ONE STAR FOR SHOWING UP ON TIME. ZERO STARS FOR EVERYTHING THAT MATTERED…read more
I hired Rodent Masters because I have documented ongoing rat activity around my private patio at my apartment for approximately a year. I have five security cameras recording the activity, including rats repeatedly on the ground in my private patio where my small dog walks and sniffs.
I explained the situation to Max in detail, including how distressed I was, and told him I was prepared to pay for an exterminator's help myself. At their request, I obtained my landlord's permission for them to perform the work.
The day before the appointment, I went even further: I sent Max a five-page presentation with photographs and a diagram of my property, identifying suspected burrows, storage areas with rat activity/droppings, openings I wanted sealed, the water-heater closet, planters/root systems and other possible nesting and entry locations. I also explained that I have a small dog and wanted safe, enclosed trapping options. I specifically asked whether they could perform the work the same day if possible.
The technician arrived on time, but the inspection I expected simply did not happen.
He focused on whether rats might be inside my apartment even though I had reported an outdoor problem. When I asked whether he had seen my presentation, he told me it was "at the office."
He did not open and inspect the storage cupboards where I had reported rat activity and droppings. He did not investigate the suspected burrows. He did not seal any openings. He looked directly at an opening into one of my storage areas and did nothing about it. Most incredibly, while standing on my patio he explained that rats like protected areas around water heaters, yet he never even opened the doors to inspect the two water heaters I had specifically identified in my presentation.
After all of this, the primary recommendation I received was to buy mountain lion or fox urine and spray it myself.
After I complained, Max initially told me in writing that he was "very confused" because he had forwarded my list to the technician and explained the situation to him. He later said they were trying to "save me money" and the technician did not want to take my money "by just setting traps."
That explanation makes no sense. This was supposed to be a free estimate. I never told anyone I was on a budget. I had specifically asked whether they could do the work that same day and was prepared to pay. Nobody even gave me an estimate or presented treatment options and allowed me to decide what I wanted to spend.
Max also brought up my doggie door afterward. I did not tell Max about a doggie door the day before. I mentioned it casually to the technician while we were already standing on my patio. I never reported rats inside my apartment. He insisted on coming in and looking under my sink and told me I had no evidence of rat existence.
My complaint is simple: I hired a rodent professional to investigate documented rat activity, identify nesting/entry areas, recommend appropriate trapping and exclusion, and give me an estimate. Instead, the specific areas I identified were not meaningfully investigated, no holes were sealed, I received no estimate, and I was essentially told to buy predator urine.
Had Max simply told me after receiving my five-page presentation that this wasn't the type of work they were going to perform, I would have thanked him and continued looking for another company. Instead, I stopped searching because I believed help was coming the next morning. That lost time matters when you are already dealing with an ongoing problem. I also let Max know how traumatized I was by these rats and how I wasn't sleeping at night. He seemed so empathetic and told me not to worry. Why pretend you want to help and then lie about our initial conversation.
P.S. I saw another reviewer say someone from this company arrived in an unmarked white van, which the company disputed in its response. The technician who came to my home also arrived in an unmarked white van, and I have the security-camera footage showing it.
