Woodbridge, Virginia - 5/06. I've been an existing customer for years with Terminix and recently retired from the military. I just renewed my annual termite bond with Terminix. I am also selling my home to move from VA to NC.  I called Terminix to conduct a termite inspection for selling the home.  They told me that they do not do these inspections because it is swarm season and lack of personnel and referred me to other companies.  I tried every route to get through to corporate and was able to get through to Tom Brackets office (Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer) and spoke with a Sally Archibald (not sure of her position).  She was flabbergasted that the Manassas VA office stated they would not conduct this inspection for an existing customer. She said she would assist. She never did and never called me back as she promised.  I had to fight with the Manassas office to get someone to come out.  The office clerk is rude. The communication center personnel are rude and hung up on me ("...thank you for using Terminix, click!"). I will never use this company again!  Someone is finally coming out 5 days before my closing.

Sherman Oaks, California - 5/06. The following letter was sent November 22, 2005, to Terminix, Chatsworth Park, CA:

The Sunnypark Townhomes Owners Association has two service contracts with your company. One for a termite plan was established in May of 2005. In August of 2005, you came by for a termite inspection.  I received a call from your service technician after the inspection. I called him back three times, was treated rudely by the person with whom I spoke, and did not receive a return phone call until I called one more time. When the inspector called back, he was very polite but had no recollection of why he called me. We did not receive the inspection report.

Over the past few months, we have had rodent problems to Unit 1. We have been treated in a very shabby manner by your company. You have the worst customer relations operation we have ever encountered.  Your people are rude and defensive, they do not return calls, and when I receive a message to return a call and I return it, I am told they don’t know who the person is who called me when I give the name!  Troy called me on three occasions and I responded to his calls, leaving the numbers where I could be reached, but that was the end of it.  Another homeowner, with the rodent problem, did not receive any satisfaction from her frequent calls for assistance.

I do not believe that the monthly service for which we paid $50 every month, was ever conducted. I am hereby requesting that you provide us with a refund for the termite plan and also for the monthly plan charges.  You state the following in your paperwork, “If you’re ever dissatisfied with the quality of service we provide, we’ll work to resolve the issue to your satisfaction or give you a prorated refund of your last prepaid annual termite renewal fee - no questions asked.”  You were given ample opportunigy to help us correct the problems, but your service and courtesy were deficient. I therefore believe the full amount of the service contract should be refunded.  Additionally, the $50 monthly charges from October 2004 to October 2005 need to be refunded as well.

We have engaged another pest control company, and a member of our board of directors has notified you to cancel any policies we have with you.

On 12-20-05, the above letter was re-sent with a handwritten note: “This is the second time I am notifying you of our complaints.”  A copy was also sent with another letter to the Terminix International Office in Los Angeles, California. Terminix sent this account to a collections agency in Florida. In a response letter to the collections agency, dated May 30, 2006, the complainant wrote, in part:

Therefore, I am paying the charges because I do not have the financial resources to fight a company without ethical practices.

One other interesting item I learned today is that of the clients of a debt collection company, Terminix is the only client that will not allow a settlement. Other clients empower the representatives of the collection company to negotiate the dispute....

Bern, North Carolina - 5/06. I have had termite damage to my home (found in March); and to date, no one from Terminex has called me.  I called and reported the damage, they came and treated and told me it would be 8-10 weeks before it was fixed.  It is above and around the window, which all has to be replaced.  My heat and air are going outside as you can stick your fist through to the outside vinyl.  I have called them several times and asked when they could fix it and have gotten NO response whatsoever.  I don't know where to turn to get something done. I contacted my company here and talked to Curtis Ormond. He came out and wrote up the damage report, etc. on March 9. I called him last week, and he has still not called me back. What is a person to do?  Can I sue and make them pay for the damages?  Can they get away with not fixing it in a timely manner?  I am so confused, disappointed, and devastated.

