ComplaintsforEssential Pest, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  10/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I entered into contract with Essential Pest Control on 9/25/2023 with the understanding of them treating my residence every "8-10 weeks". I was satisfied with their service and schedule until they attempted to service my house twice in the same month, at that time I contacted them and advised the technician it had previously been treated a week prior as my husband was home the day they came and treated the house. Last week I received an email stating the company withdrew $379.00 from my bank account for an "Early Termination Fee" without my knowledge or authorization, prior to this email there was no communication from this company. I reached out to Essential Pest Control and spoke with someone from their management team to hopefully resolve the issue amicably with no resolution. They did make me an offer of services verbally and when I asked for them to provide me the offer in writing and they refused. I do not trust this company. I am asking the Better Business Bureau to intercede on my behalf to recover the cost Essential Pest withdrew from my bank account since I never asked to terminate the contract early.

  

  Business response

  11/20/2024

  I just had a good conversation with ******** ****** and we got her issue resolved. I have refunded the fee that she was charged and as of right now, she is not going to continue service with us. As of disconnecting the call, she was happy with the resolution. If you need anything else, please let me know.

  Customer response

  11/22/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  Brandon from Essential Pest Control reached out to me and was very easy to talk the situation through with and he refunded the termination fee that I was incorrectly charged for.  I have no further issues with this company. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ******

• Initial Complaint

  10/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On Sept 10,2024 a man came to the house when my husband was getting ready to pull out & he talked to him for a few minutes then came & rang the doorbell so I answered & he told me that my husband listened to him & to talk to me. He made me believe that my husband wanted me to sign up so I okayed a treatment that he said would be 129. he then pull out a tablet for the contract which being outside I couldn't even see. I am 75 yrs old with cataracts & I really had no idea that there was a 379. charge if you canceled. We allowed the first treatment since we had paid for but still have spiders & other insects plus my 2 dogs have been itching ever since the treatment. keep in mind you don't see the contract until they send it in a file on the computer. I called last week to cancel it then got a call back today & he said as the so called contract said we would still have to pay the 379.00 for canceling. We both feel like this is a scam & being elderly they got me.

  

  Business response

  10/29/2024

  Business called BBB with the following response:

  We will be refunding the customer today and it should hit her account by Thursday or Friday. We are canceling her contract as well with no fees. 

  Customer response

  10/29/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *********   They will have to refund it by check because the acct they have isn't valid anymore

• Initial Complaint

  08/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  7/23/24 Called the Dayton office to pay off a balance & end services. The gaslighting & unprofessional behavior by the mngmt team has overshadowed any satisfactory work of their techs. ***** took my pymt, informed me I was no longer in contract but she could only put my account on temporary hold until her manager, ******, calls me in 2 weeks. That was an egregious amount of time for someone to wait for their account to be closed all so a manager can try their retention strategy so I asked to speak to another manager. ***** from knoxville told me ****** would be back that day or the next & call me. I asked for a reference or employee number & they said they don’t do that. ****** called the 7/25 & said “they’re a small family owned business they don’t give confirmations.” I asked how I was supposed to prove we had this conversation & uphold your word & he said this conversation is good enough. I tried to explain that I don’t know him so his word holds no value to me but when I didn’t permit him to speak over me he called me crazy & reiterated they didn’t want my money & I wasn’t in contract so it won’t be an issue. I informed him I had his verbal guarantee recorded & hung up. My husband then spoke to the brother Sean who said he was familiar w/our situation & would handle it. I received a satisfactory email apology & notice I was indeed out of contract from ****** BUT 7/26 I got a call claiming I owed the balance I previously paid. I explained I did not. Then got a 3rd call this time from the same ******. Before he could elaborate I stated they shouldn’t be calling me. I’m not in contract and do not have a balance. He stated “you ARE in contract & have been since Feb.” To which I reminded him about the last several days with him specifically & told them not to call me again. I’m being harassed by this company. They will not stop calling me & proving exactly why I needed physical proof of their verbal guarantee that I was no longer in contract or owed them money.

  

  Business response

  09/10/2024

  A physical letter and statement is going out to this customer to confirm they no longer have a balance or an active account with us.

• Initial Complaint

  07/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The above mentioned company, Essential Pest Control, somehow got my Mothers phone number and called her up and sold her on purchasing a $500 pest control contract. My mother lives in a condo with an HOA, which takes care of these things. My Mom has early onset dementia, and I am her POA. When the first charge of $150.50 came through, I called and explained this to these folks. I check my Moms accounts daily, and not only did they not refund the money, they proceeded with the treatment, and charged her another $379.00. I called them again and the customer service rep was highly unhelpful, and offered no solution. I have stopped a lot of things like this with my Mom, but some weasel their way through. These people have no ethics.

