Termite Contract RipOff
 

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!

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.

That's good info. I am confused as to why a TRANSFERABLE contract would require me to buy a WHOLE NEW CONTRACT! I'm skeptical

Most of these so called contracts are a scam.

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.

Nothing like a warranty that calls for annual payments.

Dean's is a scam.

OP, contact Seniors Against Crime, show them the documentation and ask them to get involved, also the BBB, this should get Deans at least to explain what is going on. Full disclosure: I use Deans (for over 12 years) for several services at our house, I gave up lawn mowing.

These are scams and they both are getting wealthy with them. After my first year in our new home I chose not to pay Deans or Massey for doing nothing, Deans tried to scare me into keeping them so I called Massey and they wanted $350.00 to transfer it over to them plus the annual fee which at that time I think was $140.00 so I researched how to treat my home for subterranean termites on my own have been doing it for over 6 years. I sold our home, yesterday had the inspection and today got the report, no trace of termites in or around the house and no trace of any other damaging pests. It works and for $49.00 I can treat my house for 2 years, takes about 10 minutes to do it. I'm leave TV next week and if I were staying I would not use either of them for any of their services, there are much better and cheaper options available for pests as well as lawn care.

Care to elaborate on how you treat yourself and product you use?

They do use a fear factor to sell overpriced services

Make a complaint to the Florida Attorney General’s office
 

Please take a few minutes go online and send a complaint to the Florida attorney Attorney General‘s office. It will only take a few minutes and you don’t have to get on the phone and talk to them. Thank you.

So what do you use and where do you buy it from?

I have the opposite. I had Massey for termite, lawn, sprinklers and more. My lawn looked like cr@p - full of weeds. I had to beg for them to do pest control when they appeared. When I went to cancel they were COMPLETELY inflexible. I reported I was moving and they still renewed me - and took an auto pay 3 days before I did. I have Deans. The termite contract was far less than Massey and my lawn looks GREAT. I had fire ants recently and they were here within 90 minutes.

A scam is a dishonest or fraudulent scheme designed to deceive people, typically for financial gain. Scammers often use various methods to trick victims into giving them money, personal information, or access to resources. Scams can take many forms, such as phishing emails, fake investment opportunities, online marketplace fraud, or identity theft. The primary goal of a scam is to exploit the victim's trust or lack of knowledge for the scammer's benefit.

Would you care to elaborate?