Alterra Pest Control

Keve R is friendly and always does an awesome job!

Keve R. came to our hom3 on Friday, June 3rd, 2016. He is an excellent technician. He went straight to work after explaining what he would be doing. Keve is very nice and quite personable in addition to being very efficient. We would be very happy for Keve to be our regular technician. Thank you for your outstanding service.

My service pro Keve R. He is always friendly and does an excellent job. Due to his excellent service we have not had a problem with spiders, roaches or any other type of bug.

Keve R was very nice and did excellent job

Ryan Y. and Michael B. did a great job with their initial service. Both were extremely friendly and took the time to listen to my concerns with our pest problem, answered all of my questions and explained what they were doing.

And the service instantly paid off. Even though I had a different pest control service my house only a month ago, the same day Alterra sprayed we had evidence of bugs that had hidden from our previous company being eliminated.

Thanks Alterra, and especially Ryan Y. and Michael B. !

We had a long term pest control service that we thought had become complacent and also thought that Alterra had a better solution 5 months ago. We now have the worst problem with bugs in our house that we have ever had. When called, Alterra did send someone out again, but the net result is that we continue to have the worst spider problem that we've ever experienced.

Of course, when we call to cancel their service, we are hit with "The contract states that there is a fee to get out of the contract." What a crappy way to force customers to continue to experience poor pest protection because you have to pay to get out. We paid because we would rather have no pests.

I would not recommend Alterra to anyone.

Keve R. Was great, professional, and very efficient. Went above expectations. Alterra always has the beast customer service.

Rep: KEVE R.
Very professional, courteous and thorough. Excellent service.

Keve R. provided amazing service to our home. He was extremely courteous and knowledgeable. Since we switched to Alterra we have not found any bugs lurking in our home. Thank you Keve R.

Just wanted to say thank you to Christopherson for a great service. explained everything very well and was very friendly and efficient.

Keve R., is very proffesional and extremely polite. I am very pleased with the marvelous service he provided today, and I would recommend him to anyone. I am thoroughly impressed.

Keve R. is very knowledgeable and thorough. He explained everything he was doing and asked if I had any questions. We had an ant problem for the first time in years and Alterra has worked very hard at solving this problem for us. We appreciate their courteous technicians. Thank you Keve and team.

Mike T is very professional

Brian G.
Service pro- Keve R.
Very friendly and good quick service.

Keve R did an AMAZING Job with our service, had our entire house done in less than 30 mins, definitely recommend Alterra for anyone who wants quality work at an amazing price.

Review: My wife, who is also a senior, was confronted at our front door by a salesman or contractor ([redacted]) for Alterra Pest Control, on Saturday, May 16, 2015. She felt compelled to sign a term "Service Contract" with this company for a home that we do not own! She felt remorse and informed me today of this event. I have called the company at their Sacramento telephone number and their Utah based number printed on their contract. There is nothing in the contract language that indicated the ability to terminate this contract or an email contract. Under state statutes, however,there is a three business day right of rescission to this kind of contract. My wife is fully supportive of this action.I am notifying the Revdex.com to document my actions, since I am troubled by the lack of clarity in their contract. Thank you for your assistance, [redacted]Desired Settlement: I am hopeful, but concerned, about this company acting ethically. The saleman was making his sales door to door in a [redacted] complex, and did not indicate he was authorized to make such a sale by the community.

Business

Response:

Greetings,I have spoken to my route manager, [redacted], about the service agreement he had with them that day. It looks like we had a box of agreements that needed to be sent to our Utah location but ended up at our location instead. I have removed all of those agreements from my office and sent them to our Utah location. Your address shows no services have been rendered. Due to this, no charges will be sent to your home. I greatly apologize for the way [redacted] conducted himself at the door that day. I am very grateful that you were able to provide his name. It made it very easy to correct the issue. [redacted] has been instructed on how to present himself to our potential customers. Falsifying himself in a neighborhood is 100% against company policy at Alterra. We take our route managers positions very seriously. Every one of our route managers has had the following performed before they are able to work for us. They all must pass a drug test, background check, and state licensing before they are able to work. [redacted] has completed all of the following. I have coached him on how to present himself appropriately on the doors. I greatly apologize for the concern he caused. Rest assured that the issue has been addressed and resolved. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to call our location here in Sacramento. Alterra Pest Control[redacted]Thanks again.[redacted]Branch Manager - Alterra Sacramento

Consumer

Response:

I filed a complaint on Sunday and have resolved the issue satisfactorily with the company, Alterra Pest Control. Thank you for your support.

