Western Exterminator

Work done on a vacation home so they are seldon there when we are and thus the interior only gets done about once a year. Main pests are mice, ants, flys, lady bugs and controls work fairly well. I notice that the agent has moved the under house bait stations near the crawl space door so he doesn't have to crawl under the house. When asked about it claims that the service is adequate. A large house without a colid foundation so I have felt the need to install my own bait stations thru the underhouse vents to get the coverage I want. So much for service in out of the way locations(lace of competition).

The work went fine. Some large pieces of furniture went over the air ducts and they did the best they could to remove them.

The work went fine. The person who came was on time but I was concerned that he did not have a protective suit on him. The quality of work was good.

They do a great job and they are friendly. They come when they say they are going to come and they use non-toxic products, which we appreciate. They take a little longer to work than the toxic stuff, but I prefer that. I just manage the property and I don’t pay the bills. My guess of the cost is around $200 but I’m not sure.

I found Alpha from a coupon in the newspaper. They've finally gotten rid of the little soil ants in my house and I haven't seen any rats in awhile.

The day after my quarterly pest control service by Alpha, we suddenly began to notice fruit flies in our kitchen (a new problem). I was able to arrange for another visit from Alpha to address this. Their technician told me that the fruit flies had probably come in through air leaks around doors or windows, and he sprayed a pesticide around all the windows and exterior doors. He also recommended spraying our crawlspace (at an additional $229), in case they had gained access that way. Because the flies were so annoying, and I was anxious for a fix, I agreed. After he had left, I noted that the flies seemed to be coming from our pantry, and with some searching, I found a rotten potato that had apparently rolled under a shelf, and was the source of the flies. I cleaned it up and sprayed the pantry with Raid. I emailed Alpha, suggesting that they should have thought to look around (or suggest that I look around) for an inside source of the fruit flies, such as where food is stored (obviously I should have thought of this too, but they are the professionals). I was called back by their Customer Care (no name given) and told, somewhat defensively, that the perimeter and crawlspace treatments were the proper management, even of a source of flies such as mine. I asked if that would have taken care of the problem even if I had not found and removed the rotten potato, and was told, “Yes, exactly, because they will come in contact with the entry points that he had treated for.” I asked if that was really correct, since the nearest area of treatment was about 30ft away from the rotten potato, and “even though the potato would continue to be a source of more flies until it was removed?” The annoyed answer was, “Sir, I’ve repeated that several times.” I asked if she was sticking by that. “That’s correct.” I have been an Alpha client for over a decade, and somehow had expected at least an apology for missing the source of the problem, and possibly even a discount on the bill for services, especially the crawlspace treatment, which clearly was not needed. Instead I was told the ridiculous story summarized above. The service I received was incompetent and ineffective, and I was sold an expensive treatment that was not needed.

I had found 4 silver fish in my home and mouse droppings in my garage and called Alpha. They came out on time and examined the outside of my home, the garage and the underground crawl space. It was reported to me that I had "extensive mouse infestation: 200-500 mice" living in my underground crawl space and that the under-flooring insulation and ground vapor barrier were heavily soiled. It was recommended that the area be baited and then the insulation and vapor barrier removed at a cost of $3,047.89 to remove this possible health hazard. This pest company performs pest control and also hires temps to do the extensive insulation removal work. The work was scheduled to be performed two days after the initial visit. This cost would not include re-installation of new insulation and vapor barrier: it was recommended that I wait up to a year to have that installation scheduled to be sure the mice problem was eliminated.----After the technician left my home, I began researching mice infestation, insulation removal, health concerns, and everything else connected to this visit. I also found that in recalulating my crawl space square footage that the technician had computed the number in excess of the actual space. I decided to call an A-rated Angie's List pest company for a second opinion, and I'm ever so glad I did. That company saved me approximately >$5,000 in the work they completed for me and in the professional information they gave me about my mice situation.

I contacted Alpha to help with a minor sugar ant infestation and a wasp nest. The technician showed up on time and successfully removed the wasp nest from our home. He applied ant pesticide inside and outside our home. Within a few days of application the house was swarming with ants. I contacted the company about this. The company representative assured me that this was normal and that the infestation would disappear within 30 days. 30 days and a few phone calls later, the infestation was much worse. They offered to retreat the home for a standard “contract” fee of $99. Apparently they do not guarantee their work. I declined a second treatment, as I have found a company that will retreat for free if their application isn’t successful.

