Bowman Termite & Pest Management LLC

Shocking lack of professionals running this operation. The biggest problem was they lacked the needed equipment to tent homes that are over 12' high. Anyone who lives on the "Hilo side" of Big Island knows it rains almost every day. I get 165" of rain a year in my area. This termite treatment was the only thing holding up the closing on my home. I made this clear that the date they gave me was the date I was giving the Title Company to close on my new home. The day comes, Bowman employees arrive, tell me no problem and get started. I leave to run errands and in minutes after leaving my home, they call to say it can't be done. The reason is my roof is wet!







So safety first is my rule. But my closing date is now on the line, so I ask the "foreman" what will we do tomorrow when the roof is wet again, because it rains every day? He simply says.........."don't know" but someone will call you back! So the owner of the company calls me and I explain that the home purchase is on the line and I asked him if he could give me a for sure date the job could be done? His response........"This is Hawaii and you need to understand that this is how things are done here" "They will get it done when its not wet"!!! Keep in mind it rains everyday! I told him I now have to call the Title Company to beg them to change the closing date but I have to give them a date it will be done! I said that if it was a matter of men not being safe working on a wet roof I will get a heavy equipment man lift so it could be done without risk to anyones safety. His response...."I am not interested in doing this job you need to look somewhere else"!!!!!







This was after the inspector came to the home and photographed the home so they knew it was a 30' roofline. Having no choice and no time I was forced to wait for it to dry so they could climb on the roof. I asked if they had equipment for higher roofs and they said they only do houses they can tent without equipment because they have none!







So they gave me a quote and date to complete work. The price was right. It was the only thing that didn't go wrong. While climbing on my roof they damaged my gutters in 4 separate places. I have photographs of 3 of their men working over 30 feet from the ground without any safety equipment. OSHA regulations require workers to wear safety harnesses and lanyards over 10 feet high for their protection. I know this because I have taken classes for OSHA safety certifications.







And to top it off. I paid for the $2300.00 service in January 2013. I was in the middle of a 6 month long move from Washington DC and while I am on the East Coast, three months later in May 2013 I get a notice in the mail that Bowman Termite has sent my bill to collections!!!? I call as soon as I get the bill and inquire, the answer is they got the check however the switched over to a different computer system in Feb. 2013 just about the time I mailed my check and somehow it never got transferred to their new system!!!! And the first notice they send me by mail is a notice of collection? And the response I get from Bowman is.....oh well. I promptly paid the balance and washed my hands of this company.







I have since asked around and I have heard mixed reviews. So maybe they are a great company and I just got a raw deal and some bad luck with their new computer system. Maybe my roof was too high for them to do the job safely then why did they tell me they could? They work this area for years, you didn't know it rains everyday? Maybe let your customer know this before they commit to a real estate deal based on your professional estimate of time?







Good luck with these guys!

Friendly, professional, knowledgeable.  Can recommend unconditionally.

We knew we had a rodent issue in our roof.  We called for an estimate.  They set up traps and took care of it.  They had a few visits in their service.  I hoped the service was a bit more humane but things did get taken care of and pretty quickly.  Bowman was responsive coming out for follow ups and within about a week we were rodent free.  Their service people were friendly and effective which I greatly appreciate. 

Initial services were performed professionally and in accordance with our agreement.  Continuing monthly inspection services were also being done satisfactorily when I left the organization that owned the building.

They were very professional and they kept the same schedule that they set. I was getting termites on my window seals and now I have not seen any. The price is the only thing I did not like about them. They were on time all three times that they came out.

Bowman did a VERY poor job. DO NOT USE Bowman.
Three months after we tented we started finding live termites in our living room, we called them up and they brushed it off telling on to keep an eye on things. A few weeks ago, after finding a lot more dropping around the house and now in our Koa bed frame, they sent someone else who quickly told us we need to re-tent, thinking that the first tent was not properly sealed, which makes sense since we found no dead bugs after the tenting.
The very arrogant owner trying to get out of tenting had another inspector come by. Of course he found live termites in our bed and in the walls of the house. So after spending an initial $2000+ on tenting. His own words were "I don't know why they had me come by" because the other inspector clearly new we needed to tent again. He also categorized the first tenting as a "failure" . We are now stuck to have to pay for a hotel room for ourselves and our tenants which we all know isn't cheap, on top of the headache to ziploc all our food and all the hassle associated with tenting.
Save yourself the hassle, time and money and go with a company that knows what they are doing, and is accountable for their mistakes. Bowman does not care about its customers only the money they make from them.

Prompt courteous service. Had a problem with a bad bee infestation, which I had thought I had under control, but broke out bad (almost swarm proportions) just before they arrived, but they handled that as a matter of course, and included the extra service in the original quote. Rained while they were working, but didn't phase them in the least. The fumigation solved the termite and the bee problem. Their work has a two year warranty (for retenting) which is better than the competitive quotes. Nice people to deal with, would go with them for any future termite problems.