Critter Control of Columbus

Excellent -- Everyone I encountered at Critter Control (Jeremy C, Mary, & Pam by phone; Zach B was the onsite tech) was professional and their billing was clearly articulated. Outstanding -- Zach set traps late afternoon on a Tuesday and within 4 hours, a raccoon on was trapped on the roof. With the noise it made rattling the cage, I thought it would "rock the boat" right off the roof (it didn't and shouldn't happen b/c of securing wire, but it wasn't for lack of trying...all...night). Fantastic -- I had to leave the property for an extended trip before sunrise, but I saw the critter. What I did not know was that a second, much larger(!) raccoon was trapped at ground level. No Drama -- While I was still out of town, Zach was responsive and provided photos and follow-up reports to me and CCC handled the billing just the way I asked. When I returned, the silence was golden!

I called about a groundhog that had been visiting my yard and wanted it trapped and removed before it tried to cause any damage. Steve came out and was very thorough and professional. He laid 3 traps using his experience and the information I was able to provide about where I'd seen the groundhog retreating. He did an inspection of the outside premises too, which, although I get that's part of their deal, I didn't think was necessary. I live in a new house, so I was very unlikely to need anything, which Steve confirmed. He recommended that I cover an outside vent to ward off birds--true. Yet, I think the cost of this just to come out unless you live in an older home or one that hasn't been sealed lately, is overkill. The next day, the groundhog was captured and the traps removed. A couple of days later, I saw another one which was not the same groundhog, but a smaller one. I'm not sure if they actually trapped that one because I stopped getting status notes after a week or so, but received an email stating that my work order was closed. That wasn't particularly great, but I haven't seen the groundhog and appreciated their diligence in checking the traps every day. Service was very good, albeit quite expensive.

Steve came over within a few hours and explained the process. he's a very good communicator and a fun guy. He did a great job setting three humane traps, explaining the process and checking our house for possible places critters could get into our home. Our groundhog was caught within one day, and Steve came out a few hours later to pick him up and leave some cardboard in the opening to the groundhog’s tunnel. He left the other traps for two more days to see if there were additional groundhogs on the property. On the third day, he saw the cardboard had not been disturbed, so he knew there were no additional groundhogs. Then he put wire mesh and concrete into the burrow to seal up the entrance, and he removed the rest of the traps. We’re very pleased with the service. Highly recommend!

I was not shown the service agreement when I signed the credit card agreement at the first house call. I was under the presumption, that as long as they kept trapping raccoons, that they would keep the traps there. 2 weeks went by (well less than 2 weeks honestly, because the traps are closed for 3 nights over the weekend, and raccoons mostly go out at night). The traps were removed after those "2 weeks" and we were not notified. They were also just using marshmallows in the traps, which didn't seem to be working. My boyfriend called and filed a complaint, and got them to give us a "grace period" with the traps. When they put the traps out this time, they only put one out at first. So it was like they were trying NOT to trap the raccoons. After the first night with still no raccoon, I took it upon myself to bait the trap myself with leftover muffin. And sure enough, we caught one right away! We caught 3 raccoons in a row, with the bait I used. Then after a few days, they removed the traps again, without telling us. There is STILL scratching in our walls. So it seems like we had a whole family in there. My boyfriend called and left a message for them, wanting to speak to a manager, and no one has called us back. They really lack in communication with their customers. And they make sure that you pay that expensive up front fee. So now, we probably have to start all over with a different company

I submitted an inquiry through their website and received a call back about an hour later (very impressed by this, as I had called someone else first thing in the morning and hadn't received a response yet). We scheduled our appointment for the following afternoon. The technician called to let us know he was coming and he arrived shortly thereafter. He inspected the house for the dead animal. We had thought the smell was coming from our attic, however, when he inspected the attic, there was no smell and no sign of any animals (bummer!). He informed us that he could cut a hole in the wall at the approximate location of the smell, but that it would be guesswork and it would be a sizeable hole in the wall, which he is not authorized to repair. Upon hearing this information, we decided to put up with the smell until it goes away (also a bummer!). We're pretty sure it was at least 1 squirrel that got trapped in our vaulted ceiling after we repaired a hole in the roof. There is no access to that part of the attic, as there's only a few inches of space between the ceiling and the roof... just enough for a squirrel. While I was disappointed at the results of the appointment, Critter Control was very responsive and thorough in their inspection. I appreciated them coming out, even though they couldn't remove the source of the smell.

