, on weekends? Does it cost a lot more to service outside of the city? Now, you picked a date and time…what does the company require to be done prior to treatment by the home-owner. Chemical treatments, for instance, for bed bugs or cockroaches require extensive preparation before they come in and spray. When a Pest Control company first visits the home, a complete inspection for pest activity should be done to get an idea of the extent of the infestation, where they could be getting in and the pest activity that is noted. Be careful of someone who finds one bed bug on the bed and says your whole house is infested. A good dialogue between customer and technician should be done to inform them of their findings and suggestions should be given to better educate the customer as well as help prevent future issues. It is a good idea to go with the technician when they inspect so that you can see what they discover.