The Atlanta-based Orkin is one of the biggest names in the pest control business. In operation for over 100 years, Orkin’s decades-long dedication to innovation and education has made them a leader in the industry, with a national reach and a solid record of customer service.
Orkin has one of the largest service areas of any pest control company, with over 400 branch and franchise offices in 46 states, and locations in most major cities in the U.S. Despite its size, the company also consistently gets good reviews in online forums, with Orkin technicians earning praise for their professionalism and persistence, and with its treatments regarded as highly effective. In addition, the company has demonstrated a commitment to innovation in pest control: it has partnered with leading researchers to improve pest treatments, and it runs a state-of-the-art training facility in its Atlanta headquarters to ensure that its technicians are trained to a professional standard. For these reasons and more, our reviewers have selected Orkin as the Best All-Round pest control company for 2018.
Orkin’s commitment to reliable service, technician training, and innovative treatment has made it a leader in the industry.
Orkin has expanded in part by franchising its brand, a practice that has been known to lead to problems with quality.
Orkin offers a wide variety of pest control solutions. Among other pests, Orkin treats for:
Orkin also stands out in the industry for the following services and features:
Orkin offers a free consultation and provides a customized quote for each homeowner. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you are not satisfied with the service provided for any reason. If you find any new pests within this timeframe, Orkin will send out technicians at no cost to you to fix the problem. Finally, Orkin even offers to cover the price of a new company’s treatment if needed, a unique promise in the industry.
Orkin takes their technician training and education seriously, mandating that their employees go through over 160 hours of intensive training in their first year. Technicians also practice their skills at the 26,000-foot Rollins Learning Center in Atlanta, Georgia, a state-of-the-art training facility that includes full-scale models of kitchens, hotel rooms, locker rooms, pharmacies, and even a full-sized house.
Orkin has adopted Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices, and the company’s technicians are trained to identify the causes behind pest problems. Orkin also uses targeted treatments with the safest available chemicals in order to address pest problems with as little environmental impact as possible.
Orkin also offers services related to pest control, including insulation maintenance and moisture control.
Orkin offers comprehensive expertise against a huge variety of pests.
While it does provide some eco-friendly approaches to pest control, Orkin doesn’t have as strong a commitment to green treatments as some other companies.
A Word About Reviews
It can be difficult to judge pest control companies using online reviews: negative reviews tend to outnumber positive reviews for all companies. But looking at negative and positive reviews can give consumers some idea of the trends in a company’s performance.
The most common thread connecting reviews of many different Orkin locations was technicians’ professionalism and punctuality, and their thoroughness in treating pest issues when they arose. On the down side, there were some reports that technicians didn’t take the full scheduled time to inspect or treat a property.
A consistent trend in positive reviews came from customers happy with their technicians. Consumers routinely praised the technicians’ punctuality, professionalism, and courtesy, and many mentioned that their technicians were always on time, were extremely knowledgeable about pest control, and were happy to share information and answer questions.
Orkin sent a friendly, very helpful young man to investigate scratching noises in my walls. Eric couldn’t have been nicer. He walked and crawled around my entire house to find any possible holes for rodent entry. He plugged up 2 holes and set traps under my house for possible rats. He returned in a week, found a rat in the trap and disposed of it. I would recommend Orkin to everyone. Eric was polite, thorough and a delight to work with.
Most positive reviews of Orkin stated the technicians were extremely persistent in getting the job done well and were happy to return if a customer was unsatisfied. The technicians showed up to their quarterly treatments consistently and worked hard to get rid of any problems. Some reviewers, however, did feel that their technicians took less time to inspect or treat than the problem warranted
A few reviewers complained of ever-persistent pest problems—a common complaint for all pest-control companies—but there were also many 5-star reviews that said that Orkin was able to get rid of pests quickly. One reviewer even commented that Orkin was the only company that was able to fix a problem that had endured for years.
We’ve had a terrible problem in our building for the past 16 years, since it was first built. You name the product, and we probably tried it to get rid of the ants. Last year, we interviewed three different pest control companies to see which one we want to go with to finally (hopefully) be rid of the ants. We selected Orkin, and it was one of the best decisions we’ve made!
Customers routinely praised Orkin’s technicians for their punctuality and professionalism, and for being knowledgeable about pests and treatment options.
Despite expressing appreciation for Orkin’s field workers, some customers faulted their technicians for not being thorough in inspection or treatment.
Costs in the pest control industry vary greatly by geographic location, the type of infestation, and the size of the problem, so it’s hard to compare prices. There are, however, ways in which companies can help consumers comparison shop and keep prices down. Here’s how Orkin stacks up:
Many companies offer a free initial inspection, and while Orkin only sends their technicians on-site for customer dealing with termites and bed bugs, they do offer a free initial consultation over the phone for all other pest problems.
While a telephone consultation isn’t necessarily as good for estimating costs as an inspection, Orkin does make a strong offer on the back end, with one of the most robust guarantees in the industry. Their 30-day satisfaction guarantee offers customers free repeated treatments, and includes a commitment to pay another company to fix the problem if necessary.
When it comes to their annual plan, Orkin stands out for not requiring customers to sign up for one in order to receive treatment. They do recommend that you take the plan (and regular service is the best way to assure effective treatment), but they will make single visits, and they will, if the customer wishes, focus on eliminating a single problem.
Orkin’s 60 day guarantee is hard to beat.
Orkin backs up its work, but it is an outlier in the industry by not offering a free eyes-on inspection.
