Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed bug pest control firms (PCOs), Bed bug k9s, etc.
Help!! PCO claims inspection takes 3 minutes
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possiblebugs
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 8
Posted 2 months ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 15:26:59
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Hello helpful bedbuggers!
I am hoping someone can provide a link that explains the steps a good PCO will take during an inspection, how long it takes, and why.
The PCO my building is using for another infested unit came to look at my apartment. He only inspected my mattress, did not look in any seams or under the box spring, and when I asked why he didn't do a more thorough inspection he told me "Because I am an EXPERT and what takes other people an hour takes me only 3 minutes." I asked him if bugs are only on mattresses and he said no, and could not give a reason why he didn't look at anything else in my apartment. I tried to get an answer out of him of why he is refusing to inspect my apartment and he laughed in my face.
I would like to print something out to give to my LL.
Thanks!
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spideyjg
oldtimer
Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 1,405
Posted 2 months ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 15:49:44
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possiblebugs - 2 minutes ago »
"Because I am an EXPERT and what takes other people an hour takes me only 3 minutes."LMAO!
I can't find right now but there was a great video on youtube by an entomologist going through a hotel room. Takes me 30-45 minutes.
[+] Embed the video Get the Video Widget Let's see if he can do all that in 3 minutes.
Jim
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senior member
Joined: Mar '08
Posts: 596
Posted 2 months ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 18:02:05
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If he's an expert ... I'm Paula Abdul.
Message me if you would like to discuss what a real inspection would cover.
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cilecto
senior member
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 522
Posted 2 months ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 19:05:54
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Just speculating…"I'm an expert in finding the result the LL wants." LL says "I'm not treating the entire building" and PCO will find no bugs. LL says "it's a problem tenant": Young tenant; no bugs will be found. Elderly tenant; bugs will be found and tenant gets "prep sheet from hell".
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Jason1
banned
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 224
Posted 2 months ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 20:09:03
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Quote
"""Because I am an EXPERT and what takes other people an hour takes me only 3 minutes."""
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WTF, the only thing that pco is inspecting is how many hundred dollar bills he can stuff in his boss's pocket at YOUR expense.
Tell the building manager to kick the loser to the curb!
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Sorry, but I cannot resist. It only takes him three minutes? Are we talking about inspecting a room, or.... either way, get a new guy!
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Jason1
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Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 224
Posted 2 months ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 21:12:09
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LOL, "premature" inspection or what.
3 minutes....wonder if this dolt has a similar problem with his wife :(
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possiblebugs
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 8
Posted 2 months ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 23:23:10
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Wow thanks for the replies. They actually did 2 "perimeter sprays" in my apartment, and my LL is paying them. None of this is on her, they are totally misleading her and I am a bit freaked out about what's going on, as I'm not sure if she'll be willing to switch. That's why I want to present her with some clear information. My LL is actually great, but when I mentioned it to her she said "yeah he does it differently but he says he can find them in 5 minutes." I don't know why she believes him.
Basically after 2 visits I demanded a full inspection and was told by my LL that it would absolutely happen. I called the PCO office to confirm that they had it in their computer that they were doing an inspection and I was told they already did 2, and I am a "babbling fool." When the PCO came back today I asked if he was here to do an inspection and he told me he's done 2, he is an expert, and since I am causing so much trouble he is refusing to enter my apartment and do anything. I caused a huge scene carrying on in front of all my neighbors. I personally have found no evidence, but don't think I am insane for wanting an inspection, correct? Then the guy literally laughed in my face and left. At this point I broke down in hysterics from frustration in my hallway.
Anyway next step is telling the LL how these people spoke to me and refused to treat, and I am assuming they will be just as pissed as I am, but I also want to make sure that they understand what is supposed to happen so that we can hire someone new.
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Some PCOs don't inspect at all.
Others inspect and will treat even if they find no bed bugs or obvious evidence.
We just had two stories on publishing houses which were treated -- Penguin (for which a spokesperson claims there was NO bed bug found), and Scholastic (for which a spokesperson claims a bed bug dog "barked," signifying the possible presence of bed bugs in the building).
I am not saying this is a good idea, by any means, but there are lots of PCOs who do not inspect, and some of them (naming no names) have quite a following and reputation out in the world.
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KILL_ALL_BEDBUGS
junior member
Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 38
Posted 2 months ago
Wed Sep 2 2009 14:42:25
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Your story doesn't make sense. Why would the PCO guy drive all the way back to your house to tell you he's not going to do an inspection and refuse to enter your apartment? Why did you think causing a big hysterical scene would improve the situation? I have a feeling you are exaggerating greatly and leaving things out.
I agree that most PCO's don't have a clue when it comes to inspections, but acting like a child is not going to help.
My advice would be to read up on bed bugs and do the inspection yourself.
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possiblebugs
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 8
Posted 2 months ago
Wed Sep 2 2009 17:38:46
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The PCO came to treat the building and refused to enter just mine, at this point I broke down. He did the rest of the building and told us BBs don't go through walls anyway.
I didn't consciously decide to have a scene, but as someone who is dealing with this as well I am sure you can understand how frustrating the situation could be. I could do without you calling me a child, though.
