Dallas, Texas - 8/05. Had a contract for one year, still have an ant problem. Was never told that the contract was ongoing and you had to call to cancel.  I did call in January 2005 to cancel. As of August 2005 they are still trying to bill me or send it to a collection agency.  After repeated phone calls to the local company, they still have not resolved the issue.  Stay away from this company.

Georgia - 8/05. Although I do not remember the details, I am sure Terminix had a problem with the attorney General in Georgia and was forced to go in and treat many properties in Georgia, including the townhouse community  in which I lived in and the almost new building in which I worked in. They were forced to bore into the foundations. I remember at the time that  it was part of a Statewide event.  It was in the early to mid 1990's.

Harlan, Kentucky - 8/05.   My wife and I scheduled to have our house sprayed by Terminix due to the excess number of ants finding their way into our home.  We made the appointment and the service man came out to perform the task.  Before he left, he explained that we might see ants for about a week and then they would be gone.  Well, two weeks went by and we still had the same amount of ants.  We contacted Terminix to inform them that we had been experiencing the same problems.  They said they would send the man out to re-spray.  The day he was scheduled, he phoned saying he couldn’t make it and rescheduled for the next day at the same time. The next day comes and he shows up two hours late.  My wife asked him why we still had ants.  The man explained that the first time he was out that he was out of ant bait so he had nothing to combat the ants with. Nice huh?  He was hoping that the ants might just disappear on their own and we would never notice that we paid for nothing. We called the office to complain and ask for a refund. Every time we, call the Service Manager is conveniently unavailable, and we have yet to receive a return call.  It’s been explained to us that the Service Manager is the only person capable of giving a refund.  I have also contacted the Terminix website to complain since that was the place we made the appointment. I’m sure you won’t be shocked when I tell you that we have gotten no response. Luckily we were out the day of the inspection, and my father-in-law was the one who signed my spouse’s signature on the contract.  I’m not sure if it matters or not, but it’s worth a try. We paid for the service with a credit card, and fortunately I’m very familiar with the process of canceling the payment for bad service

Scottsdale, Arizona - 8/05. Terminix is saying my account is expired, and therefore I am liable for my termite treatment. I have been on contract with Terminix since 1994. I haven't seen a bill for renewal.

Pittsburg, California - 8/05. My Terminix nightmare began even before I signed with Terminix.  Their salesman, Timothy Westcott, tried to sell me part of his "internet business."  He wanted me to give him money so that I could then make back the money I just paid him. Westcott then said that I must have "incentive" to make more money.  It was obviously a fraud and a scam.  I reported him to Terminix and they did nothing. After I signed, things went bad. The annual house inspector, Mark Volgamore, came 90 minutes early and then was snotty when I asked him why he was early. Several other things happened and I complained.  Terminix' remedy? They want to give me $1,000 to end our contract.

West Los Angeles, California - 7/05. I too found that Terminix does not honor its word. My customer representative misrepresented the time I would have to be out of my home. Subsequent efforts to get Terminix to honor its promotion of one year free pest control in order to entice me to hire them to fumigate my home have proved fruitless. It has also been impossible to reach higher management in an effort to resolve issues. Customer  service directs customers back to the local managers who are being unresponsive.  I have lost two days from work in reliance on promises from Terminix. Additionally, it seems fairly clear that Terminix  has no intention of honoring its promotion despite the paperwork I have which indicates it is provided free of charge.

Davie, Florida - 7/05. POOR SERVICE!  They never call to say they are coming, so they come when I am not home and leave a note saying they sprayed the outside. That is NOT fulfilling what I contracted for.  When I call them to come BACK and do the inside, they are here less than five minutes. Meanwhile I have Florida bugs laughing at me.  I had Sears before and they were great, but they turned it over to Terminix and since then I am BUGGED!  I really do not care that I have another quarter on the contract, I am looking for a reputable company. VERY SUBSTANDARD SERVICE.

Connecticut - 7/05. I have called Terminix for both service and billing issues a total of 7 times in a span of ONE MONTH and have not received a call back! The biggest mistake is pre-paying Terminix, now they have my money and I have no service. I will not renew my termite plan and will demand a refund on the pest control. Totally unprofessional company!  This is the worst service company treatment ever!!!

Virginia - 7/05. I too have gotten no show and 4 no call backs. They were not fixing my cockroach problem.

