u/freddycat

New house in Virginia, needed pest control, signed an annual contract. First visit was fine. Called for a re-visit in June because of an ant problem in the kitchen.

While the technician was re-treating, he asked if I'd paid. I said no — why is he asking me for payment? That's not his job.

He called the office and put "the lady" on the phone. She said something like, "well, since he's there..." I told her no, she needed to call me directly, I wasn't handing payment to the technician, and that collecting money isn't his role.

She said she'd call back later and hung up. I called the company president directly. He canceled my contract.

His reasoning: it's industry standard for technicians to collect payment on-site.

Looking back, I think the real issue is that this company's first-ever ask for payment came through a field technician — not an invoice, not an email, not even a phone call from the office. It felt off-putting and unprofessional, having a service worker put in that position. My guess is that's what actually led to the president canceling my contract — he didn't like that I called it out.

When I checked my email, the only thing on file was the signed quarterly service agreement — I was never sent an invoice.

Did I handle this wrong? Should I report this to the BBB, Nextdoor, Yelp, or somewhere else? I'm mortified to be treated this way. All I wanted was for them to understand my concerns about their unusual billing practices, and instead the president completely shut me out. It makes no sense to me.

This property was unoccupied and under contract negation for purchase.

One star is for the work itself — which was ultimately completed satisfactorily. Everything else is the reason this review is not five stars.

I paid $5K for professional biohazard remediation services. What followed was one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had with a service provider.

THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT

The owner's initial walkthrough of the property took two and a half hours. He insisted I accompany him to every single point he examined and would seek me out if I stepped away for a moment. The experience was deeply uncomfortable — controlling, relentless, and exhausting. He simply would not stop talking. What should have been a professional one hours assessment felt like an endurance test. Consider yourself warned.

UNSECURED PROPERTY 

On two separate occasions the crew left my property completely unsecured overnight. Garage doors left open. House door left unlocked. No notification. No apology. On the first occasion, valuable property was left outside exposed to the elements overnight. I arrived the next morning just before a significant rainstorm and moved everything inside myself to prevent damage.

On the second occasion the crew left the main garage door open because the power went out and not one of them knew how to manually release it. Any competent person knows to pull the emergency release rope to disengage the door and close it manually. I know this because I climbed a ladder the following morning and did it myself. Your crew should know how to do this. This is basic.

NO FOLLOW UP

No Walkthrough. Nothing. After four days of ozone treatment for significant cat urine odor, the crew simply left. No report. No "the smell is gone." No "run a fan to clear the ozone." Not a single word. A reputable, responsible company would have walked the property with the client, confirmed the odor was eliminated, and made sure you were 100% satisfied before closing out the job. Instead I got crickets. I had to figure out on my own what had been done, what hadn't, and whether the treatment had even worked.

THE OWNER - YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE = YOU, NOT THEM, TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY

When the power went out mid-job his crew called him because they didn't know how to proceed. He had to instruct them to use a broom. His own words: "My team members cannot problem solve." This is your team. You trained them. You supervise them. You own the company. 

When I raised my concerns, the owner responded with text after text detailing his employees' personal situations, health issues, family circumstances, and individual shortcomings. He spoke negatively about clients to his own team members. He blamed his assistant manager for every failure — including incidents that occurred on days she was not even present. None of it was his fault. Not one thing. Despite owning the company. 

A client has no business receiving any of this information. It was not an apology — it was a legal defense dressed up as one.

The owner is combative and retaliatory when questioned. When there is a disagreement expect escalation, not resolution. This company does not issue refunds under any circumstances.

To his credit the owner did offer to return and correct the incomplete work. His initial response however should have been twelve words:

“I apologize. When can I revisit the house to correct the situation?”

They did the work and it was good. My house no longer has the issues for which they were hired. It took two extra trips due to the team's inexperience, lack of focus, and an owner who refuses to accept responsibility for anything.

THE ONE BRIGHT SPOT - THE ASSISTANT MANAGER

Tiffany was the only reliable, honest, and straightforward person on this team. 

She did not hide the truth about job progress, what needed to be done, or what should have been done differently.

Hire this company at your own risk.