Oregon - 1/02. I signed a one-year contract, paid in advance for the full year. At the end of the year, they refused to stop coming. They are now hassling me with collection agencies for $120.

? - 1/02. I have had Terminix service here since 1999. Every year, I have had damage that ALWAYS is called pre-existing. My new garage has one eaten wall and has been retreated twice. My new entryway was treated twice and has extensive damage to it also. This morning, I found two of my cats catching and eating termites and a large section of my custom baseboards scattered all over my living room. I have no idea if this company uses water or real chemicals to treat houses, but the termites thrive on it. I am not happy and just contacted Terminix again.

California - 1/02. I’m about to go to war with Terminix.  Fortunately for me, it’s only because they won’t return my calls; and they keep coming monthly, charging me $36 when I have a signed contract for them to come bi-monthly at a rate of $47. I wish I would have checked your web site before I entered a one-year agreement with them.

(I suggested she post her complaint to Terminix’s so-called “Customer Care Board.”)

Update:  I added my story and got two calls from the Terminix office. Talked to the manager, and he blamed it on bad CSRs.  My contract is now consistent with the schedule.  I appreciate the help but still feel the real problem, management, just passed the buck.

Florida - 1/02. I am a realtor and hear these stories all the time from clients. I am so surprised Terminix is still in business. I actually had Terminix do an inspection report on one of my properties where a small picture, hung on a straight pin, was removed from the wall.  Terminix pointed it out and said we had termites -- they said the “pin hole” was a termite exit hole!  So much for professionalism!

Arkansas - 1/02. My husband and I moved into a very old one-bedroom home to save up money. This poor little house was infested with the great outdoors it seemed...swarms of ants in every room, wasps that came into our house daily (and not to mention, I'm allergic to the stings), brown recluse spiders everywhere you turn, giant wolf spiders ( I ended up with one in the tub with me), and mice during cold weather (although at the time of my call to Terminix, I did not mention mice, since they were not around in the summer.) I almost could've handled living in the home until we moved, except we had a baby; and I feared for her safety. So my call to Terminix resulted in a young man coming out to my house the same evening to "inspect," look at the spider I caught in my bath water, and to give me a quote.  The quote included the general pest control, an extra deal to rid our home of brown recluses up to 95%, wasp spray, any follow ups that may occur if a wasp or spider was to be seen after the job was done, spraying in our attic, and in the barn out back that is less than 5 ft. from my home.  The young man said that since the barn was so close, it would be covered in the price he quoted me. He said that was where all the pests were coming from. I even made a point to ask him if there was any hope, being that the house was so old and in such bad shape. He guaranteed me that the only pest we had that he couldn't completely eliminate was the brown recluse, and continued to explain why, but did say that he would guarantee me that he could get rid of 95% of them.  So I felt relieved, and I agreed to sign up for the 12-month contract.  The agreement included the up-front fee that would be paid when the main technician came out and a $60 some-odd payment every 3 months. That would bring the main technician out on our first appointment; and then every 3 months, bring out a regular technician to do follow-up work. I made the appointment for the main technician to do his work the following week. We were told he'd be out early, at 9:00.  For my family that is pretty early...we're a "2nd shift family."  We all got up and dressed and waited on him to show. At noon, I received a call from him, saying he was in the town beside me and was running late.  He called again, 40 minutes later saying he had a flat and wouldn't make it that day, but he'd be there at the same appointment time the next day. So, mad as we were, we woke up early the next day, and again waited. He was then 2 hours late.  When he got there, he set glue traps, sprayed along the baseboards, dusted our attic with some kind of powder that would kill spiders when they injested it, and sprayed wasp nests outside. He never sprayed anything in the yard like we were told he would do.  He never treated the barn either. After his job was done, we questioned how effective it would be. He said there should be no more wasps, wolf spiders, or ants.  As far as brown recluses go, we could only hope that it would get rid of a big majority of them.  We payed the man, and he gave us the receipt and a form that explained which houses he had visited and when he arrived at each home he treated. What I thought was weird was that he lied about when he left the last customer’s house and when he arrived at ours. He wrote down a time that was extremely close to our appointment time, instead of the 2-hour-late time. In less than 2 weeks, our pest problems came back full force and then some. I was seeing more spiders than before (both kinds), wasps were coming in (and not too happy, I should mention).  The ants swarmed my kitchen and bathroom twice as much, instead of the whole house.  I became furious that they expected me to pay them every 3 months for "giving me more pests" than I started out with.  I called the office, and the head honcho there seemed all too happy to help me. He made another appointment to send the SAME main technician out to my house.  Again, he was extremely late.  When he got there, he sprayed the same stuff on the baseboards and spots that I specifically pointed out, resprayed the outside eves for the wasps, and checked the traps.  When we asked why he didn't do anything for the brown recluses, he said that our "package" didn't include the treatment for brown recluses...that that stuff was an extra $100$200.  After we insisted that it was covered in our package and showed him the contract, he got MAD at ME and said the guy who quoted this price was wrong and shouldn't have told us that. He was hesitant but finally did an extra minispray for those spiders. When we asked why he didn't treat the barn or the yard, he said that barns are extra too, and it wasn't covered.  Again, I insisted that I was told by the first young man it would be covered.  The technician refused to treat the barn, saying it was too messy and would be ineffective unless we cleaned it out and payed extra.  After he left, I called the company and told them I was not happy with that man's service and explained how he tried to overcharge us.  The manager apologized and offered to have a different man come out, but I declined. After a few weeks and no luck when it came to killing our pests, I called to have our service canceled for good.   Since we canceled, we've received 45 calls pretty much begging us to be their customers again, saying they'd do anything to change our minds. They even had the nerve to use a scare tactic. See, we're buying a brand new home out in the country.  When we told them that, they said we should go ahead and set up a new contract for our new home, saying that there is a bad pest problem out in the area we're moving in. When we declined, they said, "ok....but be careful not to pack up any of those brown recluse spiders, or you'll be infested and sorry!!"

