| Business Categories | Pest Control in Waltham, MA |
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Hired Anthony Santoro from MistGuard to fix my MistAway System. He came for one hour, and was unable to fix the problem. We ended up replacing the whole system after he wasn't able to help. Later, we were billed for $900, which was much higher than was agreed upon. When we contacted Anthony and offered to pay for any parts used but disagreed with his assessment of the services provided, he threatened to take us to small claims court if we did not pay him the full $900. Avoid using MistGuard services. It is a scam company that takes advantage of the fact that there are not many companies in the area to service MistAway systems. We have since found another company slightly further away that does a much better job, and does not try to rip off the customer.
Always ask for references, and always check them. Keep in mind though that the only references you'll get are people who the contractor is certain will give him a good review. You'd also be well advised to check online review sources in Waltham as well, which will give you a broader view of customer satisfaction for a given company.
You'll certainly want to ask them this. Steer clear of any company that is not insured in Massachusetts, because that means that any incidental damage they may do on your property will be a real hassle to recover compensation for. It is never wise to work with uninsured tradesmen of any kind. Most states also require that someone have insurance in order to be issued a trade license. If they say they're licensed but not insured, they're being less than truthful.
Some companies may require a 10% deposit, some may not require any. For larger projects, you'll almost always need to give a deposit, and it's good to ask how much the deposit will be before going forward with a project. The Waltham contractor will know how much they need for a deposit when they've given you the estimate, so ask early.
This is very important, since an estimate is just that. Many contractors will submit a "paper estimate", meaning they've written the estimate down on paper. The bill is the true amount owed and will almost always say "Invoice" or "Bill" at the top of the page. The bill should also list the date it was issued, the due date of payment, and a list of services rendered.
