ComplaintsforAmerican Pest

• Initial Complaint

  10/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In March of 2024, I entered into a contract with American Pest to provide mouse and roach extermination. Unbeknownst to me, a monitor was supposed to have been installed to monitor rodent activity. Although the monitor was never installed, I started getting email notifications about the monitor detecting rodent activity. Upon contacting the company and explaining the situation, I had to speak to a manager named Asia who deduced that I should get a refund. That was in August. On September 18, I contacted the company and was told the refund was in the mail and would take 10 business days to receive. As of today, October 8, I still have not received my refund.

  

  Business response

  10/09/2024

  Thank you Ms. ***** for your message. American Pest apologizes for any miscommunication. I have confirmed that your refund check was mailed on September 27. Since we verified that the check had not cleared, we will cancel it and reissue you a new refund check with expedited handling. American Pest strives to provide 5-star service to all its customers, and we are disappointed that we were not able to do so with both your service and your refund. Please reach out to me directly at da******@americanpest.net with any further concerns.

  Denise A******

  VP Marketing and Residential Sales

  American Pest

  Customer response

  10/11/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  American Pest has been servicing my house for many years now. An exterminator from American Pest came today, Thursday, August 15, 2024, to service my house. When the nice young man came in ready to spray for the bugs, he informed my mother and myself that he couldn’t use the spray inside the house. I told him that no one had ever said anything about it before. He also told me that “to be honest, no humans or pets should be in the house for at least an hour after the exterminator sprays the inside of the house”. I was quite surprised because no one else from the company had ever made myself or my mother aware of this before. He was able to spray outside and the company had told me to keep my dogs inside for two hours after they sprayed outside. While the honest young man was spraying outside, I called the company. The representative was very hard to hear, sounded as if he just woke up. I asked to speak to a manager. The man on the phone mumbled something I was unable to understand then hung up. Next the honest service person came back to the door and told me he got a call from his manager that he could spray inside but only the window sills and ledges. I declined after having heard the explanation when he first arrived. I attempted to reach a manager again at the company. I was put on hold for approximately 15 minutes when the man who answered the phone came back. He told me he was unable to locate the manager at this time but would make sure to leave a detailed message for the manager and that the manager would call me later today. I have not heard back from the company. I have several severe health issues, one of which is Asthma. I want to know why no one has ever told us about not being in the house and staying out of the house for at least an hour before today. Since American Pest took over a smaller company, the spray has always left a nasty smell. Also during that time, my health issues have worsened. Why have we not been told about toxicity.

  

  Business response

  08/19/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us, Ms. *******. At American Pest, the health and safety of our customers and employees is our primary focus. I apologize for any confusion caused and hope that I can provide clear explanations here.

  First, let me assure you that our current application standards are formulated to deliver the lowest level of pesticide possible targeted to the specific pests being treated. Further, our regular treatments are generally applied in quantities that are not toxic to humans and pests. When wet, they can be irritants (if they get on skin or in the eyes), so we advise our customers to avoid areas where liquids have been applied until they are completely dry. 

  Second, when we apply regular interior treatments, we aim to spot-treat the problem areas rather than apply broadly throughout a home. We will also choose when to use sprays versus gels or other application types. In most instances, the spray applications are done to cracks, corners, and crevices, away from human and pet surfaces. However, we generally advise our customers to avoid the areas we have treated until they have a chance to dry. If you request a more broadscale application of a liquid treatment, we will advise you to leave the area until it is completely dry -- at least 30 minutes and up to two hours.

  Because you also have regular outside mosquito and tick service with American Pest, we always advise keeping pets and humans inside for two hours after application to avoid the exposure to the treatment. Again, this is largely done to prevent irritation caused by exposure to skin and eyes, not because of concern about poisoning.

  American Pest apologizes for any inconsistent communication and instructions. Please reach out to me directly if you wish to speak with one of our service managers to get more detailed information.