Review: I am deeply disturbed by this business's sales practices, specifically their door-to-door advertising and sales pitching. Last week, a young white male adult in his early twenties wearing an Alterra polo short and shorts, went door-to-door in my neighborhood and tried to sell me and my neighbors the pest control services that this business offers. In an attempt to gain rapport, he started out his sales pitch by dropping names of people who allegedly live in our neighborhood that he claims are current customers. Unfortunately for him, we all know each other in my neighborhood, and I am certain that he name-dropped bogus names. After he did this, I told him I was not interested in his services, and asked him to leave. When I closed the door, he stood outside my door and kept talking. After about 30 seconds, my young daughter looked through the window and saw that he was still standing on our front porch. I opened my front door and once again, ordered him to leave immediately. After I told him to leave the second time, he looked me in my eyes and stood on my porch with a smirk on his face--almost as if he was saying, "make me". I told him I was calling the police, then I closed the door and immediately notified the Vacaville PD. By the time they arrived, he had already left the area. It should be noted that this man was not wearing a solicitors permit, as is required by the Vacaville Muni Code (Chapter 9.18). On top of that, I have a "No Solicitors" sign clearly posted on my front door. Furthermore, when this man crossed the threshold of my front porch area, he was entering my home, where he was clearly not welcome. Therefore, when I asked him to leave and he didn't, by definition he was trespassing. It is troubling to me that this employee does not respect boundaries and a person's right to be left alone in their own home. In the year 2014, when door-to-door soliciting has become synonymous with criminal activity and undue annoyance, it is classless to do business like this.Desired Settlement: Per the Vacaville Muni Code, the City of Vacaville allows door-to-door selling, but only if the salesperson goes through the proper channels to become licensed. It's a crime not to comply with this law, so this business could resolve the matter by ensuring that all of its salespeople have the proper credentials, and to vow never to return to my door again.(If the salesperson that came to my door was in fact licensed, his license was not displayed, which is a violation of the Muni Code as well.)

Business

Response:

Greetings ,

Thank you for taking the time to send me this info. I sincerely apologize that you and your neighbors had a negative experience with one of our sales reps. Rest assured, we DO NOT promote this type of rude behavior in any way shape or form. We want to take immediate disciplinary action with the sales rep at fault. We’ll investigate on our end who was knocking in your neighborhood. In the meantime, would you mind providing us with any of the following details? The physical descriptions of the sales rep? What date/time it happened? Any other troubling actions made by the rep we need to be aware of?

This info will greatly help us to identify and discipline the person responsible. Again, I’m extremely sorry to hear about this negative situation and it in no way represents the core values we promote as a company. Customer satisfaction and experience is of the utmost importance to us and we take complaints very seriously.

With regards to the Vacaville solicitors license. Each door-to-door sales rep has been fully licensed through the Vacaville Police Department. If we can pin point more of the information above, we will be able to identify the accused sales rep to make sure he is complying with the Vacaville Muni Code.

Thanks in advance for your assistance. Wishing you the best.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and appreciate their response and professionalism regarding this matter.

In response to the questions that they asked...the Sales Rep that came to my door was a white male adult, early twenties, wearing a white Altera polo shirt and khaki shorts. Since he was not wearing his solicitation permit, I could not see his name.

The Sales Rep came to my door approximately two weeks ago...I believe it was on 7/24, but I can't be certain. It may have been 7/22. I called the Vacaville Police Department immediately after it occurred, and they told me they would send an officer by to make contact with him. I left for work immediately after I called, so I have no idea if an officer made contact with him or not. However, I am sure Vacaville PD has a record of the call.

