Bed Bug Pest Control

HORRRRRRRIBLE. So, I had an appointment today for a bed bug inspection from 11−12pm. By 11:54 I realize no one is coming. I call the company where a very cherry man asks me how I am after I explain that I’m EXTREMELY frustrated that no one has arrived. He then tells me the inspection guy is «absolutely no where near my apartment and can’t come for hours». I explain that I have to leave my house by 2pm for a wedding and I find this unacceptable. He goes «oh well then want to reschedule?». Of course I DID NOT want to reschedule, I wanted someone here right now as I set up my entire day around this. This guy just didnt get it. Needless to say, I wouldn’t recommend this company to anyone unless they just wanted to waste their time waiting for a company to NOT show up. LAME.

Like many New Yorkers, my boyfriend and I have become overly paranoid and terrified of bed bugs. Which is why we instantly panicked when linear insect bites would start showing up on my legs in the morning, but couldn’t find any evidence that it was what we feared most, bed bugs.
Convinced that a canine search would give confirmation (and a peace of mind for us), I spent two hours calling pest control businesses in my area trying to schedule a canine apartment search on the same day. It was impossible — the soonest appointments I could find were for next Wednesday (and it was Friday morning). The thought of waiting five more days to full-​on infestation fed our paranoia. When I finally found ‘bed​bugznyc​.com’ and called, it was like a dream that they were able to send a dog and their handler to the apartment by 2:00pm same day. I profusely thanked Cynthia, the receptionist, calling her, «our life saver».
But this is a bad review, right? And this was just the beginning of the nightmare we were faced with bedbugznyc /​Bed Bug Pest Control LLC:
First, I get a call back at about 1:30pm from Cynthia who said that the canine and the handler were not able to come by for an inspection until 7:00pm that night with very little detail as to why. Irritated but desperate, I agreed that was fine. We would just have to suck it up for a couple hours more. 7:30pm rolls around, and we get a call from the handler, Albert. Repeatedly apologizing and making excuses, he finally arrives at our apartment at 9:30pm with a cute terrier mix named, Max.
He gives us little direction and has us stay out of the rooms while inspecting. Bedroom — cleared (BLISSFUL RELIEF), office — cleared (RELIEF), living room — hit (WHAT?!). Albert stands in the far corner of the living room saying that Max has sensed something in the cable wall outlet; that there are bedbugs somewhere — in the walls, near, maybe next door, above — just somewhere. Without showing any tangible evidence, he immediately suggests getting an exterminator involved, painting horrific scenarios if left untouched. After about 30 minutes, Albert left with $ 270, we were left terrified. Soon after, we called to make an exterminator technician appointment for 11:30am the next day. Even receiving a $ 100 discount for the frustrations we had dealt with rescheduling the inspection. We were told to double bag all of our clothes, towels, bedding, linens and wash/​dry them in high heat. We stayed up for several hours piling our belongings in garbage bags and sealing the tops with duct tape.
It’s now Saturday morning and we have been up for hours preparing for the exterminator, carrying our (extremely heavy) trash bags filled with clothes to the laundromat… Only except it’s 11:30am, and there is no exterminator. And then it’s noon, and still no exterminator. I try calling Cynthia, no answer, just a voicemail. It’s now 1:00pm and still nothing from bedbugznyc /​Bed Bug Pest Control LLC, or the contracted exterminator technician. I am seeing red, furiously I call Cynthia again. This time she answers apologizing, saying she would call me back in 5 minutes and locate the technician. Thirty minutes passed, no call. So, I call again. This time, she says that they were not able to reach the technician and the soonest they could get someone in was Sunday. She tells me all this two hours AFTER the original appointment time.
Three words: UNRELIABLE, UNPROFESSIONAL, and now UNQUALIFIED.
After the frustrating call, I searched Unilocal to find other exterminators in the area praying to find one available to come by in the afternoon– at least for a second opinion.
And that is when I found Esquire Exterminating Services — a family-​run pest control service with great recommendations and reviews. Upon receiving my very emotional call, the owner sent out his son, Michael, to stop by and check out the apartment — at no charge. He carefully examined the apartment and came to the conclusion that no, there were no bed bugs. And yes, there are a lot of scammers out there. Especially with bed bugs becoming more and more of an epidemic in New York City, scammers are trying to cash in naïve and worried people like ourselves. We are in the process of getting a third and last opinion from another pest control company. And luckily, I have not had any new bites.
I WILL NEVER recommend or use bedbugznyc /​Bed Bug Pest Control LLC. If you suspect you are getting bit by bed bugs, but cannot find evidence of it, the only advice I have to give is:
Don’t panic and get a couple opinions. And I hope after reading this review, you are now better informed than we were.