Urban pest management is the treatment for cockroaches, ants, spiders and silverfish.
Cost doesn’t always mean quality! Choose Carefully! It is a sensible idea to do your homework before engaging in a good pest manager.
Word of Mouth! Word of mouth is the strongest from of finding the right person. If you hear of a great pest manager, write it down. You may need them sooner than you think.
Google! Google is one of the most powerful market research tools you can have. USE IT! Get online and start doing your homework on pest companies and pest managers! All good pest companies will have a good informative website. Don’t waste your time on companies that don’t market their workmanship. A good pest manager will have a good profile on themselves.
Start Ringing! One of the first questions majority of clients ask is “how much to get my house treated”? Unfortunately there is no set price for urban pest management. You will find that every company has a different pricing structure. This can be quite frustrating when you as the customer feel that every company is giving you the same treatment. This is not the case! Every company has their own policies on what a treatment involves. Not all companies abide by the recommendations outlined by the pest trade association. One company may not include ants in the warranty whereas the other gives you a 6 month warranty. It is crucial you compare apples with apples on your treatments. It is not fair to you as the customer or the pest manager if you complain about the cost of the treatment before doing your homework. You are not necessarily doing yourself a favour by going with the cheapest quote. Some of the questions you need to be asking before you make the decision on who you engage is:
How much?
Does this treatment include internal and external?
Does this treatment include roof and ceiling voids?
What is the warranty?
How long does this treatment take and do I need to be out of the house? If so, how long for?
Who will be doing my treatment? Are they qualified and experienced?
How long does the treatment last?
Beware of 12 month warranties! Some pest companies will offer you up to 12 months warranty on your treatment. What does this warranty cover? Most companies will not warrant ants at all let alone warrant them for 12 months. Some 12 month warranties only cover Cockroaches but they don’t tell you this. Some won’t warranty German Cockroaches. Realistically, an external urban pest treatment will not last a full 12 months in our subtropical climate. Sunshine Coast has the most registered pest technicians than anywhere else in Australia so unfortunately there is a lot of pest managers’ competing to get the job. Pest Companies will offer you a cheaper price or longer warranty to persuade you to go with them. This does not always guarantee you the best quality treatment. Some companies will only come back and do a quick spot treatment if you have an issue within your 12 month warranty. They will not do a full re treat on your home.
What questions the Pest Company should be asking you! When you contact a company to make enquiries it is important to take note if they actually ask you any questions. Before giving you a quote over the phone they should be asking you quite a number of questions. For example:
Where are you located?
Are you having any pest problems in particular and where?
How many rooms do you have in your home, including living areas, studies, media rooms, etc.….
Is the home a slab on ground or highset? Is it split level?
What information should your pest manager forward on to you once you have booked your treatment in! It is a pest trade recommendation and by law that pest companies need to forward on paperwork regarding your booking before the treatment takes place. A good company will outline what preparation needs to be completed by you before they arrive for the treatment. They should outline health & safety precautions and their own terms & conditions. After the treatment is completed the pest manager should leave you a pest advice which explains to you where they have treated and what products have been applied and the amount of product used. A good pest company will leave you information after the treatment is completed on what to expect and further recommendations. If you are not receiving any of this from your current pest manager it may be time to re think who you are engaging.
Tips! Engage a local company or pest manager. They know your area well. They know what species are a problem in your area and the best form of treatment. Someone local can get to you on a quicker time frame for service calls. A local pest manager is known by everyone else and there is less
chance of you receiving dodgy treatments.
Listen to recommendations after your treatment has been completed. Pest managers are not miracle workers. The products used can only do so much. You need to allow time for the treatment to work. You need to be prepared to work with your pest manager for your home to be completely pest free.
Remember! There are a lot of good pest mangers out there. There are also a lot of bad ones too! A little time on your part by doing some homework will always pay off.