I trust that you will address this behavior with your staff, and hope not to have to recontact you in the future.

Review: The Sales rep indicated military/federal employees moving overseas could cancel service if official orders were presented. I am leaving overseas.

An Alterra Sales Rep knocked on my door and sold his product of pest control. He explained the product and I indicated I may be moving overseas and was not interested. He then briefed me that because I was either military or a federal civlian employee moving overseas on official orders I could be released from the service contract. I recently received my officvial travel orders and will be departing to Japan on 16 Aug 2013. I contacted the main Alterra Pest Control Office in Sacramento and the told me I would have to pay a penalty or pay for remaining service. They did offer me to see if someone else would take up the billing/service. My main concern is that I specifically asked that question of being able to cancel services because I was moving overseas. I find it very frustrating for these types of companys to have sales reps mis-represent or engage in untrustworhtly sales practices by lying to customers just to make a sale. I would have sought out their services again when I returned from my overseas location but because I am in this situation I plan to tell as many military retirees, DoD Civlians, post about this on Facebook and get the owrd out about them not being a class act company. Trust is the first thing customers look for...being a military veteran (26 years) and now a civil serviant (DoD Civilian) I would expect companies to honor their word and committment.Desired Settlement: All I ask is that I be released from this service contract and any further monetary billing for remainnig services due to reasons of being relocated to an overseas location (Okinawa, Japan)for official government business/orders.

Business

Response:

Business' Initial Response

To Whom It May Concern:

This is in response to Revdex.com case# XXXXXXXX

On 06/06/2013 Mr. [redacted] was approached by one of our Route Managers, [redacted] at which time he was extended an offer to receive pest control services for a year. After going over the terms and conditions of the services and treatments, Mr. [redacted] signed a service agreement and agreed to receive services which were rendered six (6) days later. This signed service agreement detailed that five (5) pest control services would be rendered on the home consisting of an Initial Service, a Follow Up service occurring approximately 30 days after the Initial Service, and three Quarterly Services each occurring approximately 90 days apart. I would like to address Mr. [redacted]'s concerns in regards to his complaint to the Revdex.com.

The Service Agreement that Mr. [redacted] signed does indeed indicate that the services shall continue for a minimum 12 month period. The normal cost associated with our Initial Pest Service is $199.00. This cost can be discounted by our Route Managers contingent upon a one year service term. Mr. [redacted]'s service was indeed discounted by $160, bringing his Initial Service cost to a mere $39. This price was contingent upon completing a one year service term. This service certainly does not cost Alterra $39 and in fact puts the company underwater cost wise on the first service. The company slowly recovers its costs to break even by the end of the one year service term, and only offers this discount as a courtesy to new customers as a way to build a good relationship with them from the first service.

Mr. [redacted] raises the concern of unscrupulous sales practices and deceit in his complaint to the Revdex.com. It is never our goal to have any customer feel that they had the hood pulled over their eyes and we have therefore implemented a series of safeguards to prevent this from ever happening. One such safeguard is tied to our Route Manager's commission structure. Our Route Managers are never paid on any account until that account has been active and in good financial standing for a minimum period of six (6) months. There is absolutely no incentive to lie to any potential prospect in hopes of "making a sale" as the Route Manager will not see any monetary compensation for such an account until it has been active and in good financial standing for at least six months. On top of this, our Route Manager, [redacted] went a step further and circled the clause in the first paragraph of the Service Agreement that details that the service continue for a minimum 12 month period.

Additionally, in an effort to provide transparency and avoid any misinterpretation, miscommunication, or misrepresentation of facts, before Alterra ever performs an Intial Service our Service Professionals are required to review with the customer a Welcome to Alterra checklist. The Service Professional explains each point on this Welcome Letter and subsequently has the customer initial by each clause indicating they have understood and agree to the Service Agreement's terms and conditions. After reviewing the paper work it is clear that Mr. [redacted] has initialed by each point and signed the bottom of the page indicating everything was made clear to him; including the clause in the Welcome Letter that re-explains a minimum 12 month service term.

