This is a different state bill in New Jersey that would create a warranty:
Every commercial pesticide applicator, licensed pursuant to the “Pesticide Control Act of 1971,” P.L.1971, c.176 (C.13:1F-1 et seq.) and the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, who shall be contracted by the owner or tenant of a residential real property to eliminate the presence of bedbugs through extermination by poisoning, spraying, fumigating, trapping, or by any other recognized and lawful pest-elimination methods, shall provide to the owner or tenant, as appropriate, a warranty that guarantees to the contracting party cost-free, repeated applications of pest-elimination methods for the infestation of bedbugs within the residential real property if the owner or tenant determines that the real property is still infested by bedbugs within 30 days of the completion of the extermination process performed by that commercial pesticide applicator.
So that ought to be interesting.
The most impressive bed bug treatment warranty that I’ve seen ever? American Pest Control’s in Maryland. It’s almost like a dare.
I’m not sure what to say about eradication guarantees that isn’t already obvious. They’d be nice? My guess is “reintroduction” (tumbling reflexively out of the PMP’s mouth) and “treatment failure” (ditto for the resident) are words long past redeeming. It’s a pity because failure is a useful word.
By the way, a good tool to search the web for stuff like this—bills, fact sheets, minutes, whatever—in one efficient sweep is Uncle Sam. You’re better off searching at the possible source sites most times, but it’s nice and fast and a good way to discover things you didn’t know you were looking for. Bed bugs!
These pages may be of related interest:
I suspect that for many PCOs, the onerous prep regimen is their way of insuring that they never have to honor any guarantee beyond a second visit. Perhaps it would be better to charge time and materials, repeating as often as necessary.
Hey Ci Lecto, there’s an idea. Of course, some already price jobs as if they’re going to spend a lot of time treating but end up going in and out in minutes all the same. I guess they wouldn’t be able to do that if they charged by the hour. I think I only know one PCO, in another country, who charges by the hour. Seems to work for him.
If prep is increasingly professionalized, decoupled from PCO services, and even transformed into non-pesticide bed bug treatments, I wonder what strictly speaking will be the remaining role of the PMP. I’m well perplexed by the many things that are broken in how bed bugs are treated. I think technology may leave some of these problems behind. Eventually.
Renee
You were not kidding about American Pest Controls guarantee… a full year … Clearly written with no built in loopholes… I am really impressed.
If this was the industry norm… there would be no need for the proposed legislation.
I think you are right… I don’t see how they will deal with the re-infestation vs treatment failure disputes that will be created without ending up in a court hearings based on speculative arguments to decide the case.
When it comes to bed bugs…justice delayed is truly justice denied.
Yeah.
But if it’s just 30 days, then that’s 3 treatments if they’re spaced 2 weeks apart, so maybe that’s all this bill intends.
Plenty of arguing though; it’s part of the bed bug’s strategic advantage. Humans argue and they… mate, I guess.
I had a look at American Pest Control warranty at their website. Sounds impressive, but i would like to see the details and what is required to vaidate the warranty as well as exclusions and costs..
sounds impressive, but without those details, one can only wonder..
more on this later..
Sam