Intro to The Old Industry Hustles

 

SCRIPTED INDUSTRYLINE #1 – “THE MAIDEN CALL AND HERO RESPONSE” 

THE PLOT: AFTER YOUR ENCOUNTER WITH THE VILLAIN, YOU “SHRIEK” AND BEGIN MAKING CALLS TO ALL THE PEST CONTROL HEROES SINGING MELANCHOLICALLY IN THE FOREST. THE FIRST HERO WHO HEARS YOUR CALL AND DASHES TO YOUR DOOR WINS THE HONOR OF BATTLING THE VILLAIN.

YOU: [shrieking] How soon can you be here?

HERO: Never fear [sir or ma’am]. We’re on our way!

OUR READ: Since WW2, The Industry has cultivated and sold pest control by selling its services as a classic hero-rescues-maiden storyline: brave men (fresh from war in need of work) with spray guns rush in and save the shrieking maiden housewife. This familiar role play is normal for our National Character, but this storyline doesn’t end infestations. The maiden call and hero response forms a weird kind of addiction to pest control services that create a demand for what we call “puff treatments,” or the spraying of neurotoxins in and around our homes when there’s no need to spray them. The excessive spraying of toxins will often do so much damage to the health of our little neighborhood ecosystems, the damage will open the door for a single invasive species to rise in the void and infest homes in an attempt to correct the environmental imbalance. Not too unlike life in the movies, pesky villains who cross our home fronts and trigger our maiden shrieks undoubtedly create a need for pest control heroes, but it never hurts to step back, take a deep breath, and do some research about the heroes singing in your woods before you call them to your tower. You may find that many of them are unwittingly working with the villains.

SCRIPTED INDUSTRYLINE #2 – “IS THE TREATMENT SAFE FOR BABIES AND PETS?”

THE PLOT: YOU READ SILENT SPRING IN COLLEGE. YOU BUY ORGANIC VEGETABLES AND LOVE THE WILD CREATURES IN YOUR BACKYARD, BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING YOU LOVE YOUR BABIES AND PETS. THE INFESTATION IS BAD…BUT NEUROTOXINS ARE BAD TOO! AND YOU WANT TO KNOW YOU’RE NOT GOING TO KILL PETER TO KILL PAUL.

YOU: Is the treatment safe for my baby/pet?

INDUSTRY SALESPERSON: Yes, our treatments are natural and safe 100% for babies and pets!

OUR READ: The Industry has been selling chemicals as baby and pet safe for as long as it’s been in existence. DDT was originally sold as safe to be applied on humans, and it’s still being sold as safe for babies, pets, and farm workers in unregulated markets overseas. Convincing the world that chemical poisons (even natural neurotoxins like chrysanthemums) can be classified as “safe” is an amazing feat, a true testament to the power of storytelling. DTT is the classic grotesque example, but even ant bait, laundry detergent, household cleaners, and salt (one of our oldest known pesticides) can be dangerous if ingested by a child or pet who doesn’t know better. All chemicals in high enough doses can be toxic to our bodies. The conversation should be, “Do you use chemicals?” And if so, “How toxic is it?” And that’s not a yes or no answer. Like they say in the medical profession, “Dose is often the difference between medicine and poison.”

SCRIPTED INDUSTRYLINE #3 – “GREEN-WASHING: THE NEW BABY SAFE”

THE PLOT: YOUR NEW ECO-GREEN PEST CONTROL COMPANY ROLLS UP IN A PESTICIDE WAGON FESTOONED WITH IMAGES OF HAPPY FROGS AND WAVY LEAVES, AND YOU WATCH AS THEY UNWIND A POWER HOSE…

