Rentokill Service

Phlebas99

Hi, I've recently bought my first property and a few months in found evidence of rats in the loft (droppings, scratching noises).

I paid for Rentokill to come out and was charged £375 for 3 visits to deal with the problem.

After the first visit (taking less than 30 mins) the worker some poison bait and 2 traps (using my nutella and peanut butter to bait them!).

The poison bait was basically all eaten the first time, and one rat caught in a trap.

The second visit a week later (taking no more than 10 minutes), the worker came to reset the trap, remove the rat, and restock the bait, assuring me that as so much had been eaten and it was only a couple of rats, the problem should be done soon.

However in this time no more bait has been eaten, no traps sprung, and the rats are back to being loud - a sleepless night last night allowed me to hear their "scratching" across my loft as they move, and their especially loud squeaks too

The third visit is coming up, and I've informed the Rentokill worker that I still have the rat problem. The third visit is only to remove his gear.

Now I've found his bait (or very similar since it's the exact same blue colour) on amazon for £15 per kg, his exact traps for £13 for 2, and I'm going to have got less than an hours worth of his time for my total of £375 - money which hasn't solved the problem.

What recourse do I have to ask for a full/partial refund based on them not dealing with the issue? Surely there must be some sort of expectation of success or they could be purposefully useless so as to setup repeat business.

ThumbRemote

You're not paying £375 for a small amount of equipment and the time they are at your property. You're paying for their wages, van, fuel, office overheads, management, training, holiday pay, advertising, business rates, shareholder profits, etc.

Did you pay them to solve your rats problem, or did you pay them to supply traps and poison? I strongly suspect the latter, in which case they've done what was expected. It's not really their fault if there are more rats present.

bris

Bait is a jar of own brand peanut butter or nutella for a pound, no need to buy the £15 one.


Its just about patience, keep laying the traps anywhere you see droppings and you will eventually catch them all.


It's not like the movies, they aren't cleverly avoiding the traps, keep at it and they will get caught.


You can also do it humanely with these if you prefer not to kill them https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000QVSCH6/ref=asc_df_B000QVSCH657438686/?!!!!!googshopuk-21&creative=22110&creativeASIN=B000QVSCH6&linkCode=df0&hvadid=224088607899&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17003237285386861324&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007366&hvtargid=pla-387546572624&th=1&psc=1

ssparks2003

I believe that the poison that licensed pest control is stronger that the stuff they sell in the DIY shops, since you need a license to buy certain poisons

lincroft1710

I think my local council charges about £80 to get rid of rat infestation

[Deleted User]

Phlebas99 wrote: »

What recourse do I have to ask for a full/partial refund based on them not dealing with the issue?

The only recourse I can see is further visits/traps/bait at extra cost to yourself. Unless you have a guarantee that they will remove your rat infestation completely for the amount you have already paid, I can't see you have any right to a refund.

Of course you could pay for retailed traps and poison and do the job yourself far more cheaply.

Are the rats in your loft migrating from adjacent property? If so, they may well need to be eradicated from those properties as well. Perhaps confer with your neighbours?

You also need to ensure that the rat's food supply is removed. Are there easily accessible bins (or bin bags) left out? Are the rats eating your pet's unattended food?