Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

My name is Svea Owens and I work for the Phoenix branch of Bulwark Exterminating. Over the past several months, we have been using the 602pest.com website as a way for our customers to share with others about the jobs our technicians do for them. The first few weeks of using this website, we had a couple of customers call in saying they couldn’t figure out how to leave reviews. As the calls came in the other girls in our office would transfer these people to me and I would get on the website and walk them through step by step on how to do it. One customer in particular was very appreciative of this. She called in wanting to leave a review for one of our technicians, Jason. She said he always does an outstanding job and she really wanted him to get the recognition he deserves. I got onto the website with her and walked her through it and by the end she was so thankful. She told me that she wasn’t very computer savvy and that I explained everything very well and made it very easy for her to follow. She was happy that she was finally able to give Jason the gratification she felt he deserved. I also let her know I would relay her comments of Jason’s performance to my service manager as well.

Svea

Pest-Control-Stories General Pest Control

Working at Bulwark Exterminating has been the most full filling job that I have had. Hello, my name is Tarria and I have been with Bulwark for about three and half years. Working for the pest control branch in San Antonio, TX. One experience that I had this past summer is a customer who called in to get scheduled for a callback for interior ants. Of course with our summers we are very busy and it can be very difficult to find a time and day to schedule an appointment for a customer. After, searching the routes I was not able to find an appointment for at least two days out. The lady was very understanding when she had to wait for two days for an appointment, to have the interior service done. However, later that afternoon, I noticed that someone had rescheduled a service and I got the customer scheduled the very next day. The “Mrs” was very pleased with the customer service that she received and how quick we could get someone out to her home. She told me she was very happy with our service and that she has been a customer for over four years. It makes my day to know that we continue to do such wonderful work and have great customer service.

Pest-Control-Stories Story C, customer service, San Antonio TX

I spoke with a current customer that was concerned about something in her walls, she just couldn’t figure out what it was, she is an elderly lady and was a little scared. She just kept asking me what it could be. I told her I didn’t know, but I would be glad to send out a technician to see, maybe it was rats or mice. I tried to find something as early as possible for this poor little lady was terrified, so I scheduled a service for her for the next day. Later on that same day, this customer calls me back….she starts out saying “I’m so embarrassed”, I hate to call you, but I won’t be needing the service after all.  I asked her why, she said it was her grandson’s toy in the closet making the noise. Her daughter was the one to find it, so we just laughed together and I told her not to worry and I would cancel the appointment. She was pleased that we would have come out so quickly to take care of the problem, and was very happy that it wasn’t an animal or rodent of some kind.

Jill B

JillB General Pest Control

Last April is a month one of our customers will never forget.  While in her laundry room, she noticed an odd, gray bug clinging to the wall.  She showed it to her husband and neither of them knew exactly what it was, so into the garbage disposal it went.  Afterwards, she went out of town leaving her dogs and husband at home for about ten days.  When she returned, she found another odd bug in the laundry room.  At this time she also found ticks crawling on the walls, floors and embedded in her poor little pups!  She immediately called the vet and picked up some very expensive tick guard.  She went to the local pet store and bought even more expensive sprays and foggers to try to stop these horrible little creatures from their massive invasion. After that, she had to take all of her dogs to the groomer and have them shaved so she could check them for any more ticks, for the problem was still not gone.

Her tick problem was just getting worse so her neighbor, vet and groomer suggested she seek professional intervention.  Heeding the neighbor’s advice, she called Bulwark and spoke to Chris Benham.  I made a special trip to their home the very next day to take care of the problem for I could hear and feel the frustration and overall panic in her voice.  The technicians and I went to their home several more times treating the yard, inside the home and even provided them with some tick spray for our dogs!  We answered their calls and their questions in a caring professional manner.  It took about two months, but they are happy to report they are tick free!  Bulwark sprays their home once a month and they continue to be pest free.  Living in the desert of Phoenix is beautiful but leaves everyone more susceptible to many critters, large and small.  The small ones are oftentimes the most irritating and destructive.  Mrs said, “Thank goodness for the professional team of Bulwark and their ability to take care of all our pest problems.  I will always recommend Bulwark and Chris Benham to anyone who does not want a pest problem!”

