AN ENDORSED AFFILIATE SITE OF HOMETIMEMEDIA

The following information was submitted to Terminix - Consumer Alert!, by people stating they are current or former employees or spouses of employees of Terminix, a subsidiary of ServiceMaster. Although I believe each of them (or I wouldn’t post them), the information provided is unverified, and you must judge for yourself if you believe them.

California 10/99-G1 (TE2-15).  I worked for Terminix as a commercial pest control technician.  After working almost three years, I got rear-ended on the freeway in an accident that was not my fault.  Six months later, I was sideswiped by another car in the same work truck, and that was not my fault.  My branch manager said, “You should get a good lawyer; because the first accident injured you, the second took your job away.”  Then he held a little meeting and said he could not accommodate me in the branch and fired me while I was still seeing the doctor. He called the work doctor and then told me that I was a liability.  I have a work comp case going, and the insurance company just drags it out.

Tennessee 1/00-G3 (TE2-16).  My mother worked for a pest control company for 13 years. I began to work for the same company when I turned 18. I met my husband through this company. It really was a family business. Well, the owner decides to sell to Terminix and that’s when everything changed. Half our employees were fired, most had been with the original company for 10-20 years. The vice president gets fired, who happened to be a woman making $70,000/year (if you notice, not too many women in high positions at Terminix); because there isn’t a job available for her, while at the same time Terminix ran an ad in the paper for someone in her position. I’m then six months pregnant working in the office as the receptionist answering the calls from angry customers because Terminix billed three months in advance without notice. Go on maternity leave, ask for my original technician route back -- get told the route is being terminated, only to come back to see someone who quit (because they knew they would fail the drug screen Terminix popped when they acquired us) was rehired and given the route two days earlier (oh yeah...my desk has already been taken over by someone they hired while I was on maternity leave).  I come back with the offer “you can file.”  So needless to say, I quit the same day I came back. AND my son is now 8 months old.  He is NOT on the insurance I had with the company yet. Why? Because they lost my application (which I just found out after being told it was taken care of...). The reason why it was lost?  And I quote from the benefits department manager, “How are we supposed to keep up with the hundreds of papers that come through here each day?”  The last comment (I promise): Terminix and my mom have just settled a law suit they had against her for solicitation (which she didn’t). She came out in favor.

Tennessee 1/00-GE1.3 (TE2-17).  I worked for Terminix for 16 years. The problem with ServiceMaster that will ultimately bring them down is their top management.  Their credo of Honor God in reality is Honor Profit.  Customers, employees, vendors, it does not matter.  Everyone is treated the same, terrible.  Early on you have to decide to be part of the problem because there is not a solution. This is why the turnover of employees is over 100% per year! I was a survivor until young management (Albert Cantu, son of Carlos) became president and he decided that he wanted “young lions” running the departments.  I will have my day in court with these people.  They don’t take criticism very well, do they. Arrogance runs rampant at the top.

Tennessee 2/00-E3 (TE2-18).  I am an ex-Terminix technician. I tried hard and worked diligently to do my job and satisfy each customer, and I did my job efficiently and with the utmost courtesy toward the customer. I treated their houses as if they were my own and the way I would want my house treated.  My warning to all Terminix customers is if at all possible be at home when a tech is going to be there. Watch them and ask them questions about the problem and what their plans are for treating the problem.  If they are a tech that cares like I was, they won’t mind these questions and will take the time to address all of your concerns.  Terminix writes me off as a disgruntled employee.  I’m not.  I just care about people and their houses are major investments.  I know for a fact what goes on with the managers and what they tell the techs to do. I know what goes on with 97% of the techs.  I am sorry for not being with Terminix any more, and I apologize to all the customers whose houses I treated. Management forced me to leave on my own or be fired because I refused to do the shoddy work they told me to do.  I was told to go out and spray a little chemical around and tell the customer that would take care of it because they said this customer was just a complainer, only they didn’t say it so nice.  The branch manager told me his bonus was riding on getting all the inspections done and that I was spending too much time at the customers’ houses, that I should just crawl to the middle of the crawl space, shine my light around, and if I didn’t see anything, I was done.  He said I was to do this or else. I saved him the trouble. I don’t work that way!!! I did things on my own that needed to be done even when the company would not okay the work.  I spent weekends on my own time when I found houses that had not been treated properly and then turned the paperwork in that Monday. I had to fight to get chemical I needed to treat at the right mix to kill the termites.  A lot of the techs’ chemical has just enough chemical to make it look good but is not effective. A lot of houses don’t even get treated!!!! But the customer thinks it has and has paid money for a service they never received. I can’t prove any of this, but I know. And it makes me mad that Terminix, its sales people, its managers, branch managers, and especially the techs treat people the way they do when they wouldn’t want to be treated the same way.  There’s more I haven’t told you, but I would be happy to try to help anyone I can.  I am truly sorry for everyone involved with Terminix!!!

