Apathy creates termite problems.

This newsletter is probably the toughest one that we’ve had to put together since we first started our newsletters a few years ago.  The reason it was so difficult is because we had hoped to bring you details on a new termite warranty idea for the Green Termite Bait System.  Unfortunately it is not to be, so we thought we might discuss and explore the complex issue of ‘termite warranties’ and explain just ‘why’ a termite warranty is not as straightforward as one may think.  However, the explanations became long and for the most part uninteresting for a newsletter, so we made a tough decision to edit out several thousand words of complex technical detail, explanatory notes and legalese.

What you are reading now is the condensed version.  For those readers who are more technically minded, we apologise.  We may cover some of the issues edited out in future newsletters. one bite at a time.

You will find that we have repeated ourselves in a few places, but that is deliberate – for emphasis.

We were very keen on the idea of launching a termite warranty for our bait system, simply based on it’s extremely high success rate.  Feedback from some survey respondents prompted us to up the ante to make it a lifetime warranty and include a genuine repair warranty also to the value of $10,000.  “Why not?” we thought.  It all seemed possible, and in fact we found a way to made it possible.  However, the end result was neither practical nor was it going to be easy to implement.

Plainly the idea was “Great in theory, but not practice.”

We don’t like to give up, nor do we like to throw so much time and energy into an idea only to put it back on the shelf with a “too hard” label.  So we asked ourselves, “What can we offer to you, our customers that is realistic and practical and easy to understand?”

What we did was simply to extract the very best bits, the core ideas that made up our ‘warranty plan’ and package them in an exciting new plan we’ve called the ‘Platinum Plan’.  This plan is for both our existing clients and our new clients.  You are reading about it here FIRST as it is not yet fully released on our web site.

The Platinum Plan is simply a combination of three vital and affordable services that will offer the maximum in termite risk reduction for the minimum of cost.

These services are:

1. A professionally installed and maintained full service Green Termite Bait System. (Which many of our readers already have.)
2. A professionally installed and serviced Ec2c Termite Windows System for inside the home.
3. An annual inspection of the home and yard for termites.

Items 2 & 3 have always been optional items in the past and will remain so.  However, adding these two items to your existing termite management program will ensure that if termites are already in your home or if on the remote possibility termites do find a way in past the baits, then they won’t get much of a foothold before they are discovered and ousted.

So, why did we decide to add these two items?

We have always believed that our Ec2c Termite Windows were a good idea, but we have never really emphasised just how useful they are in every home.  Recent events highlighted their potential value in a home in Robina. The home had a history of termites which wasn’t revealed during the pre-purchase report.  Nor was it revealed during two subsequent reports using the very latest in electronic termite detection equipment. (Note: These reports were carried out by other companies.)  Nor were the termites visually evident to the professionally trained eye.  Yet they were actively feeding in several rooms of the house.

If an Ec2c Termite Windows System had been installed they would have been immediately discovered during the installation.  Not only that, but the termites could have been treated discreetly without too much expense.

Using hindsight, we applied the same logic to some other ‘problem’ homes we’ve encountered over the past 10 years and in every case the termites would have been detected much earlier in the home (if not immediately) if only the Ec2c Termite Windows had been installed and monitored.

The difficulty is knowing which homes are the problem homes with the hidden termite activity.  Logically, if you knew, they wouldn’t be a hidden problem!  So the Platinum Service is for all our Irish customers.  “To be sure, to be sure.”

All jokes aside, Ec2c Termite Windows are more than a good idea; they are a great investment because they are dead cheap, last a lifetime, and do something very important; they help you to see into your walls, at a glance any time you want.  If you want more details you will find our Ec2c termite Windows page has been updated here.

Thank you to everyone who responded to our survey last month.  The results indicated more than 95% of respondents in favour of a lifetime termite protection warranty and just one who said it wouldn’t be of value to him since he was a DIY customer.  Based on the survey results we spent a lot of time drawing up a plan that would allow us to implement a genuine termite warranty.  There were many obstacles that took a lot of work and creative thinking to solve, but solve them we did.  However, when we stopped and took a long hard look at the final package, we realised that it would never fly.

There was no one single problem that couldn’t be solved, nor one particularly big problem that would prevent us from implementing a genuine lifetime warranty for termite control.  It was simply the overwhelming number of minor terms and conditions, all of which needed to be met that led us to the conclusion that it wasn’t a sustainable idea.

As explained at the beginning of this newsletter, we were tempted to examine and discuss the list of terms and conditions (we felt were necessary) in this newsletter, but truly it would bore most you.

So instead, let us explain in a nutshell the two main reasons we decided to put the idea on hold.

Firstly, there would be an excessive amount of legal fine print (terms and conditions) in the warranty.  Compliance for some may involve implementing just a handful of termite management strategies, but for others it would present a hardship that could only lead to dissatisfaction.

