Terminix tried to swindle an old lady
My neighbor, a sweet old lady, got a "Services Proposal" from Terminix (Tidewater Virginia) yesterday.
What she requested: Place a few rat traps in the crawl space and a few in the attic.
What Terminix tried to sell her: vacuum out all the ceiling insulation, disinfect and reinsulate; remove crawl space vapor barrier and replace with 10mm polyethylene sheeting; remove and replace crawl space entry door and treat for termites. All this for only $7000.00+ Oh, and a year contract!
This type of sales should be criminal!!
All this arose from some work on her furnace a few days ago. It was noticed that apparently a rat(s) had chewed up her return air duct, in the crawl space, which introduced debris and plugged the system. I suggested, after sealing the entry point that as insurance she should have a couple of traps set just in case the rat(s) were under her house or in the attic.
Never did I think a reputedly reputable company would try to rip her off.
I've examined the Poly in place and it is fine; there's nothing wrong with the crawl space entry door.
Out and out lies told: Terminix uses a mold chemical that we guarantee no mold will come back. The Poly is all torn up. Crawl space ventilation doesn't do any good. And the rats can gain entry under the AC/heat compressor.
My qualifications: Registered Industrial Hygienist, Registered environmental Manager, Certified Hazardous Chemical manager, owner/operator/maintenance of rental properties in Tidewater, 30+yrs construction experience.
Terminix, remember it's not slander if it is true!