South Carolina 1/00-E1 (TE2-19).  How right you are that Terminix only cares about one thing, and that’s money!  Not for their people, but for the company.  I can’t say anything more right now, but buyer beware!

Addendum 12/01:  To any new customers, try this after you pay $2,000 for Sentricon.  If the guy is there for more than an hour, consider yourself lucky!  If he checks the stations when he says he is going to, consider yourself lucky!  By the way, the repair guarantee isn’t any good for one year in this state.  Termites can do extensive damage in a year! Anyway, make a deal with yourself.  If he isn’t there for more than an hour, think twice! If he doesn’t show up to check the stations on time, think twice! But, then it’s too late. BOTTOMLINE -- DON’T USE TERMINIX!

? 1/00-E3 (TE2-20).  What do you know about employees of Terminix... wrongful termination... employees being set up to take the fall? I’m scared to tell you more for they would know who I am; but I need help, and the attorneys don’t want to return my calls.  I think the Terminix name scares them.

Tennessee 12/99-E1 (TE2-21).  I was employed at Terminix as a technician, quit after being refused a raise (after a year and a half), and was employed at another company in the area for the next seven years, at which time Terminix bought the company. I then am an employee of theirs again.  I knew I didn’t want to work there again, so I started looking elsewhere and found a company I am currently happy with.

Virginia 12/99-E3 (TE2-22).  In my ongoing dealings with Terminix customers, I meet with negative regard for the company for the majority of my work.  By the time I get to the customer’s home, that customer has been exhausted of his, or her, benefit of doubt. I take pride in my work and am pleased with a customer’s satisfaction. I do my best to gain the trust of these people, but many times I have finished my work, only to look back to the face of a person that seems to say “good riddance.” I also do my best to put myself in that person’s shoes, in that they have had to deal with a swarm of termites in their kitchen, or bedroom, or living room, and so on. To add insult to injury, given the troups of inspectors and salesmen and even area managers, the customer has been run through so many lines of well... BS.., how could they be overjoyed to see the carpenter pull up, ready to do the repairs.  Understandably, they aren’t.  Your web site has adequately covered the proper adjectives regarding the common Terminix representative: irresponsible, neglectful, careless, and I’ll throw one in:  conniving.  To be honest, I side with the customer, because of what I have learned and watched regarding the salesmen and representatives that deal with these people before me. Of course, Terminix does not (my opinion) have the presence of mind (or maybe it’s that careless facet) to (even) warn the carpenters, who are the last employees to address a claim, that the customer is irate. So many times, I have met with customers who are downright surly.  The truth is, most customers will settle down, given a few hours of my work. Usually, I leave a job with pretty good sentiments to and from the customer. We carpenters are the low men on the totem pole, of employees, but we really are a good bunch too.  On the whole, we are underpaid for what is asked of us. Much of our work goes outside the job description of a carpenter, and more than some of our details are hazardous. Consider a severely damaged carrying beam, or a damaged wall that is supporting a second floor, and so on.

Tennessee 12/99-E1 (TE2-23).  The pest control company I worked for was bought out by Terminix last year.  Hardly any of the 100 employees stayed with Terminix. One reason was that Terminix has such a reputation of being a “hit and run” type of company.  Their philosophy is get the check and then forget about the customer.  They are the biggest crooks in the business and are allowed to get away with so much.  Being part of ServiceMaster, you would think they would be more responsible since ServiceMaster is a business based on “Christian” values. As for their policy on repairs, each branch is allocated x amount of dollars for repairs each year. When the branch runs out of repair money, that’s it. It’s cheaper for them to go to court if anybody goes that far. I could tell you a lot more, but it would take forever to type it.

