When you’re looking to choose a pest control company to bring into your home, there are many things to consider. It’s hard to tell if you’ve made the right choice until the company has proven themselves to you. You probably have plenty of questions, too. How much is pest control? Should you go with the small company or the big guy? The only way to make the decision easier is to be well informed. Here are the top 5 things you should consider before you choose.
- Experience. Has the company you’re considering been in business for a while? Even if they have been around for a bit, have they just added pest control to their repertoire? Pest control is a highly regulated industry. Only those with a lot of experience should be performing the service – especially when it comes to your home, family, and pets. A pest control company that is inexperienced can actually make your pest problem worse. Instead of eliminating the pest, the wrong treatment could just repel them, making them even more difficult to find. Over the counter, DIY treatments especially usually just make the pests run in to another area of your home. A treatment done incorrectly really just makes the next treatment more difficult and usually more expensive.
- Offerings. It’s important that your pest control company is able to deal with termites, ants, mosquitoes, roaches, mice, carpenter ants, etc. But did you know the products used in pest control and the products used in professional disinfectant treatments are regulated by the same government agency? A solid pest control company keeps their employees up to date with certification and training. If they are doing that, their technicians should be able to perform a disinfection for you as well as pest control. In addition, if you’re moving or buying any structure – residential or commercial – many lending companies require you to have a Wood Destroying Insect Report (WDIR) done. A professional pest control company should be able to provide you with one of these reports. In addition, they should be able to provide you with green options whenever possible.
- Local. Is the company you’re considering local to you? If they have a branch close to you, if you have a pest emergency situation, they will be able to come to you quickly. That’s important, but more so, it means the people that work for that branch most likely live nearby. It’s their neighborhood, too. So, they will take special care of it. A large company that has a corporate office in another state doesn’t know your area from the next one.
- Size. When you’re choosing a pest control company, size actually does matter. Besides the fact that a larger company may not know your area, you could be a number there instead of a person with a home. On the other hand, a small company may not have enough people focused on customer service to give you the attention you need. Much like the fairy tale of the three bears, you need a company that’s “just right.” A just right company will have up-to-date technology while still giving you the “you’re part of the family” feel. In larger companies, it’s not just the customers that can fall through the cracks. The employees tend to get lost, too. And if that happens, then training and certification can fall down the list of importance. A medium-sized company has a better chance of being able to focus on what’s important.
- Cost. The old saying is true: you really do get what you pay for. You probably wouldn’t hire the cheapest company to build you a house. But you may be skeptical of hiring the most expensive, too. With contractors, they tend to not pay for insurance or licensing and that’s why they’re able to offer a lower price – but that doesn’t make them safe. It’s no different in pest control. It could save you money, but it’s probably not safe for you and your family. The most expensive company could just simply be overcharging you. No matter what the quote is, make sure you know what you’re comparing. It’s all about balancing quality with quantity. Does the quote you’re looking at include free emergency service as well as routine appointments? Are the technicians trained and certified? Is the customer service up to snuff? Remember that offering those things costs the company money, so the quote that came in the lowest may not include those perks. We can’t quote your pest control for you from behind the computer. It all depends on the size of the property, the pests you’re having an issue with, and what kind as well as how many visits will be necessary. Just make sure you’re comparing the quotes fairly.
Keep these five items in mind when you’re searching for a pest control company for your home, but also be sure to ask as many questions as you want or need. Even the simplest of questions related to what an exterminator is, what exterminators do, and how pest control works are things the company you’re considering should be happy to answer. Your family members – including the four-legged ones – deserve a pest company that thinks they are as important as you do. In the end, that’s the company to choose.