The Best In Termite Control – Orange County Edition, Part II

In The best in Termite Control – Orange County Edition, Part I, we looked at two very important aspects of a termite control company: the inspection, and the termiticide. In part II, we’re going to take a look at the ‘back end’ of the inspection — two simple business practices that separate the men from the boys.

The Warranty
Many companies that perform termite fumigation — Orange County‘s included — like to advertise that they will return and treat again at no charge should the termites return. Unlike many other groups — like construction contractors, for example — there is no way for a termite control company to know that they have eradicated the threat. There is simply no technology that will detect a termite living inside of a block of solid wood.

For that reason, most re-treatment warranties have fine print that essentially says that the company will only come out and re-treat the same areas a second time and in an identical manner — basically useless wasting of your and their time — if the termites reappear. They specifically do not cover any wood damage that may have occurred because the first treatment failed. Make sure that, if your termite company offers a warranty at all, it includes both different and better treatments the second time around and it covers wood damage — not having those is basically not having a warranty at all.

The Price
Kind of an obvious one, it would seem — but the problem here is with accuracy. You can pay someone to come out to your home and spend a few hours hanging out and spraying some liquid on stuff. Or you can hire a termite control company that will give you a clear report of what they intended to do, and will stick by it. Give them the report that your qualified inspector (see Part I) gave you, and have them write a proposal for what they will do. Only once you know that can you accurately compare prices between one termite control company and another.