Response from Ehrlich Pest Control
This is going to be a long explanation. Unfortunately there is no specific license or certification required to perform a termite inspection in the state of PA (unless it's a HUD/FHA inspection- the company would need a licence for the NPMA33 form but the incspector still would not be required to be licensed). An inspection firm or pest control operator can employ anybody with minimal in-house training and have them perform these inspections of behalf of their company. I hope you used a reputable company to perform your inspection. We can usually schedule the same or next day but only have a few inspectors who perform these Wood Destroying Organism Inspections and here's why. Since it is the buyer who normally hires the inspector, the seller is usually required to correct anything found during the inspection. The seller is obviously never as concerned about the quality of this corrective service as the buyer. Since the seller is free to use anybody to perform the work, the lowest price provider usually gets the business. Some pest control firms base a large percentage of their business on finding problems on these inspections and selling corrective services to the sellers. These companies usually offer very low rates for the inspections ($50-$75) in hopes of finding and selling the corrective termite or carpenter ant services. Ehrlich's prices are very competitive but we are not the lowest price contractor. Therefore, our termite inspections are priced so we can cover our costs for the actual inspection and administrative processes. Therefore we get few calls for these inspections and only have a few inspectors who have met our stringent qualifications to do them. They just all happened to be busy with other customers and couldn't get to you within your window. I'm glad you found someone who could. We require that every inspector gets individually licensed through the PA state Department of Agriculture. They are required to complete the Purdue University course in Pest Control Technology. There is in-house training that also needs to be completed. Lastly, before they perform their first solo inspection, they must accompany another licensed inspector on 20 inspections. We take these inspections very seriously because we know that a house is one of the biggest investments you'll ever make. I am just stating the reasons why our staffing and availability might have cause us to fall short of your expectations and needs. I certainly am not trying to alarm you about the lax industry standards and requirements for these inspections, just explaining how they affect my staffing decisions. However, if it does cause you doubt in the thoroughness of the inspection you received, we would be happy to schedule a free, no obligation inspection to assure that nothing was missed. Keep in mind that even if we would uncover a problem, the original inspector has absolutely no liability as these inspections carry no warranty. I hope you read my explanation and understand that the 50+ employees who work for Ehrlich rely on our reputation to grow our business and get new customers. Receiving an F without ever having the opportunity to perform any work for you sure seems harsh but it is your right as an Angie's List member. If I can assist further, please call me. Tom Moeller, District Manager 412-771-8888