? - 5/06. I just recently signed on with Terminix. They came to spray for roaches in my house.  They came out four times, and the roaches just seemed like they were getting worse.  I did not pay them.  They kept contacting me to get paid; and I told them I was not paying for services that did not help, especially when they promise satisfaction guaranteed.  They said they would have the manager call me to talk to me and never called me. I already paid them $80. What can I do about this?

Virginia - 5/06. I have come across your website and experienced the same issues relating to Terminex:

1. Showing up unannounced
2. Spraying outside my home with no effect on the bugs inside the house
3. Citing reasons of "It's a bad year for ants" as a reason for the continued problem
4. Our messaging system does not work with the corporate office, so we never received your message.

Since Easter I have been trying to cancel my service, yet no one in the corporate office is returning my phone calls.  I now have an infant daughter at home, and given some of these 'horror stories,' I don't want this service performing work on my home.  I sense at this point they are the 'pest' I cannot control, or for that matter accept the cancellation of my contract. How do I keep this company away?

Sacramento, California - 5/06. I don’t even use Terminix, but they have already caused me and my family misery.  Last month we were having a yard sale due to lack of money. A Terminix truck stopped at our yard sale and asked directions to a house down the street.  I gave them directions and they got in their vehicle and drove over our lawnmower.  I ran out in the street yelling at them but they kept going. I called their office and was told they would be back. When they arrived, a different person was driving and the one that was driving before was now passenger.  The new driver was surprized that she had destroyed our lawnmower and said that she would go to the bank and get the money to pay for it. Never came back.... 4 weeks later now we had to buy a new lawnmower. I’ve called them numerous times to be lied to every time....Who do these people think they are...God?  and what if my neighbors’ 2 year old was still on the mower as he was just minutes before?  They would have driven over him also I’m sure, and I don’t know what to do about it.

Ohio - 4/06. I too am having problems with Terminix in the Ohio area. I have contacted the BBB and your suggested FTC.  Haven't done FBI yet but will.  I paid Terminix $850.00 a year ago to put in a monitoring station and have not received it yet.  They admit to not providing service and have promised my refund. It's been over 8 weeks yet and all I get are returned phone calls stating that they are "processing the check" or "waiting for more information from the office in Dayton, Ohio," etc.... Very sympathetic employees with all the canned responses but no $. Thanks for your site, I will keep at it.

New Jersey - 4/06. Terminix specializes in missing appointments then showing up when no one is home. Was a contracted customer for 3 years and not once did they make an appointment. "Technicians" have been ill trained or not trained at all. On one rare occasion when we were home my wife found them squirting chemicals into our dishwasher which was loaded with dishes!!! Finally got fed up with their lack of response and missed appointments and refused to pay an invoice.  Two months later I was put into collection.  STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!!!!

Virginia Beach, Virginia - 4/06. I received my usual yearly contract renewal for termites in Jan 06 (though it didn’t expire until Mar 06). Here it is, early April 06, and I keep getting billed for the same thing PLUS an added late fee or something (an additional 12 dollars). I called and complained about this mix-up last month, and they said they fixed it.  Come April, I receive yet another  bill. Again, I call Terminix, only to find no one there, and no one’s returning calls. (I left 2 messages.) Frankly, I’m getting all peeved at the fact, apparently, these folks don’t know what they are doing with updating/upgrading their computer and billing systems, AND that their staff is NOT trained (computers have to have SOMEONE input the information/take it out).

Ft. Worth, Texas - 3/06. After several years of using Terminix, without any lapse in our yearly contract, we found severe damage in several walls in our home. I had contacted Terminix regarding termite activity but they never accepted any responsibility for it.  They claimed that there was "no live activity" present.  I documented my case with copies of our contracts, letters that I had sent to their offices, and photos of the damaged walls.  In spite of all that, they continued claiming that they were not responsible for the damage. Again, they were the only ones who came, year after year, to spray and treat my residence.  So, what  good is their treatment?  The total expense for repairs came to $8500. I hired an independent contractor for the  repairs.  I will never use Terminix again, and I will tell  everyone I know about them.  I wish someone, someday, will make them accountable for their actions.