We used Alpha many times for approximately 15 years. We first used them to treat carpenter ants at our home annually for several years (until we moved). We also had hired them several times to treat rentals for cockroaches, and every time they had been successful. I repeat: we had never before had to call them back to re-treat after their 2-treatment roach service. We had found them to be responsive, to inform us completely about their services and products, and to be reasonably priced. However, this last experience was so bad that, sadly, we will not use them again. Long story short, I contacted them last fall to treat a vacant rental for cockroaches. After 4 treatments between Sept. 23, 2008 and Feb. 5, 2009, we ended up in a dispute with Alpha over the cost of the service, whether or not they guaranteed their work, and - worst of all - their failure to rid the rental of cockroaches. We had paid $199 for the first treatment service (2 treatments 2 weeks apart) and believed that they had told us that they would return at no additional charge if roaches returned within 6 months. When roaches did appear again, Alpha treated the unit twice more without mentioning an additional charge, and then sent us a second bill for $199 (which we refused to pay). They finally did cancel the second bill for $199 and returned our money ($199) for the first service, so in the end we spent zero. But it took several months, many phone calls and several letters to get them to respond. The people we spoke to - representatives and supervisors - were always polite and apologetic, but they insisted that only their department manager could make these decisions and for some time he refused to cancel the additional charges let alone refund the first payment. We regret that things turned out this way, but perhaps Alpha has gotten too big to provide the level of wonderful service they gave us years ago. (As for the roaches, one of our employees eventually figured out how to treat the problem successfully.)

In my original report, I was very unhappy with the technician that came and performed the services, but the company (in particular, Tami, in Customer Service) contacted me and made a superior effort in helping to resolve my issues. She had another technician come out to see the problem and he was able to find the problem. Although, they could not fix our problem (access to one duct was limited by the foundation and pipes), they did try. They also offered to extend the rodent control. With the extra effort, I have to commend them and give them a better grade.

Matt (Vancouver ,WA office) was the Exterminator sent out to give me a quote. Very clean cut and polite. I told him right off that I was a member of Angie's List. I did read the reviews which were mixed, so I decided to try for a quote and to make up my mind then. When I learned that he would be the one doing the work I decided to go ahead based on my impression of him. He was amazingly thorough and I have no complaints at all. Matt was great, from the little booties over his boots, to him helping me fix the crawlspace access, which was jammed. He explained the difference in ants and what I was seeing. When he came out of the crawlspace he told me that some of the insulation is falling down and I should have someone fix it for me. I appreciated the information, but really the best part was his assuring me that I do not have termites or carpenter ants. I'd had a flying ant appear in the bathroom and just KNEW that meant something BAD! I can't believe how relieved I am now. He paid extra attention to any place I'd seen ant activity and now I have no ants. I was apprehensive when he said I might still see some activity where he had baited, but I've not seen one ant at all, but then I hadn't see that many to begin with. Except that I learned ants will nest in a nice warm printer. Who knew? I would recommend Matt again, and have. If I had any hint of the issues others here have had, then I would drop using them immediately. I'm also sensitive to fumes and suffered no ill effects from anything they did. Oh and the price should have been $179 but I had a $25 coupon from the 'Green Living' convention/show.

I originally called for carpenter ant control. The techinician reported evidence of mice in my crawl space. The technician recommended an expensive treatment for mice control that included removing all the insulation in the crawl space and removing and replacing the visqueen layer and cleaning the ductwork. The method used for controlling the carpenter ants included drilling holes in my house, every 19 inches and injecting spray. I've since consulted with two other pest control companies that use a newer method that does not involve drilling holes in your house. I don't believe there is any 'ecological' benefit from this company either. They are still using pesticides, despite their name. This company told me Decon would not work to get rid of the mice. I had another inspection performed and I really don't have much of a mouse problem in the crawl space, and yes, Decon is effective. This company would have charged me $3800 for the full treatment and did charge me $633 for the treament they performed. Based on subsequent bids, I could have had that work done for $300, 1/2 a much, with no holes in my house. I will never use this company again.

This was a very frustrating experience. they came and sprayed for the ants- we picked this company based on the more natural methods they use. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. Our house was swarming (I mean the walls literally looked like they were moving!) for 3 months after the treatment. I called and asked for them to come again, and they said this was a normal timeframe. The problem is that when the ants finally petered out, this was the time of year in the past they they normally do so, so I couldn't attribute it to the treatment. Then the company kept showing up at my door for a quarterly treatment- one I never signed up for. It was a headache to have to keep clarifying that. It would have cost a ton of money for them to keep coming out for the quarterly treatments, and after seeing how the first one went, I could hardly say it would have been worth it or justified. Now the ants are in full force again this year, and I will find another company to help me out.

Technician was on-time; came in and did an inspection for carpenter ants. After inspection, he did a perimeter treatment and also drilled small holes and treated inside the siding. Very happy with the service, although it seems a bit spendy. We also signed up for quarterly service; they sent a nice reminder card for the next date of service.

They were grumpy when I called them back to tell them not all of the bugs were gone. They berated me and said that it was my fault when I wouldn't let them into the house to spray under the sinks. They didn't explain to me earlier that I needed them to spray under the sinks but I didn't feel comfortable letting them into my house.

I have done a 3 year service with them before and did call them out for additional treatments. They were always very friendly and accommodating. They are professional when here.

I called and got great information on the phone from a friendly technician, and scheduled an appointment. They gave the typical 3 hour time window and I stayed at home during that entire time and they never showed up and never called to say they were running late. I called the office and they said he was running so late he could not come today. And the worst part was they could not reschedule for another 2 weeks! They offered no apology and said they had no way to help my emergency bug problem, even though I had a scheduled appt. that they did not show up for!

