|
? - 5/00. I am in month number nine of an ongoing lawsuit of Terminix suing me over a non-compete agreement after only being employed with them for six months. I saw how they operated and left for another company, then came the lawsuit; and to be honest, it has been hell on me and my family. I worked with a company that was purchased by Terminix and had a lot of customers that stuck by me. When I left Terminix, so did they; but I did not solicit any of them. They were ready to leave with or without me. PLEASE stay away from Terminix as a customer or an employee. They will do nothing but lie and cheat..
Georgia - 5/00. I work for Terminix and am giving them two-week notice. I have many stories to tell about them They admit they only keep 61% of their customers. That was a real eye-opener for me. That means over one-third of all their customers wise up each year. Further, you might be interested to know that Mr. Cantu does a quarterly report to all branch offices by video tape (a real dog and pony show). Your site had about two minutes of the fifteen minute tape..
Georgia - 4/00. I am currently a sales inspector for Terminix, but I can’t say how long. Terminix is currently holding $1,300 of my income without cause because they do not think I charged enough for the work I sold. Never mind that it was all approved by my branch manager, sales manager, and regional manager. When my quest to be paid properly hit the desk of the division, he denied my pay. The infamous company that “Honors God in all they do” has decided to take food off my table, depriving my family of much needed income. They do this for the almighty dollar, and with the knowledge there is little an individual can do to them. A great deal of Terminix’s pay structure revolves around commission, and the Dept. of Labor cannot enforce the payment of commission. Therefore, you are left on your own, with only the option to sue. Terminix bets the cost of that vs. their deep pockets is enough to keep you quiet. They should be ashamed of themselves. Every week in the branch office I work in at least 40% of the employees’ checks are wrong. And guess what. It is ALWAYS to the company’s benefit. My God will remember their blasphemy in associating His name with their practices.
Virginia - 4/00. I once worked for Terminix in Virginia. The regional manager was trained to do whatever it took to talk his way out of paying for termite damage. The customer had to go to the local television stations or tell him they would go in order for him to even consider paying for the damage. There were occasions when he would pay for the damage without delay. Of course, the less money he paid out, the more the company made and the bigger his salary became. It’s a shame that the corporate world has become this way.
? - 4/00. I was hired for Terminix in April 1996. During those initial few weeks I was trained on the basic principles of pest control. I have to say the training went well. I was optimistic about the job, something to get me back on my feet until I could go back to school. However, this quickly changed.
Summer was on its way and so were the ants and various other bugs and rodents. I was assigned route I was determined to care for. I believed (Terminix might disagree) that my job is easiest if my customers are happy. The route averaged a healthy size of houses, between 16-19 houses per day. In training I was told that the “maintenance service” should only take about 15-20 minutes for the average house. Except for special cases (which arise quite often) this is rather accurate. I was also told in training that the “start up” of a house should take AT LEAST an hour and a half if necessary. This is where their logic becomes insane -- on some days I was expected to perform up to seven “start-ups” AND perform the regular 16-19 houses for “maintenance service.” HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? Without driving to the locations, the start-ups (providing no extra problems) take at least 7 hours, and for the maintenance, well, 15 minutes multiplied by 16 houses = 4 hours (again not factoring driving time which easily doubles that 4 hours.) I tried it at first, I really did, but I succumbed to what management would never say (wink! wink!) “SKIP HALF OF THE HOUSES THIS MONTH, THEN DO THEM NEXT MONTH AND VISE VERSA!” OK, so I just drop off the “completed” form and take off, right? --- yep, that’s what happened, that’s what I did, and so people got charged for nothing! It seems bad, it is bad and in fact since I left Terminix I have made it a point to take the short end of the stick with all of my current clients (outside pest control). The company thought it was great -- less overtime to pay me, customers paid on time and business grew because the “start-ups” had priority.
Most of the time, I got to know the dogs well enough to perform it, even with ferocious German shepherds and rotweillers. I learned to work around them. But I’m not like most of the guys. They do the front of the house and maybe the walkway (5 min. worth of work) and move on. At the time, that cost you $37. Congratulations -- you’ve got pest control! That’s Terminix!
Tennessee - 2//00. I was employed for approximately three months at Terminix, and this was plenty of time for me to see how incredibly dishonest this company was run. During my brief employment, I experienced everything from managers locking themselves in a back office to play poker for money to managers leaving in the middle of the day to go hunting and fishing. I personally was encouraged to do dishonest things, such as not reporting damage claims or retreatment necessities. I was also told to target older people, for they were most vulnerable and usually had money. It was very discouraging for me to know that I was working for a company with an entire management team that had no integrity. Luckily, I am no longer associated with this untrustworthy company. I can only hope that someday this will all catch up to them and they will be forced out of busness.
Tennessee - 2/00. I read an article about your web site in The Memphis Commercial Appeal. I worked for Terminix in the corporate office for almost 4 years. I quit last month. I know Bart Mallory, Steve Good and Steve Carter, all mentioned in your web site. You are correct in assuming it is a high-powered conglomeration of legalese. Walking down the “legal” hallway, you can feel stress and tension. The ones who are in it for the bucks are the ones running the show. Terminix’s old slogan was “Nobody bugs bugs like Terminix.” I used to say that Terminix bugs em but can’t get rid of them. One of the principles of Terminix is “Honor God in all you do.” The upper echelon honor nobody but themselves. That’s why I left.
Ohio - 4/00. I worked for the Columbus, Ohio, outfit in sales; and they had me service after the sale. I had no training in this field at all. I would make a sale and then spray for bugs not knowing what the heck I was doing! I watched tapes for a week and then they had me out in the field. I worked for three weeks and then quit because they wouldn’t pay me for what I did.
Florida - 3/00. I am an employee of Terminix, although I wish I never had become one. There were never any safety procedures followed while fumigating at my branch, but only because they were never taught. Training at my branch was a joke. Two other new employees and I were given the answers to all the tests, and then we were given trucks to go out and inspect with. If you wanted a job, you simply had to play their game. You try to do a good job, but then management tells you you’re two slow, we want more productivity. That should be their slogan, “We want more.”
The tarps we tented with had so many holes in them, they looked like a net. How could the chemical stay in the house if the tent is blowing up like a balloon with every breeze? If the chemical was even shot at all. Working on two-story houses with steep roofs and no safety ropes. In high winds. In rain. We asked management a number of times for a lift to bring the tarps up to the roofs, which only met with laughter. Everyone in the termite department at my branch has either moved to other areas due to injury or are currently injured like myself. The company has not called once to check the status of my injury, only to inquire as to when I’m coming back. My boss even had the audacity to assume that I would return to fumigation. Doing the same thing that landed me in the hospital and in a brace. The tarps we are required to lift weigh anywhere from 200 to 250 lbs. Sometimes more if they are wet or dirty, and we often have to carry them up two stories. We have to straddle the tarps over our shoulders and balance them with our necks as we walk up the ladders. I can hear the cartilage in my knee grinding every time I stand up. The body is just not meant to take that kind of abuse, and Terminix could care less. I am, just as every other Terminix employee, a number. It is strange how someone puts themselves through this hell to make ends meet, while the company they work for gets bigger, greedier, and less caring for the very people who put them there. The facts are that Terminix does not care for their employees. They do not care for their customers.
|
