Critter Control

Critter Control were good and they didn't kill the babies, he took them with him. Their prices are reasonable and they were very helpful. My husband had to speak to the owner about an issue that we had and the owner came on the phone and dealt with the issue which is good.

The family had been hearing occasional noises from the attic and between floors. The night before I was to be gone for 2 weeks, I was kept awake all night by something scurrying between floors. We contacted Critter Control out of the phone book. A representative came and informed us the invaders were mice. He then began an effective high-pressure sales job, portraying the mice as implacable and territorial such that the only possible way to banish them was to have his company install a metal grate under the ridge vents and seal every single little crack in the exterior. He was adamant that once mice entered, they would chew through anything to return. Also, they could do immense damage in days, and doubled their number every three weeks. Since I was leaving the next morning, I agreed and paid by check. During the inspection, he admitted that his goal was "to extract as much money from me as possible." He was certain the mice entered through the ridge vents that had been improperly installed by a roofing contractor a few months before. He agreed to coordinate with them to install the metal grating. I was uneasy about the whole thing, but had to do something right then or wait two weeks. While I was gone, the roofing contractor visited my home, caulked the gaps they saw, closed a place where the siding had come loose, and assured me that the ridge vents were installed properly and had no signs of rodent damage. The roofing contractor described how the Critter Control representative called them and behaved unprofessionally, and warned me that I was being taken by Critter Control. I called Critter Control and told them that I did not want my roof modified. They agreed to continue with the exclusion under those terms. I still did not have a date for the exclusion when I returned, and the noises had ceased after the roofers had visited. I called and cancelled the exclusion since the threat had abated (I believe the siding was the actual entrance), and I had time to deal with the mice myself. Critter Control informed me that they would refund my deposit minus the inspection fee and 25% of the total cost of the job. This amounted to them keeping $850 for a one hour visit and a few phone calls. I told them via email that I considered the amount excessive and that they could keep their inspection fee and $100. They sent me a check for the amount they wanted and kept the rest. Since I had no scheduled date, I believe that no materials were actually purchased for my job. Second, since it was only caulk and mortar at this point, anything that may have been purchased could be used on any other job. In short, he did what he said and extracted as much money from me as possible. Do not call Critter Control. If you call Critter Control, call other pest control companies for alternative estimates. If you still decide to go with Critter Control, pay with a credit card so that you can retain control over your money.

They started our fine (at least the initial phone call). They did eventually get rid of the raccoons; however, once I signed Critter Control's contract and made a claim with my insurance company, it was all down hill after that. Their prices were EXTREMELY out of the market. See below for the breakdown of supposed fees/services. They were supposed to come out on Tuesday, May 1st. They called to reschedule because of an emergency that came up. They were then supposed to come out Thursday, May 3rd. They called to reschedule because they said it was supposed to rain. It ended up only drizzling slightly in the morning. They ended up coming out Wednesday, May 9th. It did rain that day. They sent out two young guys (about 19 & 20 years of age). I had a bad feeling. How could these kids know how to repair duct work, repair a hole in the eaves, and do $5,647 worth of work. Anyway, I let them into the house and assumed that Critter Control (Van) would not send someone out that did not know what they were doing. I went back to the property the very next day. I was immediately concerned because of the condition that the home was left. They left the dumpster bag full of the old insulation in the yard. It took up an area in the yard that was about 10'X10'. The walls were all scuffed up. They left clothing in the bathroom. The air conditioner was left on at 68 degrees and every light was left on in the house. They also broke the back screen door which my husband had to repair. I called my husband to let him know of the condition of the house and he insisted that we not pay them until he had a chance to check the attic to see if they did the repairs. Surprise, Surprise!!!!! The only thing that they did was remove some insulation and blow some more up in the attic. The hole in the eaves was not fixed. The holes in the air ducts were not fixed. We called and were very upset. Van (the owner) of course were only concerned with his money. He kept complaining how he need the money and they would do the job later. I told him that he would do the job right or not get his money. Jeff (with Critter Control) called and came out to look at the property. He said that he knew we had gotten screwed and he would make sure that he sent out the best guys that they had to do the job right. He said that they would take before and after pictures to make sure. He took the invoice that Critter Control had initially left for $5,647 and swept up some trash on the floor with it. He said that the invoice was worthless because he knew that they did NOT do their job. Okay, now on Wednesday, May 16th, they came back out to supposedly do the job right. I met the guys there at 8:30 and asked them again about the before and after pictures. They confirmed that they would be taking pictures. Jeff (with Critter Control) calls me to tell me that the job was completed. He told me that they would need to get paid now. I asked him of the pictures and he said that for some reason, none were taken. I was concerned and told him that my husband would definitely want to look in the attic and check their work before we paid them. They proceeded to call my husband. They reassured him that the job was definitely done and told my husband that he didn't need to go in the attic because it would only mess up their nice level insulation job if he went digging around to find the air duct, etc. just to check their work. I told Jeff again that they would not get paid until we inspected their work and that we could not do that until Saturday (2 more days). He said that was fine. I also told him to keep Van (the owner) off our backs until we were able to inspect and then we would make sure that they got their money. Jeff calls me the very next day (after our conversation). I guess Van (the owner) pressuring him about the money. He started threatening me with late charges, etc. if they did not receive the money immediately. I ended up caving and paying them with my AMEX card. However, I still had this bad feeling that we were being taken advantage of. Well, we just came from the attic to inspect --- GUESS WHAT, of course, there is still a huge hole in the air duct and now they say that they couldn't fix the hole but they did block the raccoon from re-entering the attic. They now say that they will still fix the problem, but now that they have their money -- I wonder how long it will take them. Also, I will have to be in the attic with them and babysit them to make sure that it gets done. All I can say is (1) DON'T sign any paperwork with them, (2) SHOP AROUND, we found out that we could have gotten the job done for $3000 less, (3) If you do have them do any work for you, make sure that you CHECK to see if they did it before you pay them. I have a feeling that they may go out of business, hence, the high pressure to get paid WITHOUT completing their job and LYING to your face.

Inspector very professional, although to do the house very expensive and they try to get you to do everything they recommend. (Almost $9,000 for my house!)