  Regards,

  Denise A******

  Vice President Marketing & Residential Sales

  Customer response

  08/20/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
        This letter looks fabulous for publicity however it does not respond to the issues that were in my complaint.  My complaint was about the local branch’s  the lack of knowledge and the disappearance of the manager when I asked to speak to the manager.  The company used to treat inside the house and outside of the house.  Why has the treatment for inside of my house not been continued?  The exterminator used to call me directly to schedule when they would be here.  They were on time, sprayed the house and never said anything about having to leave the house. Now, I get charged for services and have never had an exterminator enter my house.  They charge me over $95 to quickly run around the house “supposedly spraying” and are gone before anyone here has ever noticed they were here.  To not be able to get a hold of the manager at the local office is ridiculous.  Also to now have corporate responding to the toxicity of their spray and completely ignoring the fact that I was told differently by the local branch does not leave me satisfied with their service or their response.  Anyone could put together a well written letter showing the company in the best light, however I still have no idea who is giving me the correct answers.  Advertising wise, the letter sounds great.  Answering my questions and complaints she was completely off subject.  A technician, experienced in using the chemicals should have written this letter or should have made the local company aware of what can and cannot be used inside the home.  Obviously, the manager headed for cover and I believe the honest young technician who is most likely newer to the job and the training needed than a man asleep at the office desk, a manager that is looking out for himself as well as a company who just wants to make everything look great for advertising.  I am severely disappointed with the honestly of this company.

  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *******

• Initial Complaint

  04/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On January 23, 2024 American Pest provided service to us. I paid the invoice of $129.79 before the due date, and my bank indicates American Pest was paid the full amount on February 23, 2024. Then I received a call from a collections person who told me I had not paid. After this went on for a time, I offered to pay again by credit card and did on March 28. American Pest sent me a receipt (attached) to show payment. I then cancelled my service, as this is not the first time I have had problems with their billing department. Today, Monday, April 22, I received yet another invoice from American Pest for the January service. It is upsetting to have paid American Pest twice, in fact to be owed money, and now the company duns me for a third time.

  

  Business response

  04/23/2024

  Hi *******, 
  
  I reviewed your account with the billing and collections manager and do want to confirm the invoice you received today regarding the January invoice was in error and it was paid on 3/28. That payment had not been applied to the invoice appropriately, but has no been resolved. I can confirm there is no balance on your account and your account was cancelled as of 04/01/24. We are working to process a refund for the 3/28 payment of $129.79 because you have had to deal with quite a bit of headache since then and we apologize for that. The February payment you mentioned however we aren't seeing any record of in that amount around those dates. If you can share any documentation from your bank regarding the details of this transaction we'd be happy to investigate further and issue a refund for that payment as well. We apologize for this trouble and hope that we can resolve this for you quickly.

  

  Business response

  04/26/2024

  Thank you for sending the additional documentation from your bank. While we've still haven't been able to verify this payment, we are going to issue the additional refund for the full $259.58 since you provided the sample of the bank transaction; it is possible you'll receive 2 separate checks as we had already started the initial refund process on 4/23. We apologize for the trouble and hope that we can provide you with better service in the future. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have Power of Attorney to handle business matter for my parents, ********* *** **** ****. On 3/7/24, my parent's had unauthorized charges from American Pest on their checking account ($67.69 and 71.07). On 3/14/24 I contacted AmericanPest who advised me to dispute these charges with the bank. Charges were disputed and the bank said the charges were authorized by AmericanPest. I advised AmericanPest that the charges were deemed by the bank as authorized charges. I have followed up on phone and via email with AmericanPest six times only to be told they are working on this. AmericanPest should credit these charges to my parents account instead of us having to wait until they can figure out their error.

  

  Business response

  04/10/2024

  Good afternoon,

  Thank you for alerting us to this situation. American Pest strives to provide prompt, courteous, and correct service to all our customers. We apologize for not meeting those standards with your concern. We have refunded the double charges to the credit card and have sent you a letter confirming this adjustment. Please contact me directly to let me know if you are satisfied with this resolution or if you have additional concerns.

