Complaint Review: ValuePest.com Of America - Matthews North Carolina

After ValuePest.com management and I thoroughly reviewed and discussed the events leading to my complaint, it appears that both sides had contributed to the unfortunate misunderstanding that prompted me to initiate this negative review. After our discussions, ValuePest.com and I have settled our differences to my complete satisfaction. If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to submit them via this forum and I will get back to you.

Shortly after I entered my original Rip Off Report, ValuePest made the decision to revise their web site. The specifics on their web site that were referenced in my original report are therefore no longer available. Because I failed to follow the rules and attempted to put my phone number in my previous update, my number was not allowed. Therefore, a copy of the data that was taken directly from their site prior to its removal by ValuePest follows: ValuePest.com's SystemLeaves Bugs With No Place To Hide. ValuePest.com uses the latest in mild but long-lasting materials to set up a defense barrier in and around your home. Because all materials are placed out of sight and out of reach, they aren't exposed to sunlight, detergents from routine housecleaning, or other elements that can cause a treatment to break down. And, our treatment is completely odorless in the home. There's no doubt about it. ValuePest.com's Termite & Pest Prevention System is the most convenient and cost-effective pest prevention you can buy! Step 1 - Inspection: Before we apply any materials in, under or around your home our technician will complete a full inspection of your structure. This will include the interior, garage and crawlspace areas. Step 2 - Identification: During our inspection we will identify any visible signs of insect or rodent pests, past and present signs of damage and/or conducive conditions that may attract pest activity to your home. Step 3 - Termite Prevention System (Liquid Application): We will drill, trench and treat any active termites that we find attacking your home with a non-repellent termiticide. Non-repellents are the best option for this part of the treatment because the termites don't move from the treated zone, they can't detect the material application so they just keep coming back for more. Once they enter the treatment zone, Premise 75 makes the termites stop feeding and grooming each other, they become disoriented and die. Step 4 - Termite Prevention System (Bait System Install): Once the liquid portion of our termite system is complete, we install our termite monitoring and baiting stations around your home. This step is an additional line of defense to protect your home against future foraging termites in your yard around your home. Step 5 - Pest Prevention System (Interior Service): We will inject special dust formulations into accessible wall voids, an insects' favorite hiding place. These dust formulations will be actively protecting your home as long as they stay dry. Insect baits are then placed under home appliances where insects scurry in search of food and water. Step 6 - Pest Prevention System (Exterior Service): A complete liquid barrier will be placed around your home to keep insect activity away from your home. Granular repellent materials are placed in the soil and in the shrubbery areas immediately adjacent to your home to drive away pests. Specially formulated dusts and baits are placed into the cracks and crevices around your home's foundation to stop insects. Step 7 - Communication: This is the most important step in our pest prevention system. Once our initial system is complete and on any future treatments, our technician will report three (3) things. What he found on his inspection, what he did to correct the situation and finally, what you should expect from our treatment. Step 8 - Follow Up: We will schedule quarterly follow up visits to reinforce the exterior material applications and check the termite baiting system. These visits are very important to the continued success of your pest free home. We will inspect the termite monitoring stations and add bait to them when required. In addition we will make sure any new conducive conditions that may have began to occur during the last three months are brought to your attention. ............OUR FAMOUS 365-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE.................. Our Termite & Pest Prevention System is the best, most cost-effective pest prevention system anywhere. If you don't agree, just let us know and I will send you a complete refund for every penny you've paid us on the spot This Unconditional, Money-Back Guarantee is valid up to 365 days after your purchase. Now what could be fairer than that? Nobody offers you more than ValuePest.com! ValuePest.com. Committed to your complete satisfaction. Best of all, our treatment is guaranteed! If the bugs come back during the year, we will, too- at no additional cost! FOR IMMEDIATE SERVICE,CALL 1-866-DONT-OVERPAY (1-866-366-8683)

According to a ValuePest ad delivered to my home in June 2007, ValuePest offers "SATISFACTION GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK" Also, http://valuepest.com/system.asp states under the heading "OUR FAMOUS 365-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE" That if you don't agree that their pest prevention system is the best, just let us know and we will send you a complete refund for every penny you've paid us on the spot. ValuePest treated my home on 7/24/2007. The reason I hired them was because of a carpenter ant problem. They spent over 2 hrs. treating my home. However, 5 weeks later, I continued to have ants in my house and also all over my porches. Around 9/1/07, I applied Aventis Delta Dust around the entire perimeter of my home and also on the porches where the ants were active. Immediately, we began to see dying ants. When ValuePest returned in Oct. 2007 for the required quarterly treatment, I cancelled the service and told the tech about the ant problem that had not been corrected. There was also a spider and cricket problem that was not rectified. Around mid Nov., I was cleaning out my desk files and discovered the money back guarantee that I had received in June, which I had forgotten about. I also discovered the valuepest.com web site where I found more detail about what was supposed to have happened with the treatment. Because the tech failed to comply with items #5, #6, & #7 at http://valuepest.com/system.asp, the ant problem wasn't alleviated and the tech never informed that I had options if the treatment didn't work. Between 11/18/07 and 1/4/08, I made repeated requests for a refund. I informed Bob Jones, the company president, in an e-mail dated 12/3/07 that if ValuePest failed to honor their documented guarantee, I planed to file in Charlotte's Small Claim Court in Jan. 2008. I received the official response to my 11/18/07 request from Michelle Jones (Operations Manager) on 12/27/08. Her response said the guarantee didn't apply because I failed to call them back when the initial ant problem was not rectified. I received a similar response from Bob Jones in a 1/4/2008 e-mail. On 2/14/08, I went to Small Claims Court and was informed by the judge that the contract I had signed with ValuePest contained a clause mandating me to resolve all conflicts with ValuePest via arbitration. In my opinion, this requirement rendered the ValuePest guarantee totally invalid, as it's not possible to get an "on the spot refund" if you must first go through mediation and arbitration. This process would probably cost more than the $399.00 paid for the initial treatment plus $90 wasted filing the Small Claim, and certainly couldn't be honestly defined as "on the spot" as per the guarantee documentation. . To add insult to injury, I had informed ValuePest that I was going to file a "Small Claim" and they went ahead and let me waste the additional $90, when they knew about the 'arbitration clause' and knew I was wasting my time and money, but failed to mention it to me. I failed to catch the 'arbitration clause' because it was buried in the paperwork that appeared to be written primarily to address the Termite coverage. Note: I had my home built in 1985 and was aware that I had no termites, but ValuePest offers a one-size-fits-all package and I hired them to take care of carpenter ants, spiders, and crickets, so I didn't pay much attention to the termite paperwork. Shame on me, but that doesn't negate the fact that their guarantee says there is an unconditional money back guarantee. This statement appears to be a total sham as, I would consider mandatory arbitration a significant condition. Shortly after my initial Rip Off Report, (above) ValuePest removed all data from their web site (valuepest.com) and replaced the data with a message indicating the site was being revised. Therefore the data I referenced is no longer available at that site. However, I made a copy of everything before ValuePest removed it. If you want a copy, call me at (((ROR redacted))) and I will be glad to e-mail you the page that I referenced in the original Rip Off Report. CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.