San Diego, California - 3/06. I agree! Terminix are a bunch of criminals. Here is another trend everyone should watch out for....having your house robbed while it is being fumigated!!! I have been a Terminix customer for 4 years (apparently I did read the internet enough or I would have come across your website).  I was told two years ago I had subterranean termites.  They drilled. They came back the  next year, more - but "different termites" so it's not covered under warranty.  I paid again. This year we were told we have drywood termites (also not covered under the warranty) so we paid again - over $2000 and we would have to fumigate the place.  We did. We left. Tent went up. Tent came  down.  We came back.  Our house was ransacked - every room, every closet,  every drawer, every shelf was looked through and torn up. We had left over plastic bags (that is what you have to put food in for protection) and they used their own bags to take anything they could carry out the door. They took their sweet time so you know it was someone who knew the scheduling of fumigation.  We don't live on a heavily traveled street, we don't live on a corner, we don't live toward the "beginning" or the "end" of a block. We live in the middle of a street that leads only to houses, it isn't a short cut for anyone. No one knew that our house was getting fumigated but our  neighbors once the tent was up. It is my opinion and I am convinced it was an inside job. (They also subcontract out their work .... Statewide Fumigation is who did ours; so they have others to allegedly "blame," but I think Terminix should be held totally and completely responsible).  We lost alot.... Jewelry, electronics, cameras, coin collections, sentimental items that cannot be replaced because our  parents have passed on.  They took things that do not have any value. Childhood memories is what they stole from me. I called Terminix Friday night 3x and told them it was an emergency. I have to hear from anyone that can do anything. I will be showing up at their office this week until I talk to somebody in charge. Although I understand that the contract requires arbitration, I agree with your telling everyone you know not to use  them. Maybe someday your efforts will pay off and their business will fold.  Get the word out.  Call your local TV station.... etc.

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania - 3/06. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!  THESE DIRTY SCUM BAGS RUINED MY GRANDMOTHER’S HOME AND THEN TRIED TO BLAME US!  MAKE SURE YOUR VISITORS FILE THEIR COMPLAINTS WITH THEIR STATE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE AND COPY 60 MINUTES AS WELL.  MAYBE SOMEDAY THE BLIND NEWS MEDIA WILL FINALLY SHINE SOME LIGHT ON THESE @#%$!-ROACHES !!! GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!

