Croach

[redacted] originally contracted with Croach for pest control, including rodents on 7/22/15. The $450 charge, outside of his bimonthly service, was for additional crawlspace repair, which was provided as an extra service in October of 2015.
 
From July to December of 2015 we had several...

conversations with [redacted], including a request that we not granulate his lawn, which we honored, and a discussion about his service being bimonthly instead of quarterly because of the rodents. We have no record of him asking for a rodent only service during any of those conversations.
 
The first information we have about the dog being sick came during a call on 2/19/16, at this point [redacted] indicated that he had asked for us to only treat the eaves and provide rodent treatment. We had several calls with [redacted] between February and March, during which we offered to make the adjustments to the account and asked for something from the vet that indicated our product was responsible. We let him know we were looking for a letter from the vet, not blood tests. When records were provided they indicated that the dog was kept at home at the owner's choice not vet advice, and that the problems the dog was experiencing were ongoing, and likely due to the dogs breed and diet.
 
We cancelled the account at [redacted]'s request but as we were trying to work with him on customizing the service to his needs, and there was no indication of injury to the dog from our product we followed our normal cancellation process and fees. When this was explained to [redacted] he was upset and we were unable to reach a mutually acceptable resolution.
 
While we did try to work with [redacted], and offered to waive fees if the vet indicated a belief that our product caused this, Croach has test results from a previous incident that conclude our product was not harmful to animals.
 
We are sorry this situation could not be resolved to allow for a continued business relationship. However, we sincerely wish [redacted] the best and hope that his dog is doing better.

To Whom it May Concern:According to ourrecords, Mr. [redacted] signed up for a quarterly service that entails five (5)services over a period of 12 months. The agreement states: “If this contract is canceled by either party prior to the 3rdbusiness day after the contract was signed, customer will be...

responsible forreimbursing and paying PestFree for any discount or promotion received relatedto the initial service provided by PestFree. Customer will be responsible for aminimum charge $300. If for any reason after the three-day period you areunable to fulfill your service obligation, you agree to pay an earlytermination fee of $200 or 75% of the remaining contract.” Our service is setup in a way that the cost of the initial service is spread over all of theservices in the contracted period. This is why we can discount the initial servicelike we do. If Mr. [redacted] would like to give our office a call we would bemore than happy to discuss the fees on the account and we are more than willingto negotiate the balance due.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
We had hoped that our complaint had been resolved, but alas we just received a collection notice for an amount past due so clearly it has not been resolved. At the core of our complaint is the fact that Croach took a copy of an electronic signature and fabricated a contract, cutting and pasting that signature onto a paper contract that was never seen, signed, with terms that were never agreed to with [redacted].  In our opinion this not just invalidates the contract, but could be found to constitute deceptive business practices and fraud under WA State Consumer Protection laws. Please re-open the case and see if you can help us resolve. Thanks!
Sincerely,[redacted]

[redacted] was originally serviced by Croach when the company did business under the name of Pest Free.
 
Her services have not followed the standard three month service, as we have worked to accommodate her requests to reschedule services to a later date.
 
Her last service, before the one in question, was in June of 2015. She was scheduled for a service in August of 2015 and on August 27 asked us to cancel the appointment. She had asked for this in the past when she wished to hold off services. We rescheduled her service to November. On 11/11/15 we received an email with a title of "no service please" and no body. We rescheduled the service to spring, and responded advising we had done so, and requesting she let us know if that was not what she wanted. On 4/14/16 we scheduled her for 4/22 and emailed her the date and time. On 4/18 she responded, letting us know she wanted to be taken off the schedule but not to cancel, and to see what the bug situation was in July and that she would call back. We rescheduled her service until July.
 
On 7/8/16 we left a message about providing the service on 7/13 and again left a time. On 7/13, after the service was performed, we received a mail about us providing service while she was not at home and while she was suspended.
 
While the reschedule into July is a relatively standard one, we found that we did not properly prepare [redacted] for that reschedule as we had delayed her service for much longer periods in the past. Additionally, we did not honor her request to wait until contacted, and we did not advise her that we needed to set a firm date to hear back by.
 Because of that we have drawn her account back from collections and the agency has removed it from her credit report. We have credited that final service and closed her account. All of this was done at her request and we consider this matter closed. We are sorry we could not part on more amicable returns but wish [redacted] the best and thank her for her years of business.

