ClearDefense Pest Control Review

How the adjustments work

How we review companies Handshake Score v1.5.0 (rules v1.0.7, confidence v1.2.1)

All figures retrieved October 27, 2026. “In score” marks the profiles counted in the customer-satisfaction factor.

In reviewers’ words

Quoted verbatim, up to 300 characters, as recorded by our researchers with the reviewer’s first name and last initial at most. Low and high ratings are shown alternately.

Profile scope: Four branch profiles, each covering one West branch: Austin Texas, Little Rock Arkansas, Kansas City Missouri, Baton Rouge Louisiana. BBB also has separate profiles for ClearDefense market LLCs outside the West (e.g. Raleigh B-, Richmond C, Charleston A); those are not included. No pattern-of-complaints alert on any of the four profiles. “unanswered” is 0 because each profile has 0 complaints.

Scored: Complaint record

BBB profiles

• Main profileView

Door-to-door sales: Yes

Door-to-door is a core channel: ClearDefense recruits commission-only summer sales interns (company housing, territory-based prospecting) through “CDPC Sales and Marketing”; a Facebook post (location not stated) describes a ClearDefense rep knocking on the same door three times in one day; search snippets (Glassdoor employee reviews, a LinkedIn profile, a Reddit thread) describe door-to-door sales roles (one in Little Rock), a Kansas City summer sales program and a Baton Rouge thread about unwelcome soliciting; a Bastrop, Texas resident asked neighbors about a ClearDefense salesperson from Austin. The company also sells online and by phone (FAQ: “submitting a request on our website, calling your local branch, or reaching out by email”); the Coalesce release calls it a “multi-channel customer acquisition engine”.

• “Paid summer sales internship involving territory-based prospecting, property inspections, customer relationship development, and full-cycle commission sales for pest control services.”

  builtin.com · retrieved October 27, 2026⁹

  company-wide · Job posting for CDPC Sales & Marketing (ClearDefense Pest Control), Chantilly, Virginia; also: “Company-provided housing” and “Performance-based pay with high earning potential, 100% commission based”.

• “CDPC Sales and Marketing (ClearDefense Pest Control) is a national, innovative leader in pest control services and direct sales.”

  builtin.com · retrieved October 27, 2026⁹

  company-wide

• “Great team building, but pay could be better · Door to door sales representative. Current employee, less than 1 year. Little Rock, AR.”

  glassdoor.com · retrieved October 27, 2026¹⁰

  Little Rock, Arkansas · Glassdoor blocked the automated browser (403 “Humans only”); snippet only.

• “At Clear Defense Pest Control's sales program, we want you to hit the ground running hard! You'll learn targeted sales techniques throughout the entire summer”

  linkedin.com · retrieved October 27, 2026¹¹

  Kansas City, Missouri · LinkedIn profile titled “Chance Rodriguez - ClearDefense Pest Control (KC)”; Chance Rodriguez is the registered agent of ClearDefense Pest Control of Kansas City, LLC. Page not loaded (LinkedIn login wall not attempted).

• “Who has came in contact. With. A pest control company. Clear defense. Out of. Austin ? He said couple neighbors. Are switching from Alta.”

  facebook.com · retrieved October 27, 2026¹²

  Bastrop, Texas · Public Facebook group post (valverde bastrop tx), dated July 10 with comments 15 weeks old at retrieval. The poster asks who has been in contact with a ClearDefense salesperson “out of Austin” who said neighbors were switching from Alta; how the contact happened (door, phone or otherwise) is not stated. The post title shown by Facebook was added by Facebook, not written by the poster.

• “ClearDefense Pest Control - Soliciting unwelcomed ... Anyone had issues with this company (among others) soliciting in their neighborhoods.”

  reddit.com · retrieved October 27, 2026¹³

  Baton Rouge, Louisiana · r/batonrouge thread (id 13h2ky6; the id suggests 2023); Reddit showed a human-verification check, so only search snippets were read.