Cincinnati, Ohio - 7/05. I was tricked by a salesman for Terminix in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Salesman inspected my house, I already had found termite damage, he offered me one of two plans -- bait trap plan or liquid barrier plan.  I chose the liquid barrier; and when he tried to talk me in to the bait plan, I insisted on the liquid plan. He said it would cost $1,100.  I said that is high, but that is what I wanted.  He wrote up the contract; while doing so he said he would give me both plans for $1,500.  I told him if he wanted to "throw" in the bait plan with the liquid I guessed it was o.k., but I only wanted the liquid. Even though his contract (and the state of Ohio) had a 3-day "cooling-off period," a serviceman was here to put in the termite protection within 1 1/2 hours.  The serviceman drilled holes in the ground and put bait traps there, then drilled through the concrete front porch and back porch, and squirted a liquid down the holes then patched them.  No liquid was put around the rest of the foundation.  I asked the serviceman when he was going to treat the rest of the house, he said that was all he was to do.  I asked if he wasn't supposed to put down the liquid treatment; he said NO. Seems the salesman was trying to do a "bait-and-switch" trick. By calling the office manager, I found out the cost, which I never was told (probably because I did not want it) of the bait trap treatment  was $1,500; and the cost of the liquid treatment was $8.00 a linear foot. I have a small house, 24 ft by 26 ft 6 inches; the manager made the figures 30 x  30 and figured the charge with tax less 10 percent seniors discount and arrived at the amount of $924.48.  Another Terminix rip-off.

Michigan - 6/05. The nature of my complaint is in regards to deceitful sales tactics employed by a Terminix representative. During the course of my consultation with a Terminix representative, he made the following claims:

1. A certain major real estate company required Terminix to be the pest treatment company for all transactions.  If the property had been treated by another company, treatment by Terminix would be a precondition of sale at the seller’s expense.
2. If treatment were done by any other company and I sold the property, I'd be fiscally responsible for any future termite damage to the property for an indefinite term.
3. Any other company would use substandard treatment methods and/or media and the treatment would be unsuccessful, requiring me to call Terminix at that point.

The "salesman" also tried to get me to sign a contract without proper time to review the afore mention assertions.  This led me to believe that it was a "one-time-only" type of transaction, reminiscent of used-car sales. Upon even cursory review of these points, I was able to prove that what he described was untrue, even illegal, and presented with intent to deceive.  I don't intend to do business with Terminix at any point in the future.

New Hampshire - 6/05. My husband and I recently bought our first home and noticed that there was a problem with wasps.  Twice, we scheduled an  appointment and had a no show/no call.  The first time was two days before our housewarming.  Needless to say, our guests dealt with wasps all day.  Finally they came and did such a mediocre job that they had to come back again.  We still have a problem and repeated calls both at the  Manchester, NH location and the 800# have resulted in promises like, "I'll have the manager, district manager, my supervisor, my manager, or your  local technician call you.  I'll make sure it happens today!"  Guess  what? No phone calls.  Also, upon his first visit, the technician stated that he did not have any Service Agreements with him, but to call the office and they would send us one.  Again, you guessed it - still  no service agreement as of yet, and we have called to request it at least five  or six times. Equally a nightmare is Orkin, which eventually led to my experience with Terminix. These people are extremely unprofessional and only interested in pocketing your cash.  I can do a better job with over-the-counter products.  At least I know I can count on myself to show  up!!  Now I just do my best to embrace the bugs!  I do not recommend this company to anyone, in fact, I tell them not to even bother.

Connecticut - 6/05. We have had swarmers for a few years now.  We immediately paid a couple thousand dollars to an awesomely good Terminix sales guy.  They planted these stations with wood in them around the house.  We rarely see them check the stations, but they swear that they come and look at them.  I know we have termites.  I see the trails of dirt on walls.  I had a few trails go up the side of my hot water heater.  After many, many calls trying to get someone out here, I actually showed them to a technician.  He said "yep, you got termites"...then he disappeared never to be heard  from again. That actually happened twice now.  Now that brings us to the current date, June 10, 2005. I have them chewing through the ceiling of the living room.  They are making small visible pockets of dirt on the ceiling.  If you pinch off one of the dirt spots, then you see little white termites wiggling around.  The living room!  Where people sit and watch TV.  Sometimes the dirt spot breaks away and falls down revealing the tiny chewed hole in the ceiling. In-freak'in-credible!  That this company is even allowed to exist.  I called the local office, but it's after normal business hours. I'm in Connecticut. Mississippi picks up the phone.  They have no off hours emergency contact for our local office.  They told me "I'm sorry bugs are dropping on your head, but we'll leave a  message for the manager at your local office."  No emergency response!  What?!?  I'm so upset that I better stop now.