OUR READ: The old “baby and pet safe” industry line now has a new “even safer” line. Now they’re selling their chemical application as “eco-friendly.” Honest operators call this practice “green washing,” because its our job to know the strengths and weaknesses of chemicals; and we know what makes a “green” company “green.” In short, these so-called green companies uses lower toxic chemicals (usually pyrethroid repellants), which they apply at much higher doses to do the same job as a classic operator using classic industry products. For example, Axiom (a mid-sized eco-green pest control company) uses their power hoses to spray up to 10 gallons of neurotoxin repellants per home, when a foundation spray for an average home only needs about a gallon or less. All the environmental questions aside, spraying repellants around a home in regular intervals for ants will keep them out. It will also trap them in, and it often causes the population outside the home to spike and become worse of a nuisance than they were before your eco-chemical spraying Captain Planet unwound his mighty power hose. The end result is, the regular spraying of “green” repellant neurotoxins around a home creates a dependency on the service by spiking the external population outside. As soon as the repellants break down, the pesky creatures waiting outside march in and the old Maiden Call and Hero Response kicks in, once again.

 

SCRIPTED INDUSTRYLINE #4 – “GOOD GUYS KILL BAD GUYS: SYSTEMIC DEATH PRODUCTION DISORDER”

THE PLOT: YOU KEEP PAYING GUYS TO “FRESHEN” THE BAIT POISON IN THE RODENT STATIONS THEY PUT AROUND YOUR HOME, BUT YOUR HOME STILL HAS BROKEN VENT SCREENS AND OTHER SUCH ENTRY HOLES…

OUR READ: Infestations aren’t caused by individual rodents. Infestations are caused by access to predator-free shelter, nice pink nesting materials, and easy access to food. Killing off the population’s young/dumb rats every month (without working to end the environmental disorder(s) causing the infestation) is an old farm practice known as “culling.” Rats expect and need pressure from their predators. Culling keeps their population from spinning out of control. Trouble is, we humans aren’t rats. We shouldn’t expect culling behavior from the companies we hire to clear the rats from our homes. There’s no reason why our homes have to play host to The Industry’s pet rat populations.

 

SCRIPTED INDUSTRYLINE #5 – “OUR CHEMICALS ARE SO AWESOME THEY FIND THE PESTS FOR US.”

THE PLOT: YOU WATCH A NICE, CLEAN CUT, UNIFORMED TECH RUN AROUND YOUR HOME TO “TREAT” FOR ALL THE PESTS THEY LISTED ON THEIR CONTRACT, BUT AT THE END OF THE SERVICE…YOUR DASHING HERO CAN’T TELL YOU WHERE THE ANTS ARE TRAILING, WHERE THE MICE ARE NESTING, WHERE THE RATS ARE RUNNING, OR WHY THAT WINDOW ALWAYS HAS SPIDERS. HE CAN’T TELL YOU ANYTHING ABOUT THE ACTION OF THE URBAN WILD IN AND AROUND YOUR HOME…

OUR READ: The Industry is brutal on their technicians. Tellingly, one local company calls their techs “route bitches.” Even if industry technicians wanted to do real pest control, they wouldn’t have time. The average time allotted to industry technicians to do a regular maintenance treatment is a half hour from start to finish. The most successful techs learn to skip the pest control part completely and concentrate on the customer service part of their story. They chat the customer up, make them feel secure, run around the house, and dash off to the next stop. In some cases (especially at night in restaurants and businesses), techs will spend more time writing their reports than they will doing the service. The techs call this practice “invoice dropping,” and they have a reasonable justification for the practice. They will drop invoices at homes and businesses for their regular services, because they know they can depend on their customers to call them and report any new/uprising of activity. It’s a win win for techs. They can limit their services to the quick call back freakout services, and skip all the hard work of hunting down the root causes of the infestations. And so it goes, overworked techs drop invoices and wait for the shrieks to roll in.

 

SCRIPTED INDUSTRYLINE #6 – “SCIENTIFIC EXCOMMUNICATION OF PESTS IN THE MODERN AGE.”

