ComplaintsforThomas Pest Services

• Initial Complaint

  07/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 7/26, I called at 10 am to let Thomas Pest know that I am having a pest emergency at my home. I pay for all the upgraded services they offer - quarterly treatment, annual guaranteed exclusions, etc, and I have been a customer for many years. During removal of rotted sill plate of our home, it was discovered there is also carpenter ant damage. This requires fast and immediate care. I stated that service was needed within 3 days, due to the contractors schedule of work of the repairs. I was told I would receive a call back to schedule the same day. I received no call. I called 7/27, and it was clear no one was aware of / working on this issue. I was told I would get a call back by end of day - I said that was not ok - I needed service by 7/28 due to emergency situation. I was told I would receive a call back. Tech calls me back to explain all the reasons he will not be coming. He has a busy schedule. He just received an email about me today. And other excuses. This is more evidence my emergency call was not attended to. I called again and was told Al/Allen the director of operations would call me. Allen called me, with a very aggressive tone. When I tried to respond to him and shout over him so that he could hear me, he interrupted me, spoke over me, told me I was "a nasty woman", that I had 2 choices - I could have treatment next week, or find another company. He told me a tech doesn't want to come to my house. The reality is I banned a specific technician from my home for poisoning my cat's water bowl in 2021, and the company has been frustrated with me since i'm not comfortable with that technician.

  

  Business response

  08/10/2023

  BBB spoke with the business and the following was relayed: This is the first and only complaint we have ever received.  This customer called our office asking for a service call immediately.  Our technician called her back as soon as possible (same day) to speak with her.  She yelled and screamed at our technician, was very rude.  Our technician has been with us 9 years and has never refused to go to a customer's house ever before.  But he told us that he refused to go to this customer's house, no matter what the potential consequences would be for him.   Please know that this is the 2nd technician who refuses to go to this customer's house.  Again, this is the only customer that any technician has ever refused to go to, ever.  Shortly after our technician called this customer and was berated, this customer then called our call center.  She lit up our call center employee.  I mean Erin, our call center employee was on the verge of tears (which has never happened before) after speaking with this customer.  At that point, after 2 of our employees were verbally abused by this customer, I, the supervisor called the customer myself.  I politely explained to her that we scheduled her for the next available appointment we had, which was the very next day.  Now, the reason we could not send a technician out to her house the very same day that she called was because 2 of our technicians in her area refuse to go to this customer's home.  So we had to schedule a 3rd technician to come in to that area to perform the service call the next day.  At that point she went off the hinges on me.  She was screaming at the top of her lungs, calling me every name in the book and throwing expletives all over.  Now mind you- at this point that I'm on the phone with her she has already done this same verbal abuse and threatened 3 of our employees.  So I decided at that point to give her 2 options.  I explained that she can either keep the scheduled appointment we had for her or she can cancel her service altogether and find a different company.  She then threatened me and yelled and screamed louder than she was before.  I could not allow this to continue to my employees, much less myself so I made the executive decision that we would be cancelling her service immediately.  We have already refunded her her monthly fee for this month and the previous month.  In addition, we will also be refunded her the $132 renewal fee that she paid in order to not have to interact with her any further.  All together, that is hundreds of dollars that she is being refunded.  And just as a side note, we have been performing her maintenance as scheduled without any issues being found.  When this all originated it was because the contractors that she had working on one of her homes found what they thought appeared to be evidence of carpenter ants underneath having been underneath her porch.  That was what prompted her initial call to demand we show up to her house within 20 minutes.  And to reiterate, that is when our technician initiated a call to her to gather information so that he was properly prepared with right equipment and whatnot before he was verbally abused and threatened by this customer.   We work very hard to take the upmost best care of our customers, however, in this case we could not allow this customer to abuse, threaten and treat our employees the way in which she did.  Therefore, we have refunded her more than is fair and have concluded our business with her.  Thank you. 

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