  

  Business response

  07/23/2024

  I looked into this account when she submitted a review on Google. Based on the account activity, we made several attempts to contact someone had we been able to reach them. I did verify the numbers on the account and one belonged to the homeowners son. We are VERY lenient when it comes to early termination fees and likely would have made an exception with this one, but we were unable to reach them. Due to not being able to speak with someone, their contract was enforced. In most cases, our reps are unable to tell whether or not the customers and potential customers they speak with, are capable of making these types of decisions on their own, unfortunately. If any further actions is needed, please let me know.

  Customer response

  07/24/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I called you and told you that my Mom had trouble making this decision, and no one contacted me or left a message after I gave you my number. Then the $100 you charged her initially wasn’t enough and you charged her another $300. So, you are either mistaken, or this is an outright lie, which, based on other complaints I read, I would probably choose the latter. Nothing short of a refund and an apology for taking advantage of my 77 year old Mother will be enough in this case. I guess some companies are comfortable conducting business with “0” ethics.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****

  

  Business response

  09/10/2024

  For complaint ********, we are issuing a full refund for this person in the amount of $529.50. The refund will be sent via check as our system won’t allow us to refund cards that were processed more than 45 days ago. Sorry for the delay, I couldn’t find this account since the name on it differs from the person who filed the complaint.

  Customer response

  09/20/2024

  Apologies for not getting back sooner. The Essential Pest Control Company returned my Mom’s money. I appreciate your assistance very much. The company made no effort to resolve this issue until you got involved. Thanks again from my Mom and I.

• Initial Complaint

  07/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I am a customer of Essential Pest out of Tipp City, Ohio. They recently treated our house (about 2 weeks ago) in between regular quarterly service treatments for a spider issue. Any visits in between regular treatments are free of charge. But just 1 day ago on 6/28/24, we received an invoice stating they treated our house inside and out on 6/27/24 for our quarterly service and they charged our card on file. We DID NOT have anyone come to our house and service our house on 6/27 and we were home at the time! (I work from home and our gate is always locked). And now for 2 days I have been trying to contact them (they are supposedly open 24/7) and no one is answering or returning my messages. I would like our money back and service canceled with this crooked company.

  

  Business response

  07/23/2024

  This one has been handled on our end and the complaint should be removed. The customer spoke with someone and the charge for the application that was done on the 27^th has been refunded back to the Visa we have on file for them and they are still an active customer. This customer did receive a free visit as requested, which isn’t a problem at all. The issue is that they were ready for their next recurring application (Per their contract) a couple of weeks later, in which we did. The reason we try not to post date billable services is because people would take advantage of the free service calls and keep requesting a those and ultimately could potentially get months of free service without making any payments.

  Customer response

  07/23/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  First off, I requested a service visit in between normal service quarterly treatments for spiders only because that was clearly not taken care of. And that request was done a couple of weeks PRIOR to the email I received on the 28th that mentioned you all treated our house on the 27th for our regular service visit. NO ONE treated our house on the 27th for a regular service (which includes much more than treating for spiders). Why would I receive an email that you all were here on the 27th when you were not? Due to being charged for no regular treatment ever received (I did receive a refund), I also asked for our service contract with you to be cancelled. I don’t appreciate a company doing business like this. I don’t take advantage of businesses, and don’t expect companies to take advantage of a customer. Please cancel my contract with you. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

  

  Business response

  08/14/2024

  The account for ****** ****** was resolved. It was an oversight on our behalf, but we refunded the customer in full for the charge on 06/27/24. It has not been canceled but I will cancel it now for them.

  Customer response

  08/14/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

• Initial Complaint

  05/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  No problem with service or communication. I was reluctant to sign up for service because I didn't want to be locked into a contract. When signing the contract/agreement I noticed the "early cancellation" fee statement near the signature area. I asked the salesman three times about it. He assured me that didn't apply because this was a "special introductory offer" and the company was "building up their customer base" in my area. When I first attempted to cancel my service, a retention salesman called. No mention of an early termination fee, just that they're a family owned business and rely on repeat customers. He offered a "friends and family" pricing at $79 a service visit vs $119. I declined and a few days later I get a text from a service rep stating they were coming out. I told them I cancelled my services and they replied "Did anyone from our office contact you? Have a note on your profile that the Mrs said to continue Pest control services." (Text message(s) screen shot attached) My wife spoke with no one about any of this, so another falsified statement. I'm being forced to finish out my contract or pay $379 or $279 the individual I spoke with yesterday said both but I believe he misspoke. We just want to cancel our services due to the economy.

  

  Business response

  06/05/2024

  Good Morning,

   

  Due to the miscommunication with the sales rep, we are going to allow this person to cancel without penalty! They will still likely receive a follow up call with confirmation in the coming days. We are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience. If you need anything else from me, please let me know.