I would use them in the future again. The price was a little high. They're very responsive.

My rather hard to please husband was more than pleased with the professionalism, the price, and the results. Bye, Bye mice.

Friendly and informative. Punctual for first meeting, checked traps daily, and left reports following each visit.

After noticing noises and evidence of raccoons on our roof, we called Critter Control to inspect the attic, chimney and roof, and to advise on extent of situation including removal of any resident raccoons and repair of damage. The first technician inspected all areas and located the point of entry for the raccoon. After inspecting the attic, the technician reported that the raccoon was only in the chimney and proceeded to nail a live trap to our roof and bait it. Additionally, the technician placed a temporary screen on top of our chimney to track any additional attempts by the raccoon to re-enter our house. When the weekend arrived, the trap was wired open because Critter Control will not pick up animals on weekends unless we pay an extra fee. That Sunday morning, the raccoon entered the trap, ate the bait, and left. After resetting the trap with more bait, we had no activity for a few days. The technician also presented a list of recommended repairs needed to animal proof our home which included an additional $99 fee for replacing the cap on our chimney and using wire screens in several places around the house exterior. This included an approximate estimate of $400 to place screens behind the louver vents in the attic - which incidentally already have screens in place. Completely by coincidence, we were having our roof and insulation inspected for any winter damage. The roofer noted and documented that raccoon activity in our attic was extensive and included damage between the chimney and exterior wall of our house. Our insulation was destroyed in several places and it was obvious to the roofer that the raccoon had been living in the attic for several months. None of this was reported to us by the initial Critter Control technician. After complaining, a second technician was sent out to our home. He noted that the first technician missed all of the signs of the raccoon inhabitant including a significant raccoon latrine and damage to insulation throughout our attic. The second technician baited the roof trap with cat food. My husband decided to set a second trap that he borrowed from a friend. This trap was placed on our deck and over the course of four nights, we trapped two raccoons. The roof trap didn't succeed in trapping any animals. We were charged approximately $85 to remove each raccoon plus the $199 service fee and $99 for a screen chimney cap. The total bill was just about $480 and we did half the work ourselves. Because of the raccoon(s) ran loose throughout our attic, we have to have all of the insulation replaced. We turned in a claim to our insurance company. Even though Critter Control offers abatement, cleaning, and insulation installation, we opted to go with a licensed contractor to make the repairs. Also of note, the second technician stated that our vaulted ceilings wouldn't require removal to access the ruined batted insulation. In order to properly remove, clean, and reinstall the insulation, the ceilings have to be removed (according to our insurance adjuster and contractor). Even though the service was prompt, punctual, and friendly, and they checked the traps every day, I can't recommend using Critter Control again because of our experience. We were lead to believe that the $199 service call included trapping of one raccoon and repair to the chimney cap. We had to pay additional fees for the cap and removal of trapped animals. Because the raccoons had been present since the autumn, we can't blame Critter Control for the damage. We just felt that they were negligent in their initial inspection and that more could have been done to remove the raccoons quicker.

I really liked the way they took care of the problem, they use live traps.

Every business day, a kind and polite representative came to check the trap and, if I was home, check in with me about my exact preferences and whether I wanted to continue. (Part of the charge is so much per animal.) I got the impression that this man knows and enjoys and cares about his work; it's more than the way he earns a living. At one point, a neighbor stole one of the traps. This would have cost me an additional $99 (fair enough; it wasn't Critter Control's fault), if I had not managed to get the trap back. I suggest that anyone using an outdoor trap attach it, with something like a bike lock, to the house or some other hard-to-steal object.

