http://bedbugger.com/forum/ Bed bug support forums en Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:19:18 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-about-neighbor-situationnightmare#post-57043 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:38:20 +0000 neighborbugs 57043@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Thanks for the replies DistressInBrooklyn and Reallytired5. It is very stressful, and this morning I woke up with hives, hopefully stress related but still worrisome. Could be bites, who knows? Because the company refuses to do an inspection. </p> <p>My LL was at the other treatments, but now is away unfortunately. She told me to call and make sure they do an inspection.</p> <p>I just got called a "babbling fool" on the phone. This is outrageous. I know I sound like a babbling fool on my posts here, however in person I have managed to remain calm and well spoken about all of this, acting in a panic will get you nowhere I realize.</p> <p>So I just called the company to find out their policy, which they told me is OF COURSE to do a full visual inspection of all attached units. They also have a dog which they never brought in. At this point I gave them my address to look up in their computer and said that I never had an inspection, and would like for that to happen tomorrow. The woman, who is a MANAGER thought she put me on hold to look it up, but did not, at which point I hear her say to someone in the room "What's up at (my address)?? Cause I got this babbling fool on the phone." Is she kidding? When she got back on I said "I'm sorry, am I babbling right now? I asked you a simple question which is, will you be doing an inspection of my apartment. I believe I am getting bites. Don't you think I should have an inspection?" She told me she has it down that there were 2 inspections and she would need to investigate this and simply does not have the time until later this week.</p> <p>So I told her to have a fabulous day, hung up on her, and then called my LL's son who was just as pissed off as I am. He wanted to know the name of this "manager" so he could call immediately and yell. Hopefully he will make stuff happen, or we can switch companies.</p> <p>Thanks again for the responses. This situation would be stressful enough as it is, without being talked to that way and essentially treated like an idiot. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-about-neighbor-situationnightmare#post-57033 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:50:12 +0000 Reallytired5 57033@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Neighborbugs,</p> <p>Try calling around to other PCOs as well to get an idea. Here are the questions I asked when I did this:</p> <p>What experience do you have treating bed bugs? (How long? How many dwellings?)<br /> May we contact previous or current customers for reference?<br /> What specifically to you do to treat budbugs? (What chemicals? Where in the home? How long does it take for the treatment? How long to eradicate the bugs?)<br /> How much is the treatment?<br /> What do you recommend we do at home to prepare for your treatment and after you're done?</p> <p>In the process of calling around, I found a PCO that was kind enough to spend an hour on the phone with me. I told him about our concerns with our PCO and he gave me a lot of good advice on what to do. </p> <p>I hope this helps! </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-about-neighbor-situationnightmare#post-57021 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:12:33 +0000 DistressInBrooklyn 57021@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Neighborbugs, </p> <p>I think asking for their policies seems like a good idea. To be honest though, I'm not sure refusing treatment and demanding that the landlady switch will be very effective. We came across the same scenario (in Brooklyn), with our LL's exterminator not inspecting, but just spraying and then (supposedly) telling the LL that we have no sign of bugs. Frustrating, since we have bites and actually captured a live one. </p> <p>Anyways. Despite your frustration, it sounds like your LL is doing all that is legally required of them to do, which is to continue to do the sprays. Calling 311 may be helpful, but then they will have to send an inspector out to your place, and then all they do is pressure your LL to do a treatment -- which in theory, she is still doing. </p> <p>Perhaps ask your landlady or her son to be present for the inspection, so they can see what is actually going on. If it's really such a shoddy job and your LL is as good as you say, they will want to switch the PCO themselves. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-about-neighbor-situationnightmare#post-57014 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:55:46 +0000 neighborbugs 57014@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Really? No advice? This board seems so helpful. I would really love some advice. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-about-neighbor-situationnightmare#post-56974 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:03:23 +0000 neighborbugs 56974@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>So I just saw my infested neighbors moving out whatever belongings they've kept, including a bedframe, and my panic level is skyrocketing right now.</p> <p>I decided that tomorrow in preparation for the PCO tech on Tuesday, I will call his company and speak to a manager, pretending I am looking for someone to treat my building, and get their official policy on how they inspect/treat/etc adjoining units to the infested one. Based on their website it really seems to me that the tech was lazy and in a rush and did not do his job in any way.