Tennessee - 9/00. My wife and I took out a one-year contract with Terminix that was to be paid quarterly this year. Yesterday, Terminix was scheduled for an exterior treatment. We were told the technician would be here between 1:00 to 2:00. At 12:30, my two-year old daughter was taking a nap; and my wife had just gotten out of the shower when someone in our living room was shouting “hello!” The Terminix technician was standing in our living room! He said he rang the doorbell; and when no one answered, he went to the back door.  He said, “I turned the knob, and it was open; so I came in to let you know I was here.” After my wife confronted him, he justified himself by saying, “we do it all the time if no one answers the door.”  He never apologized to her. In fact, he told her to forget it and went back out the back door, slamming it behind him.  When I finally got in touch with the manager, I asked him his policy on residential service calls and entering people’s homes. He said they had no written policy.  This is a major concern to me and should be to others as well.  How do I know that if my wife was not there, he would not have stolen something? My wife and I both feel violated!  The manager did apologize, and we canceled our contract.  It really bothers me that corporate ServiceMaster, or Terminix, doesn’t have any written policy on entering your house. In the world we live in today, I don’t care who it is. If I don’t know you, I don’t want you entering my house without some sort of consent. I thought Terminix was a reputable company; but after reading this site, I know better now.

California - 9/00. Terminix has serviced us for close to five years; and until recently, we have not had anything to complain about.  However, over the past few months, we have experienced poor service by our technician and service manager. The first problem occurred a few months ago when I requested someone spray the inside of my house.  I set an appointment with Clyde.  He failed to show.  He passed us by because I had a “baby sleeping” sign on the door. I use that sign to keep people from using the doorbell, but I understood.  What I did not understand was why no one called me to reschedule and explain. I had to call to ask for the service again.  Peter, the service manager, scheduled an appointment for Ray to complete the service, as Clyde no longer worked for the company. When the new date of service came around, I again waited all afternoon for no one to show. I called the following day, and Peter arranged for Ray to come that day. He explained that Ray had not felt up to coming the day before because he had a long day. Again, it would have been nice for someone to call me.  Ray did a thorough job and explained we would be getting a new technician.  He also explained how great that would be considering our previous technician was known for not doing a good job.

Everything was fine after that, until August.  We had been behind on our bill; however, by August we were caught up and owed nothing.  Lee, our new technician, called before his service day to inform us we would need to have a $93 check for him the next day or he would not be able to service the house. I explained to Lee the next morning that we owed nothing on the account and there must be a mistake. He contacted Peter who agreed there did seem to be an error with the account numbers but that Lee should not service the house. I insisted to Lee there was an error.  Lee responded, “Just call the company and let them know when you’ll be sending a check.” I felt as though I had just been called a liar. I immediately called Peter who could not understand why I was so hostile, as he put it.  He said there appeared to have been a problem when our account had been renewed for the year; but Angie, in accounts, was out for the day, so nothing else could be looked up or investigated. He then assured me he would take care of the problem and would send Lee back out to complete our service.  Lee did not show up that day. I called the next day, but Peter was out for the day. I spoke with Andy, another service manager.  Andy was very professional and assured me he would have Lee out to complete the service and verified there was a note for Angie to look into our account. Apparently the problem was rectified, as our billing the next month was back to normal. Again, it would have been nice for someone to call and explain that.

I do not expect to have problems with our service; however, I understand mistakes happen.  What I have not been pleased with is the recovery of those mistakes.  It is because of the poor recovery of these problems we have decided to cancel our account with Terminix, effective immediately.

California - 8/00. I have had two contracts with Terminix for the past three plus years, plus the initial tenting and all of that expensive stuff. I have a renter in the house that is contracted with Terminix.  Each year, I get a request to phone and make appointment. Each year, I call and tell Terminix to contact the renter.  Each year, Terminix tells me the inspection is done.  I contact the renter and am told, each year, “No contact from Terminix.” I  contact Terminix, each year, and tell them I was lied to; and they send someone out to the house.  Last year, the renter showed the inspector the places where termites are active.  Nothing was done. This year, same thing, the lie about inspecting, which wasn’t done. Finally, an inspector goes out, and Terminix wants another $650 for some additional type of work, which should have been done in prior years. So, who cares, right?

