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Signing any agreement can be a scary proposition. In signing any contract– from a Netflix subscription to your mortgage – you are often filled with questions of what could go wrong. Today, many industries ask you to sign a subscription for services; the drain maintenance industry is no exception.

Drain maintenance companies offer drain care “program agreements” - a contract in which a company regularly provides drain maintenance chemicals in exchange for scheduled payments.

This article explains the concerns potential customers have with those contracts. It will help you understand whether signing a drain maintenance program agreement is right for you and help elevate your fears by explaining solutions to the problems inherent in those agreements.

Here at State Chemical, we provide drain maintenance program agreements. This article is written based on the questions and concerns that our customers have expressed when considering whether to join our drain maintenance program.

A Drain Maintenance Program Agreement Provides Regular Delivery of Chemicals

A drain maintenance program agreement is a contract. In this contract, you agree to pay your maintenance provider monthly in exchange for drain maintenance chemicals.

Your drain maintenance agreement contract will include two main items: (1) equipment that dispenses chemicals into your drain and (2) the chemicals. The equipment will be provided to you shortly after the contract is signed and then the chemicals are shipped at regularly scheduled intervals. Most clients receive products monthly.

The provided equipment slowly dispenses chemicals into your drain. Then, as the bucket of chemicals is used up, the provider will send you a new bucket.

The alternative to signing a drain care program agreement is to buy equipment and chemicals individually. Instead of automatically receiving chemicals, you will sign a new purchase order each time you need more chemicals.

Concern: Program Agreements are too Expensive

Solution: Compare Program Agreement Costs to Reactive Drain Care Costs

The number one concern we hear from clients is that signing a program agreement is too expensive. Signing a program agreement requires you to pay a set amount per month. While this is undoubtedly an upfront cost, our clients find it is usually cheaper than reactive drain care.

Reactive drain care is having to treat a drain after it is clogged. This cost can include the cost of drain openers (chemicals that clear clogs), the cost of having to pump out a grease trap, or worst-case scenario, the cost of an overflow.

For example, a senior community in Chicago that did not have a program agreement had a pizza-making night. That night, someone threw pizza dough down the drain. The pizza dough solidified in their drain and backed up their drainage system. The cost of the emergency plumber alone was $3,000. After this, the community decided to add a drain care program agreement. For them, the agreement was cheaper than the potential of another overflow.

Think of the program agreement as insurance. While, like insurance, it is a high upfront cost, it will prevent higher costs in the future.

To decide if a program agreement is suitable for you, compare the yearly cost of how much you have paid and could pay in reactive drain care with the annual cost of a preventative drain care program agreement.

Concern: I will be Locked into a Contract and Unable to Cancel

Solution: Ask the Company’s Representative About Cancellation Terms

When signing a contract, most of us are worried that we will be locked in and unable to cancel the agreement. This concern is no different in drain care. Many of our clients are concerned about cancellation. This is a valid concern in the maintenance industry because various providers have different cancellation terms.

To combat this fear, you should discuss cancellation with your potential drain care maintenance provider. Ask the provider you are considering working with questions such as: “How do I cancel this contract?” and “How much notice do you need before my cancellation is effective?”

Concern: I Won’t be Able to Make Necessary Adjustments to the Chemical Dosage or Type

Solution: Ask the Company’s Representative How to Make Adjustments to the Contract

Another concern we hear from our clients is that they are worried they won’t be able to change the contract. For example, many clients are concerned that they will be unable to increase or decrease the amount of chemicals they put into their drain every month or change the type of chemical they use.

Like cancellation terms, the solution is to have a conversation with the potential drain care maintenance provider before signing the contract. Ask questions such as: “What happens if we need to change the amount of chemicals we are using?” and “What happens if we need to change which chemical we are using?”

Clients wish to make these changes for various reasons, such as to speed up the time it takes to see full results and to add additional drains to their program agreement.

Concern: Program Agreements Will Take Too Much Time and Energy

Solution: Hire a Company That Provides Service

The final concern we constantly hear from our potential clients is that they are concerned about how much time and energy they will have to spend on their drain maintenance.

Some companies in the drain care space include service in their contracts. These companies will fix and replace broken equipment and change the bucket of chemicals every month. However, other companies do not provide this service. Some companies ship you the bucket of chemicals each month, but require you to change out the bucket.

If you are concerned that drain care will take too much time and energy, we recommend hiring a company that includes service in their drain care program agreements.

At the very least, ask whether service is included. You would rather be informed whether service is included than have to unknowingly add “maintain equipment and drain chemicals” to your to-do list.

Before Signing a Drain Care Program Agreement, Compare Costs and Ask Questions

Before signing a drain care program agreement, our clients’ concerns involve price, flexibility, and service. You can alleviate these concerns by comparing the price of a proactive drain care agreement with reactive drain care and asking the potential drain care provider the right questions.

There are many pros and cons to drain care program agreements. Whether you decide to go with a program agreement or not, if you want to treat your drains proactively, you will next need to determine what product you wish to use. For example, most individuals use biologicals or floating degreasers to treat lift stations at the end of the drain line.