April 2005 / Vol.2 / Issue 4

Hello and Welcome to the April Greenpest News. Each month we aim to provide you with some useful information, keeping it short, sweet and pertinent.

Contents

1. Pest Talk
2. Customer Question/Response of the Month.
3. Quote of the month.
4. Monthly Special

Pest Talk

Welcome to the April 2005 newsletter. We're pleased to simultaneously launch of our brand new Mark 3 Green Termite Bait as well as our new look web site. The last few months have been enormously busy for all the staff at Green Termite Bait Systems& #8482;. The transition period where we changed thousands of existing termite baits from the old plug system to the new Ec2c Termite Window system was very challenging.

We've been able to do this enormous task at no additional cost for our many hundreds of full-service customers throughout southeast Queensland. We promised no more to pay and we keep our promises.

The Ec2c Termite Window is already proving to be a very effective innovation. There are two reasons why it is vastly superior to our old system with the plugs.

There is now immediate and obvious recognition of termites and their activity within the bait without any need to disturb termites or touch the bait.
After the treatment as applied to the termite bait, there is far less chance of the termites being disturbed by curious people.

We have also introduced another major renovation with the Mark 3 Green Termite Bait. It is the ability to apply more than one type of termiticide to the termites that are active within the bait. This is truly wonderful news because it now makes the baits far more versatile, especially for people in country areas where the choice of available termiticide is more limited.

They say that "necessity is the mother of invention" and that certainly has proven to be the case with the Green Termite Bait SystemT. We realised several months ago that we needed to make our system more serviceable by regular pest controllers, many of whom for one reason or another did not carry Intrigue® termiticide dust. We looked at what was happening in the United States and in Europe as well is what local pest controllers were doing in Australia . There are quite a few different procedures used to service a variety of different termite bait systems. In the United States they do not use termiticide dust at all. In fact, most pest controllers in the US are unaware of the ability to treat termites with any sort of a dust. Fortunately, Australian pest controllers are a lot more innovative when it comes to developing termite solutions.

The Green Termite Bait System& #8482; is a uniquely Australian solution and one of the features of the new Mark 3 version is that it can be effectively treated using a range of termiticides including dust, foam and liquid. The good news is that these termiticides are routinely used by all pest control companies. Any company can now easily treat a Green Termite Bait. Anyone can follow the very simple instructions that we provide in our easy to use DIY manual.

From an environmental point of view, our new application techniques are sensational because extremely low volumes of termiticide are focused at a point where termites gather in the ground to feed on a Green Termite Bait.

I'd like to make a comparison. To apply a full perimeter treatment zone to a home, the average pest control company would be using approximately 500L of a termiticide solution applied to a trench dug all the way around the home . It will kill or repel termites that come in contact with this treated zone. On the other hand, to destroy a termite nest via a green termite bait one uses only 150mL of termiticide solution applied directly to the termites and soil under a Green Termite Bait. In other words less than .03% of 500L. This is not only good news for the environment, it is also low-cost. Everybody's happy except the termites. Does such a small amount of termiticide work? You betcha! We are pleased to share with you the fact that we're achieving fantastic results with the liquid termiticide applied to the termites in the soil via the baits. It is because the termiticide is targeted or focused on the point where the termites are busy foraging for food. The termite bait itself.

The other improvement with the new Mark 3 bait is its overall appearance. It now has a glossy vinyl cover on the top which is laminated as well as UV resistant. It is both glued and stapled on so that it will last for the life of the bait (3-5 years). Under this cover the bait is still protected by a full top coating designed to seal the timber and prevent it from splitting or cracking as it ages.

In other words, the best just keeps on getting better. Ok, ok... you've heard enough bragging from us!

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Customer Question Response of the Month.

This month is a little different, as I would like to change it to customer response of the month.

Last month we discussed termite reports in detail. We appreciate all of the replies we received. A couple weeks after our newsletter there was another damning report on Channel 9's A Current Affair, exposing the actions of a local Gold Coast building inspection firm. We're sure many of you saw this episode. Once again it reveals the importance of checking out the full experience and qualifications of the actual person who is carrying out your termite inspection for you.