Illinois - 8/00. In March 2000, I signed a service agreement with Terminix for residential pest control. The special instructions stipulated Terminix was to spray our house internally and externally in the months of March and April and externally in the months of July, October, and January unless customer calls for interior. The Terminix representative came during the first month, March; sprayed as we agreed; and I signed the agreement that day. We paid the full fee and received a 10% discount for advance payment.  The month of April, no one showed up or called to arrange for service. After several calls in May, the rep for my area finally called back and said he would come out May 19.  He was very unprofessional and rude on the phone. He didn’t show up. I called to complain, and the manager said the rep was there and sprayed on the outside. I said if he was there, then where was the service ticket or any indication of the house being sprayed to indicate evidence of such and besides that fact, the rep was supposed to spray the inside of the house as well.  The manager said he would come on May 31 to make up.  The manager comes and claims he sprayed the kitchen. We had ants. If he sprayed, it didn’t work. By this point, it was obvious it would be a constant struggle to manage getting any kind of quality service.  I told the manager I wanted my money back; and after much debate, he finally agreed.  I expected on my next credit card statement to have a credit, which never happened. Then I thought maybe it would be on the next statement, which never happened.  On Friday, August 18, a rep leaves a service ticket indicating the outside had been sprayed. We had canceled the contract!  I never requested service, and the rep never called stating he would even provide service on this date. I called the Terminix office again; and  after telling this same story to four people, I finally reached the bookkeeper who would process my refund, which as of today, she said I should receive a check in two weeks.  We shall see. I had to talk to the bookkeeper; the manager couldn’t even handle this detail. I will never recommend Terminix to anyone.  Their parent company, ServiceMaster, has the wrong name.  It should be ServiceStinks!

Maryland - 8/00. In my experience, the Sentricon system is a wishful fishing trip that does not work while your house is used as bait and the local Terminix office ignores your phone calls.  I have had a Terminix Sentricon System contract since spring of 1998 after the house was given a clean bill of health by Terminix inspection needed to establish “Date of Repair.”

Several stations were placed around the exterior of the house. The ground had not had chemical ground treatment for more than 20 years. The waiting and baiting began. I found swarmers in the interior of the house this past early summer of 2000 and called in the Terminix inspector who said, “you have termites under the central staircase.” He placed the new Sentricon Recruit “poison” boxes in the active area which have been inspected twice since their installation. No termites have since touched the new interior boxes although one new mud tube was found bypassing the “Recruit” boxes no more than 10 inches away from the box.  None of the exterior in-ground baits have been hit by termites for over two years.  I am presently trying to get repairs and chemical treatment under the contract terms, but it is like pulling teeth on a tiger to get Terminix to follow through on treatment or contract supported repairs to the chewed up staircase.  The local office will not return a phone call unless pressure is put on them by the Customer Care Office; and even then, the return call may take 10 days.  My advice -- kill them with chemicals and save your house!

New York - 8/00. I signed a Sentricon contract last year. The sales rep was outstanding. He came out, followed through, and was good.  He matched other contracts (so I thought), said it was a two-year contract. I have had two incidents that leave me wondering.  One, I called Terminix when I found termites in the wall downstairs, first floor of my house. (The original termites were in the cellar.  The previous owner put a wood floor on top of dirt in a damp basement -- no rocket science, just great food and conditions.)  We removed the floors and walls.  The baits were set.

I had to call to remind them to check them this year.  They didn’t find anything when I called about the downstairs termites until my mother took them downstairs to the cellar.  They placed a bait trap -- there were termites where previously there were none. Latest drama, I called, haven’t seen them since 6/24, asked them to call.  No call.  Wednesday night, I noticed funny looking paint on my wall.  I touched it, finger went through, saw termites.  Called Terminix -- told them termites upstairs, PLEASE call. Instead, they showed up -- no one was home to let them in. Called that night and reiterated TERMITES upstairs.  They sent tech back Friday, he said “carpenter ants.” I called when I got home from work -- What color are carpenter ants?  Black.  What wood eating insects are white? Termites.  Ok, I called, said there were termites and apparently I have white carpenter ants.  I will sawsall the wall and send them to you. NO, don’t do that, I will send someone out.  Ok, when, tomorrow -- that was Saturday. I waited all day.  We tore out the wall -- loaded with white termites.  I videoed the process, captured some lives ones and also kept lots of dead ones.  Plan to send some to corporate to let them see white carpenter ants.