Pricing and other questions

Pricing for our services certainly is good question. Some things we'd like you to consider..

There are three basic types of way companies price their services.

* As low as possible to get the work.

What tends to happen here is a lack of enthusiasm or professionalism to get the work completed. There is a good chance you will be dissatisfied with the work and especially if you call because your having problems still.

We are often called to re-do these jobs.

Another-words, they normally don't stand behind their work, will not do a complete job especially on large jobs and some may not have liability or even vehicle insurance.

* As high as they think they can.

This can happen with some of the larger companies. We have been told by customers that came to us of quotes by some of these companies of $5000 -$8000 for just sealing a home to keep out mice. It is rare that your going to find a home that will require that much materials, manpower and time. Those same homes we have quoted in the area of $600 - $2000. Beware if a salesman with little knowledge of what they are trying to keep out, say mice, quotes you a very large amount for work. They are salesman and doing their job. Always get a second opinion if something does not seem right.

* Somewhere between the low and high extreme examples above.

This is exactly where we like to think we fit in. A fair price considering a number of variables with the end result of you, the customer being satisfied and free from the problem you hired us to fix and us, the company being able to be proud of our business practices and work. The work dictates the cost, not the business models as stated in the above examples.

This is what we consider fair. Not taking advantage of someone that is not familiar with the work needed but treating them with respect and charging enough to pay the technicians that were there, the materials needed, the business expenses such as insurance, website, licenses, office staff, software subscription's, gas and vehicle insurance and maintenance, protective clothing and equipment and the like and still make enough of a profit to stay in business.

Variables in pricing a home

Using the example of bat proofing a home.

In this example, the height of the home, the presence and type of ridge vent system, the pitch or angle of the roof, how many rooflines or different roof levels, how many dormers, the type of roof shingles (asphalt or cedar) access to the sides of the home where ladders need to be placed. (are trees and bush's around the entire home or are the minimal) are chimney present and are the capped and overall, how many openings are there? Just because a home is large does not mean it has a lot of openings that need to be addressed. But the whole roofline does need to be inspected. Bats will return once evicted and any spots missed will likely become new entry points.

Bat proofing an average home can fall between $1200 to $2500 as an average. Averages are just that. An average and we have done bat work below and above those examples.

If you need RIDGE GAURD VENT COVER product to cover a ridge vent that is not pest proof or of poor design that can add to the cost.

But because of the variables listed above, be very careful if anyone gives you a exact quote to bat proof a home over the phone without having seen the home in person. This is a red flag and is caused by examples one and two above.

Pricing is important. Hopefully I've covered some of what goes into coming up with pricing wildlife and pest control work. Consider if the person your talking to is experienced in what they are looking at and if the company has been around for a long time and its reputation.

Current pricing for some of our services in addition to the bat proofing averages above.

Inspections for new customer of ours are generally $150. This is for bigger jobs that do not have a set price such as bats, flying squirrels or pigeon and gull control. It also applies to unknown noises, scratching or activity that we cannot identify until we inspect. We do our best over the phone to identify what the pest may be and while it is not always possible we can make an educated guess as to the most likely cause. Should you decide after an inspection to use our services the inspection fee will be deducted from the service cost.

Existing current customers or those who have used us in the past are generally no charge or free for inspections.

Mice baiting has an initial cost of $595

Mice sealing of a home is priced at an hourly rate of $595 for the first hour and $250 for any hour after the first. This includes all materials and labor.

Stand alone calls like single visits for Ants with follow ups if needed are $350 for complete outside spraying and granular baits as needed and inside baiting with gels baits, bait stations, dusts, or sprays as needed. As above, each job is different. Our warranty on Ants work includes two return visits if needed for the next 30 days so you will have time to know the original problem has been fixed.

I mean it when I say we use the best materials for sealing a opening and treating a pest.

As an example

We use pure Silicone when we use caulking to seal an appropriate opening and that is around $9 a tube. Cheaper caulking blends can be had for $1.99. We never use something like that, it will not last, shrink in size, get moldy and eventually fall out.

Mice baits can be had for very cheap with differences of over $50 or more per bucket depending on the brand. The reason for that is cheaper baits tend to have fillers in them like wax and sawdust which mice don't want to eat anymore than you do. We use and have always used the most premium baits on the market by BASF, Bell Labs and VM products. This truly a case of you get what you pay for and the reason many people have found that baits from a hardware store really don't work that good.

Screening, also called hardware cloth is frequently used to screen gable vents and spaces under decks and porch's. Most companies used straight galvanized wire that is silver in appearance. We use the same wire but it has an additional black vinyl plastic coating on it which makes it last a lifetime in the salt air found along the CT. shoreline as well as superior rust resistance when buried in the ground for deck or shed exclusion work.

Our Exterior bait stations or box's for Rodent control are the best available. This is important because they are dog, raccoon and kid proof. They are secure, unlike the cheaper ones on the market that can be broken into by other animals.

All our materials and products are the best available. We don't want to waste your time or ours with underperforming products that generate return calls because they didn't work as well.

We stand behind our work always. We are reachable by phone always and if we are talking to someone else, we will call you back. Even if you have a problem or need a follow up to our work.

I really appreciate the time you took to read this as it is impossible to share all this over each and every phone call or meeting but I think its important you have as as much information as possible.

Pricing and other questions

Shorelinewildlife@protonmail.com