Mouse infestation, seal entry points.
Quick Summary: Buyer beware, read your Fox Pest Control contract CAREFULLY (despite what you are told by their in-field representatives), be prepared to make a lot of phone calls, and budget about twice what you would expect. My experience (the short version): I am out $500, still have mice in the house, and it is STILL my responsibility to seal points of entry by myself (which I’ve been doing all along). Pretty much all I got in return for this hefty sum was $40 worth of bait traps. 01/19/18 - When I called to complain about the cost, I was transferred three times. Eventually, someone from the ‘Loyalty Department’ indicated that they had to check some info and get right back to me with a revised figure. No one bothered to call be back, presumably because they already had my money. Eventually, I called THEM to cancel my service, and requested documentation via email that my account has been closed. My experience (the LONG version): We moved into a new home 90 days ago, and quickly discovered that there was an existing mouse infestation. I called Fox Pest Control, and they had a Representative at my home within the hour. After agreeing to sign on with them, the Rep went to work. She placed several bait traps (I had to climb up into the attic, which is where the mice were), sprayed on the outside, and pointed out a few potential points of entry. I was advised that nothing was going to be sealed until the 30 day followup…which my wife and I were told was included in the initial $265 service charge. Seemed pretty high to me, but I went with it. My wife signed the contract (which I SHOULD have read), and the Rep left. I thought it was a little strange that she didn’t look inside the drop ceiling, or under the sinks, but I figured that it would be taken care of in the free 30 day followup. A few days after that, I took a look at the contract, and realized that we had committed to a minimum 1 year term. They call it ‘total home protection’: $265 for the initial visit, $135 for each quarterly visit until cancelled in writing, and a minimum $165 charge for early cancellation. Since my job might entail moving in a few months, there is no way that we would have agreed to this. Also, it said NOTHING about taking responsibility for actually sealing the points of entry. This is really why I called a pest control service in the first place (I can place a few traps myself). I spoke to Scott, who eventually reduced this to a three-visit plan without the ‘discounted’ rate. Now, quarterly visits would be $180. Oh well. Yesterday, a nice Representative came by for my 30 day followup. She took a look around, while I pointed out all of the work I had done to seal the larger holes (that their contract doesn’t cover). She placed two traps (again, I had to put the one in the attic), replaced bait in a third, and left around 15 minutes later. She was knowledgeable and courteous, but definitely in a hurry. I didn’t think twice about the abruptness of the service call (after all, it was already included in my initial $265 charge…per the first Rep). Until I received an invoice for $186.11 last night. I called today, spoke again to Scott. He was courteous, and pointed out that this was, in fact, my quarterly visit at the non-discounted price. I pulled out the email contract (which is DIFFERENT from the one my wife signed), and he was right. Totally my fault for not opening the email and double-checking what we were told, and triple checking what was on the paper contract that I had. I’ll accept that. Fine. When I indicated my dissatisfaction with the services rendered vs. the amount I was charged, I was transferred to the ‘Loyalty Department’…who then indicated that they had to get some information from Scott. At 9:00am, I was told that they would collect this information and promptly call me back after speaking with a Service Manager. After not receiving the promised callback, I decided that my business should be taken to a more competitive and responsive business. The courteous Customer Service Representative indicated that they have cancelled my account (no refunds given, or any attempts made to retain me). Since it seems that the Service Manager actually reads these reviews: Thanks for the costly lesson.