THE PLOT: THE HERO YOU HIRED TO CLEAR THE WILD CREATURES FROM YOUR HOME SELLS YOU A GREEN/ORGANIC CHEMICAL POTION (OR SONIC DEVICE) THEY SAY WILL REPEL THE CREATURES AND KEEP THEM AWAY…

“Don’t worry ma’am,” our hero says. “Spray this around your home every month and the ant population [that’s growing every larger by the day] will stay away.”

“Don’t worry sir,” our hero says. “Spray this in your crawlspace every month and the rats [that found an abundant food source and predator-free shelter in your territory] will leave and go somewhere else.”

OUR READ: This is snake oil salesmanship at its finest. What your hero is really selling you is denial in a bottle. Spraying repellants around your home, or in your crawlspace, harkens back to The Dark Ages. Thousands of years ago, people used to believe that diseases smelled bad. Meaning, anything that smelled bad was diseased. To counter that, they developed a disease-combating magic potion we now call “perfume.” The good smells were sprayed to combat the bad ones. The “cure” was satisfying to humans because it was easily discernible, measurable, and supplied instant gratification. In the “primitive” pre-science world, perfumes were one of the first chemical pesticides that professional disease control operators sprayed in homes. In time, humans learned that bad smells (like farts and decaying flesh) didn’t always equal disease. And perfume was left to the hucksters, hustlers, and salesmen to sell to folks for its softer scientific value. Who says magic has been lost in our modern world of science? Seems to us, humans still buy magic chemicals everyday. There’s an entire industry dedicated to that ancient mystical art. These days it’s called “pest control.”

 

Read Our Reviews

Story Sold Pest Control is rated 5 out of 5.0 stars based on 83 review(s).

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- Jake is great! He was referred to me by a friend and he was thorough, very knowledgeable and put my mind at ease! Thanks for all the help!

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- I contacted Storysold Pest control for mice/rat problems for a rental property. I was very impressed with their website about the process they use to keep out rodents not just catching them and calling it good. They are very professional, explained the process in detail and showed up on time for our appointment. It’s been a week or so since he came out and my tenant hasn’t heard or seen any mice/rats. Jake, the owner is passionate about helping people and very knowledgeable in all aspects of pest control! Don’t waste your time on any other company call him first. Teri C

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- Keith B

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- Abby and Dave

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- Paige and Kris

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- Kammie James

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- Ed Robertson

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We had a great experience and highly recommend Jake. He is responsive, effective and thoughtful.

-  Eddie B

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Jake at Storysold Pest Control is knowledgeable and professional. He is quick to respond and reasonably priced. I find him to be trustworthy and ethical, he does not sell unnecessary services and he works with customers that are willing to do some of the work themselves as well as with customers who just want the whole service done without being involved themselves. While other companies told me I needed to replace all my insulation and do massive crawl space renovations, he offered several affordable options. With his help we no longer have a mouse problem and it was done at a fraction of what other companies quoted us. I appreciate his flexibility and fun, friendly personality. If I ever have another pest control issue, he will be my first call.

- Darian C.

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- Joyce R

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Jake has been helping me trap rodents at my farm with his Volehalla rodent boxes. He's friendly, knowledgeable, and effective: we've trapped a lot of rodents!

-  Emily C

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Jake was fantastic! Fast response. Reliable and honest. Great rates. Hope not to have any more rodent problems, but if I do I will be calling Jake again. I would recommend him to anybody that needs help with Pest Control.

- Janet D.

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Truly, I can t say enough about this team! They are so professional, trustworthy, and for the very first time in a long time I feel that they aren t here for 1/2 hour only to run off to the next job site! Jake (I believe the owner) told me that their company prefers to have 2 home visits per day over 10!!! I can t say enough them!!!!

- Lori T.

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Working with Storysold was a dream. We had a huge undertaking with almost 40,000 sq ft between two properties! With both buildings being over 100 years old keeping critters out is difficult and the previous tenants of the building allowed a huge infestation to occur. Jake was able to not only eradicate the unwanted pests he also filled holes and cracks and has stopped them from having easy access. Communication was great and the pricing was fair and manageable for our small nonprofit! I will continue to work with Storysold and recommend them for any pest control needs, big or small!

