7 tips for choosing the best pest control service
There are numerous pest control services available nowadays. Homeowners looking for a service provider are likely to come across at least a couple options that offer the same service. However, choosing a pest control service that suits their needs is a difficult task. It is important to consider certain attributes of any given service before investing money in it. Here are some valuable tips for finding and selecting the best pest control services:
Checking documentation
Proper documentation separates the genuine service providers from the novices and fraudulent ones. Initially, when customers ask service providers to show their documentation, they will take time to provide them with the paperwork. Nevertheless, it is worth waiting before putting one’s hard-earned money on a service provider. Service providers that delay showcasing their documentation even after repeated reminders need to be avoided.
There are mainly two kinds of documentation one should look for when hiring a pest control service provider. Firstly, the registration information is necessary to check whether a company is registered with the homeowner’s state’s Pest Control Regulatory Agency. This helps ensure that the service provider is legitimate and operates within the law. Secondly, it is vital to check for a document that confirms the presence of a licensed and certified applicator on staff. This information indicates that the service provider has adequate expertise and support to deal with pest-related issues. A licensed applicator can also provide training to train employees, which ensures that they are knowledgeable and capable of handling pest control procedures.
Looking into the service provider’s credentials
Individuals can check online details, and information about a given service provider on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the state’s Attorney General’s office, the state’s department of agriculture, and the state’s pesticide regulatory office to evaluate the service provider, check their customer record and grievance redressal.
Checking the company’s experience and longevity
Newer players on the block may offer economical prices and flashier features, but one must strictly consider the experience and longevity of a given service provider. Pest control services require skill, precision, and know-how, three elements only possessed by companies that have worked on thousands upon thousands of projects and operations. Such companies are well-versed in details about what kinds of houses need what specific kinds of pest control service for maximum impact and efficiency.
Moreover, in many instances, experienced companies are more established and have better frameworks in place to handle their customers much better than newbie companies on the market. Therefore, it makes greater sense for individuals to opt for service providers that have been around for longer.
Checking online reviews
Other than going through documentation and other statistics, one must also check out the reviews of the service of pest control providers. Individuals can check out the online reviews and speak with their family and friends to get a ground-level understanding of how happy or disappointed the general public and ex-clients are with a given service provider’s work in their houses or workplaces.
Online reviews are generally hard to manipulate and, therefore, are an accurate reflection of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction associated with the service of a given pest exterminator company. Therefore, one must not ignore these two areas of verification.
Ask questions
After seeing everything about a given company from an external lens, it is time to do the same from within. I ndividuals can contact the customer service department of pest control services to know about different aspects of the service, including the costs, estimated time taken for the service to be administered, the number of people who would be visiting a given property to provide the complete range of pest control services for the occupants there. No question is too silly in such conversations.
Phone calls or text-based conversations with company representatives give people a good idea of how well or poorly a given company is run. Apart from getting all the information they want, a phone call will also let customers know the quality and empathy levels of the customer service wing of a pest control company. One must only select the one that patiently and gently answers all of the customer’s questions and provides positive reassurance in return.
Only considering licensed exterminators
Licensed exterminators are legitimately the ones who should be doing the pest control work in one’s house. Surprisingly, there are many companies that carry these kinds of work without a proper license and other documentation. While these companies may have a good track record of work and will do as well as a corresponding licensed pest control provider, their work cannot be trusted to a complete degree.
There is greater professionalism and regulation-following in the work of pest control services that have credibility and licenses.
Asking for a free inspection
Many pest control services provide free inspection services to gauge a given property and what kind of extermination will suit it best. Such companies will send experts for the gauging. One must select such pest control companies as this inspection route is methodical and fail-safe in nature. Pest control services administered after a thorough inspection more or less always successfully hit the mark. Moreover, the inspection should be free of charge and attached to the overall package of services that an exterminator offers to its clients.
Some other tips include asking for a second opinion and checking the quality of the exterminator’s website.