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.

Massachusetts 2/00-GE1 (TE3-32).  I am an ex-Terminix tech. I worked for them for almost seven years, and every lawsuit against them is justified.  I am presently with another company and have not had to lie to anyone since. DO NOT trust this company or any of its representatives. Whatever they sell, they get a commission on!  Use the ‘Net’ to check on bugs or what damage looks like, go to pestweb.com for pics, then get several quotes and ask for references!  I hope this saves someone from a financial and mental struggle.

Tennessee 3/00-GE1 (TE3-33).  I was at Sears Pest Control in the 70’s when they were taken over by Terminix, and again suffered the same fate in 1998 when they bought out Jamison Pest Control. As a lifelong Memphian, pest control professional, and an entomologist, I have seen Terminix at its worst. Within the pest control community in Memphis, they are known for poor-quality service and low customer satisfaction.  This does not mean that every office is of the same quality.  I can only speak of their general reputation in Memphis among other pest control professionals.

During the short time that I worked for them, I saw deliberate misuse of controlled chemical products, improper labeling of chemical products, and careless and reckless disregard for the public safety in using those chemical products.  Again, I can only speak in regard to the one manager that I worked under, but it was my impression that all of this was done with company approval, though I do not know that for sure.  I was told that I had to make 16 pest control stops per day and that customer satisfaction was of no concern, since we had a sales department that could sell new customers faster than the old ones could cancel. I refused to do what I regarded as cheating customers by taking their money and only giving them 15 minutes of service. I was threatened with dismissal and soon after that, I quit.

In the 70’s, Terminix was owned by Cook’s Industries who sold it to ServiceMaster Corp.; but in 1998 when I once again came in contact with Terminix’s policies, I quickly found that most of their policies had not changed in those twenty years.  They still did not have any regard for me as an employee or the customers that we serviced.

Georgia 3/00-GE1 (TE3-34).  You are right on the money about Terminix.  My spouse is employed by them and is desperate to get another job. But to add insult to injury, it’s not just shoddy business practices they commit.  You would not believe the things that are allowed to go on in his branch, which are blatantly against company policy.  God knows they don’t pay their employees. For instance, we are told that if a customer cancels a contract, the tech does not get paid his monthly commission, even when it’s out of his control that they cancel!

Tennessee 3/00-GE3 (TE3-35).  I used a sales manager in the Terminix call center in Memphis, and I have never experienced a more unprofessional, hypocritical organization in my life.  That company is more worried about their employees’ compliance to a draconian dress code than they are about the satisfaction of their customers.  I worked directly for the VP of marketing, and I can tell you with sincerity that Terminix’s problems come from its poor leadership.

California 3/00-GE1 (TE3-36).  Terminix is ill equipped to do California escrow termite inspections. They are the worst customer service company in the world.  I worked for them for 3.5 years, and I can tell you that they are crooks. I was a branch manager for them in Santa Cruz, California, and did a great job even though I was handed a stack of 15 complaints just like yours the day I took the job.  The so-called inspectors are salesmen and aren’t qualified to inspect for real estate transfer.

Ohio 4/00-G1 (TE3-37).  I worked for the Columbus, Ohio, outfit in sales; and they had me service after the sale.  I had no training in this field at all. I would make a sale and then spray for bugs not knowing what the heck I was doing! I watched tapes for a week and then they had me out in the field.  I worked for three weeks and then quit because they wouldn’t pay me for what I did.

Florida 3/00-E1 (TE3-38).  I am an employee of Terminix, although I wish I never had become one. There were never any safety procedures followed while fumigating at my branch, but only because they were never taught.  Training at my branch was a joke. Two other new employees and I were given the answers to all the tests, and then we were given trucks to go out and inspect with.  If you wanted a job, you simply had to play their game. You try to do a good job, but then management tells you you’re two slow, we want more productivity.  That should be their slogan, “We want more.”

The tarps we tented with had so many holes in them, they looked like a net.  How could the chemical stay in the house if the tent is blowing up like a balloon with every breeze? If the chemical was even shot at all. Working on two-story houses with steep roofs and no safety ropes. In high winds. In rain. We asked management a number of times for a lift to bring the tarps up to the roofs, which only met with laughter. Everyone in the termite department at my branch has either moved to other areas due to injury or are currently injured like myself. The company has not called once to check the status of my injury, only to inquire as to when I’m coming back. My boss even had the audacity to assume that I would return to fumigation. Doing the same thing that landed me in the hospital and in a brace.  The tarps we are required to lift weigh anywhere from 200 to 250 lbs. Sometimes more if they are wet or dirty, and we often have to carry them up two stories. We have to straddle the tarps over our shoulders and balance them with our necks as we walk up the ladders. I can hear the cartilage in my knee grinding every time I stand up.  The body is just not meant to take that kind of abuse, and Terminix could care less.  I am, just as every other Terminix employee, a number.  It is strange how someone puts themselves through this hell to make ends meet, while the company they work for gets bigger, greedier, and less caring for the very people who put them there.  The facts are that Terminix does not care for their employees. They do not care for their customers.