-  Jamie C

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Mouse in the house!!!! I texted Sunday morning after having chased a mouse through the house Saturday all day and Sunday at 3am... they came out to the house by 12:30 that Sunday. Jake got in the crawl space and checked the outside of the house for entry points. While there was no evidence of a major problem, I opt ed for the full attack. He came in with an Arsenal of traps that he placed in the kitchen and crawl space. He didn t hard sell and his prices were very affordable! He was also very honest with potential outcomes which I appreciate. He literally just left and I haven t heard any traps go off but just based on his customer service, I would totes recommend him! He s coming back in a week to check traps. I ve read some horror stories about other companies but I feel very confident that I m working with an upstanding professional. And he s dog friendly!

-  Taaj A.

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Great company.

- Ed S

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A pro. Showed on time. Knew what to do

-  Mike B.

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Jake of StorySold is proficient, affordable, and punctual. He took his time with carefully evaluating my problem, fixed my issue, and did extras like helping me fix my mattress which he treated for bed bugs. Can't recommend him enough and will use him and his company in the future. Got two other quotes which were much higher each quoting at least $1,000 without a guarantee.

- James J. 

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Jake is prompt, skilled, authentic and friendly! I couldn't be happier. I'm so glad that I talked to all three bidders before choosing. Even before he got here, I knew he was the best choice!

-  Linda B. 

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Great!!! Next day service, very knowledgeable and trustworthy, affordable. Didn t try to sell me any extra services I didn t need. Would gladly hire again.Great!!! Next day service, very knowledgeable and trustworthy, affordable. Didn t try to sell me any extra services I didn t need. Would gladly hire again.

-  Shelly A.

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Very good

- Larry A

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Jake actually arrived early. He did a good job of removing a large hornet's nest of very aggressive hornets. He will definitely be our first choice on any future pest removal we might need.

- Barbara B.

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Jake went above and beyond of what was asked of him! Will not use anyone else!

-  Ted M

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Jake was extremely respectful and responsive. Came promptly and did a thorough inspection. He gave us options and his honest opinion about what we needed to do. He was very helpful in solving the problem simply and cost effectively! Will definitely call again.

- Michelle C. 

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Came to our home right away and set live traps in our chimneys and made screens for the tops. Returned the next day to find a squirrel in one of the traps. We were very pleased with our results and appreciated the great customer service

- Kathleen

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Friendly, fast and efficient. Very pleased with the service Jake provided

- Joli P.

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Refreshing to work with Jake. He is collaborative and communicative. Great improvement since his visit.

- Seth W

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He's friendly, professional, punctual & extremely affordable. Would hire again & recommend to my friends.

- Max K

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- We’ve struggled with mice in our home for years. Stoysold came out in February of 2020, found the access spots, blocked them, and we haven’t had a single mouse inside in over a year. I highly recommend their service. KH in Sandy, OR

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- Jake was professional, friendly, educational on the process. I would recommend his services to anyone needing a exterminator for insects or rodents.

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- Boann

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- We are so happy with the work Storysold did to fortify our house against unwelcome creatures! They were courteous, efficient, and communicative throughout the process.

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- Jake took care of our unwanted guest (roof rat!) and identified and took care of entry points to prevent future problems. We have been paying for a pest control service for years that we are going to be able to cancel thanks to Jake’s work. He’s very professional and responsive and we highly recommend him! – Mary

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- Dustin

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- Dani Rathke

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- Thorough, effective and reliable. I’ve used other exterminator services that seem more concerned with signing you up for annual contracts than actually solving the rodent issue. This company is the opposite. They care the most about solving the problem, billing customers comes second. I’d highly recommend.

