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.

Michigan 11/02-GB/EM (TE9-102).  My husband, who had worked for Terminix for almost three years, is a very ethical man.  He was placed on two different, unorganized routes while employed there, and he turned them into efficiently run routes full of happy customers. His promised reward for his hard work was to be a bonus ranging from $200 to $1200 a month.  He was very seldom “eligible” for the bonus as the company found ways month after month to keep his bonus.  He worked six days a week, 45+ hours. When the end of each month arrived, he would have additional accounts “appear” on his route that had not been present at any other time of the month. When he approached his bosses, they promised to fix it.  When he approached his bosses to ask them not to send other techs out to help him (due to their unethical and illegal practices of not completing services or signing bait boxes), he was fired. Two good things from his termination of employment are his stress levels have significantly decreased and his blood pressure has returned to normal. Your web site confirms what we have come to believe about the company.

? 2/03-GB/EM (TE9-103).  A few years ago, I worked for Terminix; and I truly feel for all of the customers. There were some really great guys who worked for the company, but most of the techs were not reliable. Any of us that would get upset and challenge the management on behalf of the customers were relieved of our positions. I took your calls... and I did page the pest technician... and I did page the managers. I hassled them about not calling you back. I complained to the managers that the customers were not getting call backs. I was told I should show these guys respect... their jobs were important... they brought in the money. I took your calls. I’m the one you yelled at. I’m the one you cursed out.  I’m the one who fought for you. I was excused from my position.  And if you asked them, they would tell you a different story. They always do.  That was the best day for me. I was so relieved to be out of there, even though I don’t have another job yet.  I do feel for all of you. I just wanted you to know the ladies that take your calls do not have control over the technicians calling you back. Often, they are dismissed by the managers and not respected by the technicians themselves. God Bless and Good Luck to you all!

Maryland 3/03-GB (TE9-104).  I worked for Terminix until last week.  Without prior notice, I was discharged for no clearly defined reason; but I subsequently found out that I gave discounts to customers, they were due, even if they were not aware of it. Further, after completing a WDIR and recommending service (legitimately), which was performed, at settlement the allowable amount for pest control was $400, under the home purchase agreement, I set the price within their budget and was told by the company I “left money on the table.”  I still don’t know why I was fired, but if it was reasonably pricing their services and not raping people for profit, I’m guilty.

Ohio 4/03-EM (TE9-105).  I worked for Terminix for 14 years in Ohio, and I can absolutely relate to a lot of the employee complaints as well as customer complaints. I started as a route tech and worked my way to service management.  The biggest problem is with the regional management.  All they care about is how much money the individual branch can make in a given month. Sales and completion of accounts are so important they count these even when nothing has been done!  They run these branches with the least amount of personnel they can. That way, they can make more money while putting more pressure on the employees. This results in employees not caring about the quality of the service but the quantity. Their main goal is just get it signed and then we worry about the results. A signed service ticket is all they really care about. Terminix actually pre-bills their customers for services not yet received! This only results in massive accounting problems and falsification of a lot of service records.  Terminix is an out of control monster of the pest control industry and they need to be put in their place!  Do not call this company for pest control. Instead, call a locally owned company. You will get better service; they really care about their customers.

Connecticut 4/03-GB (TE9-106).  As of yesterday, I was a Commercial Sales Rep for Terminix in Waterbury, CT. I have seen forged documents and even sales classes on how to cheat a customer out of their hard-earned money. To show the kind of employer they are, I gave them a two-week written letter of resignation; and they terminated me on the spot and refuse to pay me the two weeks pay until April 30, 2003.  At least there is a site like this where both customers and former employees can vent their frustrations!  I am now trying to find out from the State of Connecticut Dept. of Labor if I’m entitled to the two weeks pay they are trying to screw me out of.  I really would like to know what God they trust in all they do! I think his name is really Satan.

Texas 5/03-EM (TE9-107).  Texas is a right-to-work state, and the supreme courts here do not look favorably on companies that have the non-compete laws in their contracts.  My husband actually was told to sign one after he had worked for the company for over two years. ALL the techs were told to sign the paper before they could leave for their routes on that particular day.

California 6/03-GB (TE9-108).  I have been unjustly fired by Terminix, and your site was very insightful.  Thanks.

Missouri 8/03-EM (TE9-109).  I was dumb enough to take a job offer to return to Terminix after being a former employee. I was “hired” on July 6th and took a drug screen, did an MVR and background check, which took four weeks to get back, and this is after I had quit my other job thinking I was back at Terminix. Finally, I was brought back on the 26th and worked until today when I was told I was not rehirable after waiting four weeks turning down numerous job offers, waiting for them to reply, and then working for them for a week and being told this. These people lie, cheat, and steal and care about no one but themselves.  I have filed a complaint with the Missouri Dept. of Labor due to my feelings of being discriminated against. They have employees at this branch who cannot read, do not calibrate termite equipment for proper flow rate of termiticide and they lie to people telling that the damage they have is from termites when it is actually carpenter ants that were destroying the wood. Why do this instead of treating for carpenter ants?  Because they make more money from a termite sale than they do a pest sale.  People beware!!! If they treat their own employees like this, how do you think they will treat you?

California 8/03-GB/EM (TE9-110).  I work for Terminix and can see they are full of crap!  They don’t want to pay overtime and want you to change your time card so you don’t have overtime when you have worked long hours. I wish some of the top people who run Terminix would take a look at these complaints from customers and employees. If it was my business, I would be concerned about the complaints and would take steps to help the customers and employees. Thanks for this site.  I would strongly recommend my fellow employees look at these complaints and do better for the customer.

