Ben
Its your fault they didn’t read the report! Boy I love those kinda responses. The nerve of the agent and the puchaser.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Well handled well reported .
I feel you are blameless and appreciate your sharing with us .
Please keep us posted as we all learn so much from this type of information .
Thanks Roy Cooke
Had a Lady recently call about a complaint approx. 2.5 months after the inspection.
There was a moldy stain under the Kitchen counter about a foot wide where a
damp cloth had been laid out. It was her cloth. She spoke very little English and
was freaking out about her children being killed from the black mold.
She tried to blame me for the mold spot under her cloth. I tried to communicate
to her about cleaning the spot with bleach and just painting over it, as it was a
very minor deal. She was terrified by the spot, so I told her to have it cut it out and
have the section replaced, if it would help her feel better.
She tried to file a claim with the warranty company for $128 repair on the
cabinet, but they would not go for it. I have not heard back from her
since. If she calls, I going to tell her I will not cover it.
I love emotional people telling me in Korean that I am the cause of the
black mold disease they may come upon their family from the damp
cloth under the sink. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over.
Some day I’m going to write a book “How To Find Happiness Even
Though Someone Puts A Contract On You”. 
John;
Just a suggestion. Bleach is not recommended for mold remediation. Old wives tale. There are some great fungicides available at Home Depot, that are.
Got a call back in March of this year from a lady whom I did two inspections for. Her water heater had begun to leak and damaged the surrounding area and adjacent HVAC unit. She wanted to know what I was going to do about it. I did those inspections 6 YEARS ago! When I pulled the report the number one item on it was recommendation to have the Water heater serviced or repaired as it was 10 years old and had some issues. It wasn’t leaking at the time of the inspection but had all the “symptoms” of a future problem. She of course did not do anything we recommended in the report as she had already spent too much money having POS houses inspected. She even went so far at the last inspection to tell me not to find too much as she couldn’t afford another home inspection. Go figure. After I explained her report to her (again) she hung up. Haven’t heard from her since.
You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them smart.
You may join this thread to debate the “bleach kills mold” idea.
http://www.nachi.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20744&page=4
Does bleach kill mold? yes and no… depending on several factors
and the scope of remediation needed. Spot cleaning is not remediation.
How To Handle Complaints :mrgreen:
http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/public/news_images/4/41514_87793_2.jpg
I too meet face to face with any client that has a problem. I explain to my client when we first start the inspection that I am there for them. I explain the scope of the inspection and why They need to know what I am doing. I give them the oppertunity to walk with me during the inspection. I explain what I find as I go. When I am done I again go line by line through the report to explain the good the bad and the ugly. I ask if they have any questions at the end. I then send the report to them with fetchreport. I call the next day to see if they have any more questions about the report or the pictures I have included in it.
My clients like this service. It may take longer than normal but so far I have only had 2 minor complaints that were fixed with a face to face meeting. No money out of my pocket on either complaint.
I prefer the Super Soaker. A more mature weapon with less kick and caused more water infiltration. :mrgreen:
Just my 2 1/2 cents.
I just tell them to PISS OFF…
There ya go
I am more and more amazed at the absolute lack of common sense and personal responsibility these days. We present them with the information, but can’t force them to read the entire report. Then when the defect rears its head, of course its our fault that we didn’t sit on them and force them to read the report, not just skim the summary page. I have no problem going back and explaining to people what I reported on, its part of the service we offer. I really don’t mind handholding a first time buyer, especially if its a single person or young couple. But when I get someone taking up all my time, expecting me to drop everything and address their fears, screw everyone else, it has then gotten to the point where I suggest that they find someone else. I’m not your Dad or your Big Brother, I’m a professional who gets paid for his time and opinion.
Thats not to say that I won’t address a legitimate complaint to the best of my ability. Its just these folks that want us to cater to them like we were servants, not professionals. I get enough of that from my other half’s family.