Hawaii - 4/01. I am going to have to sue Terminix for a “no active infestation of termites” approval prior to my buying my house. They sent a guy out to try and resolve the case. He was a nice man -- Sandro Castillo.  At first, he told me that in most of these complaints they don’t find termites. (I was not the one who hired Terminix -- the seller had a warranty with Terminix, and they inspected for the sale.) He was here about five minutes, found termites, and admitted it. They’re all around the perimeter of my house and in the deck. He said he wouldn’t even both to look inside because “no need” since they were everywhere else.

All I wanted Terminix to do was tent my house and pay to replace the deck (as now in the year that has passed the deck has been nearly destroyed.)  When I talked to Sandro a couple of weeks later, his story had completely changed; and he made it clear “between the lines” that this was what he had to say.  “No termites in the deck, only dry rot,” and they would only pay to tent my house.

The other thing is this: they didn’t actually even make a full inspection of the house prior to my buying it. They relied on the “file” and the fact it had been “treated” in 1998 and drew up their report from that.  I know from a witness.  I also know this from my experience AFTER I bought the house. I called Terminix out (since it was still under warranty from the previous owner) and showed them what I thought was evidence of termites.  He looked and just dismissed it.  He never inspected anything.  And at that time, my house WAS infested with termites.  So, now I am in the process of getting an expert to write up what they missed and am going to sue them for fraud, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, punitive damages, attorney fees, and all the damage (there is structural damage) to my whole house.

My information is that Terminix is self-insured and that is one reason they don’t like to settle claims (they don’t carry liability insurance and so it all comes out of their own pocket).

Ohio - 4/01. We too have had a very bad experience with Terminix and will share this with anyone who will listen. They convinced us we had termites and got us into a $2,000 contract (which I was fortunate enough to cancel in time) when our real problem was mice.  I completely distrust the company and will continue to warn others not to use them.

Massachusetts - 3/01. I was thinking of getting Terminix to do a specific job, but was so pressured into having to take additional services, I got leery.  When I refused the “comprehensive” package, I was quoted a truly extortionist price for the one service I wanted. No, they are not a very up and up operation, are they?

Florida - 3/01. Since almost a year ago, we receive service from Terminix. The papers are from Terminix, but the services were a subcontractor. Since the first days we saw we have termites, we called the company and the supervisor came to inspect our home.  I was not at home. I talked to him by phone, and he told me he found big ants and something else, but not termites. I told the supervisor in Miami to please write everything he saw on the card they leave after the inspection. He didn’t write anything of big ants other thing he saw, only his signature and my 75 year old mother’s.  She doesn’t read English.

Missouri - 2/01. Like many other customers, we have had problems with Terminix. Our annual inspection has disclosed new damage, including damage to areas our contractor renovated and replaced when Terminix denied the absence of activity a few years ago. I hope to resolve the issue without resorting to litigation, but we are fully prepared to litigate if necessary.

Ohio - 2/01. I am glad I came across your site. I have been using Terminix for the past year and just ended my contract with them.  I think it would be great if you could make the complaints come up by states.  I am only interested in complaints in Ohio and find it hard to scroll through all 22 pages looking just for Ohio complaints.

Web mistress note: I don’t want anyone targeting just their own state, which could be misleading. I want people to see the extent of the problems with Terminix. To search for anything specific, go to the top of the home page.

California - 11/00.  I knew I could not be alone with problem with Terminix. I have had pest control service from Terminix for over a year and a half.  When I moved to my new house last December, I transferred the service. They were unable to control the ants here, and I had millions of ants coming out of every corner in the house. According to the warranty, they were to come and spray the house until it is under control. I called them several times, but they failed to come.  Since June, I refused to pay for service, took pictures of huge amounts of ants in my house. I have tried to resolve it with them over the phone and have been keeping track of all the calls. I stopped the service in June. I am now using a different company which has worked great. I talked to the manager, and he asked me to send the pictures and other information along with the money.  He promised he would tear the check if he thought they were at fault. They not only cashed my check, but also put the amount in collection. Due to Terminix, I am now getting calls and letters from collection agency. Basically, I am being harassed for a service which did not work and I have already paid in full.

New Jersey - 3/01. I have had a contract for the Sentricon system and have not received any service from Terminix. They come by, leave an invoice, but have done nothing to help with the termite situation. In fact, my situation is much worse. Now, they are swarming in the house, so much for bait traps, which I don’t think they even did.  I have requested them to remove their traps from my property, or I will. I have contacted corporate Terminix with no results. Have contacted local company with no results. They are the worst company to do business with, and I would not recommend them to anyone.  The worker advised me that there is no proof that this system even works. I think some kind of action should be taken to stop them from misrepresentation of products and service; because there is no service, and the product doesn’t work if the service isn’t there.

Web mistress note: Based on what I’ve heard from others, I agree with the worker who advised this person “there is no proof that this system even works” -- service or no service.

Florida - 3/01. Ten years ago, I had $400 repair on my home. I have been under a contract with Terminix since and recently had the same repairs done plus more. I was canceling my contract when the local supervisor is trying to do something. We will see.

Missouri - 3/01. We had Terminix treat our home in 1995.  Then they charged us $110 a year but never came to inspect. After three years, it went up to $126. We asked the salesman why it kept going up; and he said, “We want to get you to drop your coverage, as now you get repair costs.”  We did drop it in 1999, as their annual inspections were every two or three years. Now, the termites have returned (or never left), and they came out with a $1,100 charge for Sentricon and would not spray for under $1,500.  As that contract states, “In some circumstances the Terminix Termite Baiting System may not eliminate or control the termite colony.” After reading your web site, we decided to pass up on this offer and hire a local person to drill and spray for one-third the cost.

