Talk of The Villages Florida
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Talk of The Villages Florida (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/)
-   Contractors and Services (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/contractors-services-91/)
-   -   Termite Contract RipOff (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/contractors-services-91/termite-contract-ripoff-352600/)

retiredguy123 08-31-2024 09:31 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaucyJim (Post 2365839)
And how do they know you went away? We get a detailed report every time Dean’s treats, which is bi-monthly. Their new system is for monthly billing, but still bi-monthly treatment. If you have any issues, they are onsite same day or next day.

I swear I do not work for Dean’s, but I don’t understand all the negative comments here. If they are so bad, why are they so prolific in TV?
When I first bought my house, I wanted to hire Dean's but I went with Massey. The reason was that I can pay Massey whenever they perform a service. No service, no payment. Dean's requires that you provide them with a credit card that they can charge at their convenience. I have discussed this several times with the Dean's manager, but their credit card policy has no flexibility. So, they have never gotten any business from me.

nn0wheremann 08-31-2024 09:57 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2365731)
As I understand it, Dean's only provides an annual contract, and they do a "partial" treatment every year. I have a 10-year contract with Massey, but you would need to get a full house treatment to start the contract. It cost me $400 for the initial treatment and about $90 per year to renew. Personally, I prefer Massey to Dean's because of the long term contract, and I don't like the partial annual treatments. The Massey treatment lasts 10 years, and they pump chemicals around the entire perimeter of the house, every 16 inches.
Termites have been found in two locations in The Villages. In one instance these came in with some furniture moved from New Orleans. Termite distribution in Florida (updated 10-1-2023) - Google My Maps

retiredguy123 08-31-2024 10:01 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by nn0wheremann (Post 2365923)
Termites have been found in two locations in The Villages. In one instance these came in with some furniture moved from New Orleans. Termite distribution in Florida (updated 10-1-2023) - Google My Maps
I don't disagree that termites seem to be pretty rare in The Villages. Not so in other places I have lived. So, it is really a personal decision whether or not to get a termite contract.

mikeycereal 08-31-2024 10:09 AM
I've seen Massey get some flack on this site for grass maintenance which may be justified. I had a nice talk with the Massey lady who came over to check my sprinklers and she sounded very knowledgeable and was very helpful. She told me about the treatment they do for termites. Said watch out for door to door scammers asking for payment because they may not be part of my contract. She said they treat the ground where termites breed and once they get in it could be too late because they attack the wood very quickly. She also added that they are in the large trees around the villages and it is not good to leave your garage open for long because a few could fly in and you don't want that. So I try to remember to close mine when not in use. They have been great coming out to check my sprinklers.

retiredguy123 08-31-2024 10:21 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeycereal (Post 2365931)
I've seen Massey get some flack on this site for grass maintenance which may be justified. I had a nice talk with the Massey lady who came over to check my sprinklers and she sounded very knowledgeable and was very helpful. She told me about the treatment they do for termites. Said watch out for door to door scammers asking for payment because they may not be part of my contract. She said they treat the ground where termites breed and once they get in it could be too late because they attack the wood very quickly. She also added that they are in the large trees around the villages and it is not good to leave your garage open for long because a few could fly in and you don't want that. So I try to remember to close mine when not in use. They have been great coming out to check my sprinklers.
Subterranean termites are not in trees, they are underground. There are several different types of termites and some of them may be in trees. But, the most common treatment for termites is for the subterranean type. Massey offers an attic treatment for flying termites, but I don't think it is needed because, if you get this type of termite, you will be able to detect them before they do much damage.

BlueStarAirlines 08-31-2024 10:35 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2365731)
The Massey treatment lasts 10 years, and they pump chemicals around the entire perimeter of the house, every 16 inches.
Actually, what you are describing is the technique Deans uses. Massey uses the "bait" technique which draws termites to the bait traps which the termites take the poison back which by design kills the others. It really comes down to preference.

Do you want a poison barrier around your home (Deans) or a bait trap that draws termites towards your home to take the poison back to the others (Massey)?

MightyDog 08-31-2024 10:38 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaucyJim (Post 2365846)
The beagle inspection is real. I just had mine on my second TV home in order to get the termite insurance. .............. Beagles can smell them, which protects Dean’s financial interests, which is just sound business if you ask me.
Make sense to me that dogs could be used for that purpose. They are trained to detect all sorts of things via scent. Bombs, drugs, human remains, chemicals, etc.

It's also now been realized that dogs (and cats) can sometimes detect cancer in their human owners before the owner has been diagnosed. I don't have all the details but, apparently, the scent of the human's urine can change and that's how the animal knows.

I had one friend who had skin with new moles that appeared sometimes and she'd get them checked every year. One time she had grown two new ones on her leg and her cat would come over and press it's nose against one of them, day after day, and only that one. She went to the dermatologist and, sure enough, that mole had the beginnings of melanoma. Good cat!

retiredguy123 08-31-2024 10:47 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueStarAirlines (Post 2365943)
Actually, what you are describing is the technique Deans uses. Massey uses the "bait" technique which draws termites to the bait traps which the termites take the poison back which by design kills the others. It really comes down to preference.

Do you want a poison barrier around your home (Deans) or a bait trap that draws termites towards your home to take the poison back to the others (Massey)?
Not true. I have a 10-year contract with Massey and it is NOT the bait system. They pumped chemicals completely around the perimeter of the house. I actually watched the guy do it. According to Dean's, they only treat about 20 percent of the house every year. I went over what both companies offer in great detail when my initial 5-year new house contract expired. Both Massey and Dean's came to my house and explained exactly what they would do. I specifically did not want the bait system, and I don't think Massey even offers the bait system anymore. Dean's would not provide a multi-year contract, only a year-to-year contract, and they would not treat the entire house at the same time. That was my personal experience with Massey and Dean's about a year ago. The annual contract renewal fee for Massey is $79 guaranteed for the first 5 years. The annual fee for Dean's was about $140, but it can change every year. Dean's fee is higher because it includes treatment for 20 percent of the house. The Massey renewal fee only includes an inspection and contract extension.