</p> <p>Any advice on what questions to ask? If they tell me they do a full inspection and he comes in and yet again does not look at a single thing and wants to spray all willy nilly all over my apartment, do I throw him out and demand my landlady switches companies? Is this something to report to NYC?</p> <p>I would really love any advice. PLEASE HELP!! </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-about-neighbor-situationnightmare#post-56902 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:34:18 +0000 neighborbugs 56902@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Well I'm in NYC so legally the landlady has to deal with it and take the proper steps to get rid of the infestation and prevent them from coming back.</p> <p>As I mentioned my landlady is awesome, I got really lucky. I just am worried this PCO company is misleading her and not doing a proper job. After I posted I spoke to her son, and he said he would get them to do a proper inspection. I just am terrified that they are going to come over here, especially of the PCO is just going to go nuts spraying the empty apartment and make them scatter. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-about-neighbor-situationnightmare#post-56892 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:45:26 +0000 Reallytired5 56892@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Neighborbugs,</p> <p>Sorry you're having this problem! Is there someone you can contact at a housing authority or health authority to find out what are your rights and what are the landlady's and PCO's obligations? I had my second treatment last week and the PCO made a few application mistakes. Quite concerning since we have three small children in the house. We had to involve the state Dept of Agriculture who oversees pesticide applications.</p> <p>Good luck! </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-about-neighbor-situationnightmare#post-56876 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:34:30 +0000 neighborbugs 56876@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I could really use some advice, I am very on edge. This might be long.</p> <p>I moved into a new apartment in my building in the beginning of July. The apartment had been vacant for a few months before then. A month after I moved in my landlady called me and said "I have something to tell you and you're not going to like it." Apparently my neighbors had an infestation going for months and never told anyone. My landlady didn't find out until it had spread to the apartment on the other side. She told me the exterminator was coming to check my place and do some preventative work, and not to worry since the shared wall on their side was the bathroom, then kitchen. And since my apartment was vacant the chances were slim they came over here.</p> <p>Anyway, the PCO came a few days later, and he basically flipped up my mattress and box spring and glanced over them, and said "yeah you're fine." I've had an inspection before and it took the guy over 45 minutes just to check my bed so I immediately started to worry. The guy told me to lock my cat in the bathroom and sprayed Suspend all around the perimeter of my apartment and then went on to treat the infested unit next door. My super started putting DE down all over the hallways, and then the infested neighbors started throwing out everything they own. I found a dead bug in the hall and basically had a panic attack.</p> <p>The PCO came a week and a half later to follow up, at which point I told my landlady that I wanted a proper inspection. She agreed (she's really fantastic and on top of things), but this time the guy asked me if I had bites, then only lifted the corner of my mattress, sprayed some more suspend, and again declared me BB free. Now, I have insanely sensitive skin and skin allergies and basically have hives and welts 24/7, so there's no way for me to tell if I'm getting bit, or even if I'd react to that. My landlady ordered ClimbUps from this company, which still haven't arrived 2+ weeks later. It just seems like a joke. </p> <p>After a former scare with bed bugs, I'm pretty vigilant about checking my bed everytime I change my sheets. I haven't seen anything, no spots, no skins, no bugs, nothing. I am incredible itchy all the time with hives, which I am sure is probably stress related.</p> <p>Anyway, onto the latest news. My landlady is away for 3 weeks and her son is handling it now. The horrible neighbors who were infested are moving out. I've been seeing them carry everything out in open shopping bags, so obviously they didn't seal any of their washed clothes up. I am sure they will take the problem with them and a small part of me thinks that's pretty good justice since they did nothing for so long. Once they are out, they are bringing the PCO back again to treat the vacant apartment, and are afraid the bugs will try to migrate elsewhere. aka, MY apartment. So they are coming back into my apartment once again. The same tech from the same company.</p> <p>So my question, after all that, is: What should I do? I expressed my complete disappointment with this company to my landlady's son. I told him they did not inspect, did not educate, etc. I even gave my landlady KillerQueens contact info in hopes she might switch. But she told me this company successfully has treated her mother's house, etc. I can't force these people to do a proper inspection. I am going to demand the ClimbUps be brought with them on Tuesday, and am going to further caulk my apartment up, but what else should I do? I do not want to move, and actually cannot move. And if there IS a problem in my apartment moving isn't going to solve it anyway.</p> <p>ARGH. </p>