With permission, we are going to share a series of e-mails with you that were sent to us a couple of weeks ago by one of our long-term customers. We have edited a few words for privacy.

Hi Jerry,

Very informative newsletter there - thanks for airing your opinion which I value tremendously.  What are these "free risk assessments" you mentioned.  What do you do?  I have got a termite inspection booked in at Fingal next week - how do I know whose reputable, who will do a good job, who is telling me the truth and what they should be doing on the job?  As a lay person, I can only ask limited questions on the phone and I don't even know the answers I am looking for.  Maybe in your next newsletter you might inform your customers how we do shop around for a good termite inspector!!

As a home owner and investor, I can say that I am utterly confused.  All I want is for you to do the job as you obviously care so much about what you do in an honest fashion.  You run a great company, always have, your marketing is great and you genuinely look after your customers.  It is much easier for me though, to try to find someone who does pest and termite in the one go as my time is limited and one appointment instead of two works better for me and, I dare say, a large percent of the population.  I have got xxxx properties in all and it is a genuine worry I have each year about what to do in this area.  Your opinions in the newsletter needed to be aired I guess, but what do I do as a consumer?

Kind regards

Eileen Efstathis

The following e-mail was our reply:

Hi Eileen,

Our free risk assessment is a walk around your property (with you) to point out areas of concern that may encourage termites.

Plus ideas for rectification.

Plus an obligation free quote on a termite bait system if it is appropriate or any other termite treatment if it is needed.

In time I hope to produce a DVD to help home owners learn what to look for themselves.

I suggest you shop around for a good termite inspector.  We have stopped referring other companies due to inconsistencies with their reliability.  Look for an owner operator with lots of experience who has a caring attitude.  It starts with the phone call.  Avoid the big companies as staff rarely have the same care as an enthusiastic owner operator.  Seek a report that includes photos of any areas of interest.

Expect a long search - as I said - top professionals in this field are hard to find, but they are out there.  Feel free to pass on to me any report you want to have interpreted.  I'll only charge $22 for this service.  I can read between the lines and tell you what it really says.

At your service,
Jerry Furnell
Termite Solutions
Green Termite Bait Systems
www.greenpest.com.au
Proudly protecting homes across Australia .
1800 - 056 - 055

Hi Jerry,

That's OK by me to use my email.  I had our property at Fingal termite inspected and was extremely happy with the service that I received. To me he took the time and did a thorough inspection.  Thanks for the tips in what to look for.  Your fellow came down for the pest control - is it not normal these days to get streaks all over your windows after he does the outside? We left him to it and took the kids for a ride and I fully inspected to have drips marks everywhere.  Are you using a magic product these days?

Eileen

We've deliberately left a few of the smaller "in between" e-mails out. We're also pleased to say that our staff try very hard to avoid chemical run-off on the outside of windows when we are spraying.

Quote of the month.

This month's quote is more like a short story. Our head office is directly across the road from a large holding area for a gas company. There was a fire drill planned for the gas company and the day before they went to the other businesses nearby letting them know that it was only a drill and not to panic.

All of our technicians were out on jobs.

The next day the fire drill began and minutes later one of our technicians working down stairs came running up to our office and advised the girls that maybe they should all leave due to the imminent danger of a huge explosion. Of course he didn't know it was only a drill and he looked quite worried.

quot;Can you smell the gas?" asked Anastasia solemnly. Our bewildered technician started sniffing the air and the girls fell apart laughing.

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The Greenpest News is Published by J & A Furnell Nominees P/L; Shop 23a Franklin Square, 60 Railway Street, Mudgeeraba, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of Jerry Furnell. The reader is encouraged to seek further information from appropriate government and statutory departments before taking any action based on this material alone.

Privacy: We're committed to protecting your privacy. We do not sell, trade, rent or otherwise disclose any personal information you provide to us. This newsletter is sent to our customers, subscribers and potential customers who have made enquiries with us.

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See you again next month.

Always... At your service,

Jerry Furnell
Green Pest Control & Green Termite Bait Systems.
Phone 1800 6 12345.

Copyright 2005 Green Termite Bait Systems & Green Pest Control. All rights reserved.

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