• “this is the THIRD time TODAY this kid knocked on our door trying to get us to buy a plan.”

  facebook.com · retrieved October 27, 2026¹⁴

  Conway (state not stated) · Public Facebook group “People of Conway!!! Uncensored”. The group does not state the state; Conway, Arkansas is about 30 miles from the Little Rock branch, but Conway, South Carolina is also in a ClearDefense state, so this is not attributed to Arkansas.

• “This position is 100% commission based, and 100% door to door sales.”

  glassdoor.co.uk · retrieved October 27, 2026¹⁵

  company-wide (location not shown)

Contract terms and pricing

• Company FAQ: cancellation fees, if any, depend on the customer’s service agreement; no fee amount is published.¹⁶

  “Is there a cancellation fee? Any fees depend on your specific service agreement. Your local team will clearly explain all terms so you know what to expect.”

• Company FAQ: whether a contract is required varies by location; no term length is published.¹⁶

  “Is there a contract for pest control service? Service options may vary by location, but we focus on earning your business through consistent, high-quality service.”

• Company FAQ: customers can cancel by phone, email or a website request to the local branch.¹⁶

  “You can cancel by contacting your local ClearDefense branch by phone, email, or through a request on our website.”

• Company FAQ: billing is set up on a recurring basis that aligns with the service plan; the FAQ recommends quarterly service for most homes.¹⁶

  “Billing is typically set up on a recurring basis that aligns with your service plan.”

• Company FAQ: free re-service between scheduled visits.¹⁶

  “If pests return, so do we—at no additional cost.”

• Little Rock BBB reviewer (1 star, 11/10/2025) says she asked before signing whether she would be in a contract, was told she would not be, and later received a letter requiring her to pay out the contract.¹⁷

  “I asked before I signed, making sure I was not stuck in a contract and they said I would not be. We just got a letter stating I have to pay it out. They misrepresented them for a sale.”

  Scored: Sales and contract fairness (−1)

• Website terms cover the website and SMS/email programs only; pest control services are governed by separate service agreements, which are not published. The web terms choose North Carolina law and courts and contain no arbitration clause.²

  “Separate service agreements, estimates, customer account documents, or service plans may govern the pest control services provided by ClearDefense Pest Control LLC.”

• Website promotion: $50 off the first service for new customers.¹

  “New Customer Special: $50 Off Your First Service”

Status and expiry dates are shown exactly as the issuing agency’s record showed them on the date retrieved.

Only resolved government actions count toward the score. Pending lawsuits, allegations and private matters are listed here but marked “N/A” (not counted in the score). Summaries are our researchers’ wording of the source; allegations are allegations, not findings.

• October 27, 2026 · Austin, Texas (BBB Heart of Texas) · Complaint summaryScored: Complaint record

  BBB profile for ClearDefense Pest Control, 8906 Wall Street, Austin, Texas (BBB Heart of Texas; file opened 10/23/2025): not accredited, rated A-, 0 complaints, no customer reviews.³⁵

• October 27, 2026 · Little Rock, Arkansas (BBB Serving Arkansas) · Complaint summaryScored: Complaint record

  BBB profile for ClearDefense Pest Control, Little Rock, Arkansas (BBB Serving Arkansas; file opened 3/3/2023): not accredited, rated A+, 0 complaints, 1 customer review (1 star).³⁷

• October 27, 2026 · Kansas City, Missouri (BBB of Midwest Plains) · Complaint summaryScored: Complaint record

  BBB profile for ClearDefense Pest Control of Kansas City, 104 W 9th St Ste 10, Kansas City, Missouri (BBB of Midwest Plains; file opened 6/24/2026): not accredited, rated A+, 0 complaints, no customer reviews.³⁹

• October 27, 2026 · Baton Rouge, Louisiana (BBB of South Central Louisiana) · Complaint summaryScored: Complaint record

  BBB profile for ClearDefense Pest Control of Baton Rouge, LLC (BBB of South Central Louisiana; file opened 6/13/2021): not accredited, rated A+, 0 complaints, 1 customer review (1 star).⁴⁰

• 2017 · U.S. District Court, M.D.N.C. · LawsuitN/A

  Clear Defense, L.L.C. sued ClearDefense Pest Control of Greensboro, Charlotte and Raleigh LLCs in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina for trademark infringement under the Lanham Act (No. 1:17-cv-01139). Private suit outside the West. A memorandum opinion and order signed 10/23/2018 (filed October 24, 2018) granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss in part and denied it in part; the final outcome was not verified (Justia returned 403).^{46, 47}

Workplace score: 7.7/10. It carries 10% of the Handshake Score when at least 20 employee reviews are on file (otherwise excluded and remaining weights renormalized).