   

  Thanks,

• Initial Complaint

  09/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Fraudulent company making money with fraudulent charges. Terminated poor service six months ago, received a final invoice for zero dollars two days ago and have a pending $249 charge on my card for an early termination fee. The fee is out of the blue, with no documentation stating it would occur and several months late. The service contract was finalized and was not to renew, because the company wasn’t doing what the promised in the first place and was charging astronomical prices. Do not do business with this company. You’re going to get ripped off from the get go.

  

  Business response

  10/17/2023

  Good Morning,

   

  Thank you for reaching out to us regarding this complaint. **. ******* signed a contract on 07/13/2022 with our Sales Manager, which was for 18 Months and it carried an early termination fee of $249. We performed a few services for this customer last season. The dates of those services were 07/15/22, 10/28/22 and 12/22/22. All of the services were willingly paid for and **. ******* never reached out to us regarding any concerns about the service. Earlier this season, the customer requested us to stop his service. From there, we made over 20 attempts to reach him and left voicemails for him to call us back to resolve the matter prior to charging the fee for cancellation prior to the fulfillment of his contract. He never called us back or provided any correspondence regarding his account. He was ultimately charged the fee on 9/22/23 which was still well within the terms of the agreement so the charge is valid. Following the charge, this customer called and spoke with one of our reps, Steve and was incredible disgusting with him to the point that our office manager, Brandon had to get on the phone with him. He proceeded to curse at anyone he spoke with, including calling us vulgar names. It got to the point to where he was given a warning to discontinue speaking to our employees the way he was doing so, or we would have to discontinue the call. Eventually we did have to disconnect the call because of the way **. ******* was acting. Additionally, this customer was immediately emailed a copy of his service agreement upon signing it and never called with any discrepancies regarding the terms of the agreement. I have attached a copy of this customers contract. If there are any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

   

  Thanks,

• Initial Complaint

  06/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  May 2023 Was told it would be $129.00 plus tax for the season. They then said they will charge this amount every time they come even if the service isnt working. They are now trying to charge me a $299.00 termination fee if I stop services. I was lied to by the salesperson and now their customer service wont help. I just want them to stop charging me, this was a scam.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2023

  After reviewing this customers account and history, it does look like she signed a contract the day the sales rep spoke with her (04/06/2023). A copy of the agreement was also sent to the email address that we have on file which is, ********************* The account is noted that she spoke with a member of our retention team about her concern with the pricing. We worked with her and lowered her price to $89 per visit, which she agreed upon. I’ve also attached a copy of the signed agreement to this email. If you need anything else, please let me know!

• Initial Complaint

  01/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This business is a rip off, this business came to my door shortly after I moved into house just a little overc1 yr ago, I agreed to their service for every 3rd month and a rodent box, that is all. I never was told this was a contract and I receive a copy nor was I told there was a cancelled fee to cancel the contract. I never cancelled any contract I told this company for 2 3 month periods to skip their service and I would see them I the spring of 2023. This company cancelledy service on their own and charged me. $ 249.00 without my pension and just took it out of bank account. I called on 1/5/23 when I saw the money come out of my account the girl who answered the phone gave no name said they cancelled my service I wanted to speak with a supervisor she stated he was at lunch and would call me back. No call back. I called back on 1/12/23 the guy I spoke with said he sees notes I called to cancel my service. I did not. I told him I never agreed to any contract. This guy a refund cant be issued but they can leave a credit on my account, theres no difference if you leave a credit then you owe me a refund. Ill never use this rip off service again.nWhy would I be upset if I knew I'd be charged a cancelation fee. This company lies just to get extra money. I want my money back. BBB needs to have this company refund my money they stole

  

  Business response

  02/07/2023

  Hello,

   

  Upon Mrs. ********'s request to cancel her account, she was billed her ETF after we were unable to reach her on several occasions. Customer has a signed agreement on file which is why she was billed $249. However, after speaking with Mrs. ********, it was discovered that there a misunderstanding in regard to the status of her account. We did refund the customer the full amount that she was billed for the ETF. As of about 2 weeks ago, this issue has been resolved.

   

  Thanks,

   

  *******

• Initial Complaint

  12/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company tried to lock you into a service agreement with a lowered cost. The services they provide are not sufficient and then they require you to pay a termination charge because they aren’t completing sufficient work. The companies model is a complete scam. They need to be reported.

  

  Business response

  01/24/2023

  In response to your edited review. First, we thank you for the opportunity to service you. Your issue happened to be drain flies which can sometimes take a couple of visits, which is FREE and a part of the guarantee! At this point we haven't visited in over 5 months or heard from you since 08/10/2022. Unfortunately, you chose to cancel your account. You were charged the Early Termination Fee per the contract that was signed by you on 07/28/2022, which was also emailed to you for your records. We are saddened to hear that you think we are a scam, however our reviews speak for themselves. Please don't hesitate to reach out if there is anything you need moving forward! 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