SMITHEREEN PEST MANAGEMENT SERVICES

I called them on Wednesday - Dave came out Thursday and inspected the roof, eaves and other exterior parts of our house. When he went in the attic he found evidence of mice and pointed out the signs to me. I was relieves to know that he noise we were hearing was from mice and not squirrels or chipmunks. He suggested using old-fashioned mouse traps also.

Found 3 water bugs -aka Oriental cockroaches- in condo basement. Past pest control Co. overused sprays and we sought safer IPM methods. The woman who answered initial call expertly answered questions. The technician was scheduled quickly for consultation. The frst emailed proposal was too broad (i.e. covered all kinds of pests) but after several emails, the revised proposal was acceptable and sensible. I faxed a signed proposal and that's when things slowed down. After 3 days with no response, I called to set up appointment. On day of appointment, it took several phone calls until the technician arrived more than 2 hours late. Once he was there, he was professional and efficient.

I made my initial call in the early morning and didn't hear back until late in the day. We set an appointment for the following week. I discovered I needed to reschedule and called the technician back. He never returned any of my three messages. I called Smithereen, and they said that all they could do was transfer me to his cell. I told Smithereen I would be looking for another exterminator, and they were completely nonplussed.

I called them on a Saturday and spoke with someone there who said they'd call me on Monday to schedule the appointment. They never called me back. I figured if they didn't call me back when they said they would that's not a good sign with respect to their overall responsiveness and professionalism. I ended up using a different company from Angie's list that called me back when they said they would.

Work was quick, efficient and did the trick.

We discovered we had a family of raccoons living in the eaves of our dormer. We checked the List and then called Smithereen. The only glitch was that we made the initial call to the service desk one evening, knowing the office opens at 8 a.m. but didn't hear back by noon; when we called back it turned out the service desk had contacted the technician but he was having cell phone issues. After that call he got back to us within 15 minutes. From then on it was great. The technician (Dave) explained the price structure and what typically needs to be done when you have raccoons in your house, as well as a few extra precautions we could take for the future. He came out and set traps exactly when he said he would, and then picked up the traps promptly once we trapped critters. He did a thorough outside inspection of the house and the roof and informed us of the entry point and also other potential entry points. We opted for some extras (caging over vulnerable vents, etc.) We went out of town one weekend while we were still trapping raccoons; Dave's colleague Kevin was just as responsive and helpful. Smithereen was a bit more expensive than other local wildlife services but in the end, we think it was worth it and would recommend them to anyone else having a wildlife issue. The prices were reasonable compared to other local providers,

They were good. They had a wild life person called Mr Dave Frederick who is based out of Nile, Illinois. I had just moved and my cat was totally freaked out. I could not find her. Dave had something similar happen to him so he was very understanding. He gave me great advice and assured me that everything would work out fine. He said the best chance of success is to cut her off the food for 2 days. He set the trap and I checked it in a couple of hours and she was in it. I was thrilled. It was tremendous and he was awesome. They were very responsive. I chose them because they were on the angies list. I would use them and recommend them to people. I would literally ask for Mr. Dave Frederick the next time.

I contacted them via e-mail over the weekend and received a call first thing Monday morning. They were out in the afternoon and promptly set to work to remove this very decayed possum body lodged under the floor of my kids treehouse. With the $25 discount coupon through Angie's List, I was relieved at having this smell finally gone and didn't feel ripped off with the price. I'd call them anytime though they usually remove live animals!

I used to use another pest control company which was bought my Smithereen. I went with them again as I had used them before. They first did an inspection and measured the areas to be treated and based their equipment. I then made an appointment for the crew to come. They were very busy at this time. 2 people came to do the work and they were here for about 5 hours. They told me what they were doing and finished their work. They were good. You realize this after they finish the work. They have done different kind of work as well before in my house.

He climbed up there and got into the hole and removed the animal from there. We were scared to get in there and see what it was. He was great and really fast.

The inspector from Smithereen arrived promptly, was professional and friendly. He inspected my mattress for bed bugs, turning it around and over, and carefully examining all of the seams. He had a screwdriver and flashlight, and took off wall plates for both electric sockets as well as light switches, using the flashlight to search for even the smallest evidence. (This would be the tell-tale black f****, which look like black mold spots. Or even a live bug or a molt.) He inspected the wood mouldings around the floor boards, the door frame and window frames. He checked the drapes, the corners of the room, carpet edges...everywhere. Then we went to the living room where he turned over the couch and the arm chairs, diligently checking the cushion seams. Still nothing. Just for good measure, he also checked the rarely-used guest bedroom, as well as a suitcase I had recently used for travel. I asked him many questions about the prevalence of bed bugs in the Chicago area, what he had been hearing, trends, and so on. He was very well informed, answered all of my questions satisfactorily, and by the time he left, I was so relieved he hadn't found anything, I nearly cried (only people who have suffered through bed bugs would understand why.) I was so paranoid, I planned to have him come back 6 weeks later to doublecheck. However it's been 4 months, and I haven't seen any evidence of bed bugs, and nary a bite, so I've decided I don't need to have a reinspection. A week after my inspection, a good friend from Oak Park called and described bite symptoms (she thought she had hives, as I had thought myself.) I recommended she call Smithereen, which she did, and she was also impressed with their service (and fortunately it was a false alarm.) Bed bugs are not something to mess around with! Few people are able to deal with them successfully on their own. I agree with the various forums and advice I've read: you will save a lot of time, hassle, expense and especially sanity if you go with a professional. I was glad I went with Smithereen. I think their charges were extremely reasonable.

very well. worked quickly, and knowledgeable.traps were set on outside so he didn't need access to house except for first day when it was raining.

