First of all, a rare anti-rant against a big company. Kudos to Terminex for doing the right thing here! Their inspector that did the termite report during the escrow for our new home said the house was free and clear. He since left the company–fired or otherwise–and we started seeing evidence of termites. We called another company to do an inspection (which concluded we needed tenting), then turned around and showed it to Terminex. Terminex sent an inspector who had been doing annual inspections and treatments on the house for years (who for wahtever reason did not do the clearance in July). He said the previous owners had always insisted on spot treating as they had their grandkids in the house with them (that, and the man was a bit curmudgeony IMHO), and reiterated that whoever the guy was that did the report was no longer with the company–and that yes, we need tenting as he found over 25 locations of termite infestation. BTW, orange oil was not recommended by any of the companies as there are so many locations of activity–we need to make sure to nuke every single little bugger.
Realizing the screw-up, Terminex is of course doing the tenting free of cost–but is also paying for us to stay in a decent hotel for three days (in a 2-room suite, so RuffLlama won’t be at the foot of our bed saying, “Hiiiiiiiiiiii!”; plus, it has a kitchenette, a nice bonus), and footing the bill for boarding our cats. We figure that the bad inspector is going to wind up costing the company around $2000, all told. So, good on Terminex for doing absolutely what they should and not putting up any fuss. If they had, we were actually prepared to go to small claims court. No way we should end up paying out of pocket for their screw-up. Wonder if they’ll turn around and try and recoup the money from the bad inspector.
I’m home for the next two weeks as I finish up my post-op recuperation period, so it gives me time to start preparing. I’m wondering who among the Dopers has had their homes tented, and what their experiences taught them. We have the fumigation fact sheet that outlines the basics (we’re getting the Vikane treatment), but I’m wondering about everything not on the sheet.
I had my house tented a couple years ago. It wasn’t a big deal, really. The hardest part was moving all the plants, food, alcohol, etc. out. I made my best attempt to drink all the alcohol beforehand, so as not to move it, but despite my best efforts some remained.
I bagged most everything in the bathroom, but didn’t feel comfortable bagging the kitchen stuff, so it went to a neighbors. I meant to wash all the dishes afterward (even though they said you didn’t have to), but then I got lazy. I mean, then I decided to put my trust in the chemical company. And it worked! No harmful effects.
Best thing we did, though, was schedule the gas company to turn the gas back on promptly. They tag the structure so you actually do need the gas company to come out. But they were great.
There is a chance that they’ve already been sued (possibly by a bank that had an interest on a house that’s now failing) for this and are therefore caving instead of fighting, but my guess would be that they are just being a good business and while they might be suing the bad inspector, I would assume they are either eating the cost or putting in an insurance claim for it. Chances are you don’t have they only house they screwed up on.
Either way, I assume you plan to continue using them for a while and recommending them to everyone else that needs the type of services they offer.
If you have a tile roof be prepared for some tiles to be broken. I was prepared for that (since they told us) but was not prepared to find giant pieces of broken tile in the yard – in one case on top of a plant which was now dead. Otherwise, it was no big deal.
I’m so glad Terminix is doing the right thing! You definitely don’t want to be stewing in those fumes, especially with a new baby.
No experience here with tenting, but wanted to toss an anecdote regarding inspectors missing termite issues. We live in Fairfax County VA, which is a high-risk area for termites. When we bought in the late 1980s, our realtor suggested we keep up with a termite-inspection contract for that very reason, and we took her advice. Never had a problem, but for 100 bucks a year it was cheap peace of mind. Call that company ‘A’.
We sold the place in 2002. The buyer had a termite inspection from a different contractor (company ‘B’). They found nothing. 2 months later, we contacted our termite company to schedule an annual inspection on our new house. The former owners of our new place had also used their inspection services, so we knew it was covered.
Well, someone in their office got confused - and sent the inspector to our old place. The owner of our old place, for whatever reason, assumed they were supposed to be there and let them in.
They found an infestation. I believe it was still in the yard, rather than the house itself, but it needed to be treated. The new owner mentioned this to me and we were both stunned that this had been found 2 months after company B had inspected the place and pronounced it clean.
Honestly, I wonder if the inspections done upon sale of a house aren’t, well, intentionally rushed!
Just had my house done while I was away for Christmas. Some comments:
Not sure what your procedure is, but down here the fumigation company (exterminators) took care of arranging for the gas to be shut off. But I needed to schedule the appointment (and be around) for when the guy comes to turn the gas back on. It would behoove you to make this appointment early (as in ASAP). It only takes them 15 minutes or so, but you still need to schedule their time.
Be careful when you bag your food. The bags they gave me were good for being air-tight, but a couple of corners of boxed food actually split the material. I’m sure this is why they want you to double-bag, but this material is not all that strong.
For some things I decided to use some nylon stuff sacks to cover the sharp edges and then put those into the (double) bags they gave me.
If you have a bird (I have a parrot), although it may be safe for you to return some 48 hours later, I was told to wait 72 hours for my bird (I actually waited even longer).
Also, since my parrot may ingest bits of his toys he destroys, I opted to bag all his toys. If you have a dog, you might want to bag toys that he/she chews.
Be sure to go through all your rooms when looking for stuff to bag. I thought I was about done, and then happened to check the hall bathroom and found some (guest) toothpaste and mouthwash.
When bagging the food in your refridgerator, put smaller amounts into more bags - that is, don’t fill the bags up so full which will mean using more bags possibly. I found that it was a real pain putting the bags back into the fridge (again being careful not to puncture them - those little tabs that hold up the shelves can poke through) because I’d filled them too full. Also don’t cinch them down when you seal them - again you want the items to be able to shift around so they will fit back in.