The [redacted] signed up for service with Croach and received two services from the company. When we attempted to schedule their third service Mrs. [redacted] informed us that she had cancelled the service. We advised her that we had no record of this. When asked why they wished to cancel Mrs. [redacted] informed us...

that her ant problem was worse. We offered to make good on our guarantee and she asked to cancel instead. We reminded her of the guarantee process, and the early termination fees. Mrs. [redacted] refused to pay the cancellation fees and requested a call from a manager.
A manager later returned her call and left a message. The [redacted] did not respond to this message. Croach sent a mail explaining the cancellation and the fees to the [redacted]s. The [redacted] did not respond to the mail. Croach did not hear from the [redacted] again until after turning the account over to collections. The [redacted] have been offered solutions by both Croach and the collection agency and have so far refused those offers. Their account is currently cancelled, as they requested.Croach's preferred solution would be to work with the [redacted] to reinstate their service and finish out the agreement to our mutual benefit. Barring that the resolutions offered by both Croach and the collection agency are still available to them.

We are working to get a hold of the customer to send out one of our technicians to provide a solution to his problem. Please be aware, we are working to solve the issue.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I have reached out numerous time with no call backs, you also need to speak with you sales reps on what they promise customers vs what you deliver. I would be willing to work with them if they contacted me, but they never answer there phone and when they do the person I speak with can never help and the person who would be able to help is never in.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
As I stated in my original complaint, I refuse to have any more dealings with a business whose ethics and practices I consider to be questionable, at best, and downright deceitful, from my experience.
This company's representative came onto my property which is clearly marked "NO SOLICITORS". This should NEVER have occurred in the first place, had they read my sign.
I have been personally dealing with a torn right rotator cuff, for which I have been in Pain Management over a year, and I was taking many drugs which have impeded my mental acuity as well as my emotional response to all aspects of my life.  This was the reason my son accompanied their representative and myself while he showed us the spiders. I would NEVER agree to pay $150. for a one-time visit, then $130. one month later to finish the job that the original visit didn't. Neither my son nor I ever heard any mention of $130. at any  time during his presentation. He said we were saving $150. because they were trying to make the most of their being in the neighborhood. Maybe he should have cleared his quote with the main office. That was the value I saw, that they came twice, to mop up babies specifically, then the contract started, which was reasonable to me. As well as to my son, who is not your average now-14-year old. I was obviously short-sighted in my not reading the contract, as I said, it was a bright sunny day and I couldn't even read the tablet I signed. I wasn't aware of my mistake in not reading the contract until I received a bill for the "second" treatment. In the preparation for my surgery the week following the original solicitation and then the first visit, I overlooked many things. None of the others cost me money, nor the threat of an account going to collections.
When I first spoke to their representative about this, she stated that the "second" visit occurred the very next day, following the first. No one ever showed at my home the next day. My son and I were home all day. This is a lie, and any documentation they have saying otherwise is bogus.
With an experience such as this now behind me, why would I in my right mind wish to do any more business with a company that lied to me, tried to steal money from me in the manner of trying to deduct the $130. "second visit" fee from my credit card, and as I stated before, I'm expected to pay all this, yet not once was there a cessation in the amount of spiders in my home. I did call them at one point early on, complaining of the spiders. They told me not to worry, that was normal, they'll take care of it all on the "second visit". I was told one thing, signed according to what I was told, then was taken by them.
Sincerely,[redacted]

To Whom It May Concern-After reviewing Ms [redacted] account, and as stated by Ms [redacted] herself, it appears as though we have already offered to credit the account for the second service as well as go back to her home to re-treat for the spiders. As stated, we do let our customers...

know that there is sometimes an increase in activity after the “First” service, usually this activity is handled during the one month follow up visit, and of course, in the event there is further activity noted our services are guaranteed and there is no additional charge for treatments between scheduled services. According to the contract signed by Ms [redacted], our cancelation policy states: “…If for any reason after the three-day period you are unable to fulfill your service obligation, you agree to pay an early termination fee of $200 or 75% of the remaining contract.” Our customer service agent was, and still is willing to work with Ms [redacted] to find a resolution.

We have resolved this complaint directly with [redacted] before the complaint reached us through the Revdex.com.

Due to multiple instances of miscommunication and errors on both sides we have cut a check for the duplicate payment, plus the over-payment on the second service. Because of the inconveniences encountered we have closed the account with no fees for the [redacted].
 
Unfortunately the check was...

sent to the service address, we are working with Mrs. [redacted] to rectify this situation as quickly as possible.

On 8/14/16 Croach set up service for the [redacted]. Part of our sales process is going over the one year agreement with customers. After the customer signed the agreement a copy was sent to them, as it was not opened another copy was sent a few minutes later. On 8/16/16 we performed the initial service....

