[H2GoKent]

Meant to be doing a job this morning 9.30 been booked in for a week, woman cancels at 9.
The point of this post is that it was a Pest Control job, that's my other business.
That's a job that's specialised, needs training, expensive equipment, insurances, and qualifications, but people still cancel

So it's not just cos we are windys that people cancel.
And before people get cross I know that window cleaning also needs training, insurance, equipment etc.

Getting messed about is part of being a tradesman sometimes is my point.

[Crystal-clear]

Yea customers are just a nightmare thanks for the feed back

[andyM]

Makes you wanna stick your head in a Rat Trap...........

[C o z y]

On the carpet & upholstery cleaning side of our biz, we take a €50 deposit on jobs on booking. Saves most problems like that.

[Ian101]

An old car sales saying - the deposit is the glue that holds the deal together.

Next year were starting pressure washing and conny valeting and a deposit will be taken every time.

[mick hay]

I do pest control too. Do you use a chip and pin machine?

Try taking payment first, i do for wasps in the summer just in case they are price shoppers!!!

What are you busy with at the moment?

[Ian101]

Put my days turnover on Moles

[Ian101]

Mick do u tell price shoppers to buzz off ?

[Dominic Carnell]

I've always been interested to know:

Can you offer a pest control service to the consumer without licensing/training IF you only use pest control products that are available to the public?

I've looked online before but never really been able to find a concrete answer.

PS business is personal when it's your own, but try not to take your customer's actions personally

[mick hay]

Mick do u tell price shoppers to buzz off ?

Well, the thing is, you never know until youve told them the price!

But i just go straight into a pitch to book the job after telling the price, if they are just shopping, the phone goes dead....lol

Dominic....you will find that most companies wont supply you with "professional" gear unless you have done their basic course, which is only a day or 2 long, and you do need it for the knowledge.
But no, you dont have to be licensed etc, thats why its quite a saturated market.

[shina]

I also do pest control but find that its good in the summer for wasps, other jobs that come in I sometimes hand over as it dosnt pay so well.
Before anyone asks I have the license etc

[mick hay]

What license is that shina?

[weetot]

Used to do Driving Instruction, and every 3rd person cancels.

Nightmare scenario.

[shina]

What license is that shina?

You need a license to buy the products. You dont need a license to do the job, therefor you cant do the job without the products. Unless of course someone gives you the poisons etc.
To get the license you have to complete the relevant courses. One of the products I cant buy is gas pellets which is used on rabbits and moles, I would have to complete another course for this. If you left 1 pellet in an average sized living room and there were 8 people there they would all be dead, so the importance of a seperate course.
But anyway thats what I mean by a license

[mick hay]

you dont need a license, you just need to do the suppliers "training course" in order to buy their products.

I did the killgerm insect and rodent biology and control, but no license is needed.

To use the aluminium phosphate pellets, you have to do the course then be registered to be able to use them, so yes a license is needed for that the same as you would for a firearm.

You can take the industry recognised RSPH level 2, course and exam, but even that is not a legal requirement.

[Fin Clearview]

Next time have them sign a 24hr cancellation charge (no leg to stand on) fee clause in your contract. Simples.

[G Griffin]

I do pest control too. Do you use a chip and pin machine?

Do you just hit them with it?

[H2GoKent]

I do pest control too. Do you use a chip and pin machine?

Try taking payment first, i do for wasps in the summer just in case they are price shoppers!!!

What are you busy with at the moment?

Done a few bed bug jobs, but a fair bit of seagull proofing down here on the coast, few flea jobs.
I don't use chip and pin yet, the Pest side is still fairly small for me, but am working on it.
Wasps were low in number this year weren't they!

Deposit is a good idea, this lady had paid for the whole job so I've got the money.
You don't need a licence to do Pest work, but if you want to use decent chemicals that work like Cimetrol for bedbugs then you need to do RSPH Level 2, which also means you know what you're doing.
The chemicals available to the public are much much weaker than ones that I can buy and for good reason some of them are pretty toxic.