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Case study
What happens when you replace a vendor who stopped caring.
128
Townhomes
2 years
With previous vendor
10 months
With APE and counting
Riverside, MO128 townhomesVendor switchProactive program
The situation
Two years of paying for pest control they weren't getting.
A 128-unit townhome community in Riverside, Missouri had been with their pest control vendor for two years. On paper, the service was happening. In practice, the property manager had a growing list of frustrations.
Technicians would show up but didn't appear to do much. There were no check-ins with the office — no updates on what was treated, what was found, or what to watch for. When the property manager called with questions or concerns, responses were slow or didn't come at all. Pest issues persisted despite regular service visits.
The problem wasn't a crisis. There was no infestation spiraling out of control. It was something more common and harder to pin down: a vendor going through the motions without actually managing the property's pest health.
Why the previous vendor failed
Showing up isn't the same as showing results.
01
No communication
The vendor never checked in with the property office. No updates after visits, no reports, no proactive recommendations. The PM had to chase them for basic information.
02
Slow response
When the property manager did call, callbacks were slow or didn't happen. Issues that needed attention sat unaddressed.
03
Generic reporting
The vendor provided service reports, but they were surface-level — basic notes that didn't tell the property manager what was actually working, what wasn't, or what to expect next. No actionable insight.
04
Persistent problems
Despite two years of service, pest issues continued. Without proactive assessment, the same problems cycled without resolution.
What we did differently
Start outside. Verify inside. Partner on prevention.
01
Exterior perimeter treatment
We started with a comprehensive exterior treatment to create a barrier around all 128 townhomes. This knocked down the existing pest pressure coming in from outside — the foundation that everything else builds on.
02
Routine interior inspections
Scheduled interior treatments and inspections across the property to verify our exterior efforts were working. Every visit documented with notes on what was found, what was treated, and what to monitor.
03
Winter rodent exclusion
When winter arrived, we partnered with the property's maintenance team to inspect for rodent entry points. We identified gaps in garage door seals across multiple units and worked with maintenance to seal them — preventing rodent issues before they started.
When it mattered
Their first cockroach case. We were there the same day.
Five months into the partnership, the property reported its first cockroach sighting in a unit. With the previous vendor, this would have meant a call that went unreturned, followed by days of waiting.
We were on-site the same day. We treated the affected unit and the adjacent townhomes to prevent spread. One follow-up visit two weeks later confirmed the issue was resolved. Two visits, done.
That's the difference between a vendor who responds and one who reacts. The property manager didn't have to chase anyone. They called, we showed up, it was handled.
10 months in
What proactive pest control actually looks like.
Same day
First cockroach case responded to and treated same day. Resolved in 2 visits. Previous vendor would have taken days to return a call.
Sealed
Garage door seal gaps identified and repaired across multiple units before winter rodent season. Prevention, not reaction.
10 months
Ongoing partnership with documented service visits, proactive seasonal adjustments, and a property team that actually knows what's happening.
Key takeaway
Not every property needs a crisis to justify switching vendors. Sometimes the problem is that your current vendor treats your property like a checkbox instead of a partnership. Proactive treatment, clear communication, and actual accountability shouldn't be exceptional — they should be the baseline.
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