Interesting Positive Review

Here is a review from one of our clients on Angie’s List. We have many good reviews, however, this one stuck out because the writing was so interesting.
Work Completed Date:
July 13, 2011
Hire Again:
Yes
Approximate Cost:
$290.00
Home Build Year:
1990
Description Of Work:
Ant extermination.
Member Comments:
Over the last several years, I went from thinking of ants as the innocent, industrious little worker insects they are to loathing them with the same ferocity I feel toward politicians every Leap Year. The ants decided one spring to invade my house and remain until freezing weather. . .what? Closed the roads between my kitchen and their colonies? They returned every mid-March, in greater numbers than the previous season, despite ant cups, ant sprays, peppermint soap, cinnamon sticks, and one hired gun who, after 12 months of failed treatments, left the premises, never to be invited back, saying so perceptively, “Maybe you live on an anthill.”

The recurrent drama between my family and the family Formicidae had to end. It was depressing, anger-provoking and expensive in terms of useless cleaning agents and ruined food. I had just signed up for Angie’s List and decided Pest Control would be a good place to begin. Based on my research with Angie, the Better Business Bureau and other sources, I determined Gunter Pest Management was the company I would use. When I called for an appointment, scheduler Deb told me it would be almost two weeks before I could get on their calendar, which I should have realized, since a recent article in the Kansas City Star newspaper indicated the metropolitan area was being terrorized by our own nemesis,the odorous house ant. Although I was disappointed at having to wait, I was glad that Deb didn’t try to squeeze me into an already full workload, which I think shows Gunter’s consideration for their staff by allowing them adequate time to properly do their job and a recognition that each client’s business is important.

I asked Deb about pricing options, discounts, policies, materials used, and pet safety. (You may have gotten the idea from what I wrote above that we were carelessly spraying every cabinet and baseboard in sight and tossing ant cups about like rose petals. Not at all. We care about our pets’ health, as well as our own. Spraying was done judiciously and always outdoors; and indoor traps were secreted as inaccessibly as possible from a curious dog or cat.) (We subsequently consulted our veterinarian, who reassured us about the products used by reputable pest-management firms.) I chose Gunter’s annual Diamond program, which gave me the initial indoor-outdoor treatment and three additional outdoor follow-up treatments, one each quarter. However, anytime I determine a return visit–either in or out–is needed, I have only to request it, and my Gunter technician will come back. Yes, MY technician–the one you start with is the one you keep, which speaks of continuity and commitment. I don’t feel that I’m being shuffled among techs or that I have to try to explain a predecessor’s actions. The cost of the Diamond plan, normally $320, was discounted $30 for Angie’s List members or new customers presenting a coupon from Gunter’s webpage.

At our first appointment on July 13, technician Steve impressed me with his professionalism (on time, wearing a uniform shirt); knowledge of his business (he explained his procedures and answered my questions thoroughly); customer-service attitude (he was efficient but took the time needed to properly treat all the areas we agreed to AND he respected my desire for caution around our furry little housemates); and by his appreciation of his work and respect for his employer. He said we may start seeing an improvement that same evening but certainly within 24 hours. What an understatement! Steve completed treating the main floor, i.e., the ONLY floor of our house, the attic, garage and outside foundation at about one o’clock; by six o’clock, we couldn’t find a single ant, dead or alive, in the kitchen nor in any other part of the house.

A few days later, we noticed ants swarming around the floor mat inside the front door. It was Saturday, but I called before Gunter’s office closed to schedule a return visit for the following Tuesday, July 19. We scrubbed the floor mat and entryway floor and held the ants at bay with my peppermint concoction until Steve could come back in three days. He was just as cheerful and professional as he’d been the week before, this time redoing select areas of the outside foundation. That treatment took care of us until just recently, when the ants tried sneaking in the back door to hang around the kitchen trash can and stores of dry cat and dog food. Steve made his second return trip two days ago, on August 31, to treat the foundation under the deck. . .and he’s still smiling when he arrives at our door. I asked him this week about preparing to bring my house plants indoors in the fall, after their summer vacation in the ant-infested outdoors, and Steve explained how he would treat the soil and the timing involved. Before I could suggest that I’d call Deb for an appointment, he said, “Of course, I’ll be back for your quarterly treatment by that time and will take care of it then.”

Maybe you can tell–I’m a sucker for good customer service delivered by competent people and reputable companies. I waited until now to write this review because I wanted more than one encounter on which to base it. I wanted to know if the quality I saw in Gunter and its team was sustainable, and apparently it is. From the simplest of ideas–like scheduling in two- or three-hour blocks of time so the customer isn’t kept waiting all day and then being punctual–to not overpromising but keeping the promises you do make, Gunter seems to have figured it out.