Requested repair of two trap doors, vent and screen and any other potential entry points for rats. Simple job of replacing doors over ground frames and attaching frames to exterior of house with caulking between front of frame and house. Monterey Bay Pest Control, Inc. (MBPC) agreed to use paint colored to match the house and apply two coats of paint to all sides of all wooden materials. New vents and screens would replace older, rusted hardware and all work would be discussed in detail both before and after repair was scheduled. There were several e-mails and phone calls exchanged prior to the repair. These have been retained as a matter of record. We were providing the matching paint to MBPC.
On Friday, September 19, 2024, we received an unexpected phone call from Valerie at MBPC announcing that all work had been completed on Thursday, September 18, and payment of $1,278.00 was due. This amount was paid immediately via credit card. I reminded Valerie that we were supposed to receive pictures of the work and talk with the foreman about the details. Valerie said that we would receive the pictures and talk to the foreman on Monday, September 22.
No call from MBPC on Monday, September 22, so we called and were told by Valerie that the foreman was taking two days off and would call us on Wednesday, September 24. We continued to call and e-mail every day until Monday, September 30. Valerie stated that she had continued to reach out to Desiree during this period but that we had to understand that it was the end of their month, things were very hectic, and Desiree did not have time to talk with us because she had to remain in the field and therefore, would not be returning our phone calls. We never spoke with the foreman.
After waiting 11 days we received the pictures. Big surprise. The paint used was plain white and did not match the existing house paint as originally agreed. MBPC simply refused to use the paint that we bought to match the house. Additionally, one old vent and one old screen had been adjusted but not replaced. The large wooden ground frames were untouched (still dirty) and there has been no additional information about the condition of a so-called "tight seal."
We are extremely disappointed in the lack of quality work and the refusal to follow our agreed-to plan. The cost too, lacks justification. Assuming a 6-hour job and roughly $80.00 for two plain wood panels, original rusted hinges, and a can of white paint, the labor cost would amount to $1,200.00 total or about $200.00 per hour. Meanwhile we have still not received a breakdown in materials and labor. In our opinion, the grade for value of service should be "F", for failure to perform.
It is our opinion that since we were told that "Ozzie" had departed MBPC sometime before our work was scheduled (and he was our primary point of contact), MBPC is facing labor challenges and cannot perform up to its previous standards. Whatever, the reason, we cannot trust the word of the current management. read more