Similar to Hamlet’s struggle with his mortality, most people
and companies alike, struggle with the thought of either writing or becoming
entangled in a contract. Is it good to have a contract or to ask a company if
they have contracts? Often times, people are scared away by the term contract. It has somehow garnered a negative
connotation to us, either because of the fine print or due to stories that we
have heard of people “getting the bad end of a contract”. We here at The Green Advantage find ourselves
opposed to the word contract, both as the service provider and as being customers
as well (we all have cell phones, right?!).
Most of us typically have strong intuitions that when the word contract
comes into the conversation, someone is trying to “sneak something past us”,
but we never know because the Terms and Conditions are in microscopic print
that almost no one can read.
Let’s start with providing the definition to the word
contract. The word contract means, “a written or spoken agreement, especially
one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be
enforceable by law.” In short, a contract is a written or verbal agreement. As
both service providers as well as customers ourselves, we at The Green
Advantage have learned that when the law is involved over contract disputes,
most of the time, “the spoken agreement” is not admissible. The “written word”,
however, is not only admissible, but followed and upheld. Who can disagree with
what is written down clearly in black and white? The contract has protected not
only the company, but more importantly, the customer as the contract states
exactly what was promised to them on the day the customer signed up.
In today’s modern society of constant sales pitches and
promises, it is hard to keep up with, let alone, remember what everyone has
promised us. We all try to take notes, but then in the shuffle of life and kids
and significant others we lose, and sometimes throw away, our notes (at least
that happens to us)! With contracts, both the customer and the service provider
have identical documents that clearly outlines the agreement between the
customer and the service provider. In short, we as the service provider, are
telling you that as our customer, we are going to take the time and effort to
make sure that what we said, we will honor. As part of that promise, we will
provide you documentation of our promise to you in the form of the contract or
agreement.
All an agreement does is specify the responsibilities of
anyone involved. That simple. It puts the service provider’s promises and
agreement on paper so neither side can twist what the other has said. Quite often the negative experiences people
have with agreements is that they don’t understand the responsibilities
outlined and that they agreed to. A good
example is when we click the ‘I agree to the terms and conditions’ button
online; we don’t even think about it,
not even realizing we are entering an agreement with someone else
(someone we don’t know, or have never even met, we may add). Another good example is buying or renting a
house, how many of us just initial and sign wherever the representative points;
never reading or questioning what we are agreeing to. A study done a few years ago, added a clause
to a contract that the signer agrees to “give up their first
born, and if they don’t have a child, they have until 2050 to do so”. The study
found that 98% of people signed without hesitation.
It has come to our attention by other service
providers in our industry as well as concerned customs, that there are those
companies that claim that they do not use contracts and portray contracts in a
negative light. Apparently, they are claiming that contracts are simply a
document meant to tie the customers in an unbreakable vow with the company for
the rest of their lives! This couldn’t be farther from the truth for most in
the pest control industry! The truth is an honest agreement benefits everyone involved. A few of the benefits formed through
contracts include:
- They allow a service
provider the peace of mind that they will be compensated for the work they do. This allows for the commitment from them,
quality material, quality equipment, knowledge, and experience are all
investments that go into a well done job.
This is very important for an ongoing work or recurring services. In order to give the best service, a service
provider needs to continually invest; a commitment much easier to follow through
with when there is an assurance that the consumer will utilize their
investment.
- They allow the consumer
the ability to verify warranties. If
anyone offers a service with a warranty/guarantee to you without an agreement,
just remember that the warranty/guarantee isn’t worth the paper it’s written
on as there is no way to verify what was said and agreed to.
- They specify when
payments are to be made; have you ever received a late charge or interest
charge and didn’t even know a bill was due??
- They describe what
services are to be performed and at what cost.
Limiting the service provider from adding and charging for services
without the customer’s approval. But
also, limits the customer from adding services that aren’t being compensated for. Again, the contract has written down the obligations made to the customer from the
service provider, and the promises made by the customer to the service provider.
- They allow for both the
consumer and the service provider to reference back to the agreement, and have
a solid reference to what was originally agreed to. Over time expectations may change, rather than
resenting the current agreement, they can easily be amended to add services or
remove services that are no longer necessary.
Imagine the situation we hear about time and again: An individual seeks out services only to find the problem not solved. They have made multiple attempts to contact the provider but the providers were no longer answering the phone calls from the customer. The first question that needs to be asked is whether these individuals have a service agreement. This is done to verify what service was done, what guarantees were made, and what repercussions would take place if service was inadequate or unsuccessful. When an agreement doesn't exist, there isn't much that can be done; not only from a professional standpoint but from a legal one as well. Don't be the individual who obtains service from a company who claims an agreement isn't necessary, this is the first sign that something is not right.
Getting lured away from a service because of an
agreement/contract is the best way to avoid the knowledge and expertise that is
required for successful services. These
agreements aren’t there simply to protect the company doing the program, but,
more importantly, they are there to protect the customer and insure the company
and technicians provide the service they are required to do. We at The Green Advantage, highly recommend steering
clear of service providers that are unwilling to commit to you, and unwilling
to put that commitment on paper. If someone
offers you a guarantee, ask them to back that guarantee with a written contract.
Contracts are good and are there to protect everyone involved!