Our Service Professional, [redacted] went over the Welcome to Alterra checklist with Mr. [redacted] before the service was performed. It is pertinent to reiterate that this occurred six (6) days after the original Service Agreement was presented to and signed by Mr. [redacted]. To say the customer did not understand the terms and conditions of his Service Agreement is highly unlikely, as it had been explained to him by two different Alterra representatives, on two separate occasions six days apart. It is also important to note that each of the separate pieces of paperwork that Mr. [redacted] signed indicate that the initial service discount of $160.00 would be required if he decided to cancel service before completing his 12 month time period with us.

After the Initial service is performed Alterra always returns for a 30 day Follow Up service to address any continued pest issues and to target the hatchlings of any pests that may have had eggs or larvae on the property that have hatched or matured into adult pests. The day after this service was performed Mr. [redacted]'s spouse called in to cancel services with Alterra. As our Customer Loyalty Specialist (CLS) took her through our normal cancellation process Mrs. [redacted] informed us we would need to speak to her husband. A few days later Mr. [redacted] called in to cancel service telling our CLS that he was moving overseas. Our CLS explained the reimbursement of the Initial Service Discount to him at which time Mr. [redacted] informed her that our Route Manager, [redacted] had discussed with him the possibility of cancelling service due to military deployment. Our CLS, who was not aware that we make any special exemptions for military personnel, informed him that he would still be responsible for the reimbursement of the $160 discount he was given for work already performed on his home. At this point Mr. [redacted] called our company a "joke" and hung up the phone. As this conversation (and ultimate Revdex.com complaint) was reported to management we have made repeated attempts to reach out to Mr. [redacted] to resolve the issue at hand. None of our calls have been returned.

As a courtesy to Mr. [redacted] we have closed out his account and he will not owe any further payment for the work already performed on his home. Normally if someone is moving due to military deployment we make a special provision for these customers that allows them to break contract without penalty if they can fax or email us proof of deployment. This same provision would have been made for Mr. [redacted] had we been able to resolve the miscommunication in house. Alterra never intends for any issue to ever escalate to the Revdex.com and certainly not an issue that could have been easily resolved had we been able to contact Mr. [redacted].

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Review: Sales rep said that the product would take care of Roaches, it didn't. Called to have them fix the problem. they wanted $200 more. tried to cancel.

June 10, 2013 Salesman comes to my door and for some reason cant read (no soliciting) and describes this great service. I told him we have seen some Roaches in our kitchen. He showed me a line up of roaches I pointed out the kind we have. He said for sure that the product they spray would take care of them. After the first spray I noticed a lot more bugs in and around the house. Called them out 2 additional times with no luck on stopping the roaches. July 10, 2013 they come out for the normal $99 treatment. Still no luck with even slowing the Roach population. Weeks pasted called customer Service, they said Oh by the way they can spray in the house. So they treat the problem areas in the kitchen 3 times. On the 3rd interior spray Service tech said we have German Roaches and they cost more to exterminate. This breached the contract, Alterra Services could not hold up their end of the contract, unless we pay $200. We asked to cancel, and of course they wanted us to abide by the contract and pay the $160 cancel fee. I told them their Alterra certified sales rep lied to get us to sign the contract. Customer service said they don't control the Sales reps and maybe he just wasn't trained to know what the products cover.

They still didn't want to hear that they Breached contract and that they will be charging us $160 to cancel.

We decided to wait for one more $99 treatment on Oct 17, 2013. And of course we were still displeased. We had roached coming out of the woodworks. They are a disgrace to Pest control around the world.

On Nov 7, 2013 tried cancelling, and of course they started in again with the questions why, why, why? Then customer service said they cant cancel, and the person that can isn't in. I have a Large day care and don't have time to play phone tag.

