Homeowner's Video Evidence Exposes Contractor's Damage, Denial, and Harassment A homeowner's ordeal with a repair company reveals troubling behavior--damage denied, intimidation caught on camera, and a lesson for others to document every step. Home repairs can be stressful enough without having to deal with unprofessional conduct. Unfortunately, my experience with this company turned what should have been a simple wall repair into an ordeal marked by property damage, gaslighting, and verbal harassment. During a wall repair at my home, the company's crew--led by a man named Franz--removed the paver grout near a drain pipe, clogged the drain by leaving it uncovered while working, and failed to reinstall it properly afterward. The result was a mess and preventable damage. When I reached out for a repair, instead of taking responsibility, the company denied causing the damage and accused me of lying. I have Ring camera footage showing the entire incident, including before-and-after visuals: the first two images show a clean, newly maintained area; the subsequent photos reveal the careless aftermath of their work. After reading other customer reviews, I discovered I wasn't alone--many homeowners have reported similar experiences of denial and deflection. My advice to others: take photos and videos of your property before any work begins. It's the only way to protect yourself if things go wrong. To make matters worse, I witnessed troubling workplace behavior. On camera, the senior worker berated and swore at his subordinate--a young helper clearly intimidated and mistreated. As someone who works in HR, I reported this incident to their HR department, hoping they would address it professionally. Instead, I believe it made things worse. Days later, four men from the company returned, not to repair the damage but seemingly to intimidate me. Their manager was dismissive, accusatory, and unprofessional. Then, I received an email from the company stating they were "unable to return in order to keep the customer safe"--a statement that felt both manipulative and subtly threatening. I was alone at home at the time; my husband was away. When he returns and sees both the damage and the recorded harassment, he'll be as shocked as I was. The project was managed by our HOA, which had obtained two quotes--one from this company and another from a more professional, courteous firm. We requested the latter, but the HOA choose Franz. It now seems clear why: this company appears to prioritize cost and HOA contracts over quality and homeowner satisfaction. Final Update: After submitting the Ring camera evidence showing their workers' harassment and denial, the company finally agreed to refund part of the cost so I could hire a professional to fix the damage. That refund, to me, is an acknowledgment of wrongdoing. Homeowners deserve better. This experience is a reminder that documentation is your best defense, and that no company--no matter how established--should be allowed to deny responsibility or mistreat customers and employees alike. read more

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Email to me from Mike Judas, owner of Franz Termite, on 7/19/22: "I'll have my office call you to set up a time for our Senior Foreman, Alfredo, to stop by and take a look to see what he thinks the best way is to repair this and discuss any options that would facilitate repair without going overboard. Alfredo has been with us for 35+ years and really has 'seen it all'. I'm sure he will have some good ideas to keep repairs as simple as possible." Me: "Thanks a bunch, Mike!" Two months and one reminder email later, someone from Frantz who isn't Alfredo shows up, and virtually the first thing out of his mouth is "my boss told me this morning we don't do this kind of work". read more

Alfredo and his crew arrived on time and did an excellent job throughout. My house is over 75 years old, redwood frame. I have lived here over 35 years and this was the first time I've had it treated for termites. The crawlspace is very short but the crew were diligent in getting every corner and making sure that I was satisfied. I have it in my calendar to give Franz a call in 10 months for an annual inspection. Thank you for your courtesy. read more

Michael, the owner, has been in the business forever. He knows termites inside and out. His father ran the business before he did. He is smart and very ethical. I HATE subterranean termites and would nuke them if I could, well not really... I know they have a place in the ecology, but I hate the ones that used my house as a buffet cafeteria. I had Franz inspect and treat and then I had all the damaged wood replaced, For the moment I am termite free but worried and vigilant. Franz does throrough inspections and good treatment. So do other companies. What separates Franz from the Terminex crowd is that they will not overtreat even if you want it and are willing to pay for it. I wanted to do annual treatment for subt. termites and Michael talked me out of it, said it was too frequent. He suggested less expensive periodic inspections and said that the treatments lasts at least 3 years and to retreat more frequently would be a waste of my money. He explained why bait traps were ineffective and had been largely abandoned as a treatment means. I was about to buy a bunch on eBay. He doesnt upsell. He told me I likely didnt need tenting, just ground treatment. If you want an honest termite company you've found it in Franz. They are a local business, not a franchise or chain. Many of the employees have worked therre over 10 years. The guy who inspected my house was VERY thorough, crawled into every nook and cranny under the house. Good thing he was thin, a heavy guy wouldnt have fit. The guys who did the treatment were employees, not subcontractors. They really look at their job as a war and they do not like losing to termites. They were very careful to apply treatment in every place that a human could reach and it took some real effort crawling under the porch. They honor their warranty too with no hassle. I found some live termites in a piece of wood next to my driveway and they are coming out for a free retreatment of that area. The house has no termite reinfestation to date and its been a year. I see there are other reviews that arent as good as mine, but one seems pissed about a few days delay in a report and the other about trampling some plants. The guys who treated my place were VERY careful about plants (but it was ground treatment not tenting). I do Franz is the best termite company in town and will stay with them as long as I own my house. read more

