Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
Occasionally I have a go at one or two companies in the invasive weed control market, I don’t really mean anything by it – it’s just a bit of banter. Occasionally I go on about warranties and occasionally I go on about some of the wheeling and dealing that goes on.
And occasionally I go too far.
So in this instance I apologise to the parties I upset.
Mike C
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
Every once in a while I have a scan through the web sites of our various ‘competitors’ to see what nonsense they are writing. All of them seem to offer guarantees in various disguises – some state insurance backed - when they mean Professional Indemnity, some say £5 million cover – one even says 25 year warranties (…can’t be done)
Here is a classic:
‘We provide guarantees in 5 year increments for up to ten years. We offer two types of guarantee, Standard and Platinum blah blah blah’
Then at the end its states:
‘Please note this does not mean that soils are knotweed free’
Ha….so basically its bollocks then.
Mike C
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
Japanese Knotweed Solutions have always been at the forefront of the warranty market for Japanese Knotweed eradication. We were the first company to offer 10 Year Insurance backed warranties and we shall be the first company to offer 20 year Insurance backed warranties….
So…how disappointed was I to see that one of our competitors is ALREADY offering 20 year warranties….
HOLD ON HOLD ON – there are two words missing….’Insurance backed’ ….so it’s actually worth nothing. They might as well offer 100 year guarantees – lifetime guarantees – in fact any type of bloody guarantee they can be bothered to make up.
If you guarantee to do something you need to be able to guarantee that your company will be around to do something about the problem if a problem arises. Unfortunately in the current business climate …none of us can guarantee anything …other than the fact that being in business is hard – I’m told that ‘Death and Taxes’ are the only two things that can be guaranteed (without ‘Insurance backing…’)
So…going back to the competitor offering twenty year guarantees – NOT WORTH THE PAPER THEY ARE WRITTEN ON – if the company ceases to trade (and offering stupid guarantees suggests they are a bit dim) then there will be nobody to do anything, nobody to call and nobody to take responsibility.
Here at Japanese Knotweed Solutions we offer Insurance backed warranties. This means if we cease to trade our insurance company will pay out for any works required on our projects.
Simple really….
Mike C
PS 20 YEAR Insurance Backed warranties will be available SOON…..WATCH THIS SPACE.
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
I am often asked whether treating Japanese Knotweed yourself is an option worth considering…?
Well… in these difficult financial times obviously anything that can save you money is worth considering….however if you do decide to tackle the problem yourself… please be prepared for a long battle and possibly an inconclusive victory…
I must be honest after starting to write this blog I have been mulling over in my own head – ‘would I do my own garden if it were JK infested…?’ – I concluded that I wouldn’t…
If you have no intention of moving in the next ten years then perhaps self-help would be an option – but in the current climate I would suggest that most mortgage lenders wouldn’t be happy lending on a property with JK without a professional contractor appointed – who holds a minimum ten year insurance backed warranty.
Getting a mortgage nowadays is difficult enough without trying to sell an amateur eradication strategy to a mortgage provider – it just won’t work.
You need a professional company with a tried and tested methodology who can show previous examples of successfully treated projects. You need to know that they are trading profitably and have a minimum 5 year trading history - with fully paid up insurance bonds and policies…
In short you need Japanese Knotweed Solutions… NOT….. Do It Yourself Solutions
Mike C
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
Every year I have a moan about warranties so let’s get it over with.
We still have companies that on their website state that they have insurance covered by £5 million pounds worth of PI insurance with Lloyds. This statement is supposed to give the customer peace of mind that when problems arise the company will step in with the insurance cover and rectify site based issues.
PI – Professional Indemnity cover gives cover for ‘advice’ only and has no warranty for site works covered within the policy. So let’s be clear – no site works whatsoever are covered under PI insurance.
We have companies stating that they have a ‘separate company’ covering the warranties provided. What is the trading status of this company? Does it have staff or resource to carry out works/ and do you really think that if the parent company went into a CVA or Receivership – the liquidator would allow funds to sit within a holding company.
It’s not going to happen.
My other pet favorite is the company saying that they provide a £5 million pound bond for every project that they do – our word is our bond – quotes the website.
Well your word is bullsh*t and your bond is worth as much.
Check the small print – get a warranty that actually means something.
Mike C
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Every year I have a moan about warranties so let’s get it over with.
We still have companies that on their website state that they have insurance covered by £5 million pounds worth of PI insurance with Lloyds. This statement is supposed to give the customer peace of mind that when problems arise the company will step in with the insurance cover and rectify site based issues.
PI – Professional Indemnity cover gives cover for ‘advice’ only and has no warranty for site works covered within the policy. So let’s be clear – no site works whatsoever are covered under PI insurance.