The second reason we decided against it was because it was too difficult to implement nationally.  It simply wouldn’t be practical because of the time-consuming burden of paperwork needed to ensure that both our distributors and their clients complied correctly with all the terms and conditions necessary to offer a lifetime warranty.

It broke the KISS rule. We were no longer keeping it simple.

Offering a lifetime warranty against termite damage is possible but not practical.  Prevention could become more troublesome than dealing with actual termite damage.

So we asked ourselves, “What is sensible and practical?  What can a you do that is affordable and that will substantially reduce the risk of termite damage in the future.”

The answer is simple and worth repeating.

• Use a Green Termite Bait System to intercept and destroy termites before they reach your home.  It’s ongoing, it’s affordable and it works.
• Install an Ec2c Termite Window System throughout the home (and yard) to help monitor and expose past, present and future termite activity,  just in case the termites are already in your home.
• Have your home checked at least once a year and heed any professional termite management advice that is offered.

You may be asking yourself, “If the Green Termite Bait System is so good, why do I need to monitor for termites inside my home?”

The answer is simple. The Green Termite Bait System is a preventative system.  It works extremely well if it is serviced correctly on a monthly basis.  It is designed to kill termites and destroy their nest before they reach your home.  In some circumstances it can kill termites that are already in your home even though it is not designed for that purpose.

The Ec2c Termite Windows are designed to help reveal pre-existing termite damage or active termites in your home, something that many visual termite reports fail to do.

The combination of both the Green Termite Bait System on the outside and the Ec2c Termite Windows on the inside is affordable, cost affective, practical and wise.  These two systems combine perfectly with one another.

In the past, we advised that you should install a Green Termite Bait System and have it professionally serviced monthly.  To be safe, we repeated the well known catch-cry of the whole termite management industry – a simple admonition plainly written in the Australian Standards that encourages every home owner to have a professional carry out a visual termite inspection at least once a year.

We are now updating our advice to also include the installation and management of an Ec2c Termite Windows System. At just $99.00 for a DIY kit of 100 windows or $495 fully installed (selected service areas only) it is without doubt the best little investment you can make. They are so easy to check anyone can do it. You can check them anytime and they will last for the life of the home.

Here is the biggest reason why termites are a national problem causing millions of dollars worth of damage to Australian homes every year.

Apathy.

People forget about them.  Until it is too late.

Every one thinks (or secretly hopes) “It won’t happen to me.”

Yet statistics from the Department of Primary Industries indicate that one in three homes will suffer termite damage during the life of the home .

This really shouldn’t be a surprise.

Think about it.  Destructive termite species commonly exist in nearly every neighbourhood in mainland Australia.

Everyone knows that if you have your house treated for cockroaches, spiders etc every year then they won’t get out of hand.

Same goes for servicing your car.  Even brand new cars need regular maintenance if you wish to avoid mechanical breakdown.

So why is it that so many people forget to service their homes regularly for termites?  Probably the main reason is because unlike cockroaches and spiders, you can’t see termites.  They travel inside the timber in your walls.  If termites were in plain sight the same way as cockroaches and spiders, then we’d take action for sure.  Unfortunately by the time termites do become noticeable in a house, the damage is done, it’s too late, we can only hope it isn’t too severe.  And that folks, is the price of apathy.

Doing nothing can end up costing a lot more than the price of prevention.

That’s why we beat this same drum about termites every month in our newsletter.  That’s why we remind you to check your baits, and check your home.  And that is why we are always looking for ways to give you better protection from termites.

Some people find it all too hard and confusing.  Some simply forget.  Some just can’t be bothered.

Well, now we’ve made it easy.  You can upgrade or join our Platinum Package for a very low introductory rate. (South East QLD full service areas only.)

What you get as a Platinum Customer:

• A fully serviced Green Termite Bait System. (Price depends on number baits and price plan chosen.)
• A fully installed Ec2c Termite Windows System (Up to 100 windows) for $495.00.
• A full check of the Ec2c Termite Windows System every 6 months for just $95.00 – paid at the time of inspection, or $145 if you are not a full service termite bait customer.

Our fully trained and licenced termite specialists will also carry out an annual inspection for termites throughout your home and yard with a verbal report for $275, (paid at the time of inspection) which includes sitting down with you afterwards to clearly explain what we covered, then offering you sound advice for any additional remedial or preventative termite treatments that may be necessary.

What you have with the Platinum Package is the all the best bits from our ‘termite warranty’ idea.  For a reasonable price your home will have the benefit of monthly monitoring and treatment of potential termite threats outside your home before they reach inside, plus half yearly inspections of your Ec2c Termite Windows System inside your home, plus an annual check of your home from top to bottom.

Termites won’t stand a chance.

Let’s face it.  Apathy sneaks up on nearly everyone, but it needn’t anymore.  As a Platinum customer, you can rest assured knowing that we will remember to do the regular checks needed to keep your home safer from termites.