When I called them I had only seen one mouse, after they came to spray a week later there were way more mice. When I called them to come back they said they would not come back for 30 days. I felt like the person I talked to did not care at all. I found a carpenter ant nest and when I called they told me that they will not come back for 28 more days regardless of what has transpired. I had to resort to having a friend come out to set mouse traps. Alpha said that my pests issues would be completely taken care of. They said they had a three month guarantee. When I called today they said that means they will come back in three months, but they will not give me my money back. They sounded so great and that their chemicals did not hurt your pets. When a man finally came out to put out more mouse bait he said they used something very similar to DECON. The method of getting rid of the ants is very old and ineffective. They were supposed to spray all around the inside and outside of the house and did not. I felt like everyone I talked to was nasty and rude to me. I am in shock that I was treated this way.

Arrived on time, did the work with minimal disruption to our home, and the ants are gone. We purchased a three year plan and we had no problems scheduling the second and third treatments.

They told me the product would take about a month to work, after a month I called to tell them that it didn't work. They told me to wait and I called back again and they said that it was too late for them to come back. I finally just went to my local grocery store and purchased a bottle of Ecological pest control and was able to take care of it.

Alpha Ecological/Proven Air was originally out to our house to clean our ducts. The first technician was very nice, seemed knowledgeable, and after examining our crawl space (including duct work and insulation) decided our current pest-control company was doing a decent job of keeping the mouse problem under control. I called Proven Air back to clean our dryer vents out because of a smell in our laundry room that I thought might be mice in the vents. This technician questioned the first assessment of our situation and asked to see our crawlspace. He said our insulation was urine and dropping saturated which accounted for the odor in our house and recommended the mouse specialist come by to have a look after telling me that it would probably cost around $4000 to tear out and replace all of the existing insulation. The "mouse specialist" came by, took digital pictures of our crawlspace that he shared with me but were too small to reveal any detail, and confirmed the 2nd technician's assessment that we had what amounted to an infestation. The estimate he provided was just about $4500 but he said he'd take off what I had paid for duct and vent cleaning bringing the new estimate to $3900. When asked how he arrived at the figure, he said he had estimated the square footage of our crawlspace based on the square footage of our house. In the meantime, he had found a dead vole and evidence of its burrowing in our side yard. He showed it to me and when I asked why it looked so much like a mouse, he said its tail was shorter. He said Alpha could take up our pest control problem as well so I signed up for monthly maintenance on the spot, which was a mistake. The following day I had a new pest control company come out, the man spent an hour at my house investigating my problem and Alpha's claim of an infestation and concluded that on a scale of 1 to 10, our mouse problem was maybe a 2. He confirmed we definitely had mice in the crawl, but that the activity looked older as a result of the bait used by our previous pest control company. He found a few possible entry points to the crawlspace that needed to be patched up but said in no way did the situation require even a portion of the removal and replacement of the insulation. Furthermore, he identified the vole as, in fact, a mouse and its burrowing as that of a mole, which we've had problems with before. The Alpha tech had left the vole where he found it, about which I later questioned him, and he said he had left it "for the neighbor hood cat to bat around seeing as it wasn't diseased or anything." I have 2 small children, whom he met, that are constantly playing in our yard so this was totally unacceptable. I am appalled by the whole situation, the conflicting assessments by different techs and finally the $4000 estimate based on "an infestation" that had me really concerned about our crawlspace and house. I will not be using Alpha for pest control or anything else ever again.

Service was completed on the main home and was successful. Still no signs of bugs on the main home (after over a week). I called, however, within two days of the service to request a return visit for a nearby out-building which was then attracting the banished bugs. I left a message the first day as their computer system was down. The next day, I called back and explained the situation again, and that the return was critical as this building is frequented by clients of my home business. I have yet to receive a call after a week.

This company guarantees their work, but most of all they were anxious to find the source of the ants, and not merely spray around the inside and outside of my home hoping to kill something by accident. Their original estimate included only the ant problem. They also found mice, which I asked them to deal with. They charged a little extra for returning the insulation to its proper location.

The work was done quickly. The guy was running about 30 minutes late and gave a call to let us know.

Two days later, a poisoned dying animal fell into the wall behind my bed. I called on a Saturday. If I was a new customer, I could have talked to a sales rep, but since I had already paid, I was refused. In the days that followed, I called twice more and at least five times was refused the right to speak to a manager. I was told that I purchased a cheaper policy and could pay for another visit. I hired someone else who told me Alpha's treatment of the problem was very inadequate and who helped me with the dead animal. When I asked for a refund, I was told that I was not entitled to one since they had placed the bait and offered to come out again (for a fee). When I asked to speak to a manager, the woman told me she was the manager and there was no one else I could speak to. I was concerned about health and safety. I got no help from this company. I doubt their abilities and did not need the unprofessional and discourteous manner in which my problems were addressed.