Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/24/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 4.22-25 my husband was approached at our home by ring of doorbell. He was approached by rep from Essential pest control offering to spray home. We had recently had ant concerns, occasional issues with stinkbugs, and bees outside. He was led to believe that there would be 11 treatments for $59 per month. He was NOT informed of $379 early cancellation fee. They asked him to sign a form authorizing service which he did in error without reading. This is a high pressure tactic and misrepresents service provided and charges a ridiculous early opt out fee. I have seen multiple other concerns regarding this company with same complaint when investigating. I would like a note on our account that this charge will not occur if we want to discontinue services.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/21/2025

  I have notated his account accordingly. If he chooses to cancel his account, we WILL NOT assess the ETF since it was not fully disclosed.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/02/2025

  We accept this response 

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/09/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Contract with Essential Pest Control began on 4-18-24 for term of 12 months.
  They charged to my credit card unjustly.
  
  3-16-25 I received a text from Sean saying he would be out the next day to treat. I advised that I would be cancelling the service so not to come out. His reply was he would take me off his route and to be sure to call the office the next day which I did and advised that I would be cancelling the service giving them 31 day notice so not to automatically renew. No mention was made of fee or required 5 Treatments. I felt everything was handled.
  On 4-7-25 I received a call from ******. I was on another call, but took his call. However, his call dropped. He did call back but I was still on previous call and couldn't get off so he left a voicemail saying I was under contract and to avoid Early Termination charge I needed to call the office. which I did with no answer. I then called the number ****** called me on ************ and left a VM that I called the office with no answer and I was cancelling the service effective 4-18-25. I called office again and Kelsey said ****** was at lunch and would have him call back.
  My credit card was charged without speaking to me. He said I was in breach of contract because contract was for 5 treatments. I told him that was not on my contract and he stated in the upper left-hand corner it stated 5 visits per year. I told him to send them out then for 5th treatment. He said he could but the $379.00 couldn't be refunded and would be a credit on my account to use.
  
  Contract shows 5 Visits per year but also states to start with treatment 2 which would be 2, 3,4 & 5 (4 total treatments). They have treated and charged my card 4 times. Therefore, I have fulfilled the required treatments. Also note, the contract has the wrong service address.
  
  I have fulfilled my contractual obligations and should not be charged Early Termination fee of $379.00. He was rude with terrible customer service. I do NOT want any money on acct.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/30/2025

  For this customer, we are going to refund the difference between what she was charged and the cost of what her final application on her contract was. She will be refunded $273.07 and she should see it post by Friday.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/04/2025

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: When I originally told them to come out and treat the yard prior to the April 18, 2025 cutoff I was told they would deduct the treatment and leave a credit balance on account.  ****** told me that he could NOT refund me.  Therefore, they have not preformed any service and I feel that I have satisfied my contractual obligations.  I want a full refund of the Early Termination Fee of $379.00 not a partial refund of $273.07 since I did not receive any service for the $105.93. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** *******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/28/2025

  Business indicated to BBB by email that the rest will be refund by check and it will go out today. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/03/2025

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  Additional refund amount was received via USPS today, June 3, 2025.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/12/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Late spring Essential Pest rang my door bell and stated they could take care of any bugs outside the house and set up a program where they would come 4 times a year for treatment to my foundation to kill bugs before they get inside for approximately $379. I said no I don't want to spend that much for bug control. We agreed on a one time only treatment for around $120, so they did the treatment. I paid by credit card. I thought all was well. So on December 11, I receive a email that they "closed my account and charged my credit card $379. So I called the office of Essential Pest and complained on December 11. I explained the problem to the person on the phone and she would contact her manager. I've heard nothing back. They are trying to fleece me $379. I can't imagine I'm the only one they've done this to. I received absolutely nothing for $379.00 no goods no services. I opened a case with my credit card company To dispute the claim.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/24/2025

  This customer has been refunded. They have also been notified by our staff that the refunds are on the way!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/04/2025

  I just spoke with my credit card company and they told me that they haven't been contacted by Essential Pest Control. A man named ***** from Essential Pest Control called me a couple of weeks ago and told me over the phone that they were wrong to charge my card $379.00 and that they would be making Citi Bank whole. Citi Bank has no record of getting refunded the $379. I was issued a credit for $379 by Citi Bank, however they need to make things right with Citi Bank. I will close this issue when Citi Bank is paid $379.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/04/2025

  Business indicated to BBB by email that a refund will be issued today by check and go out in the mail. Please allow 7 to 10 business days to receive check.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/04/2025