Tennessee 2/00-E3 (TE3-39).  I worked for Terminix in the corporate office for almost four years.  I quit just last month.  My only disagreement with what I have read so far is your sentence, “Mr. Cantu was replaced.” It sounds as if he were not capable. In fact, he is an elderly man who is battling cancer. But, I believe he does care. As far as the rest of them... I know Bart Mallory, Steve Good, and Steve Carter, all mentioned in your web site.  You are correct in assuming it is a high-powered conglomeration of legalese. Walking down the “legal” hallway, you can feel stress and tension.  The ones who are only in it for the bucks are the ones running the show.  Terminix’s old slogan was, “Nobody bugs bugs like Terminix.” I used to say that Terminix bugs em but can’t get rid of them.  One of the four principles of Terminix is “Honor God in all you do.” The upper echelon honor nobody but themselves. That’s why I left.

Tennessee 2/00-E1 (TE3-40).  I was employed for approximately three months at Terminix, and this was plenty of time for me to see how incredibly dishonest this company was run. During my brief employment, I experienced everything from managers locking themselves in a back office to play poker for money to managers leaving in the middle of the day to go hunting and fishing. I personally was encouraged to do dishonest things, such as not reporting damage claims or retreatment necessities. I was also told to target older people, for they were most vulnerable and usually had money. It was very discouraging for me to know that I was working for a company with an entire management team that had NO integrity.  Luckily, I am no longer associated with this untrustworthy company.  I can only hope that someday all this will catch up to them and they will be forced out of business.

? 4/00-E1 (TE3-41).  As a former Terminix employee, I can give you a firsthand look into what Terminix is all about. I was hired for Terminix in April 1996.  During those initial few weeks, I was trained on the basic principals of pest control. The what, where, when’s about insecticides.  I have to say, that the training went well.  I was optimistic about the job, something to get me back on my feet until I could go back to school. However, this quickly changed.

Summer was on its way, and so were the ants and various other bugs and rodents.  I was assigned a route that I was determined to care for.  I believed, though Terminix might disagree, that my job is easiest if my customers are happy.  The route averaged a healthy size of houses, between 16-19 houses per day.  In training, I was told that the “maintenance service” should only take about 15-20 minutes for the average house. Except for special cases, which arise quite often, this is rather accurate.  I was also told in training that the “start up” of a house should take at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half if necessary.  This is where their logic becomes insane -- on some days, I was expected to perform up to seven “start ups” AND perform the regular 16-19 houses for “maintenance service.”  How is that possible? Without driving to the locations, the start ups (providing no extra problems) take at least seven hours, and for the maintenance, well, 15 minutes multiplied by 16 houses = 4 hours (again not factoring in driving time, which easily doubles that 4 hours).  I tried it at first.  I really did. But I succumbed to what management would never say (wink! wink!) “Skip half of the houses this month, then do them next month and vice versa!”  OK, so I just drop off the “completed” form and take off, right?---Yep, that’s what happened, that’s what I did, and so people got charged for nothing!  It seems bad, it is bad; and in fact, since I left Terminix, I have made it a point to take the short end of the stick with all of my current clients (outside pest control).  The company that thought it was great -- less overtime to pay me, customers paid on time, and business grew because the “start ups” had priority.

And dogs.  Most of the time, I got to know the dogs well enough to perform it, even with ferocious German shepherds and rotweillers.  I learned how to work around them.  But I’m not like most of the guys -- they do the front of the house and maybe the walkway (5 minutes worth of work) and move on.  At the time, that cost you $37.00 -- congratulations! You’ve got pest control. That’s Terminix!

Georgia 4/00-E1 (TE3-42).  I am currently a sales inspector for Terminix, but I can’t say for how long.  Terminix is currently holding some of my income without cause, because they do not think I charged enough for the work that I sold. Never mind you that is was all approved by my branch manager, sales manager, and regional manager. When my request to be paid properly hit the desk of the divisional jerk, he denied my pay. The infamous company that “Honors God in all they do” has decided to take food off my table, depriving my family of much needed income. They do this for the almighty dollar, and with the knowledge that there is little an individual can do to them.  A great deal of Terminix’s pay structure revolves around commission, and the Dept. of Labor cannot enforce payment of commission. Therefore, you are left on your own, with only the option to sue. Terminix bets the cost of that vs. their deep pockets is enough to keep you quiet. They should be ashamed of themselves.  Every week in the branch office I work in at least 40% of the employees’ checks are wrong; and guess what.  It is ALWAYS to the company’s benefit. My God will remember their blasphemy in associating His name with their practices.

Update.  You are making Albert awfully nervous.  You were discussed in his quarterly video review that we had to watch in our branch meeting. I would be happy to discuss in further detail how Terminix is currently stealing from their employees. I have had a new development since I last e-mailed you. Albert Cantu has now decided to cut a salesperson’s pay a full third if the customer uses a coupon.  Guess what? Terminix is printing a lot of coupons and doing a lot of mailouts.  What is even worse is that all of this, like the new policy additions this year, are retroactive to February. They refuse to pay me on an ever-evolving basis.

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