Alterra is a Better Business? Does that require them to Mislead to get business? Desired Settlement: Since this was a breach of contract and It was their employee sales rep that lied/misrepresented their products they should waive the $160 cancel fee. Or Take care of the roaches and waive the $200 German roach fee and we could continue to do business.

Business

Response:

Initial Business Response

This is written in response to Revdex.com case #XXXXXXXX

On 06/05/2013 Mrs. [redacted] was approached by one of our Route Managers, [redacted] who extended to Mrs. [redacted] an offer to receive pest control services. After going over the terms and conditions of the services and treatments, Mrs. [redacted] signed a service agreement and agreed to start service with Alterra, with the first service to occur the later that same day. I would like to address Mrs. [redacted]'s concerns in regards to her complaint to the Revdex.com.

One of the first concerns Mrs. [redacted] brings up has to do with the slight increase in pest activity after the initial spray. In an effort to provide transparency, before any initial service is performed, our Service Professionals (the ones actually spraying the home) go over a "Welcome to Alterra" letter that breaks down the six most important aspects of our service and the Service Agreement. This Welcome Letter is designed to help Alterra customers understand contract terms and conditions, give customers a second opportunity to refuse service if they do not understand or agree with service terms, and to set their expectations as to what they can anticipate in regards to future visits and pest activity. There are six short paragraphs that our customers read and initial to show that these points are well understood and have been explained to them. This letter was gone over with Mrs. [redacted] (and each point is initialed by her) with our Service Professional, Justin.

In the third paragraph of the right column of the Welcome Letter it explains that customers may notice a slight increase in pests after the first treatment. This is a result of the pesticides effectively flushing out harborage areas and other nesting sites where pests are living. This paragraph is initialed by Mrs. [redacted] indicating it was explained and understood. Additionally Mrs. [redacted] complains that she was never made aware that Alterra warranties the inside of the home as well as the outside until well after she had received four outside services (the Initial Service, Follow up Quarterly Service, and two Free Call Backs). The fact that we warranty the inside and outside of the home at no additional cost is stated clearly on the front of the Service Agreement and includes a spot for our customers to initial next to. Mrs. [redacted] initialed next to this warranty indicating she was made aware that inside and outside were both under warranty. While it is feasible that Mrs. Coral did not remember that the inside was under warranty, it certainly was not because of a lack of care or interest on behalf of Alterra. At Alterra we pride ourselves on our outstanding customer service and ability to effectively control pest populations

Upon receiving an interior treatment Mrs. Coral was informed that she had a specific type of roach (German Roaches) which would require an additional warranty to treat for. Alterra did not breach contract by bringing up the additional warranty and its cost as Mrs. Coral states. On the Original Service Agreement to the left of the pricing calendar there is a section labeled "Specialty Pests" which have additional costs associated with these particular warranties. German Roaches are one of these specialty pests. The specific nature and behavior of this particular type of cockroach requires that Alterra spend more time, resources, and energy to effectively gain control of this pest population. Without a specific German Roach treatment Alterra cannot guarantee effective control of German Roaches.

When Mrs. [redacted] called into our offices to discuss the matter with our Service Manger, Craig, these requirements were explained to her, as well as why we could not proceed without the additional warranty. As the conversation progressed Craig agreed to absolve the contract without charging Mrs. [redacted] a Reimbursement Fee (which is what Mrs. [redacted] states is her desired resolution in her complaint to the Revdex.com). At the time this claim was filed with the Revdex.com, the account had already been closed without further charges or repercussions. At Alterra we never want our customers to feel the need to escalate a complaint to the Revdex.com and certainly not for a matter that has already been resolved directly with the customer. Though Alterra did not breach contract as Mrs. [redacted] stated, it makes no financial sense for Alterra to provide Mrs. [redacted] with a German Roach warranty at no cost. This is additionally not possible as Mrs. [redacted] runs a daycare out of her home. While I am in no way implying anything as to Mrs. [redacted]'s specific daycare, the very nature of such a business can be highly conducive to perpetuating a cockroach population and possible re-infestation. While Alterra would love to provide this service to Mrs. [redacted], it is not feasible to do so without reasonable compensation. Because of these circumstances, and as a courtesy to Mrs. [redacted], we have agreed to absolve her of her contractual obligations. Please contact me with any further questions in regards to this matter.