Stu from NYC 08-31-2024 12:20 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeycereal (Post 2365931)
I've seen Massey get some flack on this site for grass maintenance which may be justified. I had a nice talk with the Massey lady who came over to check my sprinklers and she sounded very knowledgeable and was very helpful. She told me about the treatment they do for termites. Said watch out for door to door scammers asking for payment because they may not be part of my contract. She said they treat the ground where termites breed and once they get in it could be too late because they attack the wood very quickly. She also added that they are in the large trees around the villages and it is not good to leave your garage open for long because a few could fly in and you don't want that. So I try to remember to close mine when not in use. They have been great coming out to check my sprinklers.
Some years ago a Massey employee told us not to get the grass cutting maintenance as they were a revolving door and could not keep up with their work.

Had them for a year for irrigation system and was a terrible experience. 5 different guys came and set up the system 5 different ways. Asked them to make an appt so I could see what they did and was ignored.

The guy doing the pest control has been great for the past 4 years.

TimTinNewell 08-31-2024 02:27 PM
The guy told me they are switching to the bait system. This was going to cost more of course and then he started off with the new kind of termite that is only killed with this bait thing. I'm gonna go with what the guy said in an earlier post and do my own work. We had a house in Georgia that had an infestation before we moved in. We used a termite company after we got there and they were great. I got a BAD feeling about the guy calling me from Deans and after reading enough comments about them here, I think I'll move on. By the way, I see several of their little signs in yards around my neighborhood. I'm assuming snow birds are living there. I would pull out that little plastic sign if they put one in my yard.

Bonanza 08-31-2024 03:10 PM
Say NO to Pest Control!
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2365738)
In Florida, it is a personal choice. In other states, like Georgia, you really do need it. Termites are rampant. If you try to sell a house and the home inspector finds termite damage, you may have a real problem.
Termites are a fact of life in Florida, however, the damage is easily taken care of if ongoing damage has not been left with no treatment. I've moved many times and in my 40+ years in Florida have never had a contract with any company, nor have I cared if the house I bought had one. The inspection told me what I needed to know and there is never a "real problem" if you do what needs to be done. If someone is concerned about termites, it's easy enough to have a yearly inspection without preventative and unnecessary treatment.

Pest control companies and your neighbors put the fear of God in you, telling you that you MUST have pest control. Nothing could be further from the truth! If you have a real issue, treat the specific issue. But one or two cockroaches is not a reason to call in a pest company (this is Florida remember?).

Please remember these insecticides and similar treatments do NOT dissipate. Once in the ground they are there FOREVER. The Villages and surrounding areas are poisoning our environment and ultimately there will be a huge problem.

BunnyA 08-31-2024 09:15 PM
Clark Howard, a consumer advocate, has said that it doesn’t matter so much if you go with the bait system or chemicals, but what you really want is a good repair bond with your company.
The termites that someone brought in with furniture are dry wood termites and not covered under most policies. If you get an infestation of them, they usually have to tent your home $$$

Lisuccia 09-01-2024 05:46 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by TimTinNewell (Post 2365728)
So, we just closed on a pre-owned home. The owner, God Bless Them, left us the receipt and the contract they had with Dean's Termite Control. On the contract, it specifies a $1,000,000 termite damage policy and transferable to new owners. The previous owners paid for another year contract in February of this year.

I contacted Dean's. The girl on the phone had one of the techs call me back. I thought this was strange to start with. All I needed to do was change my name with them and get on with other matters.

The guy calls me back and explains that I have to start over and pay for a whole NEW contract with them and they are using a different 'system' now. I asked him if the original owners were still there, what would THEY be doing under the current contract? He said they'd just start in with the new system in February of '25.

Besides the "new system", He also said they will bring over 3 beagles to sniff around the house for termites. WTF? :1rotfl:

I basically told him this sounds like a scam and a ripoff and if I decide to go with a new contract, it isn't gonna be with Dean's. You gotta be whackin' me!
We had a similar situation with Dean's. We had them at our previous residence for 12 years and thought we wanted to continue with them. The owners of our new house had a contract with Massey. It's too long of a story to get into but Dean's "new system" also sounded like a ripoff to us. We ended up staying with Massey at our new residence as they simply transferred the current contract to us. We got a refund from Dean's. Since you're not going to use Dean's the previous owners of your house should request a refund from them.

ithos 09-01-2024 06:11 AM
Deans uses the Sentricon system which is used all over country. I could not find any negative reports about it. It if was a "ripoff" then there would be plenty of reports about it.
Sentricon(R) | The No. 1 Bait System for Termite Control
So far I have not seen any reports of infestation in homes treated by Deans or Massey. According to Terminix we are in a high risk area.
Just a moment...

Nana2Teddy 09-01-2024 06:20 AM
How does a company do a deep treatment every 16” around the home’s perimeter if most of the home is concrete or pavers up against the house? We have only two small areas where there isn’t hardscaping against our home. We currently have no termite plan as we had the Massey bait traps removed last year when we had our landscaping redone, so we’ve been unsure what to do. Our current lawn and pest control company, Fertigator, has a termite plan that they haven’t tried to sell to us yet. Our home is almost 2 years old, and is tilt wall construction. It feels like a never ending barrage of chemical exposure since we moved here, so we have been hesitant to add termite treatment to the list.


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