On June 26, I contacted Suburban Pest Services after noticing siding near my roof had been pushed…read moreout, an area where a raccoon had entered my attic two years earlier. I told them I had not seen or heard any animals, but wanted the attic inspected to rule out another intrusion.
Later that day, Luke came out and gave me a $625 estimate, which was about twice what I expected, that included:
1. Setting a raccoon trap in the attic
2. Installing metal flashing over the hole
3. Securing the siding with nails or screws
4. Returning to remove the trap
However, none of that happened.
No one returned until June 30, when Mike, who handled the rest of the job, arrived. He was friendly, polite, and professional, and he did try to follow through on tasks. But the overall approach was amateurish and missed the point entirely:
* Mike never inspected the attic, the primary service I requested. Instead, he briefly shined a light into the roof opening from outside.
* He set a trap on the roof, not inside the attic. After catching a squirrel on July 1, he removed the trap from the roof and pushed the siding back but didn't secure it with flashing or fasteners (likely to allow any possible animal to exit).
* On July 2, the siding popped out again, without a trap in place to confirm whether it was animal activity or attic pressure. That is the day that I took the attached video thinking that there may still be a possibility of a raccoon in the attic, but without the inspection or a trap up there, there was no way of telling at that time.
* He then moved traps to the backyard, setting them during daylight. That caught a rabbit and two squirrels, but had nothing to do with the suspected attic problem.
That's not how professional attic inspections or wildlife exclusions are handled. A trained operator would:
1. Inspect the inside of the attic thoroughly
2. Identify the exact entry point
3. Place traps or exclude wildlife along common entry routes (like the roof or downspout)
4. Properly seal and repair structural openings
Instead, they deployed a scattershot trapping strategy and ignored the core issue. I sent two emails, one on July 3 with video evidence, another on July 7 detailing concerns, along with multiple phone calls. None were responded to, even after the receptionist said they reached the manager on July 8.
On July 5, I installed a motion-activated camera in the attic. It showed no signs of animal presence, which means the siding was most likely pushed out by attic pressurization, not wildlife. Mike returned on July 9, removed the backyard traps, and sealed the hole near the roof as best he could (though he noted no studs were available for proper flashing).
Bottom line:
* Mike was courteous and did show up, but the job was not done professionally
* The attic was never inspected
* The estimate was not followed
* The trap placement was misdirected, catching non-target animals
* The communication was frustratingly poor, my calls and emails were ignored
* The service was prolonged and ineffective, leaving me to self-diagnose and self-resolve
Despite paying the full $625, I'm unhappy with the outcome. If you hire this company, expect a friendly technician, but also prepare to ask exactly what inspection and sealing methods they'll use, and be ready to follow up repeatedly.
This was a very frustrating experience to confirm that no animal was in my attic. Certainly not worth the value. And I will never be a repeat customer. But Mike was a really nice guy...
I share this review to give others a clear, factual picture, not out of spite, but so customers know what to expect.