Chris B

Pest-Control-Stories General Pest Control

A Friendly Visit

By: Oliver Gomez

It’s a beautiful day and the doorbell is ringing. The man at the door says its Bulwark calling.

He’s clean-cut, polite and I feel at rest, I know he is knowledgeable and will take care of the pests.

He says with all confidence there’s no bug he can’t treat. He’s well recommended by neighbors on our street.

He took off his shoes as he came inside, and sprayed in the corners where all the bugs hide.

He dusted under cabinets, then under the sink. He moved away the food and the water we drink.

He took off the panels where the wall sockets go, and dusted the voids where the larva all grow.

He went up the attic and all through the house, until in the basement he found a trapped mouse.

He moved all the mats and the slippers away, and treated the doors and the windows with spray.

His truck had a hose that went all the way around, and outside he treated the walls and the ground.

He put out some granules for the drips on the plants. He says it’ll fix those pesky roaches and ants.

Then it’s all over, he knocks when he’s done. If you give a few days, the bugs will be gone.

Pest-Control-Stories Story Las Vegas NV, Poem

In July of 2004 I came to this company with an understanding that Bulwark was a customer service company first and pest control company second.  Little did I know they actually meant it; on my second day of on the job training here in Austin Texas I was paired up with Silvestre Loera.  He made the day great, but he stressed how it was important to start your day on time and get to your first house promptly.  He also showed me after that the first service you could go get breakfast tacos, which I thought funny due to he was stressing right before to be on time. As the day went on he proceeded to provide great customer service to every customer we serviced.  I was thinking wow, great company, I made a great choice coming to work here.  Then we came to a customers house where Silvestre gave new meaning to customer service.  I was standing at the door beside Silvestre when we rang the door bell.  What happened next seemed very strange to me, but not at all to Silvestre. A man answered the door wearing nothing but a hand towel around his waist, hairy chest and all showing to Silvestre and myself. I was ready to walk off but Silvestre talked to the man as if nothing were wrong and proceeded to listen to the mans every need.  He even offered to go inside and treat if needed, which the man did require. I was taken by surprise that the customer service mentality at this company was that deep, because to be honest that was my 7^th overall day at bulwark and I was ready to quit. Overall the experience is one I won’t forget and says a lot about what is instilled in the employees at Bulwark by the owners, managers, and technicians.

Robert Morales Jr
Austin Texas

Pest-Control-Stories Story 5, Austin TX, customer service, E, internal

As a technician in San Antonio, Texas you see a lot of different things, meet a lot of people & enter some interesting houses.  As usual, on one of our hot summer days, I stopped by a customer’s home that was on my route for a routine service.  I parked my truck, got out & walked to the front door to greet the customer.  A lady pleasantly answered the door. I proceeded with my routine script, “Hello Ms, my name is Ande. I’m from Bulwark Exterminating & I’m here to do your routine service. Are you having any pest problems or seeing anything inside your home?” She replied, “Yes. I’ve seen a couple of those pincher things inside my kitchen,” as she moved her fingers in a pinching motion. I smiled & informed her that I could do an interior & exterior treatment for her.

I went to my truck, grabbed my equipment & returned to the home. She told me to come on in. I asked her if she wanted me to treat just her kitchen or the whole interior. She opted for the whole interior. I tend to work clockwise in a home, so I informed her that I would start by the front door & just work my way around. She responded okay. The first room to my right was a bedroom as I entered I noticed there was a lady lying on the bed, under the covers watching TV. I asked her if she wanted me to treat her room. She said yes.