Missouri 12/99-E1 (TE2-24).  I am a pest control technician for Terminix and am appalled at what my employer is doing here. I have always had pride in my job and made sure that customers were taken care of on my route area. I am sure Terminix is not alone as far as this stuff goes. I have been thinking about starting a franchise of my own (not a Terminix one), and this is just what I needed to give me a boost to do it and to provide excellent service and no lies.  It’s a shame that there are some rotten apples working for us; and for this, if it matters, I apologize for.  My best advice to give anyone when dealing with any termite and pest control company is to get a second opinion before signing anything, and READ THE CONTRACT!

Web mistress note: My advice to anyone working for Terminix who plans to go forth on his or her own is to read your employment contract, which I believe contains a non-compete clause.  Terminix has sued former employees for violation of the non-compete agreement.

Kentucky 12/99-E3 (TE2-25).  I used to be a termite tech for about a year treating houses using Dursban TC.  I had been having bad headaches for the past four months, then one day I was working and started to feel sick and dizzy.  I couldn’t focus on anything. I ended up in the emergency room!  I received the antidote for Dursban and ended up in intensive care for four days.  Now I have migraine headaches and complete numbness in my left arm. I have seen many doctors, and they all say the same thing, that it was caused by Dursban.  Now I am on disability and still see two doctors.  I am now taking four different types of medication (28 pills a day) from this stuff!  It has affected my central nervous system in many ways, the doctors say!  I have had a workers comp lawsuit going on about this matter since 1996. They “Terminix and TruGreen Lab” say that Dursban could not be the cause of my disabilities!

? 12/99-EG1 (TE2-26).  I am a former branch manager. You may or may not be aware of a soil and ground water contamination at a TI in 1989 in Pennsylvania.  I am not certain what the DEP conferred upon TI in the amount of fines, but do know that the ventilation system in the building where TI was located had to be cleaned.  Additionally, the parking lot at the rear of the location had to be dug up to a depth of approximately 3 fee and removed for incineration. The chemicals in the soil consisted of deldrin, chlordane, aldrin, as well as numerous other chemicals whose names I do not recall at the moment.

California 12/99-E1 (TE2-27).  I am so sorry to have heard about all your troubles with Terminix.  I worked for them administratively for six years.  I can wholeheartedly believe that you got the run-around not only from the SPCB and Charlie Peterson, but the Terminix entourage of attorneys as well. Terminix would never admit it, but they are sort of like a “good ole boys” network--and Lonnie Anderson is just one of many of their answer men.  He is a very intelligent individual but has to work within the guidelines that the State of California gives him and cover the big “T”’s butt as well.  Terminix, in my estimate, counts on the fact that the average consumer doesn’t have the funds to keep up long and costly litigation, and more times than not, that’s how they are able to keep on going.  In reference to Lee Zusman, he holds the Operator’s license for the entire state of California for Terminix, so you can well imagine that it’s in his best interest to be on any panel that makes the company appear more professional. Are you aware that the minimum profit percentage for any branch in California is 25% -- more than most companies (this is a monthly profit margin I’m referring to).  So the branch I worked in had an annual budget projection of 5 million dollars -- in one branch!!! Big money for a minimal amount of time spent doing either pest control work or termite inspections.  Terminix’s unspoken law is five to six inspections per day, and their training is about three to four months and then they are thrust out into the field to sell.  If something is wrong with an inspection, it is normal procedure to have the branch manager go out and inspect for himself, the theory being that they’ve been in the business long enough to know what is correct and what is not.  Then it is discussed with the regional manager and sent to corporate in Memphis. If it is found that Terminix is at fault, MOST branches will submit a claim to RISC management.  Lonnie Anderson also will inspect and report his findings to Memphis as well.  Terminix has been shut down four or five days once before in the early 90’s for many different infractions; but most of the time if the State of California gets involved, they just slap the hell out of Terminix with a fine, and the branch manager just disappears either by being demoted or transferred, supporting your theory.  By the way, unless the laws of California have changed since the summer of this year, the SPCB holds all termite reports filed from every pest control company in the state for three years, not two. Until recently, you could walk to the board and see stacks of reports everywhere ceiling high!!  They have started using a high-speed scanner instead of microfiche to copy the reports.  I’m sure this doesn’t help you much; but as a consumer, you have the right to request restitution. Hopefully at some point, the government will be able to stop Terminix’s attorneys from playing the paper game.