Sea Ranch, California - 6/05. On 25 May 2005 signed up for a Terminix - California Residential Pest Control Agreement paid $220 (as part of a  $505 agreement), to Mitch  English, Sales Representative, Terminix, 1009 Clegg Court, Suite C & D, Petaluma, CA 94952, Tel: (707) 762-3373.  At the time I remitted the $220, I arranged with Mitch to be available on Tuesday the 31st of May  for the initial service, however the Terminix serviceman showed up on the 26th of May when I was not at my home. On the 27th I called their office and reaffirmed the initial service date of the 31 May 2005. On that date, nobody showed-up or called. In disgust, called and cancelled the pest control service and requested a refund of my initial  remittance. I was advised that any refund would have to be handled by Verne, the manager who was not available.  To date I have been unable to reach Verne, the manager, having called everyday since the 1st of June.  On my second attempt to reach the manager, I advised that I would be willing to negotiate a back-charge for their initial  inspection as an incentive to get the refund resolved, but this apparently fell on deaf ears.

Sicklerville, New Jersey - 6/05. I have called 5 times to Terminix. I paid $1800.00 for a termite treatment, and the termites are back with consideralbe damage to my wooden windows.  My woodwork is all screwed up, and they tell me I did not have the right contract. Can you imagine?  $1800 for what?  They do not return my phone calls and I am really disgusted.  I am 72 years old with an ongoing cancer condition, and now I am convinced that this is a senior citizen scam.  Please help.

Baltimore, Maryland - 6/05. I concluded my contract with Terminix at the conclusion of the contract,  June 2004. They keep calling. They provided horrendous service and customer relations during the one year in which we conducted business. They had nerve to send me a bill for $90 that was paid in February 2005. I have sent a copy of the check (front and back) to their collections agency, the local branch and the national headquarters.

Virginia - 6/05. Thank  you for your website. I have had a contract with Terminix (the local branch) for over 30 years. They would call me annually to set up an appointment for inspection.  When I did report damage, they did repair it after countless arguments with them that it was indeed termite damage.  It also took forever to get the contractor to get here. Several years ago this all changed. It is my understanding that the local company was bought out by Service Master. Since then I have had no inspections until recently. Suddenly, I find a notice on my door that they showed up to inspect and "no one was at home". Well, duh, it was the middle of the day in the middle of the week.  How many people are home at that time.  Two weeks later I received another such notice. I called and was told that the service supervisor needed to call me back to make an appointment. That was at least 3 weeks ago and I have not received a phone call.  My so-called contract expires in September.  I do not plan to renew it and, in fact, have already signed up with another local firm which comes highly recommended.  I urge all of you to do the same. Terminix is worthless.  It's all about the bottom line and the hell with the customer.

Connecticut - 5/05. I have a termite plan with Terminix, when I found termite in my garage, I called Terminix. They gave me a date when they would come out, but they didn’t come out and they didn’t call.  My garage is attached to my house.

Covina, California - 5/05. I believe we have been sold an expensive Terminix baiting product under false pretenses. We  have had no evidence of termites in almost 2 years, despite being told we had termites. The Covina office manager has repeatedly ignored my phone calls for many months (meaning they usually do not call me back) and/or have not kept their promise to come out to my home to deal with the situation twice now. They say they leave messages on our answering machines but there are no messages.  I have made upwards of eight or more phone calls now. The main office in Memphis, TN, has yet to call me back as they keep trying to get the Covina branch to deal with my situation. I was promised the main office would call me back no later than last week and they have not called.  They have both my home and cell phone numbers to reach me. I strongly recommend that consumers not utilize Terminix for pest control problems if they are wanting the assurance of a reliable and honest pest control company.

Hayward, California - 5/05. I too have been ripped off by Terminix, billed for unauthorized services. For me it is only $100.  I canceled our service last July because my husband had surgery and would miss work for a few months.  I fully intended on reinstating our service once he got back to work. When I canceled, they told me I had a $100 credit - and I authorized them to use up that credit. ,Well, they say that meant I never canceled the service. So they came out and sprayed in October, without permission, and then billed us. I have not paid them, but they have turned our account over to collections.

Florida - 5/05. I cannot tell you how fooled I was to have chosen Terminex.  They are unreliable and absolutely not worthy of anyone gaining their trust.