? 10/03-EM (TE9-111).  I work for Terminix but plan on not working for them much longer. I am aware of some violations even now. I work 70 hours a week so I do not have time to look for another job right now; but when I do find another one, I plan on telling some things I know of to be true. Thanks.

? 10/03-EM (TE9-112).  I am an employee at Terminix (T). T is more interested in their spreadsheet program than people. They’ve started this push lately to regain their good reputation back from the public; but like an old dog, they still treat their employees like sh*t. I just saw them let go an older man who had sold contracts for the company successfully for over ten years -- let go because of slightly low sales in the last three months!  T has no soul and needs to DIE. How can I help you give it a mercy killing?  I’ve worked there for a while now and have a number of pretty good blabbers. You do know that a court decision against T was recently issued in the NE I believe, for over $700,000 because Sentricon techs weren’t monitoring all their sites. T sales have been horrible this year.  True, it’s been a tough year for all the termite companies, but T is still in a slump due in large part to the failure of Sentricon and the ever-increasing cacophany of complaints against the company.  More to come?

? 10/03-EM (TE9-113).  After seeing the employee complaints on this site, I am disgusted to have to remember all that I have seen and done.  I see the customer complaints, and they sound all too familiar.  I have dealth with many customers and have sold many customers. Not lying to them, but just telling them that I can fix it. And I did the best I could with what I had.  There are many points that could be mentioned.  It’s true... for some reason, we were always out of materials to treat according to how they trained us.  We had to be issued out certain amounts of everything, and if were werre out, that’s it.  Find another solution.  Sometimes, we were told to add flea chemicals to water instead of the proper chemical. As long as we weren’t breaking the law, all goes.  We were told that the customer is #1 and make them happy, but go ahead and spray flea chemicals to the ants and mounds and then hand them the bill.  When I was being trained, while checking Sentricon, my mentor and others that I trained with (many years experience) would fly through each station and finish up a house in a matter of minutes. While in the video, each station the tech would kneel down and carefully inspect each piece of wood.  I would follow running behind the mentor stating that certain pieces of wood should be changed out because it would fall apart trying to be reinserted back into the station. His comment would be, “‘COME ON!”  Some comments I have been told by techs, mentor, or higher:

• “If the customer wants you to go in the attic and inspect, don’t argue.  Just go up there and stomp around, throw some granules, and get your ass out of there.”
• “If you run out of mousetraps, use whatever you have” (or vice versa)
• “Starting to get low on chemicals, dilute it until you can get the next issued bottle” (next week?!?!)
• “We are out... nope, we are out of that too... out... out of that... no dude, you know we don’t have that right now.”
• “The customer is your #1 priority. If they want you to spray here and there, don’t argue... they are paying for your service and some are paying for some conversation.  Sometimes, I am asked to just sit and drink coffee with them and after a long while has passed, then told not to worry about pest control this time. they just want someone to talk to.”
• “Dude, you don’t have time to chit chat with the customers.  If they try to talk to you, just keep walking.  We hgave too many customers to be serviced to B---sh-- with each one. Just tell them you have appointments to keep and keep moving.”

(The last lines were the final reason of me terminating my own employment.)

Hawaii 10/03-GB (TE9-114).  I worked for Terminix in Honolulu for 10 years and finally left in disgust after the company did not pay me commissions that I had earned.  I am going to court to get the money they owe me. Also, the management was terrible. The managers were very incompetent. Some of my customers whe were fumigated had items stolen from their homes by Terminix employees.  The service was really terrible, and it became a nightmare listening to customer complaints all the time.  I’m so glad I no longer work for Terminix.

New Mexico 11/03-GB (TE9-115).  I’m a former service manager with Terminix here in Albuquerque. It’s sad that Terminix prides itself on being the “Biggest Pest Control Company” in the world but has the ethics of a gangster.  All they want is the money from the customer so they can pay the shareholders.  Customer service... What’s that???

North Carolina 12/03-EM (TE9-116).  I have been working in a Terminix office for a year in NC and can honestly say the greed is thick with this company. I see it is not only in TI but with the franchises as well.  When I started with them, I was trained in one day and left all alone to “figure the rest out.” I did it and did it well.  I was under the impression that everything was the branch’s fault that it was messed up until I saw the whole picture!!! The area manager for our office was harrassing the two main business makers who were making him look good and making the money. Frankly, he was jealous because they were probably making more than him. I was being sexually harrassed on a daily basis by him.  The service manager left because he could not deal with it anymore. What a shame.  He now has his own company and is doing very well for himself.  They sent in another manager who totally corrupted the place.  We lost several large accounts; because he was pushing through tickets that I know there was NO WAY possible that were worked.  NO WAY can about 500 to 600 houses be serviced in about three days with someone going home at 2 p.m. every day!! Not to mention that he wasn’t in the office until 10 a.m. every day. Now the company is trying to sue them for the bill!!!  WHAT A JOKE!!!  How in anyone’s ethical mind can you sue someone for something that was never done???  Not to mention that I invoiced several bait (termite) jobs where all the paperwork was there, and the job “appeared” to be done but was not!!! These businesses paid alot of money for this stuff and never got it until the bait check was due and then it was discovered  no bait stations were there!! The area manager plays dumb to this stuff, but we all know he knew all along. He just does not care. Why should he?  He is getting paid while the rest of us “replaceable employees” are starving and barely getting by.  This company has NO ethics. Sad to say, they would lie to their own mothers to make a dime!! RUN from Terminix and go with a good local company.  You will get more satisfaction.

Employee Complaints Pages:
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