reasonable service but they will rip you off 4% for credit card fees so be careful. I checked and the cc company charges them less, so it's just an excuse to grab some more cash off the customer. read more

ugh!... still waiting for my termite report that I was promised yesterday. I am very unhappy with them right now! update: got the report three days late... wish i had just cancelled the report and gotten a refund. read more

This company was wonderful. They were on time, did a thorough inspection, gave me complete inventory of what they found. Scheduled work to be done, they arrived on time, were neat and very careful to keep my house clean. 5 stars from me read more

These people way over charge for repair. While the inspector did a good job checking our house and finding one very small spot of infestation they were nice enough for me to believe their work bid. I had them come do repairs and it took exactly one hour to fix infestation and they charged me $1200 ....Ridiculous!! I tried to work with them and negotiate a better reasonable fee for actual time and work but to no avail! I would not recommend these people do anything but inspection, they overcharge! read more

I highly recommend Franz Termite Control. They have done work for me and my family. They came out and did a thorough inspection and made recommendations. I was able to choose what I wanted done. They didnt make me feel like I had to do everything or even tent. I chose what I wanted done. I scheduled an appointment and they arrived on time. Alfredo explained to me and my tenants exactly what they were going to do and how long it would take. After the work was completed, Alfredo walked me through what they had done, showed me problem areas and told me a few things he noticed and fixed while under the house. They did a great job and I would use them again. Great customer service from the office staff as well. They were responsive, helped me fill out the work authorization when I didnt understand it and gave me an appointment within a couple days. Awesome service!! read more

When you pay for a termite inspection, you expect the termite inspector to, well, actually inspect and well, FIND active termite infestations. We bought a house with a clean pest inspection, but within the first six months we started to see signs that we thought might be active termites--live termites swarming at dusk, pellets, paint showing signs of tunnels underneath, that sort of thing. So we hired an "expert" from Franz to come out and take a look. We moved everything away from walls in the garage, cleaned up where we found pellets so fresh ones were obvious, made sure the crawl spaces were fully accessible and even saved a couple of dead termites to confirm they were the dry wood variety. Not sure why we bothered because it was like pulling teeth to get the guy to actually LOOK at anything we were concerned with. He glanced around, poked at some stuff halfheartedly with his stick and left. We thought his ho-hum attitude was a little off, but people are weird, so whatever. Report comes back clean, maybe signs of something old in one place. A little dry rot on a door, which is obvious and we knew about. But no big alarm about active termites. OK maybe we're just paranoid homeowners. Nope. Fast-forward six months and we're scraping paint on the side of the house. Tunnels and termites EVERYWHERE. With the pellet build up in the tunnels, there's no way this was a brand new infestation. Called in a third company whose inspector found immediate signs of activity in several spots on three separate structures--house, garage and detached studio. We tented all three and are busy making repairs. Bottom line is, learn how to detect the signs of dry wood and subterranean termites yourself. It's not rocket science, as we've learned, and you're likely to catch infestations earlier AND save yourself a few hundred bucks for a useless "report" from a company like Franz. read more

This review is for a preliminary assessment that I received from George, to determine whether or not I needed a full inspection and treatment. George was very informative and low-pressure. He did not use 'scare tactics' as some companies do, and gave me some good tips to prevent and look for termite infestation. Termites are pretty much a fact of life in CA, and when I next need to fumigate, I'll call this local company. Thanks, George! read more

we had to fix some major structural and framing errors made by licensed general contractor but unlicensed subcontractor. foundation in the wrong location, rafter mistakenly cut, ceiling beam in the wrong location, ceiling joists overcut, and strongback damaged during CAN light installation. Franz Termite was recommended by a neighbor in Menlo Park. Despite the name, they are experts in structural and framing repair. even our structural engineer was impressed by how well they follow directions. Mike is the second generation owner, technical, pleasant, and takes pride in his work. Jorge is the manager, a former GC, so he knows his stuff. Alfredo is the foreman, and framer, 30 years at this job. they are awesome. i recommend anyone with any structural damages call them. they are also very fair about payment collection. we paid him in full when the engineer completely signed off. they seem adequately funded and are focused on customer experience and truly value their brand. big fan of this family business. read more