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/12/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had a salesman from Essential Pest come to the door about treating our condo. He said they could do one treatment in August and another about a month later if needed. The first application was on 8/19/2024 for $214.00. I did not notice any changes in the amount of spiders and spider webs out front or in the back of our condo so I called on 9/9/2024 to cancel the next treatment. I was then told by Essential Pest that I had 1 year contract of 5 treatments and there was an early termination fee of $379.00. I told Essential Pest the salesman did not inform me of this or give me any contract just asked me to sign here on his cell phone and someone would be out in a week or so. On this call Essential Pest said they understood and would take care of it so I assumed end of store. On 11/26 I get a voicemail from Essential Pest saying they got a note to stop service which is not true it was a phone conversation. They also said to avoid termination fee to call their office. I called them back on 11/26 and 11/27 both times they said I needed to talk to Scott and he would call me back which he did not. On 12/10/2024 they charged my credit card $379.00. I called them agin on 12/10/2014 and 12/11/2024 both times explaining the situation and they said I needed to talk to Scott and they would have him call me. I have yet to receive a call back and trying to stop payment on my credit card. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/24/2025

  This customer has been refunded. They have also been notified by our staff that the refunds are on the way!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/24/2025

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/29/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I entered into contract with Essential Pest Control on 9/25/2023 with the understanding of them treating my residence every "8-10 weeks". I was satisfied with their service and schedule until they attempted to service my house twice in the same month, at that time I contacted them and advised the technician it had previously been treated a week prior as my husband was home the day they came and treated the house. Last week I received an email stating the company withdrew $379.00 from my bank account for an "Early Termination Fee" without my knowledge or authorization, prior to this email there was no communication from this company. I reached out to Essential Pest Control and spoke with someone from their management team to hopefully resolve the issue amicably with no resolution. They did make me an offer of services verbally and when I asked for them to provide me the offer in writing and they refused. I do not trust this company. I am asking the Better Business Bureau to intercede on my behalf to recover the cost Essential Pest withdrew from my bank account since I never asked to terminate the contract early.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/20/2024

  I just had a good conversation with ******** ****** and we got her issue resolved. I have refunded the fee that she was charged and as of right now, she is not going to continue service with us. As of disconnecting the call, she was happy with the resolution. If you need anything else, please let me know.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/22/2024

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  Brandon from Essential Pest Control reached out to me and was very easy to talk the situation through with and he refunded the termination fee that I was incorrectly charged for.  I have no further issues with this company. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/01/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Sept 10,2024 a man came to the house when my husband was getting ready to pull out & he talked to him for a few minutes then came & rang the doorbell so I answered & he told me that my husband listened to him & to talk to me. He made me believe that my husband wanted me to sign up so I okayed a treatment that he said would be 129. he then pull out a tablet for the contract which being outside I couldn't even see. I am 75 yrs old with cataracts & I really had no idea that there was a 379. charge if you canceled. We allowed the first treatment since we had paid for but still have spiders & other insects plus my 2 dogs have been itching ever since the treatment. keep in mind you don't see the contract until they send it in a file on the computer. I called last week to cancel it then got a call back today & he said as the so called contract said we would still have to pay the 379.00 for canceling. We both feel like this is a scam & being elderly they got me.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/29/2024

  Business called BBB with the following response:

  We will be refunding the customer today and it should hit her account by Thursday or Friday. We are canceling her contract as well with no fees. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/29/2024

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** *********   They will have to refund it by check because the acct they have isn't valid anymore

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/13/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I entered into an agreement with essential pest October of last year. My contract is for 5 applications at $160+tax for a total of $800+tax/year. They service my home on 10/26/23, 1/2/24, 2/28/24, at which time I decided to cancel the service as I did not feel it was a good value. I did not read the fine print and when I called to cancel they disclosed the "early termination fee" of $379. I decided with 2 appointments left that it would be cheaper to let them complete the 4th and 5th treatment prior to canceling service. They serviced my house again on 5/10/24 and 7/10/24 after which I called to terminate my services. The agent I spoke with said he understood and would set me up to cancel but advised that his supervisor would likely call to inquire about my reason for canceling. On July 26th I received a call back and I explained my reason for canceling. At that time I was advised that I would need to take a 6th appointment in order cancel.
  I disagree and have uploaded a copy of the contract. On 8/7/24 they proceeded to charge my visa $379 for early termination after having completed the 5 appointments per contract.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/05/2024

  This was actually a mistake on our behalf. The ETF should not have been charged and he is being refunded immediately. The refund should reflect within the next 48-72 business hours.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/27/2024