  Regards,

  Denise A******

  VP Marketing and Residential Sales

  Customer response

  04/11/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  02/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  $120.20 paid to business on December 26, 2023 (sent electronically from checking). Payment was for Jan. and Feb. Pic with details from bank too large to attach. I can send it if you can allow larger attachment. Payment never confirmed. Waited a month as told. Still never confirmed. Provided confirmation # from bank as requested. Still never confirmed. Waited an additional 72 hours past 41 days. Still never confirmed. American Pest wants 7-10 more days (that could make the total as much as 54 days) while maintaining their customer service data does not reflect Dec. 26 electronic payment. Claims it has a research department, but still has a balance of $60.10 for me in January, which has ALREADY BEEN PAID. I would like immediate confirmation. Wife is VERY ill; I have high blood pressure. I don't have time for 6 phone calls or 8 emails concerning this. Giving American Pest the whole month of January to confirm it had my payment was, in itself, generous. I do realize my Nov./Dec. payment (credit card) was made at approximately the same time, but I have emailed documentation several times showing the difference between the two. May I be credited for Jan./Feb. 2024 NOW. My bank has confirmed that American Pest received the money. I can provide the name and phone number of the bank employee if requested. Any possible schism between American Pest's customer service and billing research departments IS NOT MY FAULT.

  

  Business response

  03/04/2024

  Dear Mr. ********* -

  Our Care Team supervisor, Jolynn P****, confirms that you spoke this morning and sorted out the payment issues. We have refunded you $60.10 for January service and are applying the remaining $60.10 to your March statement. We apologize for the frustration this has caused you and your family and hope that we have resolved the situation to your satisfaction. If you have any further concerns or if you have additional questions about our services, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly at ********@americanpest.net or 301-********* 

  We always try to resolve our customer concerns first, then take care of the back-office miscommunications second, but it is clear we did not do this in your case. We hope that we have, in some small part, redeemed your opinion of our company and services.

  Warm regards,

  Denise A******

  Vice President, Marketing and Residential Sales

  Customer response

  03/05/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *********

• Initial Complaint

  05/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We cancelled the service from American Pest March 21 2022. American Express billed us $174.14 for "March" services in April 2022. I sent that invoice back to American Pest on April 14 clearly marked "Service Cancelled / No More Bills." Additionally, American Pest was neither asked to provide services after February 2022, nor did it provided any services. On May 17, 2022 we received a "past due" invoice from American Pest. We have, again, received no services from American Pest and per our cancellation we want NOTHING to do with this company.

  

  Business response

  05/31/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/05/19) */ We're sorry to hear about this, but totally understand how this could be frustrating. We looked deeper into the account regarding billing/service history, notes from our pest professionals both in the field and on the phone, etc. to get a better understanding of what happened. 1st and foremost, we did go ahead and clear out the outstanding balance that was on the account and it is at $0. Even though we have agreed to clear the outstanding balance, we do want to note a few things that the customer spoke to. Most importantly we just want to share that this isn't a customer experience that we are proud of, nor that we expect. With that said, we apologize for the inconvenience and are working to improve our processes and in turn improve customer experience. 1st the billing challenges, the time to process check payments is unfortunately long as our service area spans a large region and many acquired addresses we have to forward payments from to our main headquarters which can also cause delays. With that said, we do our best to encourage a slice payment solution to make the billing processes as easy as possible. We understand this doesn't work for everyone, but does mean that there can be delays in processing check payments. When it comes to service, we do want to say that we reviewed the service that was stated wasn't completed/charged for in March and confirmed that our representative was at the house(confirmed via GPS) from 4:45pm-5:21pm on 3/23/22. This is also consistent with the service ticket/notes that was entered on 3/23/22 from 4:44-5:14pm (the additional time is consistent with time our pest professionals take to enter their notes regarding what occurred during the service, products used, etc.) Along with this the notes regarding the service states that the representative spoke with the customer and actually treated inside the home(which is also consistent with service timing). Usually when we see discrepancies like what this customer has mentioned, either the timeframe was confused or someone other than the person that spoke to us, worked with the representative and didn't communicate that appropriately. Once again, this is not normal practice, as the goal is to make our customers lives easier, not more difficult. Thank you for taking the time to share feedback with us. Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/05/26) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) As long as there is no more billing, there is no claim of amounts due, and the company makes no attempt to contact us again, we accept the statement.

