Orkin doesn't deserve the first star!
I contacted Orkin for an estimate on termite control after a swarm of flying termites were in my backyard. The inspector did not call prior to the estimated window of arrival time. He parked in my driveway. He did not maintain social distancing or arrive with a mask. He informed me it would be necessary to enter my home and to look at my attic. He pulled the string off my attic entry, and he did not tie it back. When he came downstairs, he asked if he could use my restroom. While in the restroom, he coughed. Finally, he asked if I wanted him to wear a mask.
Prior to reviewing the estimate, he asked if I needed my husband to be present. He continued the conversation by inquiring about what I did for a living. He asked if he could sit down to go over the estimate. Not only did he violate the CDC guidelines for Covid19, putting my health at risk, but he quoted $11,727 in remediation! He called his manager to see if he could knock down the price. Of course, there was no answer, but he was "kind enough" to reduce the estimate by the 20% he was allowed. He told me to have blessed day about 4 times before he finally left.
I immediately called my friend and told him about the laundry list that was required to treat these termites. He was familiar with my house and thought this was an extreme overreach. He provided the name of an inspector who had 30 years experience in the business. This inspector called prior to his arrival, parked in the street and maintained proper social distancing. He informed me that my house had been previously treated for termites. He showed me the drilled holes and the chemical residue. He explained that flying termites do not damage the home. He did a thorough investigation of the garage and crawl space and said there was no termite issue. He added if I wanted to fix up the crawl space for cosmetic reasons, he could do that, but it was not necessary. The moisture in the crawl space was normal and my house would have passed inspection if I needed one for real estate purposes.
I was lucky to find a knowledgeable inspector, and I cannot imagine how many others are preyed upon by these "salesmen" working for these big corporations. I could have been out thousands of dollars when nothing was necessary. I think the Orkin inspector needed to be blessed more than I did after attempting to take advantage of innocent people. read more