Awards and certifications

None verified.

What the company says about itself

These are the company’s own claims, quoted from its materials. We haven’t verified them.

• 5.0 rating from 65,422 reviews shown on the website (Trustindex widget; platform mix not stated).¹

• 27 locations across 16 states; one of the fastest-growing pest control companies in the U.S.⁸

• Teams logged 2,789 hours of internal pest education in 2025.⁷

• Wasp nests, spider webs, fire ants and re-services are included in the plan; a Defense Report lists every product by name, active ingredient and EPA number after each visit.¹

• Thumbtack profile: money-back guarantees offered.²⁷

• Footprint outside the 24 covered states (company office list): Tennessee (Knoxville, West Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville, Hendersonville, Clarksville, Memphis/Bartlett), North Carolina (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Durham, Raleigh, Burlington, Charlotte, Holly Springs), South Carolina (Rock Hill, Columbia, Greenville, South Greenville, Charleston), Virginia (Fairfax, Richmond, Chantilly), Ohio (Cincinnati), Alabama (Huntsville), Georgia (Augusta), Kentucky (Lexington), Florida (Jacksonville). Covered-state offices: Austin Texas, Kansas City Missouri, Baton Rouge Louisiana, Little Rock Arkansas.²

• The Kansas City office also serves Johnson County, Kansas (Overland Park, Olathe) from Missouri; no Kansas office is listed.⁵⁵

Mentions

• PR Newswire (Coalesce Capital) · News · September 28, 2026 · Neutral toneRead

  Coalesce Capital Announces Growth Investment in ClearDefense, a Leading Full-Service Pest Control Platform

  Private equity firm Coalesce Capital announced a growth investment in ClearDefense, described as having 27 locations in 16 states; founders and management keep a meaningful equity stake. Terms were not disclosed.

  “ClearDefense's founders and management team will retain a meaningful equity interest in the Company and continue to lead the business in partnership with Coalesce.”

• WOUB Public Media · Podcast · November 4, 2020 · Positive toneRead

  John-Mark Bolton's keys to entrepreneurial success

  Profile of the founder, who started ClearDefense right after graduating in 2013; by 2020 the company had over 200 people in 8 states.

  “Immediately after his college graduation in 2013, John-Mark Bolton launched a company, ClearDefense Pest Control. In just a few years, he and his co-founders have built a thriving business, with a team of over 200 people working in 8 states.”

• r/batonrouge · Reddit · Date not shown · Mixed toneRead

  ClearDefense Pest Control - Soliciting unwelcomed

  A Baton Rouge resident complained about ClearDefense reps soliciting in neighborhoods. Snippets show one commenter calling it a good, safe company and another (not a customer account) alleging sales reps lie to lock people into contracts.

  “ClearDefense is a good company. Definitely a small company and they're learning but nonetheless a good one.”

• Facebook group (valverde bastrop tx) · Forum · July 10, 2026 · Neutral toneRead

  Experiences with Clear Defense pest control in Bastrop, Texas?

  A Bastrop resident asked neighbors about a ClearDefense rep from Austin who said neighbors were switching from Alta; replies suggested doing it yourself, and one neighbor said several companies claim to be “the neighborhood pest control”.

  “Price seem reasonable! Show they do way more for spraying outside then what Alta has done. What are your thoughts”

• Facebook group (People of Conway!!! Uncensored) · Forum · Date not shown · Negative toneRead

  i've had ENOUGH of clear defense pest control

  A Conway resident (state not stated) complained that a ClearDefense rep knocked three times in one day and spat on the porch; 41 reactions and 51 comments.