Review: Pest control product failure after 3 treatments.

Alterra came out three times to spray for ants. We woke up to ants again in the kitchen.Desired Settlement: Refund.

Business

Response:

Initial Business Response

This is written in response to Revdex.com case #XXXXXXXX.

On 09/11/2013 Mr. [redacted] was approached by one of our Route Managers, [redacted] who extended to Mr. [redacted] an offer to receive pest control services. After going over the terms and conditions of the services and treatments, Mr. [redacted] signed a service agreement and agreed to start service with Alterra, with the first service to occur the following day 09/12/2013. I would like to address Mrs. [redacted]'s concerns in regards to her complaint to the Revdex.com.

Though Mrs. [redacted]'s complaint to the Revdex.com is very short, it is apparent that at the time this complaint was filed they were having a persistent ant problem. At Alterra we offer our customers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, promising to return in between regularly scheduled visits as many times as necessary or desired to take care of any persistent or recurring pest issues. That being said, I would like to address the specific concerns with Mrs. [redacted]'s property and pest issues.

In an effort to provide transparency, before any initial service is performed, our Service Professionals (the ones actually spraying the home) go over a "Welcome to Alterra" letter that breaks down the six most important aspects of our service and the service agreement. This Welcome Letter is designed to help Alterra customers understand contract terms and conditions, give customers a second opportunity to refuse service if they do not understand or agree with service terms, and to set their expectations as to what they can anticipate in regards to future visits and pest activity. There are six short paragraphs that our customers read and initial to show that these points are well understood and have been explained to them. This letter was gone over with Mrs. [redacted] (and each point is initialed by her) with our Service Professional, [redacted].

The second paragraph on the right side of the Welcome Letter explains that on occasion Alterra will need to come between regularly scheduled visits to provide additional services for persistent and/or recurring pest issues. Additional treatments are definitely not uncommon and can be attributed to many factors including but not limited to time of year (weather), neighborhood conditions, structure type, possible home sanitation issues, etc. This paragraph was explained to Mrs. [redacted] and was subsequently initialed by her. Additionally, this information is contained on the original Service Agreement signed by Mr. [redacted].

Having a continued pest issue can be very irritating and we take all calls regarding persistent problems very seriously. Our records indicate that two days after the complaint was filed with the Revdex.com (of which we were still unaware as the Revdex.com did not have this information to us until Oct 1st.) Mrs. [redacted] called and left us a voicemail expressing her concerns about continued ant problems. This call was promptly returned by one of our Customer Loyalty Specialists, [redacted] who immediately set up a call back appointment with our Service Manager, [redacted]

Upon being able to service the [redacted]'s home, our Service Manager noted some mild, though contributing, sanitation issues which were underlying causes to the persistence in pest activity. Because we are Pest Control, not Pest Elimination, we must work in tandem with our customers to ensure proper control over persistent pest problems. Things that may seem insignificant like crumbs, open trash containers, spilled food items, etc. can greatly affect the efficacy of a pest control program. Our Service Manager took the time to inform the customer which specific sanitation issues needed to be addressed in order for his treatment to be fully effective. We have since performed the regularly scheduled quarterly visit and have not heard from the [redacted]'s in regards to any continued pest issues. This issue has hopefully been fully resolved with the willing cooperation from the [redacted]

At Alterra we never want our customers to feel the need to escalate a complaint to the Revdex.com. If Mrs. [redacted] is unsatisfied with service or is still having any pest issues, we would love to send out a Service Professional to treat her home no cost to her. We stand by our satisfaction guarantee and look forward to providing any services necessary/desired to maintain the [redacted]'s home pest free. Thank you for your time and please contact me directly with any questions or concerns in regards to this complaint.

Final Consumer Response

This company has been very responsive and has been back numerous times. The problem has been more than satisfactorily resolved.