Clark Howard is a very popular consumer champion who is always looking out for you. If you listen to his radio show or watch him on TV it’s very difficult to come away with any other opinion except that ‘this guy knows how to save a buck and spot rip offs from a mile away. I caught this tip of his on the radio and sure enough was able to find it on his site.
Clarks subject for his tip is that sometimes frantic people infested with bugs make emotional decisions when choosing a pest control company. I agree. He goes on to talk about termite work and making sure you have a termite ‘bond’ which I assert there is no such thing. (just a minor bug-a-boo for me, no biggy) What I’m curious about however is his claim that pest control prices are “all over the map” and that according to a firm called checkbook.org, they found that some companies were less than 1/3 of the price of the most expensive. Now I’ve got to ask, “Is this news?” I’ve been in pest control a long long time and this price dilemma has been around way before I came onto the scene. Clark goes on to say that some of the ‘cheap’ (my word not his) companies give guarantees while some of the most expensive do not. Again, “News?” This type of thing has been going on forever and Clark Howard or not it will continue long after we are gone.
What I do not agree with Mr. Howard about is his insistence to ‘shop’ around with multiple companies. Now maybe I’m jaded because I’m in
the bug business but I find that when I get into bid or shopper type quotes, these people are THE MOST confused of any potential clients I’ve ever run into. They actually get TOO much information and find themselves drowning in what everyone thinks is a simple subject but soon realize that there are many different ways companies choose to provide service and figuring out what’s best is not always so easy.
I’d like to go into it more but I’m more interested in what you have to say instead. If you’d like you could peruse these articles where I’ve explained my view point but if you would, take a minute and put your opinion of this topic down in the comment section below.
The pitfalls of 3 bids
Free inspections for pest control are not so free
Choosing the right pest control company
