Choosing a Pest Control Company
Pest control these days is a pretty big business (over 1000 pest control companies in Australia). Termites alone are a problem for one in three Australian homes.
Working out which is the right company for you can be as troublesome as the Cockroaches that invade your kitchen each night.
When choosing a pest control company, consider:
- How long has the company been in business?
- Is the company a member of any recognised trade association?
- Do they have professional indemnity and public liability insurance?
- What licenses and qualifications does the pest controller have?
- Are sub-contractors used (and if so, who is responsible if something goes wrong)?
- Do they have an office nearby or does the pest controller give you only a mobile phone number as the point of contact?
- What experience do they have in the local area? (If a company is locally based, they have a vested interest in keeping locals happy.)
- How do they come across over the phone? Are they professional, helpful and knowledgeable? Are they up-front with information about price, treatments, time frame etc. over the phone?
- If they make an initial visit, what is the state of their equipment, truck and clothes
Pest Control Pricing and Warranties
Prices and services will vary from company to company, and from job to job.
For a regular pest inspection most companies will charge for a pest inspection - you may find a few that do not.
An initial inspection can check for common pests such as cockroaches, spiders, rodents and fabric pests, and may take a couple of hours. Termite inspection may also be included for the same price. Remember, however, that the lowest price is not necessarily the best price.
Cost for any pest inspection will depend on things such as:
- The number of rooms in a house.
- The size of the property, and whether there are garages, sheds, gardens, pools etc to check.
- The age, building type and condition of the house.
- The price of any treatment will be worked out on a case-by-case basis.
Warranties
It's a competitive world out there, and some companies will offer money-back guarantees, extended warranties, free service period etc.
This is all well and good, but it's wise to be aware that long-term protection varies greatly from pest to pest, and home to home. For example, for some pests such as possums and birds, it is possible to eradicate them and put in place physical barriers that will prevent them from being able to return. The pest control company will quite rightly insist that that is part of the treatment, which they will carry out. Once such proofing is done, they should be able to offer some sort of warranty.
However, pest control is generally not a quick, once-over miracle cure. Before you go ahead with any treatment, check:
- Is any warranty or service period offered?
- How long it will take for a treatment to take effect?
- Will dead insects or rodents etc. need to be cleaned up?
- Will there be any odours?
- Will follow-up treatments be necessary?
We have a network of pre-qualified Pest Controllers all across the country.
