Hiring a Termite Co.

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=115 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="12fc8c83.gif"> <div> <B> </B><IMG SRC="12ef84b0.gif" border=0 width="760" height="75" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home/Start"><U>home</U></A> |  <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="about Termites"><U>about Termites</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Quick Inspection"><U>Quick Inspection</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Treatment Options"><U>Treatment Options</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Guarantees"><U>Guarantees</U></A>   |   Hiring a Termite Co.   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Articles"><U>Articles</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="12fc8c83.gif"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="151c0bb0.gif" border=0 width="192" height="187" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=365 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="12fc8c83.gif"> <div> <I>Hiring a Termite Co.</I></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="450" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 26 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="16ac2140.gif" border=0 width="450" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> Hiring a Termite Company is the beginning of a long relationship.  Better find a good one.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#333333" FACE="Verdana" >  rewrite</FONT></div> <div> Once you go through the expense of having your home treated you will have the opportunity of renewing your guarantee for additional years at a yearly premium rate.   If you decide to hang on to your coverage you need to pay the renewal fee each year <B>on or before</B> your anniversary date.  Most termite treatments are guaranteed for a one year period with the option to renew for an additional 5 years or longer.  When you don't find out about the Termite Company you pick and your not happy with them after the treatment, you just might be stuck with them and their guarantee for a long time.  It pays to ask the right question.</div> <bR> <div> If you suspect fraud in the way a Termite Company did business with you, and they will not give you satisfaction, you may go to my helpful links page and seek out the proper way to proceed to the  Alabama or Georgia  Dept. of Agriculture.</div> <div>   </div> <div> In Georgia each Pest and Termite Technician has to attend mandatory training meetings and get a predetermined number of certification points during a 2 year or 5 year time period in order to keep their license, Alabama technicians do not.</div> <div>    </div> <div> <IMG SRC="17804140.gif" border=0 width="260" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </div> <div> Customers who drive a hard bargain usually get the best prices, but not always the best job. Driving too hard a bargain can be unfair to a Termite Company who in turn may be unfair to the customer by spending less on chemicals and time on the job. Companies that do not earn enough profit can find them selves in trouble. They might be forced to cut corners. The most obvious place to cut cost is to use less than the prescribed amount of chemical resulting in a treatment that does not properly protect the home and the homeowners investment. Some Termite Companies work short handed or lower their treatment standards to accommodate lower skilled technicians.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">If you don't have a trusted Pest Control Company, you should call 3 Companies for comparison BIDS.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Most Termite Companies give free inspections with written estimates. I understand that in some areas of the country there are charges, just make sure to ask if there is a charge when you phone them.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Don't accept a bid written on a business card. You need detailed information on guarantees, treatment procedures, payment plans et. Later you'll want to sit down and compare apples with apples and oranges with oranges. Not just prices.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Don't be surprised at how much prices can differ from company to company. Some companies are very high and offer very little real difference in service.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="17b04140.gif" border=0 width="260" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> When you call a Termite Company out to your home, here is what to expect them to do.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Make a thorough inspection.  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Make a scale drawing of your home describing what work will be done.  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Give a written price and payment terms for treatment. Explain your guarantee.  Retreat only, or Retreat + Damage repair.  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Give a price for the annual renewal fee (to extend your guarantee).  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Answer all of your questions.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="17904140.gif" border=0 width="260" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">What will your company do should termites return after treatment.  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">If I have a repair guarantee, do I have to pay a deductible?  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">All homes don't qualify for REPAIR guarantees, ask if yours does.  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">After the initial one year guarantee period, how many extra years can I renew my contract?  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">How much will my annual contract renewal cost be?  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">When my contact is over do I have to retreat my house again at my expense? [Some companies contracts run open-ended.] They will guarantee you coverage for as long as you pay the renewal with no limit.  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ask for an insurance certificate. Companies who don't have any insurance are counting on you not asking.  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">If your getting a bait treatment, ask how often their inspections will come, and the distance apart the stations will be placed.</div> <div>  </div> <div> <IMG SRC="17704140.gif" border=0 width="260" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Treating a house for subterranean termites is a job best left to professionals. Termiticides are much stronger chemicals than pesticides, and can be a danger to the environment and yourself if handled improperly.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Pick your Termite Company with care, your relationship with them could be a long one. It is almost impossible to get one company to pick up a guarantee on the other Termite Companies work.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">It is a good idea to pick a Termite Company that can afford to back up the guarantee they issue you. Termite Companies are required to carry insurance. It would be a shame to have a claim that your Termite Company could not pay. It happens.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c833333300.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Some prices are high some are low. Each Termite Company charges what he or she thinks their service can demand. Some Termite Companies don't charge enough to do the job and some Termite Companies charge enough to send money out of your community to a Home Office somewhere. Find a good medium priced local company and check out their reputation.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>