Florida- 3/06.  In September of 2001 we had a home inspection done on the home we were purchasing here in Florida.  Not content with the report by the small Mom and Pop company, we had Terminex come out a few months after moving into our home. Our special area of concern was the Florida room which was wood with vinyl siding. We were given the all clear by Terminex and promptly signed up for the Sentricon System to the tune of more than $2,000. At that time we had planting beds around the outside of the Florida room which were never mentioned. Several days after signing the contract, the technicians were out to install the stations.  We asked if we needed stations close to the house in the planting beds and were told the bait stations surrounding our patio would be more than sufficient. Over the next few years the stations were checked sporadically at best, always while we were at work.  Reports were always clear of any infestations.  Last summer, days after our bait station inspection, I was cleaning in my daughters play room (Florida room) and found a mud tube on the casement of one of the windows.  We called Terminex and left a message.  No one called and after several days we called again.  They claimed to be unaware of any calls but agreed to send someone out.  The technician who came out was not a termite guy but none-the-less felt confident that we definitely had subterranean termites. He said we would have a termite guy out right away.  Later that day, the technician came out.  We found it very odd that the first question he asked was if this was in the same area as our last infestation.  When we explained that we had never had an infestation and in fact had had Terminex since almost day one he argued that we had had a previous infestation around the corner of the Florida room and he had seen the report in our file. Again we reiterated that we had never had a report of infestation since owning the home. He proceeds to inspect the Florida room and the outside of the house. Many of the bait stations we found had never been checked.  The technician also pointed out that the planting beds near the Florida room were a problem. When we explained that the pest guy with Terminex had instructed us to build the beds up to prevent rodents and other pests from getting under the house he told us that was a mistake and had attracted the termites. The termite manager came out during the process and witnessed the damage and the stations that were never checked. He promised the damage would be repaired but again mentioned that the infestation appeared to be in the same spot as it originally had been. This time we did not let the topic end and my husband confronted the manager about his statement. We showed him all our paperwork and that we had always been given a clean bill of health from Terminex. Again he disputed the information as though we were lying. He said he would check our file and get back to us.  A week later we experienced our first swarming of termites.  We had thousands and thousands in my daughters play room. It took us hours to clean the mess. Terminex did keep their word and the room was repaired.  When the siding was removed, much of the wood was eaten away and a live infestation still going on. Everything appeared to be from the one corner spot in the Florida room.  The manager did call me back and tell me that he had an unsigned graph of our initial inspection showing there had been evidence of a previous infestation.  We asked why this was never given to us and if Terminex had been aware this area was a problem why they purposefully did not place stations around that spot?  Again, no answer could be given. After much discussion, the manager recommended we do the Termidor around the house instead of the bait stations which had obviously never worked. They offered to do this around the affected areas and to remove our bait stations at no charge! Of course we would have to pay for the Termidor service to the rest of the house.  At our expense, we removed the planting beds and had a paver patio put in with the Termidor treatment done prior to the patio being installed. A few months later while cleaning in the play room, I noticed some wings and pellets around the windows.  I called Terminex and they did send a salesman out that informed me I had a dry wood termite infestation and they would be able to get it fixed right away. Right away for $950 as these termites are not covered under the normal policy. Funny the dry wood termites were in almost the exact same area as the subterranean termites had been. After much discussion, we agreed and the treatment was done to our entire attic.  All has been fine for the last several months until it started to get warm again. Yesterday I noticed more pellets on my window. Again we called and the salesman was sent out. Again we have subterranean termites and again in the exact same spot! The salesman left my house telling me someone would be out to do a spot treatment and that the termite manager would have to inspect the infestation and determine if repairs would be made! He could offer no explanation as to why none of their expensive products seemed to be able to rid us of the termites. We have spent a large amount of money with this company for Sentricon, which didn’t work and they didn’t monitor as the contract states they should. True they did put Termidor down around the patio at no charge but they did not credit us for the $2,000 + dollars we spent on the stations and we still had to pay additionally for the rest of the house to be sprayed with Termidor which also appears to not be working either! To date, we have never had an explanation of the orginal un-signed graph of a previous infestation in the corner of the Florida room but have since found out the previous owner had used Terminex.  We suspect they were aware of the infestation only because they treated for it and yet no mention of former infestation was in the property disclosure given to us.  At this time we are unsure of where to go and what type of treatment to use. We have read many articles and website postings that suggest that they reason termites continue to appear with Terminex is that they water down their product.

Alabama - 3/06. I've had a Terminix contract for 14 years, starting with ground treatment before constructing my home.  I’ve kept it this long for the reason that if I ever have any termite signs it would be under the contract period.  No one has inspected my home for three years now. I’ve called Termini to set up appointments, but no one comes. I’ve called and they say that their record show an inspection, but this is not true.  I’ve called and left word for the manager to call me, but to no avail.

Oklahoma - 3/06. I have had the Centricon baiting system from Terminix for five years.  Now they are suggesting that I change to the Terminix liquid defend system which includes drilling holes every 8 inches around the foundation and filling each hole with Termidor, which they say is the best treatment they've found.  As far as I know I don't have an infestation of termites. Once in a great while one of the baiting stations would  have signs of termites.

Staten Island, New York - 3/06. I wish I found your website a year ago. Signing up with Terminix was the biggest mistake!!!!! Beware!!!! Won’t cancel contract, won’t refund money, customer service gives me run arounds!!! Their so-called 100% satisfaction or money back is a LIE.