Indiana - 3/01. Claiming work done when we watched him get back in his truck and leave.

Edinburgh, Scotland - 3/01. Mine is a long saga. Briefly, ServiceMaster’s wholly-owned subsidiary here in the UK, whilst currying out repairs in the premises next door to mine, knocked a large hole in the party wall.  They furthermore drilled many two-inch diameter holes through the base of this wall. Much dust and rubble came through and caused thousands of pounds worth of damages to my own stock and customers’ goods.  The workmen claimed, “we thought we were drilling into a void space.” It is hardly surprising they didn’t know what they were doing since they never bothered to apply for the necessary building warrants or permissions from the local authorities. Furthermore, they had done no structural load calculations and had cut the end of a large “king beam,” causing the entire weight of a five-story building to be loaded onto the basement party wall, which began to crack and buckle. Building control operatives had to shore up the cellar using screw jacks to prevent a collapse. The ingress of dust caused severe damage to all the contents of my premises, and ServiceMaster (trading as the firm of Terminix-Peter Cox) then refused to pay for any damages.  They denied liability for these damages in the UK and issued a SLAPP suit against me using the legal device of “Interim Interdict” to prevent me from claiming any damages or even contacting “any employee or officer of the company” in the UK.

ServiceMaster of Downer’s Grove, Illinois, USA, then admitted liability in writing, via their lawyer at the time, Mr. Ed Oleson, but have consistently refused to pay any settlement for the damages caused.  The damage caused forced me to close my business, and I lost my home and business reputation.  I am now ill and unable to work, and I think I am entitled to ask for some financial recompense for their wrongdoing which has robbed me of the capacity to earn for myself.  I have been fighting for recompense for more than five years. The CEO at the time was Mr. Carlos Cantu, who promised me faithfully before God, as he put it, that this whole matter would be investigated and put right. He was taken ill with cancer a few months later and nothing was ever done. I haven’t given up yet (and NEVER will).

California - 2/01. I am currently a Sentricon customer in the middle of a second year extension of my service contract and have had four months of trap checks with no termite activity after having reported activity every month for over a year. My big beef is that I can’t find out from Terminix whether this means anything or not as I have had several phone calls go unreturned.  Then, after deciding to contact the company’s home office, I became very frustrated when I continued to run into roadblocks when all I wanted to do was talk to someone about my issues. I finally e-mailed Terminix and received an e-mail back stating that I would be receiving a call from a local representative within 48 hours.  Of course, it was the “local representative” whom I couldn’t get to return a phone call in the first place.  Needless to say, that was months ago; and no one has called yet.

Hands down, the absolute worst customer service I have ever received from a supposedly reputable company. They’ll send someone on the front end that will glad-hand you and answer every question you could possibly imagine; but, man, try to get some follow-up service and you can flat out forget it.  Absolutely ridiculous.  I angst over using them in the first place and am way sorry I did. I will never, ever use Terminix again.

Pennsylvania - 2/01.  After paying $2,000+ for the Terminix services upon finding a swarm in our basement, they sprung into action in April 2000 with monitoring stations outside the house.  When no activity was reported by July, my wife wrote a letter questioning their not doing anything inside where the swarm was found. They responded with, “It is common to go as many as six months with no outside activity.” Also, they did not check the stations every month as promised in their contract.  When I pointed that out, they said they were having some staffing problems. In January, we received a bill for the renewal of services even though we had paid up front for three years. As of now, I have informed them of my dissatisfaction and am asking for a refund, explaining that if I bring another service in and they find termites in my basement, I am going to hold Terminix responsible.

Texas - 2/01. I happened upon your site while looking for information on Terminix. I wanted the name of someone to write concerning a collection agency calling me about my bill.  Boy, am I glad I found your site. I have a “difference of opinion” with them about what I owe.

New Jersey - 2/01. In 1998, my wife and I purchased a two-story Cape Cod in Bergen County, New Jersey, which was under contract with Terminix by the previous owners. This contract was transferred to my wife and me, which meant annually Terminix was to have done routine inspections and treatment if necessary.  After the purchase and for about two years or so, my wife and I periodically got a postcard stuck on our front door indicating a Terminix representative had visited our house during the day, done an inspection, and everything was fine. As a first-time homeowner and an apartment dweller for my entire life, I thought everything was fine.  Unfortunately, I have recently discovered that I do in fact have termite infestation and have had infestation for a period of about five years -- well before my wife and I purchased the house. Needless to say, I am quite disappointed with Terminix for a variety of reasons, which arguably include: 1) possibly falsifying an inspection report prior to the sale of the property to indicate no termite infestation where in fact there was; 2) failure to adequately inspect and treat termites despite receiving payment for same. How can any thorough inspection be done by looking at the outside of a vinyl-sided house and never inside of the house and the wooden beams which support same?

In any event, I recently retained the services of a local company to remedy the damage and protect me from future damage. It will cost me about $1,000 -- not a huge amount to some, but certainly big enough for my family.  I am grateful, however, that I caught this situation earlier enough where the damage was not enormous.

If there was a point to be made, here it is -- stay away from Terminix and the song and dance they give you.  Give your business to a local and established vendor who comes recommended and might cost a little bit more.  You’ll be glad you did.

Tennessee - 2/01. I’m glad to know my suspicion of this company is founded.  My problem comes from my local “mom and pop” pest control company selling out to Terminix, and now they have my termite contract and now I have termites.  They blame it on my former service carrier’s lack of treatment. Funny, I never had problems before they took over the contract.  Now, if I want to use another company, I have to pay them $1,000 to $1,500 to grant me a contract with their company. I am glad they are getting the bad press they well deserve.