Along with the bed-bug epidemic comes a new breed of bloodsucking pests: exterminator firms that promise to get rid of the nasty creatures but instead rip New Yorkers off. Professional exterminators yesterday addressed a city council hearing on their fraudulent competitors.
“You’ll find companies that charge $350 and then $150 for every visit after. A reputable company will charge you $500 once,” said Jeffrey Eisenberg, owner of Pest Away Exterminating. “Meanwhile, you’ve spent $6,000. It’s predatory.”
“In any situation you’re going to have some people taking advantage,” said Gil Bloom, an entomologist on the city’s Bed Bug Advisory Board. “I saw a sign up in Flatbush that said ‘Bed bug killers guaranteed, $150.’ That price was ridiculous.”
Everyone, it seems, wants their piece of the $5.5-billion extermination industry.
“Every unemployed lawyer and Wall Street guy is starting their own bed-bug business,” said Eisenberg, who said he’s received a dozen calls from people wanting to be trained in extermination. “There’s a market for it. They look on the news, ‘Oh my God, that’s a good idea!’”
All pest-control providers are regulated by the State Department of Environmental Conservation, said Bloom, and must have a license, which must be recertified every three years.