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Jason1
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Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 224
Posted 2 months ago
Wed Sep 2 2009 20:41:40
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Just ignore people like that, as they are not worth your time and energy. You are not a child, and you did the right thing, and we ALL feel for you. Well, all except for one it seems.
You had every right to "break down"....bb's are terrible, and cause lots of turmoil in ones life!
I edited my post as I previously had some choice words for the person who critisized you....but then decided to take my own advice that I gave to you!
possiblebugs - 2 hours ago »
The PCO came to treat the building and refused to enter just mine, at this point I broke down. He did the rest of the building and told us BBs don't go through walls anyway.
I didn't consciously decide to have a scene, but as someone who is dealing with this as well I am sure you can understand how frustrating the situation could be. I could do without you calling me a child, though. -
How incredibly frustrating to have to depend on both a landlord and a PCO who have no clue! I've been thinking about what causes the stress as the bugs themselves are...just bugs. Some of us just don't cope well with this situation and I have some ideas why, for myself at least this was/is true.
It's one of the very few situations I've encountered where I felt I had no control to solve the problem.
I had to rely on others to solve the problem. I had to, I did not have the energy to do this on my own, and don't believe I could have if I had the energy. So that is a feeling of dependency on an ethical/unethical/possibly incompetent pest person.
So I really think some of it is caused by a feeling of loss of control over a very basic thing, your life!
You feel like a target. It feels personal and you never feel like you have the upper hand. You learn everything about this after the fact, so you always feel a step or two behind.
You have guilt over not being vigilant, or perfect enough to eradicate. "if only i did this, and this, and this...."
There is absolutely zero guarantee you won't get them again from a public place, or a neighbor who you also cannot control. Ahhh, remember the time a long time ago, when you didn't know they even existed. You can never go back to that blissfully ignorant state with BB.
And let's not forget torture techniques...the bug in the box...designed to strike terror. Well this is truly not that different, except the box is your house, or your bed. It's the same basic human fear and response. It works for the government, right?
So falling apart emotionally and psychologically happens to some of us who suffer this.
I had chemical treatments for a very bad infestation. It was bad because it took me a couple of months to prep and they must have been there for a while before that, maybe three months. I didn't believe they would ever be gone. It was horrendous. Things are much better now. They seem gone, since early May. Be creative if you can, talk to Public Health, seek advice, and talk to other PCO's. That's free. You never know what will happen. We certainly never could have predicted this, and good things can come to you the same way, unexpectedly.
Portland, OR
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possiblebugs
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 8
Posted 2 months ago
Wed Sep 2 2009 21:16:34
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hoo2677, thanks so much for that. That is exactly how I'm feeling and I couldn't put it into words...but I'm the kind of person that hates asking people for help and relying on others, but for this problem we don't have much of a choice. You need the help of professionals, and in my case, I need my building that has at least 3 infested units and all the others near them to cooperate and do everything necessary as well. I feel like the walls are closing in but am powerless to do anything more than I have, which is caulk my walls, and continue to inspect my sheets, bed, baseboards, dresser, and chair. My father keeps telling me that there is nothing I can do about it at this moment, until my LL finds a new PCO and they can determine if there is even a problem in here, but I feel like I should be doing everything rightthissecond. And now I am just left to hope we will find a good PCO and can rally my neighbors to be as proactive about this as me, and that is a scary scary thought. And I guess that's why after a whole month of remaining completely calm I totally lost it yesterday.
My friends don't want to listen to this, and I think I'll start to take more advantage of all the info and kind words of people on this board. In my logical mind I know that this isn't a problem forever, but in the meantime it could suck. Not having a laundry nearby is making it worse as well.
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cilecto
senior member
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 522
Posted 2 months ago
Wed Sep 2 2009 22:28:40
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Hoo2677: your last post should be printed, matted and framed! Bravo!
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KILL_ALL_BEDBUGS
junior member
Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 38
Posted 2 months ago
Thu Sep 3 2009 9:35:57
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possiblebugs, the reason I took that tone is because YOU DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE BEDBUGS
I've had them for 3 months going now. At one point I was getting 3-4 bites a night and could barely concentrate at work because the itching was so bad. I've spent hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours fighting these things. I have a helpful (but clueless) landlord and unhelpful (and clueless) PCO's and have had chemical and heat treatments with no success. I am still fighting them. I've managed all of this without throwing a tantrum.
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sickofbugs
newbite
Joined: Mar '09
Posts: 14
Posted 2 months ago
Thu Sep 3 2009 17:17:22
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yes, wonderful post hoo2677, thanks for saying what I couldn't put into words either.
sickofbugs
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Help!! PCO claims inspection takes 3 minutes
Wow 3 minutes? wish we could inspect a room that quickly, we would make a fortune..
We usually allow an hour approx to survey a room on an average sized house. -
junior member
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 46
Posted 2 months ago
Sun Sep 6 2009 17:26:14
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Jason1 - 4 days ago »
LOL, "premature" inspection or what.
3 minutes....wonder if this dolt has a similar problem with his wife :(HAHAHAHA.
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