I called Smithereen on 3/30/09 requesting service for ants. I was told they would have to check the tech's availability and would call me by 5 pm that day. I rec'd that call, but it was to say they wouldn't know any availability for two days (4/1/09). Although I was very disappointed that I did not receive a return call, I thought I would give them another chance. On 4/10/09 I called again to ask when someone would come to my home, and was told I could have someone there by noon that day. The tech arrived, but all he did was assess the situation and write up a quote. I'd have to call AGAIN to schedule an actual service call. I made that call on 4/14/09 and was told a tech would be at my house between 8:00 and 8:30 on Thursday, 4/16/09. Guess what? I'm still waiting for the tech to arrive. I called Orkin instead and they came to my home and provided service within 24 hours. I don't know how you can call yourself a service company when you provide no service to the customer. I wanted to give you a try since you have a location in my neighborhood, but unfortunately, that plan backfired on me.

Their work is excellent; we have had no pest control problems since they were hired and their price increases are minimal. If you want quality work with competitive pricing they are the company for you.

He came out the next day we called. He found baby birds in the attic, but couldn't remove that day. He came back 1 week later to remove, remain and seal the entrance.

They were quite responsive and very professional, however they could not come out that day. We found someone who could, but I felt very good about Smithereen as well.

I called Smithereens to request the removal of a dead squirrel from my attic fan. Within a few hours, I heard from Dave, but since I was on my way to work I couldn't meet him at the house. He offered to drop by my house anyway, take a look from the outside, and if possible, remove the squirrel via the roof and disinfect the area. His estimate was $150.00, unless the squirrel was alive in which case it would be more (don't remember the figure). I told him my teenage son might be home when he arrived, and I called my son to let him know someone would be climbing on the roof! After work, I listened to the cell-phone message from Dave explaining that he'd done the job and that I could call the office to arrange credit card payment. He recommended that I consider a gate-like cover which would be "bullet proof" protection against another incident, for $175.00. When I arrived home, my son told me Dave had come to the door, introduced himself, and explained what he was doing. A few weeks later, Dave installed the cover. I was impressed by his well-groomed and very polite manner. And I was impressed by the his willingness to do the job so quickly in the first place, without meeting me in person or having any real guarantee I'd pay up. The price seemed reasonable; I'd first called another company which estimated $325.00 for the removal only.

We used Smithereen three years ago for a mouse problem and we were given excellent service. They were the first company that came to mind when we noticed an ant problem. We called them and they told us that someone would call us that day between 3:30 and 5:00 to set up an appointment. No one called. We called them the next day and they told us that someone would call us between 8:30 and 9:30 to set up an appointment. No one called. We called the third day and they told us that someone would call us between 9:00 and 10:00. No one called. I called at 10:30 and told the woman who answered that this was my third and last phone call to them and that I had tried to get them to come out because we had been pleased with the work earlier. She told me that she would radio or call the manager immediately and that she would tell him what I had said. Then she told me that she would connect me with his voice-mail so I could tell him myself. She put me on hold and when she came back she told me she would connect me. I waited on the line and a loud beeping sound came on and then I was disconnected. Because I had been so disappointed with the service thus far, I did not attempt to call back. Instead I called A-Plus Pest Control Inc. They came out the same day and professionally completed the work.

They had an expertise about termite and were very knowledgeable.

The estimate was high for work that would be done mostly by us.

They did a good job but it's not a matter that they didn't do their job, only that the system was not effective. They did exactly what they said they were going to do and what they were supposed to do but it just isn't very effective if you only have one or two mice. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't hire any pest control company. Though, I would hire them again if I had a heavy infestation.

I found their name on Angie's List. We were able to schedule an appointment the same day. They were very efficient and thorough. I was very impressed with the service and how professional they were.

Smithereen responded within hours of my call and brought the trap. They inspected the hole used by the animal, and looked at the fresh footprints found along the side of my house. Based on the footprints, it was most likely a skunk and they acted accordingly. The animal wasn't under the stoop that day, so wasn't trapped. Smithereen came back to pick up the trap and closed off the area. All activities were conducted in a professional manner, and they gave me tips on what to watch for to prevent a recurrence.

I have been using them for over eight years and I think that they are great. When I have a problem they come right away, their prices are competitive and they always send the same guy to my house.

The previous owners had termites and they used to use this company, so when we moved in we just continued the contract. I like them because they are very professional and I have no termites, so I'm satisfied.