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10 Termite Scams:
Consumers Beware!
by Charles R. Bates | |
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Have you ever been ripped off? Have you experienced the feeling that your termite company was being less than totally honest with you?
I am Charles Bates and I know termite work.
I am sharing with you some of my knowledge in this revealing report
so that you can avoid getting ripped off.
1. The #1 ‘rip off’
in termite work is “re-selling the same work over
and over again” Scam: Let’s say a
house is thirty years old, and ten years ago, it was tented. There are
termite pellets in the attic. Is this a new infestation, or is this what
was seen ten years ago? The law in California regarding termite work is
clear that as part of any treatment all evidence should be “masked”. That
means that all pellets or wings, or any termite evidence should be marked,
covered, repaired, or in some way changed so that it is clear in the
future what work was done. Otherwise, it is impossible to determine what
is new. When pellets and or damage are not properly dealt with, someone
will pay for termite work again, at some point in the
future. 2. The “bring your own evidence” Scam: Even though
it is outright fraud, it still happens. How easy is it to carry in
pellets, or termite wings?
If you have a sub area, an inspector could carry in a piece of wood
previously attacked by subterranean termites, place it on the ground under
your home, and you now have something for him to sell. 3. “Primary and secondary recommendations” Scam: Sometimes this is legitimate work, but often it is a deceptive practice. If you live in a 100-unit condo, and you are trying to sell your one unit, fumigation will be prohibitively expensive. In this case a primary/secondary recommendation would be in order. However if you are in a single family residence, and the words you hear from the termite inspector is “Oh yeah, we can take care of this with a spot treat, no problem.” Be very
suspicious when in person he says “Oh sure, we can do it”, but his
paperwork says secondary recommendation, NO Guarantee. If he
doesn’t kill the termites the paperwork actually says you should do a
fumigation. We will attempt to kill the termites using XYZ method,
but there is no guarantee on secondary methods. This is a free ride for
the termite company. They get paid for anything they do, with no concern
of whether it works or not. I know of a company
that used this ploy on trusting people and were blatant. If an infestation were found at
the far end of the attic, and hard to get to, they would treat a
non-infested board that was easy to get to. Not treating any board and
collecting money is fraud.
Treating the wrong board and collecting money, if caught, is “oops… sorry”. 4. Using water-based putties on exterior surfaces Rip-off: Termite
companies keep their prices down by using water-based putties to fill
damage in lumber. It is cheap, very easy to use, and looks great when
done, (at least for awhile). The problem is that moisture absorbs into the
putty and proceeds to rot out the adjacent wood. In two to three years the
putty can fall out, and the wood surrounding it will be rot damaged,
needing repairs.
Since most termite guarantees are for one year, this provides a
continuing source of future business. 5. Selling ‘pseudo’ infestations Scam: Often the
lumber used to build a home is less than perfect and has flaws. There are
types of fungus that only grows in living trees. Once the tree is
harvested, the fungus never grows again, yet it is very visible. White
Pocket Rot and Blue Pocket Rot are not classified as wood destroying
organisms in California by the Structural Pest Control Board, but are
sometimes misidentified and sold as a problem.
Here is another ‘pseudo’ infestation:
selling particleboard deterioration as fungus or dry rot. Because of
the cost of lumber, particleboard and similar materials are often used in
houses as door skins, cupboards, or shelving, and sometimes even as
siding.
These materials are made of glue and wood chips, or sawdust.
When exposed to moisture, over time the glue begins to fail and the
material begins to deteriorate. Although it
looks bad, and may in fact be falling apart, it is not a wood-destroying
organism as defined by the California Structural Pest Control Board. If
you live outside of California, check with your state regulatory agency
for guidelines.
It is in fact a moisture situation that should be reported as a
condition that is conducive.