I resonate with another review about Termite Inspection from Franz. Be Careful and think twice before you go to these guys for your Termite Inspection for home buying process. These guys are a complete a Rip Off shop. One of my coworkers recommended Franz and I took the advice to engage these guys for termite inspection. Well, My Bad that I should have read some reviews first. Anyhow, Here is what happened..The inspector showed up at the property and the guy was literally limping due to some foot injury and could hardly walk [Why would anyone send an injured inspectors in first place???] He quoted me $400 for inspecting a 7 years old home but based on the high recommendation, I agreed to pay the money thinking the guy would do a thorough job. But Guess what I see on the report after two days -- "The Inspector conducted a visual inspection and did not find any infestations (different terminology used in different sections). If you like to get more detailed inspection, that can be done at an additional charge...." The Inspector Charged $400 for copying and pasting the above lines in some 6 sections mentioning "detailed Inspection for an ADDITIONAL CHARGE" !!! When I spoke with Mike - the owner of this entity and demanded a 50% refund on such a lousy report to justify the Time and Material (and remember that the inspector had an INJURED FOOT). He gave a lame excuse that he had to send his inspector from West Bay to the East Bay to conduct the inspection and hence the high charge! He offered to send another inspector to do the inspection again but by that time, I had lost trust and felt that another guy will do the same drama and waste of time... Well, He simply charged over $200 for his inspector to cross the bridge and drive an extra 15 miles.... This company might be good for treating Termite on infected old properties and I give them benefit of doubt there. But for termite inspections on newer homes -- Stay away and do yourself a favor to save good $250 plus and engage a local guy who would do a thorough and satisfactory job than asking for ADDITIONAL CHARGE... read more

There is no way I would ever work with this company again. The damage visible under the house was by termites, and the fence alongside the house was totally infested, but the guy doing the inspection said no problem. This shocked me that they weren't going to suggest anything when there were piles of poop all through the attic. Well I balked a bit and this guy comes unglued at me and starts blowing a gasket. I thought he was going to have a coronary, but luckily he didn't. But I'll definitely be taking my business elsewhere. read more

I inherited a house with significant dry rot and termite damage. Over the past few months I spoke to everyone I could find in the south bay area on the subject. The reality is that there are very few companies with experience in termite damage repair. Forget a general contractor. I spoke to several and got several estimates which varied all over the place. General contractors are not experienced with repairing termite damage. A general contractor can not give a reliable estimate until they start taking everything apart. Most will charge you to make an estimate and the estimate will be so vague and full of disclaimers that even after paying for it, you will not know how much the repair will cost. There are experts who are licensed to do WOOD repair. The problem with these people is that they are ONLY licensed to repair wood and if the damage goes beyond the wood, you need to get another company to come in to do the work. After a great deal of search and investigation, I came across Franz Termite and I thank my lucky stars. This is the ONLY company in the south bay area that I could find that is both: * Licensed and experienced in termite repair * Licensed general contractors How do I know that? Look at the front page of their website " we are a licensed termite control operator and a licensed general contractor specializing in..." What does that mean? If they are repairing your termite damage and they find dry rot in your bathroom, they can rebuild your bathroom if necessary. If they are repairing damaged wood and have to go inside of your wall, they can take your wall apart, repair the wood and put the wall back up. Since they are experts in termite damage, it also means that if they inspect your house and give you an estimate, it is going to be a pretty accurate estimate. Unlike contractors who are inexperienced with termite damage, after doing an estimate they pretty much know what to expect during the repair. After doing my estimate, Mike told me that it was possible that there could be up to 10% more damage, but he strongly doubted it would be beyond that. He was right. He came in just a few dollars above the estimate. He also said that it was possible that the inspector could insist on further repairs that he could not anticipate. He was right. The inspector insisted we put up a lighted address because it was required in the local building code. But the inspector was satisfied with the termite damage repair. Once the new light was up, the house passed inspection. Just so this does not sound like an advertisement, I will say that there were a couple of blips in the process. The repair work was delayed by a week because a member of their crew got injured in an earlier project. Also, we were communicating primarily by email and right in the middle of my work, they changed servers and their email went off-line. Emails were bouncing and they were difficult to communicate with during that period. But these were small issues. Overall, communication with Mike was excellent. He would respond to my emails within a day. Before signing the work order, I had about a half hour conference with Mike (the boss) and Pastor (the foreman). They answered all of my questions openly and honestly. I also send a follow-up email with more questions which were also promptly answered in detail. Bottom line, if you have a house with visible termite or dry rot damage and you are within their service area, don't waste your time calling anyone else. read more