California 12/99-E1 (TE2-28).  I was (embarrassingly) a Terminix Pest Department Manager.  After three years of working extremely hard servicing my customers and giving 120%, I was promoted to manager. I quickly realized my grave mistake. I will never in my life find another business so poorly run.  From technicians, office assistants, sales reps, inspectors, you name it, NO ONE GOT TRAINED PROPERLY!!! A 30-day training program set up for new techs was completed in two days (to save $$$) with all new techs, which was all too common.  You could barely go through the front office, very rarely could anyone of them answer a question without putting you on hold for 5-10-15 minutes or longer. Only if you were lucky could you get the right answer!!!  You might even be able to set an appointment for service, have the time the techs were late or never showed. The tech hardly knew how to properly treat a home. Most did a half A$$ job anyway. Some techs even hung tickets (I am sure you are not surprised).  They never had adequate materials or equipment.  Many, many times I tried to order equipment and materials only to be “denied due to cost overruns.”  I would think, “cost overruns”? Customers pay for service, I will never have anything good to say about the sorry management.  I am embarrassed to even be a former employee. I am embarrassed for all of their customers, because they are not aware of what’s going on.

Arizona 12/99-E3 (TE2-29).  I’m a former Terminix employee; and boy, let me tell you that you’re on the right track here. Terminix says they provide very good training to new employees.  Ha ha.  They give them a book and tell them to read it for the state test here in Arizona.  LOL.  Then after you get certified, you get a route to run.  Poof! No training on the job, just books to read.  They also state that their supervisors oversee the employees on a normal basis. B.S. I worked for them for one year and never once did I see a supervisor in the field. Also, they arrange the routes so you’re working 6 days a week, 14 hrs. a day, so understandably mistakes happen.

Connecticut 12/99-E1 (TE2-30).  In November 1999, I met with two inspectors from the state of Connecticut who were interested in what I had to say as a former employee of Terminix. While I was working there, there was an expose on CBS. It aired about late 1994 or early 1995.  At the time, I called the station’s headquarters in New York City and told them it was about time somebody let the cat out of the bag about this piece of ---- company that ripped people off the whole time, yet smiled while they did it.  I don’t know if what I had to say will make a difference in the Connecticut lawsuit, but I hope that it does. When I first found out about the state shutting down the Terminix’s here, I called everyone I knew so they’d watch it on the news. I was so happy. Unfortunately, they are still allowed to operate while discovery procedures are ongoing.

Tennessee 2/00-E1 (TE2-31).  My husband worked for Terminix for nine months. He was subjected to the shoddy practice of “getting the money always comes first,” and he was told when he became ill that it wasn’t their responsibility!! We went through doctor after doctor, and were finally vindicated to find he was “CHEMICALLY POISONED” using Dursban, Malathion, and Diazinon. He was instructed to use them, mixed to ILLEGAL concentrations, and not to EVER wear a respirator or protective clothing, so as to not scare the customer!!  The customer should BE scared! Terminix has no regard for human life! No regard for their property!  My husband did sue. A workers compensation case was settled out of court because the judge and the attorneys (ours and theirs) advised it.  He was given $13,000 after the attorneys got their share. He is now on disability, has been diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and will suffer the rest of his life.  His medical condition is unchanged since this incident years ago!  Never better! We have lost our major source of income in him, our children don’t have an active father any longer, because of TERMINIX! They single-handedly destroyed our lives! I could write a book, and might! CONSUMERS and EMPLOYEES BEWARE!  This could be you!!!

Employee Complaints Pages:
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10