Over $80 bucks!!
So a couple of years ago when I first moved in my house I had called in a local pest control company upon the referral of a family friend who worked there. Since the house had been unoccupied several months before I moved in, there was evidence of some mice activity in the attic as well as millipedes and ants.
The initial inspection went well - I signed up for a quarterly service and was promised that on top of the quarterly service, I could call anytime if there was something that needed to be taken care of in an emergency (such as possible infestations). WELL. I wouldn't be here if everything was going peacefully with this company.
For over a year I have been battling with them over the last time they supposedly showed up to the house. October 2011 I had gotten a voicemail on my house phone asking if they could come by on Columbus Day (mid-October). I called back and advised them that yes, I would be available all day since it was a holiday at work. The day came and went and... no one showed up.
Unfortunately, I was not able to get a person on the line since by the time I realized the tech didn't show, it was past regular office hours; the next day I was working, and my job at the time did not allow me to step away to use the phone. I left a message at the office for them on my lunch break to please return my call and gave my cell phone number.
Early November rolled around and another voicemail at home (late that night) from the office asking if I would be available the next Saturday for service. I called them on my commute to work the next day and left a message confirming Saturday would be fine for the tech to come. Well, wouldn't ya know? Another no show!
I never got another message and stupid me got so busy with life, I forgot all about the service until one day I got a letter in my street mailbox (I have a PO Box and rarely get mail at the house). This was in JANUARY. The letter was a bill stating I was past due and that my services had been suspended for non payment.
Ok, where did I say that the tech EVER showed up at the house??? I tried calling the office - they had moved (different address on the bill) and the number was busy. I kept calling and calling several days when I was able to and never got an actual person on the line. I said "fuck it" and did not pay the bill due to the fact that I believe services were not rendered on the day in question.
I kept getting bills at the street address with uglier and angrier "PAST DUE" written in big red magic marker. I ignored them after again every time I got one, I would attempt to call the office only to be relegated to a voicemail once again. One time I did get a person and when I asked for the owner, was hung up on.
Finally this past month I wrote a letter telling them services were not rendered and no one had ever come when I had confirmed I was home at least twice. The letter also stated that one day my sister had stayed at the house on a day they had requested to come inside to change the mouse traps in the attic. Are we seeing a pattern here? My sister wasted her day and yet again I got fucked.
Another instance happened that I had wasps in a rather inconvenient area of the house (attic again - near the entryway). I called, as noted above due to an emergency, left a message (do they even check the damn thing?) and hoped for the best. The previously mentioned family friend, who no longer worked for them, but felt responsible for referring me, did the job himself and I paid for the materials to get rid of the wasps.
The letter also included an exclamation of how abysmal their customer service was and to rescind the charge while ceasing and desisting all communication.
What did I get today in my street mailbox? (Because of course, when you put your PO Box as the return address, you would think THAT was the address you want correspondence to be sent, right?) Another bill with GIANT "PAST DUE" letters in the famous red magic marker and a generic "Dear Valued Customer" letter telling me that if I fail to pay I will be sent to collections.
So now, after all the backstory - tell me, friends... what can I do to prevent the collections? At last check (when I bought my car earlier this year) my score was high 700s-low 800s. I do not have the voicemails they left me and I shredded the bills they keep sending me (like a dumbass). They clearly ignored the cease and desist request too. HELP!!
So a couple of years ago when I first moved in my house I had called in a local pest control company upon the referral of a family friend who worked there. Since the house had been unoccupied several months before I moved in, there was evidence of some mice activity in the attic as well as millipedes and ants.
The initial inspection went well - I signed up for a quarterly service and was promised that on top of the quarterly service, I could call anytime if there was something that needed to be taken care of in an emergency (such as possible infestations). WELL. I wouldn't be here if everything was going peacefully with this company.
For over a year I have been battling with them over the last time they supposedly showed up to the house. October 2011 I had gotten a voicemail on my house phone asking if they could come by on Columbus Day (mid-October). I called back and advised them that yes, I would be available all day since it was a holiday at work. The day came and went and... no one showed up.
Unfortunately, I was not able to get a person on the line since by the time I realized the tech didn't show, it was past regular office hours; the next day I was working, and my job at the time did not allow me to step away to use the phone. I left a message at the office for them on my lunch break to please return my call and gave my cell phone number.
Early November rolled around and another voicemail at home (late that night) from the office asking if I would be available the next Saturday for service. I called them on my commute to work the next day and left a message confirming Saturday would be fine for the tech to come. Well, wouldn't ya know? Another no show!
I never got another message and stupid me got so busy with life, I forgot all about the service until one day I got a letter in my street mailbox (I have a PO Box and rarely get mail at the house). This was in JANUARY. The letter was a bill stating I was past due and that my services had been suspended for non payment.
Ok, where did I say that the tech EVER showed up at the house??? I tried calling the office - they had moved (different address on the bill) and the number was busy. I kept calling and calling several days when I was able to and never got an actual person on the line. I said "fuck it" and did not pay the bill due to the fact that I believe services were not rendered on the day in question.
I kept getting bills at the street address with uglier and angrier "PAST DUE" written in big red magic marker. I ignored them after again every time I got one, I would attempt to call the office only to be relegated to a voicemail once again. One time I did get a person and when I asked for the owner, was hung up on.
Finally this past month I wrote a letter telling them services were not rendered and no one had ever come when I had confirmed I was home at least twice. The letter also stated that one day my sister had stayed at the house on a day they had requested to come inside to change the mouse traps in the attic. Are we seeing a pattern here? My sister wasted her day and yet again I got fucked.
Another instance happened that I had wasps in a rather inconvenient area of the house (attic again - near the entryway). I called, as noted above due to an emergency, left a message (do they even check the damn thing?) and hoped for the best. The previously mentioned family friend, who no longer worked for them, but felt responsible for referring me, did the job himself and I paid for the materials to get rid of the wasps.
The letter also included an exclamation of how abysmal their customer service was and to rescind the charge while ceasing and desisting all communication.
What did I get today in my street mailbox? (Because of course, when you put your PO Box as the return address, you would think THAT was the address you want correspondence to be sent, right?) Another bill with GIANT "PAST DUE" letters in the famous red magic marker and a generic "Dear Valued Customer" letter telling me that if I fail to pay I will be sent to collections.
So now, after all the backstory - tell me, friends... what can I do to prevent the collections? At last check (when I bought my car earlier this year) my score was high 700s-low 800s. I do not have the voicemails they left me and I shredded the bills they keep sending me (like a dumbass). They clearly ignored the cease and desist request too. HELP!!
Comment