  The business replied that is was their mistake.  I had already disputed the charge with my credit card company and have been refunded.  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/01/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  7/23/24 Called the Dayton office to pay off a balance & end services. The gaslighting & unprofessional behavior by the mngmt team has overshadowed any satisfactory work of their techs. ***** took my pymt, informed me I was no longer in contract but she could only put my account on temporary hold until her manager, ******, calls me in 2 weeks. That was an egregious amount of time for someone to wait for their account to be closed all so a manager can try their retention strategy so I asked to speak to another manager. ***** from knoxville told me ****** would be back that day or the next & call me. I asked for a reference or employee number & they said they don’t do that. ****** called the 7/25 & said “they’re a small family owned business they don’t give confirmations.” I asked how I was supposed to prove we had this conversation & uphold your word & he said this conversation is good enough. I tried to explain that I don’t know him so his word holds no value to me but when I didn’t permit him to speak over me he called me crazy & reiterated they didn’t want my money & I wasn’t in contract so it won’t be an issue. I informed him I had his verbal guarantee recorded & hung up. My husband then spoke to the brother Sean who said he was familiar w/our situation & would handle it. I received a satisfactory email apology & notice I was indeed out of contract from ****** BUT 7/26 I got a call claiming I owed the balance I previously paid. I explained I did not. Then got a 3rd call this time from the same ******. Before he could elaborate I stated they shouldn’t be calling me. I’m not in contract and do not have a balance. He stated “you ARE in contract & have been since Feb.” To which I reminded him about the last several days with him specifically & told them not to call me again. I’m being harassed by this company. They will not stop calling me & proving exactly why I needed physical proof of their verbal guarantee that I was no longer in contract or owed them money.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/10/2024

  A physical letter and statement is going out to this customer to confirm they no longer have a balance or an active account with us.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/05/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The above mentioned company, Essential Pest Control, somehow got my Mothers phone number and called her up and sold her on purchasing a $500 pest control contract. My mother lives in a condo with an HOA, which takes care of these things. My Mom has early onset dementia, and I am her POA. When the first charge of $150.50 came through, I called and explained this to these folks. I check my Moms accounts daily, and not only did they not refund the money, they proceeded with the treatment, and charged her another $379.00. I called them again and the customer service rep was highly unhelpful, and offered no solution. I have stopped a lot of things like this with my Mom, but some weasel their way through. These people have no ethics.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/23/2024

  I looked into this account when she submitted a review on Google. Based on the account activity, we made several attempts to contact someone had we been able to reach them. I did verify the numbers on the account and one belonged to the homeowners son. We are VERY lenient when it comes to early termination fees and likely would have made an exception with this one, but we were unable to reach them. Due to not being able to speak with someone, their contract was enforced. In most cases, our reps are unable to tell whether or not the customers and potential customers they speak with, are capable of making these types of decisions on their own, unfortunately. If any further actions is needed, please let me know.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/24/2024

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I called you and told you that my Mom had trouble making this decision, and no one contacted me or left a message after I gave you my number. Then the $100 you charged her initially wasn’t enough and you charged her another $300. So, you are either mistaken, or this is an outright lie, which, based on other complaints I read, I would probably choose the latter. Nothing short of a refund and an apology for taking advantage of my 77 year old Mother will be enough in this case. I guess some companies are comfortable conducting business with “0” ethics.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** *****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/10/2024

  For complaint ********, we are issuing a full refund for this person in the amount of $529.50. The refund will be sent via check as our system won’t allow us to refund cards that were processed more than 45 days ago. Sorry for the delay, I couldn’t find this account since the name on it differs from the person who filed the complaint.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/20/2024

  Apologies for not getting back sooner. The Essential Pest Control Company returned my Mom’s money. I appreciate your assistance very much. The company made no effort to resolve this issue until you got involved. Thanks again from my Mom and I.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/01/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am a customer of Essential Pest out of Tipp City, Ohio. They recently treated our house (about 2 weeks ago) in between regular quarterly service treatments for a spider issue. Any visits in between regular treatments are free of charge. But just 1 day ago on 6/28/24, we received an invoice stating they treated our house inside and out on 6/27/24 for our quarterly service and they charged our card on file. We DID NOT have anyone come to our house and service our house on 6/27 and we were home at the time! (I work from home and our gate is always locked). And now for 2 days I have been trying to contact them (they are supposedly open 24/7) and no one is answering or returning my messages. I would like our money back and service canceled with this crooked company.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/23/2024

  This one has been handled on our end and the complaint should be removed. The customer spoke with someone and the charge for the application that was done on the 27^th has been refunded back to the Visa we have on file for them and they are still an active customer. This customer did receive a free visit as requested, which isn’t a problem at all. The issue is that they were ready for their next recurring application (Per their contract) a couple of weeks later, in which we did. The reason we try not to post date billable services is because people would take advantage of the free service calls and keep requesting a those and ultimately could potentially get months of free service without making any payments.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/23/2024

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  First off, I requested a service visit in between normal service quarterly treatments for spiders only because that was clearly not taken care of. And that request was done a couple of weeks PRIOR to the email I received on the 28th that mentioned you all treated our house on the 27th for our regular service visit. NO ONE treated our house on the 27th for a regular service (which includes much more than treating for spiders). Why would I receive an email that you all were here on the 27th when you were not? Due to being charged for no regular treatment ever received (I did receive a refund), I also asked for our service contract with you to be cancelled. I don’t appreciate a company doing business like this. I don’t take advantage of businesses, and don’t expect companies to take advantage of a customer. Please cancel my contract with you. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** ******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/14/2024

  The account for ****** ****** was resolved. It was an oversight on our behalf, but we refunded the customer in full for the charge on 06/27/24. It has not been canceled but I will cancel it now for them.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/14/2024

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** ******