I have a contract with them. First it was every two months, now its every three months. They've put little traps around the house on the outside and I haven't had any problems since they've been coming out. They are very professional. They act like they know what they are doing when they come out. They usually call when they are coming.

They did an excellent job, above and beyond.

Traps were set three different times. and a chipmunk was caught each time. Chipmunk #2 was the troublemaker.

It went great! Although Steve was stung twice in the hand, but took being stung in stride - as all part of the job. A few hours after he put down the powder, the bee activity had died down, and I had no trouble being out in the yard, walking to the mailbox, using reasonable caution to avoid the nest area. Although he said I could see a few bees the next few days, by the next morning, I never saw another bee flying into or out of the ground nest. The powder he put down was specific to the bee ground nest spot so as to avoid as much as possible killing other beneficial insects. He came back on Thursday and checked the spot and there was no activity. He said to call if I did see activity and they would come back and re-treat that spot.

As far as the representative, he really was very thorough, professional and kind. The concern is not with him at all, it is with all the hidden costs and the confusing forms. Also, you assume responsibility if the employee gets hurt while performing their duties.

From the first meeting, Critter Control was friendly and professional. My attic is a difficult space and the damage was quite extensive. They inspected the area, took pictures, and had a quote withine 24 hours. Compared to other quotes, their cost was slightly lower but the degree of professionalism would have persauded me to higher them if if their cost was higher.They arrive on time, cleaned up after themselves, and worked with my schedule to get the job done. If anyone is ever unfortunate to have racoonslive in their attic for an extended period of time, Critter Control is the company to call.

The first employee who came out for extra on a Sunday wasn't super helpful. The second worker that we worked with was very helpful and answered out questions etc

Critter control came out to perform an estimate to remove a bird nest from under our gutter and replace the fallen soffit. They provided an estimate of $99 for nest removal, $399 to put the soffit piece back up, and several other optional charges for different roof screens. The estimate alone was $170 and is not applied to the total bill. When I asked the receptionist why the estimate was so expensive, she stated that the estimate was very thorough and covered the cost of the serviceman to come back out and perform the services. I would have assumed that cost was included in the $500+ breakdown, but either way I was not impressed. We hired another reputable company to complete the job and saved hundreds.

Had a woodpecker on our chimney. Had Critter Control come out and take a look. They installed Mylar tape to deter the woodpecker from coming back and patched the holes the woodpecker had made.

Before critter control does work on your house they insist on charging you a $170 inspection fee. I found that exuberant but paid it because we had a credit with critter control as part of the sale of our house (long story). The inspection turned up a lot of stuff, which was great. When we went to do the work, we were charged the inspection fee a second time. However, a second inspection was not done nor was it necessary. In short, we paid $340 in "inspection" addition to over $1000 dollars we paid for actual work. I find this completely unethical and would NOT recommend them to anyone. I will NOT be using critter control in the future.

Overall, I give Critter Control an A. I would recommend Critter Control to my friends. Very quickly I got an estimate, but then the serviceman quit the company. It took a while for another serviceman to come to provide my service. He was doing his job and trying to catch up on the contracts of the other person. However, the mouse proofing outside my home was done very professionally and the varmint guards look great. And he was very professional on the phone while answering all my questions and concerns.

The person answering the phone was knowledgeable & helpful. The technician arrived on time and was very professional and thorough; set traps outside for the raccoon(s) in my attic and for the mice in the basement and evaluated how they were getting in and what was needed to prevent further issues. One raccoon was caught; an additional $79 to remove. There were reasonable additional costs for repairs which appeared to be well performed & we have had no further problems.

The gentleman was punctual, courteous, and got the job done. Happily the squirrel was returned to the wild uninjured. Everyone was happy, especially the squirrel.

It was great, no animals. A bit pricey for 3 animals.