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- Paul

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- Kristy L

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- Darlene Warren

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- Erika Glancy

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Jake has been helping me trap rodents at my farm with his Volehalla rodent boxes. He's friendly, knowledgeable, and effective: we've trapped a lot of rodents!

- Emily C.

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Truly, I can t say enough about this team! They are so professional, trustworthy, and for the very first time in a long time I feel that they aren t here for 1/2 hour only to run off to the next job site! Jake (I believe the owner) told me that their company prefers to have 2 home visits per day over 10!!! I can t say enough them!!!!

- Lori T.

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Great!!! Next day service, very knowledgeable and trustworthy, affordable. Didn t try to sell me any extra services I didn t need. Would gladly hire again.

- Shelly A.

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Jake actually arrived early. He did a good job of removing a large hornet's nest of very aggressive hornets. He will definitely be our first choice on any future pest removal we might need.

- Barbara B.

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Jake went above and beyond of what was asked of him! Will not use anyone else!

- Ted M.

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Jake was extremely respectful and responsive. Came promptly and did a thorough inspection. He gave us options and his honest opinion about what we needed to do. He was very helpful in solving the problem simply and cost effectively! Will definitely call again.

- Michelle C.

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Friendly, fast and efficient. Very pleased with the service Jake provided

- Joli P.

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He's friendly, professional, punctual & extremely affordable. Would hire again & recommend to my friends.

- Max K.

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Jake at Storysold Pest Control is knowledgeable and professional. He is quick to respond and reasonably priced. I find him to be trustworthy and ethical, he does not sell unnecessary services and he works with customers that are willing to do some of the work themselves as well as with customers who just want the whole service done without being involved themselves. While other companies told me I needed to replace all my insulation and do massive crawl space renovations, he offered several affordable options. With his help we no longer have a mouse problem and it was done at a fraction of what other companies quoted us. I appreciate his flexibility and fun, friendly personality. If I ever have another pest control issue, he will be my first call.

- Darian C.

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Went above and beyond my expectations! Would recommend to anyone, knowledgeable and experienced. Thanks again!!

- Jaimie D.

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Jake will give you friendly, personalized, and timely service, and you get the story of the service at the end!

- Emily C.

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Very honest, friendly and informative. Excellent work.

- Terry B.

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Refreshing to work with Jake. He is collaborative and communicative. Great improvement since his visit.

- Seth W

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- Zack C.

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We had a great experience and highly recommend Jake. He is responsive, effective and thoughtful.

- Eddie B.

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Very honest, identified the problem in a remote corner of the property, operated quickly, provided photos of the work done and is coming back to verify the problem has been solved.

- Matteo V.

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Jake was fantastic! Fast response. Reliable and honest. Great rates. Hope not to have any more rodent problems, but if I do I will be calling Jake again. I would recommend him to anybody that needs help with Pest Control.

- Janet D.

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- Taney R.

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Working with Storysold was a dream. We had a huge undertaking with almost 40,000 sq ft between two properties! With both buildings being over 100 years old keeping critters out is difficult and the previous tenants of the building allowed a huge infestation to occur. Jake was able to not only eradicate the unwanted pests he also filled holes and cracks and has stopped them from having easy access. Communication was great and the pricing was fair and manageable for our small nonprofit! I will continue to work with Storysold and recommend them for any pest control needs, big or small!

- Jamie C.

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Came out next day and took care of our wasp nest! Easy to schedule and very responsive. Thank you!

- Jacoba G.

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Mouse in the house!!!! I texted Sunday morning after having chased a mouse through the house Saturday all day and Sunday at 3am... they came out to the house by 12:30 that Sunday. Jake got in the crawl space and checked the outside of the house for entry points. While there was no evidence of a major problem, I opt ed for the full attack. He came in with an Arsenal of traps that he placed in the kitchen and crawl space. He didn t hard sell and his prices were very affordable! He was also very honest with potential outcomes which I appreciate. He literally just left and I haven t heard any traps go off but just based on his customer service, I would totes recommend him! He s coming back in a week to check traps. I ve read some horror stories about other companies but I feel very confident that I m working with an upstanding professional. And he s dog friendly!