As I proceeded to the window, to do a window treatment, I could here a faint growling sound. I turned around to see where the sound was coming from, but I did not see anything or anyone besides the lady. I continued towards the window and as I’m treating the window the growling continues. I looked back towards the lady on the bed and she just smiled. As I move towards the back bedroom corner to finish checking the corners for pest, all I keep thinking about is why is this woman growling at me? I tell myself that I need to hurry up & finish this room because the lady no longer wants me in her room. The growling intensifies & as I turn to head out the room barking begins. Now I’m really thinking this woman is crazy & I need to get out of this house. Just then she grabs the covers & says, “Princess stop barking!”

To my relief she pulls a small tea cup Chihuahua from under the covers.  I’ve never been so on edge in a in my life. I’m glad my imagination didn’t run wild, the lady wasn’t acting crazy & a cute little “Princess” could entice more than just pests to leave a room.

Pest-Control-Stories Story 3, D, Dog, funny, San Antonio TX

We had a customer recently call on the afternoon of her service, to find out when the tech would be there. I let her know she was scheduled for the morning, so she should already have either an invoice or a notice that we missed her for some reason. She said she thought so too, but didn’t see anything. I let her know I would call her back after checking with the technician to find out what happened. The tech remembered treating her home, and remembered that she had a pond in her yard, and said he left the invoice in the backdoor. I let the customer know this and she was very confused. She wanted to call her neighbor to find out if they were serviced already. When she called back she asked if there would be some reason to not leave the invoice for her, because her neighbor got their invoice. I told her if she didn’t believe the tech was there, we could send someone back to treat again for her. She said she believed me, and that wouldn’t be necessary, but was still baffled that she always could find the paperwork and didn’t see it anywhere today. I told her I would mail her a copy of the invoice when the tech brought it to the office and she said that would be great. She called again about an hour later, laughing so hard. She said she completely forgot that she has a backdoor to one of the bedrooms. She had found the invoice tucked right into the door, just like the tech promised. She apologized for making such a stink and said she felt so silly for not thinking of that before. She thanked me for all my help, and for all the calls back and forth trying to figure it out.

Jamie

St. George branch

Pest-Control-Stories Story 4, B, Misunderstanding, St George UT

Unique story-  Rodney Crumpton

This week I was running a route in Chandler, in an area I was assigned to as a missionary in 2001.   One of my stops was Susan Powell.  I didn’t recognize the name at first but the memories came back as I was driving down the gravel road to a family’s house I had become good friends with during my stay in Chandler 8 years ago.  When Mrs. Powell came to the door I let her know that I was with Bulwark but that I had been to her house before and she had fed me dinner about 8 years ago.  She reached back into her memory bank and asked me my name and when I told her my last name, her face lit up and she quickly invited me in to see her wall of family pictures with her grown children and grandchildren.  After we caught up, I told her that I was impressed that she had been with Bulwark for over 5 years on a monthly treatment plan.  She said that Bulwark has always been great no matter who she talked with on the phone or at her home.  And that they almost never see a bug inside their house.  As an employee at Bulwark since 2000 this was a very rewarding experience, I hope to continue to serve the Powell’s and other families that are as delightful as they are.

Pest-Control-Stories Story 5, D, Phoenix AZ

We had a gentleman call for a service quote, and said he had tiny white bugs biting him.  He said they were jumping all over his house and he had bites all over his ankles and legs.  We sent a technician out to assess the situation and bring back a sample of the bugs in question.  The technician went to the man’s home, and looked everywhere for the bugs the man had called about.  The technician spoke with the man for a long time about where he was when he would get bitten the most.  He said everywhere, not in just a specific area.  He said they were jumping all over the carpets.  He pointed down to the carpet, and helped the technician put them in a Ziploc baggie, so he could show the manager and find out what they were.  The technician looked in the baggie, and noticed… lint.  He told the gentleman that those were not bugs, but in fact, just lint.  The man disagreed, and said that’s what has been biting him.  The technician looked more closely in the carpets to try to find something resembling an actual bug, but could find nothing.  The man was positive that the lint was not lint, but bugs!  The technician thanked the man for his help in collecting the specimen, and let himself out.

Jamie

St. George

Pest-Control-Stories Story 1, D, funny, Lint, St. George