• Initial Complaint

  03/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received a debt collection letter from ************* from Camarillo,CA account number ****** stating that I owe American Pest $655.78. I contacted American pest to which they confirmed it's a mistake and should have not went to collection. I have had this pest control service for several years and always paid upfront every November for my yearly services. In October 2021 I canceled yearly service. I have a perfect track record and they confirm all this. They have records but they won't release until finance officer contacts me. The issue I have is the finance officer John H****** has not called me after multiple times I try to reach him. I asked the finance debt to resolve this debt collection issue with arm solution. I have received a second letter from the debt collection agency and this will affect my credit. I have no choice but to reach out to BBB to help me resolve this matter since American pest finance office is not contacting me to help resolve this issue with the ****************** company and clear me from this false debt. I also requested for written documentation that specifies that I owe nothing from American pest and *******************. Thank you for your time.

  

  Business response

  04/06/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2022/03/31) */ As of yesterday, Jeffrey our AR manager was able to reach out to the customer and confirm that the balance is now at $0 through both American Pest and the collection agency. It is possible the customer may receive an additional letter if it was mailed prior to the resolution being made, but can be disregarded. Should any further issues arise, please don't hesitate to reach out!

• Initial Complaint

  02/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Where do I start, terrible service and poor customer support. Would avoid this company at ALL cost. This company acquired our previous termite/pest company and everything went downhill from there. They "dropped" my phone calls three times while being transferred and blamed it on their poor phone service. When finally reached a manger, Tonya H*****, she promised to try and resolve my issue at their company meeting and get to me the next day, - yet this was 3 days ago and I haven't heard back from her or anyone else. They refuse to HONOR the contract I signed with our old termite company (1.5 years ago and paid around 2k with yearly $350 maintenance service) saying it was before the acquisition . I paid upfront for all the services provided with the condition to treat the basement at a later time. Fast-forward to now, even though AMERICAN PEST acquired their customer base you'd think they also follow through with the liabilities. The worst part is that it's impossible to reach a decision maker who can actually help as they seem interested in doing so. Do I add that they have raised the price from $350 to $400 within a year for yearly services? Do yourself a favor and take your business somewhere else

  

  Business response

  03/01/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/02/22) */ I am so sorry to hear that you were experiencing this issues. This is by no means a proper representation as to how we regularly do business therefore we understand your frustration. First and foremost, please know that we will be honoring your contract regarding the basement area and are sorry anyone gave you a different impression. We were able to find the agreement on file specifying the treatment of your basement at a later date. I will say that this is an unusual treatment to have in conjunction with termite stations around a homes perimeter, therefore i suspect that may be why our office team was a bit confused. In addition to honoring your agreement, I personally contacted the branch manager of your service area who reviewed the account and is going to have a service manager come to your home to treat and provide you with an overview of your services. We understand that price increases are never ideal, however due to the inflation in costs of materials, staffing, and other commodities essential to your services, we have unfortunately had to raise our prices. You are important to us and we will do everything we can to improve our processes and your customer experience so that you see the value in those services and stay pest(and termite) free. If you continue to have issues, please don't hesitate to reach out and/or send us a message on this listing as the marketing team reviews each and will make sure that you have someone follow up with you! Warmly, Haley D.

• Initial Complaint

  02/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I signed up for quarterly pest service. I am billed monthly $69. My most recent service was scheduled for Wednesday January 26th 2022 for a window of 7am-10am. I made myself available that day so I could let the technician into my house in addition to the outside services. I have several cameras on my property and house and there is no record of the service being provided. I emailed and called and complained and asked a manager to call me back. No one ever called me back. After a week on February 2nd 2022 I called back and was told second hand because the manager was too busy that the manager checked the GPS of the technician and they were at my property for 8 minutes on that date. I have a video record of a family member leaving my house at 8am and they said there was no American pest technician already the residence. The bill I received confirmed the time but there is no record of anyone on my property for the service. I want to be refunded for my quarterly service ($69*4=$276) and if any additional payments occur between now and when this is resolved.

  

  Business response

  02/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/02/07) */ I believe you have since spoke to the service manager of your region regarding the situation. As stated GPS does show that your pest professional was near your home on the day and around the time of the service, we believe that there may have been some confusion and he may have treated the wrong home. We apologize for the inconvenience and have refunded your account. Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/02/07) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) I accept. Refund was received

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