Terminix? Any thoughts?

[BBatesokc]

We plan on putting our home up for sale next year to move closer to downtown or E. Edmond. During some upgrading of our current home we noticed some evidence of termites.

Anyone here have any thoughts/advice on local termite companies?

Naturally Terminix is a known and large company so we called them and got a free estimate this morning.

We called a couple of other companies too to compare. I've tried to do due diligence and checked with Angie's List and also the BBB.

Anyone here used anybody they like?

[flintysooner]

Accura Pest Control - Les Peden - 405-378-7646 - did a great job for me.

[USG '60]

Brian, I have a long horror story regarding Terminex that is too long to tell here. They might can kill them in a one time deal but NEVER, EVER have them under contract for long term care. In that regard they are a criminal enterprise and should be sued out of business. I would just LOVE it if one of their execs would like to challenge me on this as it would make it worthwhile for me to go ahead and tell the whole story in public and expose their crooked butts.

[BBatesokc]

I'm getting prices from several termite companies - 3 so far - weird thing is that Terminix is actually the best price so far even though they have a reputation for being expensive. As usual I'm getting my recommendations from Angie's List. Terminix bid $1,250 plus first annual renewal free for a 1,700 sq foot house plus a brick pool house 10x20.

[flintysooner]

A few years ago I bought a house. That house was under a contract for termite control. It had been treated and had annual inspections. The seller felt that was sufficient. The inspection service agreed and said there were no termites.

My Realtor was suspicious and insisted that we get another inspection. He called Les Peden that I mentioned previously who found signs of active termite damage.

I ended up buying that house and remodeling and we found those termites exactly where Les said they were.

The other company took no action at all. I hired Les to treat and I have him come every year for an inspection. I don't care about certificates. What I want is no termites.

I feel pretty much the same way about pricing, too. If I go to the trouble of treating for termites I want to make sure I don't have any.

[stick47]

Get a dog. http://www.eandrexterminating.com/yoda2.shtml

[BBatesokc]

They apparently have those here too. I saw a van advertising canine termite detection a few months ago.

I don't need them 'detected' though, the damage is obvious. Got some flooding when our Koi pond overflowed and it came into our living room. When I pulled the baseboards back you could see the tunneling. Also saw some damage in the pool house.

Moxie had good price on just treating part of the house, but I figured might as well treat the whole thing since we plan on selling next year and want to assure potential buyers we'v addressed the issues and not just went the cheaper route.

[BBatesokc]

Termite inspections are very hit and miss. They are not allowed to remove baseboards or look into walls. If a homeowner powerwashes the outside of their home and cleans their walls and baseboards and patches any damage, most (if not all) inspectors will give the home a passing grade. In my opinion, any home more than 20-years old in Oklahoma should be assumed to have termites to some degree, simply because there are so many colonies in our soil. (that's not Terminix B.S. that's from a home inspector I know)

We went ahead and went with Terminix for the following reasons;
1. They have a good reputation and a good grade with the BBB.
2. They are national and have been in business for a long time - so they will most likely be around if there is a problem.
3. Their price (after negotiation) was better than the 3 other companies that came out (all selected from Angie's List).
4. Their warranty is fully transferable when we sell our home.
5. They warranty not only to retreat if we get termites again, but they also pay to fix any damage caused by a re-infestation.
6. They were very professional when they came to do the free estimate. The rep was nicely dressed in a golf style shirt, seemed knowledgeable, had plenty of literature and while he didn't 'hard sell' he was willing to hear what it would take to get me to sign-on right then.

The next best price came from Moxie Pest Control. Their price was within $70 but their warranty was not nearly as good and cost the same to renew each year. I did like though that they gave me the option to just treat the effected areas for only $400 (pool house and one wall in the living room). What I didn't like was the rep was very sloppy in his attire - overly baggy khakis with a camo belt and a very dirty shirt with a hint of body odor. That being said, he did disclose he was not just a salesman but also the person who does the application - that could explain why he looked so bad.

