The Neuse Termite and Pest Control, Inc.

Bed bugs service not satisfied. Still seeing live bed bugsI called Neuse pest control back in October for services with bed bugs. A sales guy came in my home and I explained to him where I saw the bed bugs he never looked around he just quoted me $950 to service my whole house. It took two days for me to decide if I wanted to use this company or not he ensured me that it would take only one treatment to resolve the bed bugs issue (that was the first mistake because it take more than one treatment I read) I felt good about the purchase and decided to go with Neuse company because these bugs are really taking over my life right now I just wanted them gone. So I gave him a deposit of $450 dollars also told him that I wanted encasements installed so that came up to $1250. When it was time to prep I did everything on that paper I washed all my clothes took apart everything, it was like we was moving again and we just moved in that house in May so it was really stressful having to do everything over but like I said I wanted those bugs out. The first treatment was done I think on October 20, 2015 the guy came out he was very nice I can say again he made me feel confident that the bugs was going to be out after the first treatment. He told me if I see any live ones after 10 days give them a phone call to receive another treatment. After 10 days I saw so many bed bugs more than I have saw before on my sofa I felt so creepy I didn't want to even come home. So I called and received another treatment the second treatment I informed him that there was a lot in the sofa so he needed to get it good. He did spray a lot on the sofa but after 10 days I still saw some I haven't sat on my sofa since I have discoved that I had bed bugs. I scheduled for a third treatment two weeks from that time because I knew that was warranty was going out within the 30 days and I wanted to make sure that I had another treatment before then and plus I still was seeing live bed bugs not as much but there was still some that I saw. After the third treatment I was out of warranty. I now saw bed bugs in my son's room on his bed when I don't think that there was any in his room before because my 7 month old and I was sleeping in there because I felt that was the only place they wasn't. I also got bite again on my chest, there was also one on my hand. So I emailed the company and told them the situation since I was out of warranty could they come out and do another treatment because I still have them. The company granted my request and came out with two men, I wish they would have done that from the beginning maybe I wouldn't still have this problem. After the 4th treatment it seemed like I was bedbug free I was starting to slowly sit on my sofa again and sleeping better until this past week. I saw one on my wall in the living room and also one crawled on my son's father arm from the sofa. At this point I just want my money back I would take half because the service guy helped me take the sofa apart the second and third treatment. I would like to get a refund so I could go with another company. These bugs are taking over my life right now. I have a 7 month old baby that I would like to enjoy going to my living room and playing with I would like to sit on my sofa I have a 12 year old that doesn't even sit on the sofa because he scared of these bugs. I spent money that I didn't really have and trusted this company to provide me with the best service of not having these bed bugs again but I am still seeing live ones and its really freaking me out. If I would have done the research before using this company I probably wouldn't have use them because I read when a company says that they could get rid of them in one treatment please run. I also have pictures to back my story up. I haven't had anyone come to my house and I make sure that I check me and my son's stuff before entering because I want to make sure that we are reinfesting the house. I am not sure where these bugs are hiding but I never want to see another one.Desired SettlementAt this point I just want a refund. I want to see if another company could get rid of these bugs. I used all of my money to go to the laundry and to pay for this treatment only to still see bed bugs. Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted] ManagerContact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXXContact Email: [redacted]@neusetermiteandpest.comIt seems that the issue starts with 1 or more of our representatives creating a high bar for us to achieve by saying we can solve Bed Bug treatments in 1 service. Although we have been successful in many circumstances to achieve control in 1 service, that is not the normal success rate. It can take several treatments to control Bed Bugs especially when the degree of infestation is high. By nature they will hide in all types cracks and crevices so you can imagine the complexities of trying to control insects that are about the size of an apple seed or smaller and hiding within the construction of a couch or box spring with their multitude of potential harborage points. We do have a 30 day guarantee that is included in the initial service and programs that will allow the customer to extend that guarantee by as many months as they would like. We start with the 30 day because Bed Bug treatments can be expensive and we do not want to increase that charge by offering several months that may not be needed. That said, we always work with our customers. We have done services at no charge for this customer after their guarantee was over for no charge. The last service we performed was on 12/08/15 and have had no other communication until our technician received a text from this customer on 12/23/15 (attached to this response)stating things had been great until they found 1 bed bug on that day (23rd)that appeared to have not fed. So a bed Bug that has not fed in a home that has a host for feeding is a little questionable as to, is it a re-infestation. I propose that we schedule one of our canine scent detection teams to go out and see if we can get an alert for live bugs. If the canine alerts then we will perform service at no additional charge and extend to the customer an additional 30 day guarantee at no charge. My preference is to succeed in controlling the Bed Bugs. We perform several hundred Bed Bug treatments a year and are more than capable of eliminating the bed bugs here.Consumer Response The day after I saw the bedbug on the wall my boyfriend had one on his arm. I informed your service men and sales rep that I would do anything possible to get rid of these bugs. At this point I am afraid and freaked out with these bugs. After reading the contract stating that your company only decreases the in-festation of the bugs I then called and spoke to someone in the office and they told me that it takes only one treatment so I don't know who to believe. At this point I just want a refund I'll even take $500 of my money back because your service guy really helped me a lot by helping me move my sofa and that was very nice of him. I contacted another company already hopefully they could rid of these bugs. I have done my part with preparing for the treatment. I also have text message, pictures to back my claim up. I have sent so much messages I know both your sales guy and tech was getting tired of me bothering them. I just want to be able to sit down enjoy my living room again enjoy my house and my children instead of having to look around to see if I see a bedbug. And I have been doing a lot of research and dogs can't smell every bedbug they are helpful in some cases but they aren't accurate in locating every bed bugs so that service would not do any good for me. Final Business Response I understand your concerns but we are willing to provide services needed for the control of Bed Bugs. We have satisfied our contractual obligation and have extended services past our contractual obligation and are willing to continue past the obligation but we will not refund any monies. If live bed bugs are confirmed either visually by us or by the use of our canine team at the residence we will provide needed treatment. The Canine has always been a great tool for narrowing down where a few bed bugs might remain hidden from view and the canines have an accuracy rate of 97% which is much better than the less than 20% you can get with a visual inspection alone.