If it is reported incorrectly by either ignorance or by deception,
you are getting ripped-off. 6. The “cheat on the chemical” Scam: There are variations of
this for both drywood termites and subterranean termites. While performing a tent
fumigation, a company may determine that they are short of the amount of
fumigant required. Rather
than calling off the job and postponing to another day, facing realtors
expecting an escrow to close and sellers held up in a motel with their
food all bagged up, and buyers trying to move into the structure, the
company fakes it. Besides,
you can’t smell the chemical, only the tear gas that is added as a warning
agent. If the new owners complain that termites are still there, they come
back to re-fume. But if no
one complains, they walk away with high profits on that job. Termite companies performing subterranean work can easily dilute the chemical cutting their costs dramatically. It is very difficult to catch this rip-off, even if a soil sample is taken. Evidence is not conclusive enough to prove fraud. 7. The “Control Service” Scam: Know this,
not all control services are scams.
Some are of a legitimate value, however, anytime that you pay for
services that you don’t get; that indeed is a rip-off or a scam. If you are paying $70 - $80 a year
to control termites, be suspicious.
Oftentimes, the language in the control service contract says that
they will control the termites (as opposed to exterminate them). There is
a big difference between “control” and “exterminate”. Exterminate means to kill off the
colony completely. Control
means to attempt to reduce the size of a colony. When
the time comes that you want to sell, and need a “free and clear
inspection”, you will find yourself paying for termite work, in spite of
the control service. In
addition to checking the language of the contract, pay attention to how
much time is actually spent inspecting your home on re-inspections. I once worked for a national termite company who paid their inspectors a flat fee of $8 per re-inspection that included calling, scheduling the appointment, gas, travel time to and from the appointment, the actual inspection and the paperwork required by this state. Also, any inspector not doing his share of these control service re-inspections were threatened with termination of all inspection leads generated by the company’s costly advertising. With this company, although control services were $200 - $300 a year, inspections were done reluctantly, and as quickly as possible. 8. Selling termite work from ant evidence Scam: To a trained competent
termite man, it is easy to determine the difference between ants and
termites. Homeowners without
experience may believe that a swarming black insect with wings is a
termite, when in fact it may be an ant. People sometimes confuse the
debris around an ant pile for termite droppings. It is easy for an unscrupulous
termite man to deceive a trusting homeowner. 9. “Guarantee in areas treated only” Scam: This is built-in wiggle
room for termite companies.
What is the definition of the area treated? If a board in the attic is
infested and treated, is the guaranteed area the attic, the board in
question, or is it the exact spot where poison was applied. In almost all cases, the poison
used is of a repellant nature.
It will kill any termites coming in contact with it, but any
termites at the far end of the gallery will avoid coming in contact with
the poison.
Whenever a termite company gives a “guarantee in areas treated only”, beware of potential problems (the “wiggle room”). Anytime a company can charge for treatment and not have responsibility for results, the cards are stacked against the consumer. In this scam, the area of guarantee is quite ambiguous. By strict definition, the area guaranteed could actually be limited to the exact spot the poison was applied. 10. “Overselling fumigations” Rip-off: Fumigations are expensive
and intrusive. Some termite
companies will recommend a fumigation when drywood termites are found,
regardless of the size or severity of the infestation. Oftentimes, fumigation is
warranted where the evidence points to a widespread problem. In some
cases a traditional “spot treatment” could solve the problem. In order to sell fumigations,
termite companies routinely say that the infestations extend into
inaccessible areas, where spot treatments cannot reach. In the past,
the only chemicals available for termite treatment were repellant in
nature. Since they only work
in the location you put them, treatments were only effective if the
infestation was localized.
Since the
introduction of non-repellant materials, treatments into a gallery at one
location can eradicate the entire colony. The termites that come in contact
with the material carry it back to the colony, and share it with
others. Unlike repellant
chemicals, which the termites avoid, new termites continue to wander into
the treated areas until the colony is 100% exterminated.
Most
termite companies have intentions that are essentially honest. However, a few are not. But, even honest companies
can be poor at covering pellets, using water-based putties outside, or
selling fumigations when less costly methods are available. I have written this report with
the intention of helping you, the consumer. This information is eye-opening
for your benefit when the time comes that you are in need of termite
services and don’t want to get ripped-off.
Consumers
beware! Charles R. Bates, Owner of Cal Oaks Termite, Murrieta, CA. License No. PR1955 | ||
