Cook’s Pest Control

Founded in 1928, in Decatur, Alabama, as a termite control company, Cook’s is now run by the fourth generation of the founding family. The company enjoys a decent reputation for quality service, a reputation mostly borne out by consumer reviews: Online, customers reported that the company’s treatments—offered for an impressively wide range of pests—were highly effective. In fact, Cook’s received relatively few negative reviews—largely related to administrative problems having to do with billing and scheduling—than a lot of their nationally-known competitors.

For a smaller pest-control company, Cook’s offers treatments and services for a wide range of pests, including the following:

Here are some of the biggest pluses among Cook’s service offerings and features:

Cook’s technicians undergo a training program that combines computer-based learning, traditional classroom settings, and field training. Cook’s technicians must also meet continuing education requirements through conferences, workshops, and monthly training sessions in order to keep current on the most recent technologies and methods.

Cook’s environmentally friendly approaches also put them on a par with their nationally-known competitors. The company works to treat pests in the most environmentally-friendly way possible, using the safest chemicals possible and targeting their treatments only in infected areas.

While this system isn’t proprietary to Cook’s, the company is licensed to use it, and it goes hand in hand with the company’s commitment to the environment. The Sentricon system uses strategically placed traps and pellets of termiticide to reduce the amount of chemicals needed to treat for termites, making for a safer, more cost-effective, and more environmentally-friendly course of treatment.

Though this is common in the industry, again it’s worth highlighting the way this smaller family company matches its larger competitors. Cook’s will provide a free initial inspection and cost estimate before the customer engages their services.

Cook’s online reviews suggest that the company has, by and large, built a track record of customer satisfaction. Customers nearly unanimously praised the company’s effectiveness, with relatively few reports of pest issues Cook’s couldn’t solve. If there was a negative trend, it was that some customers were frustrated with the company’s billing and scheduling practices, issues that seemed to stem from miscommunications between office and field staff.

Due to a number of factors, including location, property size, and the type of pest, pest control costs are highly variable. We base our rating mainly on the ways that a company helps its potential customer shop around and control costs, and Cook’s did relatively well in this regard.

Cook’s offer of a free initial inspection by a pest control technician allows the technician to give you the most accurate price quote possible based on a full evaluation of your property and needs, and this can help you shop around for the best quote based on the specifics of your situation.

The company also scores points for its “110%” money-back guarantee—a policy that actually places Cook’s above most of its national competitors. What’s more, unlike many companies in the pest control industry, Cook’s does not require annual contracts.