STAY AWAY FROM TERMINIX!! I'm an elderly guy with breathing and mobility issues, panic disorder and PTSD. A termite tech, Ed, came to my home to 'ostensibly' check my bait traps and check in the basement for any fresh termite activity. He said he didn't see any new damage, but then pointed out some mold spots on the beams and flooring above. I told him I knew about that and would get to it. He went upstairs, but it took me a while as I have trouble walking and breathing. When I got upstairs, I didn't see him anywhere, so I checked and found he'd slipped outside into my breezeway to have a 'private' call to his friend Tony--a pest inspector. I could hear the end of his conversations as I came up behind him. He was saying: "Oh no. He's NOT going anywhere!" in a joking way. I guess because I'm fat and he didn't see a car at my home. Next thing I hear is: "I'm on my way!"
Immediately I went into anxiety mode, I was now behind Ed, and I said clearly: "No. Not today!" He ignored me and left soon after. Then suspiciously quickly, Tony, a 'pest inspector' arrived to have a look at my "mold" issue. I did not ask for him to come, nor did I want him in my home. I was starting to feel panicked but also pressured to be courteous and, well, here he was. I went down into the basement with him, and he summed up my very old dried out mold stain as a 'bad case,' and that I "...really should get that treated or your whole floor could fail."
Now I was having a full blow panic attack. To make this shorter, I'll just say that I had a full blown attack while he was making an estimate and thrusting his notebook into my face. I thought I was going to pass out and fall on the floor. I signed a contract for $1,652.54. to have my mold 'treated.' Within two days they had an 18-year-old kid (who introduced himself as Jorge, saying "I'm Jorge and I'm 18-years-old, my 16-year-old girlfriend just dumped me. Hmm. Immediately I realized - or suspected - that of course he was under 18. He certainly didn't have a license to deal with toxic chemicals, let alone an EPA Certification. The kid came in without any sort of protective gear whatsoever, and with a sprayer bottle (like you might use to spray weeds with) filled halfway with some light blue liquid and went downstairs. Within between 17-20 minutes he came up saying he was done. I hardly think that's possible. I then found that my PTSD was beginning to trigger as I'd been manipulated by Ed's unethical call to Tony resulting in me buying a totally ineffective job. For any liquid anti-microbial or other liquid treatments to work, the first thing you ALWAYS have to do is to physically REMOVE THE MOLD (by scraping, brushing scrubbing with soapy water. Removing the mold physically should always be the primary treatment! You really need to get as much mold, dirt, dust or old paint off to prepare the surface for any liquid spray treatment to have any effect at all. I did so much research and learned more about mold and mold remediation than I ever wanted to. Long story shorter, I shared my findings with the guy who initially came out. I sent a not so happy email.
Before know it, I'm shunted off onto some guy, Terry, who claimed he was here to help me (haha...NOT). Step forward 2-3 weeks and he has not refunded our money as he promised and now has stopped answering my texts or phone calls. After days and days of texts trying to get help, he finally texts me back telling me: "Sir, no more contact. My life doesn't revolve around you. I'm with new customer now." During all this, I called a 'real' professional mold inspector who made it clear I'd been had and I also had to spend $300 on emergency psychiatric visit because my PTSD had been triggered after 5 or 6 years of smooth sailing. So, in short, I was scammed by Terminix and they are shameless about it. Probably because their contract forces arbitration, and they have stated that they are like not liable for, well... ANYTHING! What good are they then. I'm embarrassed and furious for having been so easy to unethically rake me over the coals for some easy money. Believe the reviews here; Terminix employees, and Terminix as a company operates like organized crime--at least in my area. I'm literally sick over this blatant robbery. Buyer Beware!!!! read more