Can you Guarantee a Pest Control Service?

#whatbugsme

          Everyone wants a guarantee, a sure thing.  In this day and age the only things you can count on are death and taxes.  It is no wonder that many want some assurance that the hard-earned money they spend is not wasted. I see companies guarantee things all the time and there are two thought processes for this.

          Some companies guarantee products or services because they believe that said product is of the highest quality and the percentage of claims on it will be minimal. The other company type offers guarantees  because they know most are too lazy to take the steps to honor it.  Another statistical game.  These can even write it off as a loss in the books.  Both of these give you assurance that if something does happen, it will be taken care of.  I would rather tell you the truth.

          Now on to pest control.  Can someone really guarantee that you will never see a bug?  I very loudly vote NO!  The nature of insects and customer actions cause this to be true.  The fact is even if you and your technician do everything correctly, you can still have a bug in your home.  This does not mean the treatment did not work. To prevent this blog from being 100 pages long just know that #1 this is not an exact science, and #2 pests do not immediately keel over the second they touch a pesticide.  If you have a service with me I will not guarantee you will  never see a bug.  I will however work with you to fix it if you do have a problem, even if it is between services.  Guaranteeing a pest control service is a little dishonest but a powerful marketing tool.  Now several companies will also service when a problem arises but they never explain what the guarantee actually means.

          With the increase in bed bug infestation in Knoxville, many want a guarantee due to the high financial and emotional cost of eliminating them. I guarantee I can get rid of them. The problem lies in the nature of how you got them in the first place. No amount of treatment or technique will prevent you from walking a bed bug right back into your house either during service or after they are gone.  I cannot guarantee you won’t cause another problem.  Your technician has no control over where you go, where you sit, or who you allow into your home. The common assumption is that they were never truly eliminated. The one good thing with bed bugs is once they are gone, they don’t come back unless you bring them back in. So I ask you… why would I guarantee your elimination when there is nothing I can do to prevent another one?  The same thing often happens with other pests as well. If an infestation is eliminated but the root problem is not fixed (sanitation, disrepair, holes) then you are likely to cause another new problem.

          Sometimes needing another service is just the nature of the beast in pest control.  Rest assured, my goal is to do the best job possible so this doesn’t happen but no one is perfect and the pests can be relentless.  Either way, you are covered with a service agreement.  If you are not with Phoenix Pest Control, make sure your company cares when you have a problem and stands by what they say.  This is not an industry that operates well with a cookie-cutter mentality.  Your problem and home are unique and should be treated as such.  I guess it comes down to what is meant when someone uses the word guarantee. Till next time, may all your bugs be dead ones. #proudtobeaphoenix