United Pest Control & Termite

THE SHORT STORY:
In a pinch (wife pregnant and leaving next day for Thanksgiving), I contacted this company specifically about a dead rodent in the wall that was beginning to smell and the possibility of infestation. They looked around the house for signs of rats. There were none so it was probably a squirrel or possum. I had opened trap doors behind our shower/​tub, which is where the animal was, but they didn’t have tools (scope) to find it, nor did they have anything to pull the critter out. Instead they put in 2 small odor absorbers and dropped bait/​poison «just in case» in the trap doors, the attic, and the garage. It was $ 270 for something I could have done on my own. They told me the odor absorbers were strong but safe commercial products that would take care of the smell in 2 days. I knew the price was high but was okay with it as long as the smell went away.
After a week away for the holiday, we came home to a rotten house. I did more/​better research and called hoping to discuss a resolution. When I called them back, I tried to explain without any accusation whatsoever. Before I could finish my first thought, they quickly became defensive and aggressive. I hung up when I couldn’t get a word in. They called back and left an accusatory voicemail, which I have archived and will post.
I am reporting them to the proper agencies and authorities.
MORE DETAILS:
Back to the beginning… After 4 – 5 calls to other companies, this was the only one able to come out later that same day. Two guys showed up, which was odd. Also the second guy was referred to as «reverend.»
Though they talked at a slow/​patient pace and came off as polite, they seemed to talk at me instead of having a discussion with me. Along those lines, they kept on giving unsolicited advice on unrelated things as if to create a veneer of trustworthiness.
In my haste I realized I would probably end up paying more than standard rate for any company. Though I was ready for this, I was shocked they wanted $ 250+tax after they did nothing to retrieve the critter and just dropped bait. They didn’t take credit cards (warning sign), which is likely to avoid tracking or refunds. But at that point and my unease, I just wanted them gone and I would have been okay with that brutal price as long as the smell went away.
The next day, before we left on vacation, I began to acknowledge my instinct that I was scammed. I called what I thought was another pest control company at 281−872−7100 and asked about an estimate to come out, check for rodents and put down odor absorbers and bait if necessary. After a low $ 100s quote, I got a call back a few minutes later and it ended up being the same guys! John Gordon, the owner, had called me back and played dumb as if he didn’t know I was the same person he swindled the day before. He said something like, «My boss quoted you the wrong price. It would be $ 250» as if to salvage his fraud. Plus, he is the owner. Yikes, real con pros!
Again, despite the realization that I was probably taken for $ 270, I would have been fine as long as the smell was gone when we came back home. Obviously, that was not the case. After the unsuccessful phone call back to United Pest Control (the owner — John Gordon), I called another pest control guy and talked to a second in-​person.
Not wanting to talk bad about another person in the industry that they didn’t know and assuming this other company I was inquiring about is on the up-​and-​up, these other pest control pros implied that the price was exorbitant. First, a real pro would have been able to scope the space to identify the critter to see if traps/​bait were necessary and then pull it out with some sort of device if possible. Second, the smell will not go away for at least 3 weeks no matter what. The decomposition odor is not toxic, but you can only try and mask the smell. Third, putting down bait/​poison is wrong and will likely result in more dead things in the walls. Traps should have been set just in case this wasn’t a one-​off pest.
After finding this out, I retrieved the bait/​poison United Pest had put down and left the odor absorbers in. The odor absorbers didn’t seem to be doing anything, so I looked up the product. They are ‘Natures Sponge’ and are $ 5 and available in stores. Not commercial grade. They had put on the invoice: 12 packs of pellets & 14 bait blocks. There were only 7 pellets & 4 blocks (see picture). This is probably part of their fraud to make you feel like you got more than you really did. By the way, these items are about $.75 each and available for purchase.
In the end, I paid $ 270 to learn yet another lesson and throw out $ 8 in unnecessary rat poison.
It turns out this company has multiple listings online with various addresses and PO Boxes. Their phone numbers are: (281) 852‑0045 /​ (281) 872‑7100 /​ (832) 567‑8795