We have companies stating that they have a ‘separate company’ covering the warranties provided. What is the trading status of this company? Does it have staff or resource to carry out works/ and do you really think that if the parent company went into a CVA or Receivership – the liquidator would allow funds to sit within a holding company.
It’s not going to happen.
My other pet favorite is the company saying that they provide a £5 million pound bond for every project that they do – our word is our bond – quotes the website.
Well your word is bullsh*t and your bond is worth as much.
Check the small print – get a warranty that actually means something.
Mike C
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Here at Japanese Knotweed Solutions we are always trying to put the customer first.
One of the questions that we keep being asked is ‘can you offer flexible term warranties?’ – well – now we can.
You want a six month warranty – no problem.
You want a 20 year warranty – no problem
You want a warranty until the property has been sold – you got it!
For the most flexible terms including a payment plan to suit your needs - just ask Japanese Knotweed Solutions.
From March 1st our surveyors have been briefed to tailor our product to exactly what the customer requires. We still offer ten year insurance backed warranties (still unique to the market despite what ‘other’ companies are saying on their websites) and we still offer the best value on a ‘like for like’ basis when comparing us with other service providers.
So try us out – ask us for something unique – ask us for exactly what you want!
Mike C
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
Boring, boring…I know…but somebody has to say something.
Well here we go again - having lost a major project on the basis that our so called ‘competitor’ has given away a ‘free’ twelve year warranty.
Spot the difference between what we offer and what the competition get away with.
The competitor in question has said that the warranty is ‘insurance backed’ – covered under an ‘in house’ policy which covers all their works up to a value of £5 million pounds.
I’m sorry but this is a lie.
It is simply not possible to get a covering policy which gives a warranty on every project that you do - that covers every eventuality – it would cost far too much….
Think about it.
If say you do a £500.00 chemical spray project on a small piece of Knotweed on a housing project – the knotweed grows back and damages the building – so…. do you really think that an insurance policy is going to pay out for the full cost of re building the house.
Nope – not going to happen.
The ONLY insurance that’s worth the paper it’s written in is a BOND. This is what Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd provides – we have to pay for it on each and every project that we do – and it costs us MONEY ££££.
Hence we do not give away our warranties away FREE…!!!!!
Any idiot can give away a free 12 year warranty when they have no intention of being around for the next twelve months let alone twelve years…
Here at Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd we make a profit, we trade solvently and we will be around for the foreseeable future….BUT ….even if we aren’t around - OUR policy continues to cover your site for the agreed term.
That’s the difference.
Mike C
Monday, August 18th, 2008
I’ve written about this before and no doubt will do so again…..
We have recently asked our insurance company to carry out a survey of what our competitors are offering regarding warranties and guarantees… and can confirm that the majority don’t actually have anything at all!
If you go onto the search engine websites and request information on Japanese Knotweed you will be bombarded by companies who have copied our website, copied our text, copied our photographs and even copied the wording on our tagline! ‘Insurance backed guarantee’ seems a favorite catch phrase to pull people in…
However… do not be fooled, do not be taken in – check what their warranties really are! Ask the questions – how much does your warranty cover? Who is the guarantor? Are the company directors personally guaranteeing the work?
Professional indemnity cover will not pay for re-growth of Japanese Knotweed, public liability insurance will not cover for re-growth of Japanese Knotweed.
Each and every insurance backed warranty that we give is PERSONALLY GUARANTEED by the Managing Director Mike Clough and backed by HCC International Insurance Company PLC
This means that in the worst case scenario if Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd were to cease trading - then I personally would be liable for any costs incurred in treating re-growth of Japanese Knotweed on your site. If I were not able to fund these costs then our insurance company guarantees that funds will be available to cover any shortfall.
Compare that to what others are offering…then call us – the original Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd.
Where we lead others follow.
Thursday, April 24th, 2008
There are a lot of statements made about warranties but what do they all mean? Professional indemnity, Public Liability… 5 millions of this and 1 million of that but what would happen if you actually had to claim and what would happen if your contractor ceased trading?
Professional Indemnity and Public Liability have to be taken out by Employers and companies giving ‘professional’ advice, however neither of these policies will cover you in the event of re-growth of Japanese Knotweed (JK) on your development site. In the event of Professional Indemnity you would have to prove that the advice given not only wrong but proven to be factually incorrect – very difficult to prove with JK.
Some companies cite a policy which covers for any damage to hard surfaces and buildings. This is simply not possible. No insurance policy could possibly cover each and every job to the value of a potential re-build should building foundations be damaged – imagine the premiums per project? How could a job of say £5K have an insurance cover of £25 million. Somebody is lying when they suggest that this is possible!