- Taaj A.

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Jake was straight forward and was happy to answer all questions. Thank you!

- April B.

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A pro. Showed on time. Knew what to do

- Mike B.

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Did an amazing job fixing some visitors to my crawl space. Sanitized, cleaned, and locked down from future uninvited guests!

- Stephen I.

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Jake of StorySold is proficient, affordable, and punctual. He took his time with carefully evaluating my problem, fixed my issue, and did extras like helping me fix my mattress which he treated for bed bugs. Can't recommend him enough and will use him and his company in the future. Got two other quotes which were much higher each quoting at least $1,000 without a guarantee.

- James J.

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He arrived on time, knew precisely what to do to resolve my problem and completed the job.

- Jeff J.

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Jake is prompt, skilled, authentic and friendly! I couldn't be happier. I'm so glad that I talked to all three bidders before choosing. Even before he got here, I knew he was the best choice!

- Linda B.

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Amazing! Jake is amazing! He came out because I had a squirrel in my attic. He has a vent he can put in so they can get out but not back in! Theres no trauma to the animal by trapping it and you will save yourself hearing it scream and cry in a trap! He walked around my entire house and attic looking for all entry points. He is very knowledgable and kind and looking to help you exist w wildlife w the option of not euthanizing. Years of experience. I was so pleased q his company I would highly highly recommend him for any of your critter/pest? needs! Thank you Jake!

- Susan K.

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- Loa H.

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We knew we had several openings to our crawl space where rodents were coming in. To come out and give us a quote, Jake was flexible with making an appointment at our convenience. He is personable and professional. We accepted his quote on the spot and he did the work at that time. He was thorough and gave us an excellent report with pictures after he was done. I highly recommend him and will use him again should the need arise.

- Larry a.

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- Paige L.

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Jake was a huge help with our recent rodent adventure. He was a great communicator and his work and knowledge were superb. He was thorough with his assessment of our property and honest with his recommendations. There was no attempt to unnecessarily sell us on any packages, in fact Jake gave us resources to get our situation under control and to maintain that going forward. Will absolutely be calling Jake in the future if the situation arises.

- Graham H.

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Great service and very affordable pricing.

- Humberto Z.

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- Deanna M.

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- Michelle H.

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Jake was very quick, informative. He not only took care of the rodent, but spent time helping to prevent it happening again.

- Em W.

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Excellent job! Jake was wonderful to work with.

- Kathy M.

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Jake went above and beyond. I had tiny ants in my cupboards and on my kitchen floor. He went outside the property and went underneath my condo. Not only did he take care of the ants but took care of a small rodent issue. Charged me exactly what he quoted me. All the extra work he did I thought for sure it would cost more but he stuck to his quote and was very polite, kind and quick.

- Brenda H.

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Jake was great to work with. He responded quickly to my request. He was able to do the job by being creative. He sent a follow up email to let me know when he would check back. His rate was very reasonable.

- Kelly A.

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Jake is really a 10/10 person and it shows in his work. Thankfully we did not have an infestation but his thoroughness, promptness, and overall attitude towards his profession was something that stuck out to me. I will be recommending him to everyone for pest control. I know who I'm calling when I need one!

- Samantha A.

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Amazing! Jake is amazing! He came out because I had a squirrel in my attic. He has a vent he can put in so they can get out but not back in! Theres no trauma to the animal by trapping it and you will save yourself hearing it scream and cry in a trap! He walked around my entire house and attic looking for all entry points. He is very knowledgable and kind and looking to help you exist w wildlife w the option of not euthanizing. Years of experience. I was so pleased q his company I would highly highly recommend him for any of your critter/pest? needs! Thank you Jake!

- Suzan K.

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- Jake is amazing

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- Stacie Benefield