I feel ripped off and like I overpaid--the classic case of a salesperson overpromising and the workers underdelivering. There is nothing wrong with the people personally; they are all friendly, responsive, and nice. But I am 100% regretting my choice to pay about $1,000 more to go with Environmental Pest Control when the other contractor said he would handle it himself and cover all four gable vents for a fraction of the price! The other company's estimate wasn't from a salesperson, but the actual technician who had stated he successfully worked on a neighbor's house three years ago. The reason I paid a premium and chose Environmental Pest Control was because of everything Patrick McKinney stated they would do, and he seemed vastly more knowledgeable than the other guys. He told me they would cover all 4 gable vents, cover the hole below the stove and the outside exterior, vac and disinfect the attics (which will be done in a future appointment, but now I'm doubting if it will be professionally completed from what I've seen so far), and do a pest control spray while cleaning up the webs.
The first visit, a pleasant crew came out to cover the gable vents; they ended up covering 3 of the 4. They stated one was in a position they could not reach, took some pictures, and said they would discuss it with their manager. They also looked at the vent hole below the stove and said it was too big of a hole, so they couldn't cover that either. They ended up covering 3 of the 4 gable vents, setting mouse traps, doing a loop around the outside to cover any holes, and spraying insecticide (we also signed up for their quarterly pest control treatment).
A few days went by and they charged our credit card. I called and asked why they charged us when they didn't even complete the job, and they said it's their process to charge half before they begin, and half once they complete the job. I reminded them the job was not complete as they didn't even cover up the last gable vent, and didn't shop-vac nor disinfect the two attics (one above the garage and the other above the home). Either way, fine, I'm going to pay them anyways and as long as they get the job done, I would be fine with it. They told me my case was being escalated to a manager.
The project manager called me and told me he would look into my issues, assuring me the team will come back and take care of it by covering up the last gable vent. Since it was in a difficult-to-reach area, he said they would cover it from the inside. I told him I already had all four gable vents covered from the inside and we needed the OUTSIDE covered. He stated his team couldn't reach the outside and they would have to do it from the inside. What is the point of this? The inside of all 4 gable vents are already screened and we need the outside covered to prevent the bats from coming in. The lone bat was living in between the inside screen and the gable vent. He didn't want to listen and said they would send somebody out Tuesday to cover up the gable vent from the inside. I didn't know what else to say, and just agreed since he didn't seem to want to listen or address the issue.
The same two folks arrived a week later and again stated they couldn't reach the gable vent. They climbed up into the attic and said they couldn't reach it from the inside since the previous owner seems to have walled off that small area from the inside with styrofoam. They did some surveying, walked around, said they couldn't do anything about it, and took pictures, stating they'll send them to their manager again. Friendly folks, but I was just disappointed that nothing was done on another visit I had to take off from work for.
I have paid a premium price for a half-finished job. I still have an uncovered gable vent, a bat issue that hasn't actually been resolved, an unaddressed stove vent hole, lots of bugs on the exterior of our home with unaddressed webs, and an endless feeling of regret and disappointment. If you are looking for a pest control company that actually delivers on what their sales team promises, look elsewhere. I am still waiting for management to contact me with a real solution to covering up the last gable vent, or at least offer a partial refund. At this point, I would rather get a refund and look elsewhere. I have wasted too much time away from work, on top of the mental stress of worrying about the last gable vent for bats, wondering if the mice issue will actually be addressed, or if the pest/bug spray has actually done anything. This can't be the most difficult gable vent location these professionals have ever come across. I could be wrong, but I'm curious to hear others' opinions. read more