We were told by the contract rep that we would receive one service but ended up receiving an incomplete service by the actual service technician.I called Neuse Termite & Pest Control for an estimate on bed bug treatment & the contract rep came out, collected a $900 service fee & explained the procedure. He stated that they would treat mattresses, cushions, bed frames, & furniture with a heat treatment & chemical treatment where applicable. He also stated that they'd vacuum the bedframes & furniture since this is where bed bugs like to hide. Our home was treated on Friday, July 18. When assessing the rooms I noticed the furniture drawers nor bed frames (not even the bed where we had seen the bed bugs) had been vacuumed nor did they seem to have been treated. I called my husband to confirm that the contract rep stated that they would vacuum & treat these areas & he agreed. I called the service technician & left a voicemail but didn't hear back that Friday. Since all our bedrooms were treated, we (my husband, my kids & I) slept in our den on hardwood floors for the weekend. Since the service was incomplete we didn't want to put things back in place until the technician could come back & complete it.I called the office Monday morning with my complaint. I later received a call from the technician & I expressed my concerns about the incomplete service. He stated that it isn't required for them to vacuum the bed frames or furniture. I then informed him that the contract rep stated this would take place. He then stated that he did vacuum the areas but his vacuum had a small nozzle. At this point I felt as if he wasn't telling the truth since his statements conflicted one other. I took pictures of the drawers & bed frames & sent them to my husband for a second opinion & he agreed that the items had not been vacuumed (even with a small nozzle). I then called the company directly & asked to speak with the owner but he was away on vacation so I was directed to a manager ([redacted]). I explained that our service was not completed properly. I also shared that I felt technician was not being truthful with me about his service based on his conflicting statements (originally saying he didn't have to vacuum & then following up stating that he did vacuum but with a small nozzle). He apologized for that & stated that he would address it with the technician. He stated that it wasn't required for them to vacuum these areas & suggested that the contract rep stated this incorrectly. He stated that he would address that as well. My husband & I explained that we'd been sleeping on hardwood floors for the weekend with the expectation that someone would come & complete the service. We requested for a different technician to come & finish servicing our home based on the service we were told we would receive. He then stated that he was confident in the service provided & would guarantee it instead of sending someone. He suggested that we move back into our rooms & stated that if we saw another bed bug we could call him & they'd service that particular room. He stated we might see another bed bug in the next couple days but that happens sometimes after treatment.We put protectors on our mattresses & box springs & moved back in. A day after moving in we saw a bed bug but based on what [redacted] shared we considered this to be ok.On September 5 we found bed bugs outside the protector of the box spring on the bed. We are not sure how long they had been there but it leads us to believe that they are likely coming from the bed frame that was not properly treated. Based on what the contract rep stated, the bed bugs hide down in the bed frame (which was not properly treated).I called [redacted] &reminded him of his statement. He denied making the statement that he would come back & service our room if we saw another bed bug. He stated that it had been over a month since treatment & there was nothing they could do. I reminded him that we were not confident in the original service provided & he guaranteed us that they'd come back if we saw another bed bug & he didn't give a specific time frame for that guarantee.Desired SettlementWe would like a full refund of the $900 for the service since it was not completed properly, they did not honor their guarantee and we had to pay elsewhere for retreatment of their incomplete service.Business Response We originally contracted with this customer to provide treatment for bed bugs at their residence. During the treatment the technician uses vacuuming and steaming at their discretion (as the "scope of service" details) which was signed by the customer. The issue came in that supposedly the initial inspector said "we will vacuum and steam everything" I was not there so I do not know whether it was said or not. Whether or not a section of a bed rail was vacuumed or not does not mean the treatment was a failure. Even if the bed rail was not vacuumed, it was treated with a residual pesticide for control. This customer called the day after treatment and was concerned about the lack of vacuuming on the bed rail. I told her that it was not detrimental to control and to keep their eyes open for live bugs and we would return to treat if needed. Under the agreement it has a 30 day guarantee. Customer calls well past a 45 day mark and wants another service because they supposedly found a live bug. The original agreement was satisfied. Due to the nature of bed bugs we do not know if the bed bug found 45 days after service was part of the original infestation or did they re-infest in the same way they originally became infested. I denied any further treatment. Once the complaint was received and several attempts to call customer, we finally connected. I asked mrs if they purchased further treatments for control and she did not want to discuss if they contracted with someone else for service. finally she said that they had a friend of the family do further service and stated they do not have bed bugs now. We serviced this residence which took several hours and were able to reduce the infestation from a moderate degree of infestation to 1 bed bug 45 days later. I do not feel as though we have failed in this service even though the customer seems to feel this way. We as a company have decided to return the customers original service fee of $900, but it is for good customer relations only. We have provided a premium service to this customer and stand behind our service within the confines of the signed contractual agreement. Which we have done.