On 8/19/16 we placed a customary call to check on customer satisfaction. We left a voicemail, in which we stated that we wanted to be sure they understood the one year agreement.
On 9/16/16 we scheduled the second appointment and emailed the customer the date. On 9/17/16 the customer emailed in a request to cancel the service, no mention was made of one time service in that email. We responded, in email, about the process.
On 10/12/16 we converted the service to a one time service, increasing the price to $300, as outlined in the agreement, per the customer's request. We reached out by mail and phone, leaving a voicemail, about the conversion of the service and the additional cost. The letter outlined our willingness to work out a payment plan if necessary, and asking the customer to call within ten days if they needed to do so. We received no response from the customer.
Croach provided multiple copies of the agreement and made more than one effort to ensure the year service agreement was understood, both before and after initiating service. Outside of the cancellation request we have not been contacted by the customer until the account was turned over. The charges applied to the account are standard and valid, as indicated by the signed agreement. We are sorry that we could not come to a more amicable parting with the [redacted].

PestGuard, the company originally providing [redacted]'s service, was owned and operated by family members of two of Croach's owners. Earlier this year they did decide to merge their business with ours, as we have very similar practices, and use the same products. At that time multiple communications...

were sent out to PestGuard's customers to advise them of this change. At no point do we have record of a communication with [redacted] regarding the change. We also have no record of a request to refrain from servicing in the rain, in PestGuard's system, or prior to the service.After completing the service, we received communication from [redacted] regarding her accounts previous payment method. We have no record of a request for reservice. If she made such a request during the time period the regulations of the product do not allow us to re-apply it we would have advised [redacted] that it was too early, and asked her to contact us after that period had passed, if she was having pest problems.The only mention on the account of treating in the rain is a response from us that explains how rain affects the service. Our technicians are fully licensed and know the levels of moisture when they must stop treatment, and when they should stop because the effects are of the weather are detrimental to the treatment. Had we received a request to delay the treatment we would have discussed these issues, and options, with her prior to her appointment. Other than that one communication all of her discussions with us revolved around payment method and cancellation of service.We are sorry we could not reach a more amicable resolution with [redacted]. Especially as we are always happy to return and re-treat a customers home who is having persistent pest problems, so long as it is within regulations to do so.

We  have attempted to reach out to [redacted] to settle this complaint directly and are waiting to hear back. We hope to come to an amicable solution.

[redacted]'s agreement was for five services. Four services were performed and charged to his card. After paying for the fourth service the customer requested to cancel. We made three attempts to contact him, in part to advise him of the final remaining service and the early termination fee.When we...

were unable to reach him we cancelled the account per his request. We applied the appropriate early termination fee. We do not apply cancellation charges to cards on file, so when the cancellation charge ran on the customer's card we immediately refunded it. We sent a cancellation packet that included the invoice and a letter advising that if the balance remained outstanding we would turn it over to our collections agency. When the customer did not contact us we continued in our collections process. The outstanding charges are valid, occurred due to us honoring the customer's requests, and currently with the agency that performs our collections. If [redacted] wishes to discuss or contest these charges he is welcome to contact NCC. If he wishes to make a payment in full he can do so through NCC or Croach. Any discussion of the notice on his credit report should also be directed to NCC.

From: [redacted] Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2017 10:34 AM Subject: Re: You have a new message from the Revdex.comWonderful news!!  You have helped so much. This...

complaint complaint #[redacted].has been resolved. The company said I did not have to pay a cancellation fee and we are now happy with that outcome, Croach and [redacted].Thank you for being there.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because, as I outlined in the document attached, their response to this complaint was full of dishonesty. I have a trail of emails to prove that nobody ever mentioned the person that was home for entrance had to be 18. Nobody asked our son's age and nobody indicated that was a problem. Toni M was accepting our son as being the person home to allow entrance. The first I had heard of this age requirement was in the response to my complaint. Our garage and the front of our house is full of spiders, so we have paid $368.49 for none of the promised outcomes. (Promised during the aggressive sales pitch by Toni M.) Why would I pay to cancel a contract that has not been honored?

After reviewing the account, it appears as though the account has been handled and there has been an agreement to continue on a service to service basis as agreed upon by the customer service representative and Ms. [redacted]

To Whom it May Concern,
 
After reviewing the account, it appears as though our manager was able to reach a satisfying outcome for Mr [redacted]. Please contact us if there is anything further that needs to be done.

We have resolved this with the customer.