All I know is now I'm worried as far as that spray is concerned. Since I've read the complaints on your web site, I've seen that spray isn't as safe as I was told. They told me you'd have to literally take a bath in it before it could hurt you.  Now I wonder if it has anything to do with two of our dogs losing all their hair, their skin becoming infected and crusty, and then, them dying. Not to mention what it could have done to my daughter or my unborn baby.

California - 12/01.  I have been interested but not surprised to see the enormous amount of complaints against this company from all over the country. For over a year, these people have proven over and over that they are incompetent in dealing with my problems with termites.  They have time after time “blown smoke” with their patronizing attitudes regarding their failures to show up and do what they have promised, only to fail to follow through on their new promises!

If that wasn’t enough, after several months of this type of treatment, they sent a man out who drilled a hole through our gas line. Accidents happen!  True to form, however, the crew that was hired to repair the line created a horrendous mess in our home. Terminix offered a motel room and dinner on them and then failed to make the arrangements with the motel and restaurant!  The next day, Terminix agreed to hire a housecleaning company to clean up our mess.  No one showed!  We cleaned it ourselves!  They say they will pay us the “going rate.” We’ll see! In the middle of my misery, I read their web site messages regarding customer service and saw that the problems appear to be nationwide! This company is in need of some major changes.

Tennessee - 12/01.  I’m writing this for my mother and father.  When they purchased their house, a termite contract was purchased because they found termites.  The contract was through Terminix.  They have had Terminix out numerous times, and it’s a battle every time. They are not fixing the problem. The wall was cut out in the garage at one time.  The kitchen wall has also been redone because of termites. Just recently, they had to have a floor pulled up and replaced because they were eating it up. My parents have asked that they put the stakes in the yard, but Terminix said they would not pay for this. Terminix offered to give them their money back they had paid on the contract that year.  I guess they are willing to take someone’s money; but if there are problems, you’re on your own.

Nebraska - 12/01.  When I bought my house about 12 years ago, we had a small, local company handle our termite treatment; and they charged about $42 a year for the renewal plan.  Terminix bought them; and the rates have gone up each year, until they are now $93.50 per year. Two years ago, I never received an inspection; so last year, I called and complained.  That didn’t seem to help, since I didn’t receive one last year either.

Florida - 11/01.  My bad experiences with Terminix are related to both routine pest control and a fumigation with subsequent termite warranty.

First, the pest control. When I signed an annual contract, it was for a monthly service; and on the first visit, the tech drilled holes in the base of each bathroom vanity (four each) and in the base of the kitchen sink cabinet into which to spray an insecticide. He then serviced the interior and exterior of the house. After his first visit, I noticed two things -- he did not come around monthly, and he never again came into the house unless I asked him to do so. I had to wonder, if he did not plan on servicing the inside of the house again, why did he drill the holes in the base of my cabinets?  Upon questioning, he explained the monthly service had been changed to quarterly service (for the same price); and he would come in and spray insecticide into the holes he had drilled when I requested. Hmmmmm.  The tech is a nice enough individual, seems knowledgeable, and takes care of my requests if I am home; however, I get the distinct impression that I am being taken advantage of.  I am going to look elsewhere for my pest control service.

The termite situation is more blatant. Terminix, or rather their contractor, tented my house for drywood termites.  When the tent was installed, I immediately called Terminix and advised them it had so many large holes in it I could not see how it would hold any gas. Terminix apparently called an official of the fumigation contractor.  The official came to the house; put a meter on a tube that ran into the house; and pronounced enough gas was in the house, maybe even a little more than necessary. The next morning, he came back, set his equipment up again, and announced the gas level was a little low; but because it was higher than necessary the day before, everything would be okay.  Not exactly an independent assessment, but I figured he was the expert; and, after all, Terminix stood behind his work.  Naturally, I bought the termite warranty contract; and sure enough as time passed, Terminix would call and make an appointment for periodic follow-up inspections.  I was feeling pretty good about the situation.

However, recently on one of their inspections, my wife was advised (and shown) termite droppings on a window sill and on the carpet about 16 months after the fumigation. The tech advised they were most likely old pellets being pushed out by ants. When I arrived home, I thought this was possible -- having read up on termites, ants, etc. However, I wondered where the ants were pushing the pellets from.  I got my ladder out - our ceilings are 17 foot high - climbed up, and found new exit or kick holes near the ceiling. These new holes are above the area where holes were initially found prior to tenting.  The original holes were covered and painted.  Additionally, just a few weeks later, in another area where termite signs were found prior to tenting, new termite signs began appearing again. I have concluded, after substantial research, that the fumigation did not take care of the problem.  The local branch manager denies there is a problem and, thusfar, refuses to make any additional effort to confirm an infestation. Wait for them to swarm is his response.  Of course, in the process, they are eating my house.  At this point, I have to wonder what will be done if we see a swarm. To me, the writing is on the wall. They are looking for a way of doing nothing but routine inspections.

I have written two letters to the branch manager in an effort to document what is happening. He acknowledges reading the first letter and advises he has received, but not read, the second letter.  His attitude is changing to being a not-so-nice individual.  Today, I told him I talked to the State inspector; and he immediately said he had to hang up but would call me back in half an hour. No return call.