- Report: #534419
Complaint Review: ValuePest.com Of America - Internet
Reported By:
Value Man -
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
ValuePest.com Of America
Internet, United States of America
Phone:
Web:
Valuepest.com
Categories:
Business Rating:
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ValuePest.com Of America Valuepest.com, Valuepest.com of America, Valuepest Bob Jones, president of Valuepest.com, sued and lost in Charleston, SC Internet
I sued Valuepest.com and Bob Jones for illegal telemarketing in Charleston County Small Claims Court because Bob Jones, the president of Valuepest.com, had broadcast a prerecorded message to Charleston, SC residential telephone subscribers on October 3, 2008. I called Valuepest.com and tried to speak with Bob Jones regarding the matter. Bob Jones proved to be a lying jerk.
I sued Valuepest.com and Bob Jones (since it was his voice on the recording) under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Bob Jones wrote me a letter demanding I answer a bunch of his questions. I answered the pertinent questions and ignored the rest. I tried to settle this with him but he acted like such a jerk I concluded that the only way it would be resolved was through the Courts.
He eventually said that he looked forward to seeing me in Court. I suppose that was intended to intimidate me. But Bob Jones missed the Court date. He was tried in absentia, found in violation of federal telemarketing laws, and I was awarded a $3080 judgment against Valuepest.com and Robert L. Jones, Individually.
He filed an appeal in Circuit Court. During that hearing, Bob Jones appeared and told the judge that he didn't live in S.C. (true) and that neither he nor Valuepest.com did business in S.C. This, of course, was not true. The judge remanded the case back to Small Claims in order the hear (for a second time) whether a S.C. court had jurisdiction over Valuepest.com and Robert L. Jones.
Around this time I read a Ripoff Report by a Charleston SC resident stating that Valuepest.com refused to give him a sample contract before coming to his house to treat it. Evidently, Bob Jones responded on Ripoff Report denying that Valuepest.com refuses to give prospective customers sample contracts that they can compare with those of other pest control companies.
So, I made a call to Valuepest.com, made an appointment for a treatment at a rental home I own, and asked for a sample contract. Valuepest.com refused to provide me a copy of their contract. I met Chris Jones, Bob Jones' son, at the property, he gave me a contract to sign, I kept the contract, refused to sign it, and told him that his company needed a City of Charleston business license to do work in Charleston. Chris Jones demanded I return the contract and lunged for the contract when I refused, tearing off a piece of the contract! He told me he was going to bill me "for his time". Moments later I received an angry call from Bob Jones threatening to bill me for Valuepest.com's time. I guess the joke is on papa and baby Jones. How could they bill me for their work if they don't work in Charleston?
I submitted to the Small Claims Court, with copies sent to Valuepest.com and Bob Jones, a Motion for Summary Judgment. The motion had Exhibits A through O, including the torn contract, detailing Valuepest.com's and Robert L. Jones' numerous business activities in S.C. This list of exhibits also included repeated disciplinary actions against Valuepest.com and Robert L. Jones for violations of the South Carolina Department of Pesticide Regulation.
The second Small Claims hearing was held December 4, 2009. Apparently, the exhibits and truth scared old Bob Jones because he didn't show up for the hearing!
I talked to the City of Charleston License Department last month. At that time, Valuepest.com still hadn't secured the necessary business license. In my opinion, Valuepest.com, as run by Bob Jones, is, at best, a sloppily run company. Bob Jones isn't a nice person and he hasn't shown himself to be an honest person.
Check out the company before you sign anything with them.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Bob jones
Matthews,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
FALSE AND MISLEADING SLANDER
#2REBUTTAL Owner of company
Mon, April 12, 2010
ValuePest.com always works hard to settle legitimate consumer disputes as they sometimes arise.
Here is our side of this story. You be the judge.
1. In November of 2008, our company received a telephone call from a person in Charleston requesting information about our services. This call was made from a cell phone and the person gave us a false name. This person used his middle name.
2. Later that month, we received an extortion letter demanding that we either pay a settlement or he would sue us because of the do not call list law. He claimed that we had unlawfully called his telephone number and solicited him.
3. ValuePest has never, repeat NEVER, used telemarketing as a means of soliciting consumers so I asked this person to provide more information.
4. This person claimed that we had called him without his approval - BUT would settle the matter for several hundred dollars. We refused because we don't use outbound telemarketing in any form.
5. Within a short period of time, we received a several page lawsuit demanding money for damages. The problem was that this person sued the wrong company and me personally. And, because we are innocent and as I do not personally do business in the State of South Carolina and the company he sued did not either, I decided to fight the claim.
6. I made the three hour trip to Charleston on the date that I was told and upon arriving, I was informed that the case had been held the week prior. Further I was told that the plaintiff was suppose to inform us, so I immediately filed an appeal.
7. During the appeal, the court decided in our favor. We won.
8. However, later in 2009, another hearing was held without our knowledge and another judgment was issued - because we were not there.
8. Upon receiving the second judgment, I decided to contact the small claims court in Charleston and was once again told that I could appeal. But since this was three hours away from my Charlotte office, I decided it was simply better to pay the judgment, so I immediately forwarded a check for over $3600.00.
9. As a policy, we always work hard to settle legitimate complaints with our customers. We service over 60,000 homes annually in the United States. And since 1989 we have only had 11 complaints. I hope that anyone reading this story will take that into account.