  “i’ve had ENOUGH of clear defense pest control. this is the THIRD time TODAY this kid knocked on our door trying to get us to buy a plan. not to mention the last time he literally SPITS on our front porch.”

Reddit hasn’t been searched for this company yet.

5 locations on file in Arkansas (1), Louisiana (1), Missouri (1), Texas (2).

Overall confidence in this score: High, 8 of 11 points.

Where it fell short of full marks:

• Verifier rated the licensing medium (high earns a point).
• Verifier rated the legal and regulatory record medium (high earns a point).
• Company pesticide license not confirmable in Arkansas.

How confidence is set

Gaps in the record

• Scope: the company’s own office list has four offices in the 24 covered states (Austin Texas, Kansas City Missouri, Baton Rouge Louisiana, Little Rock Arkansas); all other offices are in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Florida. Kansas customers (Johnson County) are served from the Kansas City, Missouri office; with no Kansas office or listing, Kansas licensing (KDA) was not looked up.
• Amarillo, Texas Google listing could not be confirmed as ClearDefense: no Amarillo office on the company site, no TDA license there, and the live listing has no website and a phone number not on the company site.
• National Google review total not collected (third-party listings cover the 24 covered states only). BBB complaint data here comes from four West branch profiles only, so this does not limit complaint record.
• Google Maps showed only five “most relevant” reviews per listing to a signed-out browser; sorting by lowest rating needs sign-in, so excerpts are not a balanced sample.
• Contract terms are not published: the FAQ says contract requirements and cancellation fees depend on the service agreement and vary by location. No service agreement, minimum term, fee amount, renewal or arbitration clause could be found. The website terms cover only the website and messaging.
• Yelp (403 on the Austin and Little Rock pages), Glassdoor (403 “Humans only”), Reddit (human-verification check), LinkedIn and Justia (403) blocked the automated browser; items from them rest on search snippets only. No Angi, HomeAdvisor or Trustpilot profile for the West branches was found in searches; Nextdoor pages exist for the Austin, Kansas City and Baton Rouge branches but show no rating publicly in snippets. Birdeye and Trustindex feeds were not used (excluded aggregators).
• Arkansas: Pest Control Program License Holder status not publicly searchable online; verification by email request only (Dept fact sheet, 1/16/2026). Not looked up.
• Louisiana: the LDAF POB list online is dated April 20, 2026 (permit 001ZM8 Active, expiry 6/30/2026). Renewal for 2026–27 rests on BBB’s licensing note (expiry 6/30/2027), not an LDAF record. LDAF Structural Pest Control Commission minutes are scanned PDFs and were not searched for ClearDefense.
• Missouri: the MOPlants business record (0032Y6) carries an older Kansas City address (9678 Marion Ridge); the match rests on name and city. MDA publishes no enforcement list; Missouri SOS detail pages are behind a Cloudflare check (search row cited instead).
• Texas: no TDA license found for an Amarillo office; Texas SOS records were read through the free Comptroller franchise-tax search (SOSDirect is paid).
• AG and regulatory: no state AG action, FTC action or agency enforcement involving ClearDefense was found in searches (company name + lawsuit/settlement/attorney general/class action) or in the TDA enforcement report and Arkansas Plant Board minutes (Dec 2023–Apr 2026). No state publishes per-company AG complaint data for Texas, Missouri, Louisiana or Arkansas. OSHA establishment search shows a human-verification wall and was not run. State court records (re:SearchTX, Case.net, Search ARCourts, parish clerks) were not searched.
• Trademark suit: final disposition not verified.
• The 2 extra were targeted door-to-door checks by city.
• Reddit (human-verification check), Glassdoor (403), Yelp (403) and LinkedIn still block the automated browser.

Open questions

• Could be a new ClearDefense market or an unrelated listing.
• Thumbtack Austin excluded from customer satisfaction as an external, unverified review feed.
• LA permit 001ZM8 renewal to 6/30/2027 rests on BBB’s licensing note; LDAF’s online POB list is dated April 2026.
• Trademark suit No. 1:17-cv-01139 final disposition not verified.