Virginia Beach, Virginia - 4/05. Had contract from Terminix. Semi-annual inspections. Had to replace large sliding window, when removed, there were millions of termites in window sill and frame work. Terminix sent man to inspect and file claim. After 5 weeks, no return of calls and person I needed to speak with, was never there, I spoke with an attorney on April 26, 2005 regarding their "no response to phone calls."  Window is now boarded up, wall is a mess. They don't return calls.  Time for action.

Encinitas, California - 2/05. I have had nothing but trouble with both AHS (2 months to replace a sump pump) and Terminex (3 tentings in 4 years). I look forward to hearing from anyone that can direct me to a better service offering than either of these organizations. I am done with both and am still considering a lawsuit!

Rialto, California - 2/05. I paid my bill on 11/15/04 and canceled my service.  Then I got a letter stating they (Terminix) were going to send my account to Nationwide Credit, Inc. Now again they sent me a letter stating they will send my account to Nationwide Credit, Inc. if not paid by 2/28/05.  I have called the phone number of the Account Representative Carman Padilla (619) 260-6529 no answer. I have called and talked to a couple of people at Terminix branch 2179, I have got no help.

Manchester, New Hampshire - 2/05. I too am amazed that the BBB reports nothing against Terminix.  I retained their services for carpenter ants in 2001. During their inspection a small area of old termite damage was discovered, (no live termites). I got their pest control and Sentricon contracts. They did, within six months, locate the source of the ants, and were alright for the first two years of the contract. I too wasn't happy about the inspections becoming quarterly, but as long as there were no insects, fine. Year three was quite different. The inspector, who used to call the evening before coming, stopped doing it. I'm home days, and on three occasions saw him pull into my driveway, leave a slip of paper about what he'd done, i.e. nothing, and leave. I called and complained. Their branch manager said he'd "look into it." Three months later, same thing.  Next time a new employee came out, the old one no longer worked for the company, (smart guy), and did the job right, but they billed me despite the fact that my annual contract was still running.  I called and complained to the local branch and was assured it was a clerical error, and that the bill would be removed.  I requested written confirmation of that, and surprise, surprise, I never got it. Three months later the new guy comes out and does his job, and the paper he leaves indicates that I owe more yet.  I called the local branch office and left several messages for the manager, and no one ever called back.  Does this all sound familiar? Finally I went to their website to complain and someone called me back to say that they'd be happy to cancel my pest control and send proof that I owed nothing, which, surprisingly enough, they did.  I'd asked at the time if there was another local franchise who might take over from their Manchester NH office. They said no.  I believe they were just glad to be rid of me. I was never one of the few customers who called for numerous extra service calls either.  Bottom line is that I will never sign an extended contract with anyone, nor will I in the future retain the services of any company that's afraid to make sure I'm home to see what they do.  Terminix should spend more on looking after their customers and less on slick advertising.

Atlanta, Georgia - 1/05. I was searching for complaints against Terminix because I felt they were kind of shady. I bought my house and had the contract transfered to me from the previous owners.  Terminix came out and serviced for a couple of months, but then I get a call from one of the sales people telling me my previous contract with Sears had expired because I didn’t renew.  No letter or anything came stating renewal was near because they wanted that contract to expire so they didn't have to service the existing bait stations anymore and could now charge $800-1000 for new application!!! I couldn't believe you could get any shadier than this!  I will look elsewhere for somebody reputable.

Vandervoort, Arkansas - 1/05. I have had a termite protection plan with Terminix since 5/1998. This past spring of 2004, we had to move out, termites had complety ruined our home. Every board had to be replaced even ceiling joist. At this date, it still is not finished because Terminix won’t pay contractor on time.  He has shut the job down 4 times cause of no money. I don’t know what to do for sure when the contractor is finished I would like to see some money for loss of sale and time out of our home.  Got any ideas?

Yuba City, California - 1/05. It was some years ago that we applied for a bank loan and were told we needed a termite inspection, so Terminix inspected under our house, and in seconds he was out and said, Yep you gottem, well he took me under the house and raised up a little piece of wood and said, "see there is one.”  There were no holes or wet spots and no trails leading anywhere, but I was stuck and without the report, no bank loan.  He knew he had me and it cost approx 9 to a 1000 dollars.  I called week after week to get the report to the bank, and in the meantime bills were piling up. Being uninformed about these things, I don't even remember them ever spraying for anything.  I know that one termite was planted, but I can't prove it now.  You can rest assure it will never happen again.