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? 7/02-EM (TE8-96). My husband is currently employed with Terminix, and he’s miserable. It’s obvious they are trying to get rid of him. This is because he refuses to screw the customer. He is a repairman with a lot of integrity. He repairs the job right or he won’t repair it at all. Probably fifty percent of his work is going back and making repairs for repairmen who cut corners and save the company $$$. This is stupid!!! If you do the job right the first time, it will save you money. Instead, they have to pay to have the job done twice. My husband will have no part in this type of “customer service,” and they know that. That’s why they want him out.
? 7/02-EM (TE8-94). I am an ex-employee. I worked for Terminix for 5 1/2 years. I was “let go” by them for being ethical. I discovered that while a technician was on his vacation, the service manager entered bogus service tickets into the computer, saying the services were done. He wanted to minimize his “unserviced” list. People were billed for service not rendered. Some of them paid. I brought this to the attention of the Branch Manager on a Friday; on Monday, I was “let go,” and the reason was that my position was terminated. I was the Accounts Receivable person!! An investigation was done, but the person investigating was demoted afterwards. She has since left the company. The company cares nothing about consumers, only about the bottom line. There is MUCH more to this story, but this is the most disgusting.
North Carolina 6/02-EM (TE8-93). I was sent out to make repairs for Terminix customers, over 300 repairs. I have been sent to do repairs and told to make the repairs after treatment. Then I discover repairs should be made before pesticides are applied, because of overexposure to Dursban and other pesticides. The Charlotte east branch sent me to job sites knowing this was even against company policy! I was asked not only to do repairs, but to calm many upset or mad Terminix customers. I have seen firsthand how some employee actions (managers, etc.) have given room for either health problems or risked further structural damage to their clients! Not only this, but they have systematically blackballed me. They claim I must be a licensed general contractor to work for them anymore. I have over 20 years experience in structural repairs and never had a complaint. Terminix is all for Terminix. Period.
? 6/02-EM (TE8-92). I worked for Terminix for three years. There is NO answer I can’t answer.
California 6/02-GB (TE8-91). As a former Terminix employee, I would not recommend anyone to this company. When I started there (March 1994), I received a whole 1.5 days training before I was handed the keys to the truck and the invoices for that day and was told to get to work. With damn near no formal training, I was to go apply pesticides to homes of my customers.
Terminix claims to be the best pest control company out there; but when you really look, you can see that it’s a lot of bull. No, I am not a disgruntled former employee, even though I did get screwed by my supervisor a few times for a few different reasons. If you have their service already and you really want to see what kind of service they do, call their office for an appointment saying you have a problem with spiders outside. Do this when you are due your next service, and let them know you won’t be home and your gate will be unlocked. When your technician shows up, don’t answer the door, and watch what kind of service you actually get. No, I am not saying that ALL Terminix service techs are bad, but you never know.
I work for another pest control company and have been there coming up on five years. I get a lot of new customers from Terminix because of their poor service. They pay college kids from Utah to come and sell new accounts through the summer for them, and the college kids are good at it; but, by the time December gets there, I would bet that 50% of the new accounts put on that summer have canceled their service because of poor service.
The best way to find a good company is by asking friends or neighbors if they have had good dealings with a pest control company, which, in my opinion, is not Terminix.
Texas 5/02-EM (TE8-90). I was the service manager for a Terminix branch in Texas. I have a lot of information that needs to be passed down that techs are not privy to. It is scary.
California 5/02-GB (TE8-89). I, too, was an employee. I had to take them to the California Labor Relations Board. The branch manager at the time, along with the service manager, had refused to accept my two weeks notice to quit. They then said I had just walked out. In reality, I worked hard for three years without a vacation. I went through two weeks and asked if I was to get paid the day I left. They said no. State law says they have to if you give them notice. When I had turned in my notice, they offered me a better position; because I had been hitting the 25% margin of pay. (My customers liked me.) I didn’t want to burn bridges, but they lied to me and to the board. They settled or said they would pay me an additional $1200. They didn’t. The board had to force them to pay me. You should ask the board about the employee lawsuits. By the way, Lonnie Anderson is not an entomologist, ask to see his degree. He doesn’t have one. He just talks big. He kisses butt really good. The T really likes him.
Update: I need to clarify. Lonnie Anderson, as far as I knew in 1993, didn’t have an entomology degree (hearsay). He, however, was a trained expert for Terminix. Even though I had problems with my former managers, Terminix as a whole was not bad.
Ohio 4/02-EM (TE8-88). I was employed by Terminix as an “inspector” for one year. In truth, I was expected to sell termite control to any homeowner I came into contact with. The pressure to produce a sale bordered on abuse. Each day began with a review of the previous days’ activity. The sales manager or branch manager would berate each and every inspector for his or her shortcomings and threaten dire consequences for failing to improve their “numbers.” After failing to fleece enough folks, I was reassigned to pest control sales. Even so, I understood that termite sales were the primary goal. Senior citizens were an especially inviting target; they usually owned their home and could be easily frightened by the prospect of serious damage to their most precious possession. If they did not have the money, easy financing was available. In fact, we were instructed to never show a cash price for termite control, but rather to write up a finance agreement with prepaid annual premiums included as the first gambit.
I take pride in the fact I would not mislead potential customers. I did my best to reduce prices whenever possible, even though it exposed me to constant criticism and threats of termination. The atmosphere was so vile that I was physically ill for months. I finally sought medical care and counseling. I have a new job with a wonderful company. My health is returning to normal, and I can finally sleep without major sedation. My heart goes out to those still suffering at the hands of those [expletive deleted].
Texas 4/02-GB (TE8-87). I am so excited to find your site! I have been in the pest control business in Texas since 5/89. I quit working for a small, local pest control company (Dallas Pest and Termite) when ServiceMaster bought it. To this day, most consumers don’t realize that Dallas Pest is a division of Terminix. They will fire Terminix and hire Dallas Pest never knowing they are one and the same. Now, they are trying to buy the current company I work for, Bizzy Bees Pest Control. The company is being sold against the will of all the employees and the minority owner. His father-in-law happens to be the majority owner and wants to sell. We are fighting it tooth and nail. Terminix’s plan, if they buy us, is to keep the Bizzy Bees name and once again mislead the public into thinking it’s not them. We will not lie down on this. A lot of people in the pest control business are good, honest, hard-working people; and we also consider it an insult what Terminix and other companies like them have done to the consumer and the reputation of all honest, upstanding pest control professionals.
? 2/02-EM (TE8-86). My husband is an employee of Terminix. They took over the company he worked for about two years ago, and it has been a nightmare ever since. It came as a shock to the employees, and they were told to sign a contract with them immediately or go home. We have children to support; and, of course, he didn’t want to lose his job. Well, he has been lied to about everything and threatened weekly about getting fired. He cares about customers, which is a sin to Terminix. They are MONEY HUNGRY, and all they want are numbers. I hope my husband will find another job soon. I now know what he has to endure every day to feed his family. I owe him an apology, because I really didn’t think a company could be this bad. I am opening my eyes today and hope he will open his!!! Please keep up this site, and I hope it will become known worldwide. I am glad I found it!
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