Terminix came out within 3 days and the tech was very polite and professionally dressed. It took longer than he said (5 hours instead of 3) but our house is surrounded 90% with sidewalks and he had to drill every 12" and move any obstructions. It did start to rain as soon as he got done. What I really liked is he told me not to pay him then because he wanted to come back out and retreat the areas where there was no cement (just soil) because he thought we'd get enough rain that it would dilute the chemicals he had just applied. He told me not to pay until he and I were satisfied.

On a side note - A local news station recently did a story on pest control (mosquitos and termites). They featured a local company and basically gave them an endorsement. I was going to call and get an estimate from them until I looked on the BBB and saw they have a D rating and have changed their company name twice in 7 years (most likely to avoid litigation liability). I'm shocked the news station didn't do some due diligence before featuring that company.

[SoonerDave]

Most termite companies offer one of two very broad control products - Termidor, a liquid termiticide that is typically poured into a trench around the home, and Sentricon, a bait-based product that tries to draw termites to a baited "terminal," which then returns to the colony and "infects" it with termiticide.

Terminix was the initial sales agent for Sentricon several years ago, and was involved with myriad lawsuits regarding its effectiveness. Google "terminix sentricon" and you'll get plenty of hits. The problem is that no initial poison is deployed with Sentricon; just baited contact stations that are periodically examined, then replaced with poison if a termite is found. A Texas A&M study conducted a few years ago found wide variability in the success of this system. Some experience quick hits in the baited stations; others go months or years with no hits while the termites munch away on the home.

I have had evidence of a small termite presence in my garage, and have had both systems quoted: $1,900 for Termidor, $1,200 for Sentricon, with annual maintenance fees each. My own reading indicates far better geenral feedback for the Termidor-based solution, although I was a bit surprised to see it quite so much higher than the Sentricon bid. I will likely select the Termidor option, as it comes from a state-based company with a long, established track record.

Just my own $0.02, FWIW.

[BBatesokc]

The Terminix rep didn't even mention the bait system (which I would not have wanted) and the receipt shows that Termidor was used. I know the other 3 companies that came out also use Termidor and only one talked about the bait system and said the only thing getting 'baited' was the customer.

[SoonerDave]

The Terminix rep didn't even mention the bait system (which I would not have wanted) and the receipt shows that Termidor was used. I know the other 3 companies that came out also use Termidor and only one talked about the bait system and said the only thing getting 'baited' was the customer.

Brian,

Could you relay the names of the companies that gave you quotes? I have one, but would be interested in supplementary quotes for comparison. If you'd rather not post them all here, feel free to sent them to me in PM or email me at soonerdew (at) gmail.com.

Thanks!
-David

[BBatesokc]

Brian,

Could you relay the names of the companies that gave you quotes? I have one, but would be interested in supplementary quotes for comparison. If you'd rather not post them all here, feel free to sent them to me in PM or email me at soonerdew (at) gmail.com.

Thanks!
-David

Sure. I'll look them up when I get home. I used Angie's List. Don't know if you are a member, but I have been able to find lots of good companies there - gutter hangers, handyman, termite control, electrician, plumber etc. over the years.

[MattB]

I know this is an old thread, but I hired Terminix to treat my rental property for termites. They explained that they were going to drill the slab where possible, and dig a trench around the remaining walls pour chemicals in the trenches. They left the east walls of the house, the north wall, and the west wall of the garage untouched. Called them back and asked what the problem was. They said they'd send a technician back out the following week to look at it and correct any problems. Never heard back from them, and nothing was done. Called them back again. Repeat performance. After the third call, they trenched the remaining walls.
I hired them for routine spraying and treatment of my residence, and an appointment was made for them to show between 5pm and 7pm on a Friday. The wife and I delayed dinner until 7pm. No show. Called them back, and they said they showed nothing set up for my house. Arranged it again, and it was another no-show. On the third try, I made sure I came home five minutes prior to the beginning of the window for the appointment. They'd already been and gone, and obviously never entered the house. I demanded that they terminate (No pun intended) my contract. Can't recommend them.