A great experience - Franz came highly recommended by local pest control company that doesn't handle termites. Great scheduling. Arrived on time. Inspector was sharp, articulate (good comms) and very thorough (every room, entire crawlspace and attic) and had 20 years experience in termite control. No 'sales job' to remedy the problem areas. Buy with confidence. read more

I have been waiting for a week for the quote, no response from Franz. Termite. The Fumigation Company that measured the house was a very rude person, doesn't replace fencing that will be removed and no compassion for all the plants he said he will kill. I wouldn't use him if it was free. read more

Good response. 3 year warranty on tenting, though they subcontract the tenting.

Franz was recommended to me by another business. From my initial phone call, to Frank, the inspector coming out, to Luis and Alfredo performing the service, each person was professional, timely and educated me. They were very careful about my light carpet without my asking. They even thanked me several times for leaving the evidence where and as I'd found it so that they knew where to start with their inspection and treatment. I will definitely call them again for any future termite problems in any residence I have. read more

Used Franz at the recommendation of a hardwood floor company that is refinishing our hardwood floors. Since we had some obvious termite damage from a a few years back (that was treated back then) we wanted to ensure no current termite activity before the refinish. The inspector came out and was very nice, low key and honest with his recommendations. Said he didn't see any evidence of active termites. The next day we rec'd a report that included treating just the affected areas and also an option for treatment of the entire perimeter of the house. We decided to just treat the affected area for now. Franz came out and treated the areas and went under the house to make sure there was no activity. They drilled holes in the damaged floor board and shot a solution into it and then puttied the holes. We were very concerned about using poisons; they used a non-toxic solution. Tenting was not an option for us, because of the toxicity of the outgases that are released. We have dealt with other termite companies in the past who we felt were not being entirely honest with us -- tried to use scare tactics and pressure us to make a huge job out of things. I would definitely recommend Franz read more

Great job! They showed up when they said they would. They were very courteous and polite. The inspector was very thorough and took his time reviewing all areas. They provided the report in a timely manner. I'd use Franz Termite again and recommend their services! read more

HURRAY for Franz Termite: I have worked with them since 1987! Here's just one of the reasons why... Two weeks ago, after servicing our attic furnace/condenser (heat & air), the guy came downstairs with some insulation covered with tiny black dots... We all worried: "Termites?!?" Franz Termite came out today and took one look at the sample we saved in a plastic bag. "No worries: it's silverfish! They eat teeny bits of paper, but do little damage. If you want to eradicate them, get 1-2 foggers from Ace HW and set them off when you'll be out of the house for 4-6 hours." "What great news!" I exclaimed. "What do I owe you for your house call?" "Nothing at all," the Franz inspector replied. "Are you sure?" I tried to insist. "I'm sure," he affirmed. "That's why you've always called us back!" And, because our last inspection was January, 2011, he said the earliest he'd next recommend a full inspection will be in January of 2014... FYI, he also shared that other companies work on commission, so it's to their advantage to tent, etc. read more

Wow! We had a real problem with dry rot in the huge beams that run through our Eichler home. I called Mike at Franz Termite - having heard that this is a specialty of Franz Termite -- besides their "normal" termite work. It was a large job which got estimated quickly and the work started on time. The Franz Termite employees were superb technicians. The project involved cutting away to different lengths all the dry-rotted ends of over 20 beams, replacing the wood so it EXACTLY matched the height and width of the original beams WITHOUT destroying the fascia boards, fitting caps over the new beams - and coordinating all of this with our roofer and painter. Franz Termite followed their project plan, they cleaned up after themselves on a daily basis, Mike came by several times to ensure the job was on track -- and the final price was exactly what had been quoted originally. I recommend Franz Termite enthusiastically! read more