Yeah, three times as much. A big $75. However, we can apparently get 15 times the reward you get. We get up to $15,000!
**The message has been approved by The Great Pretender (KGII). :mrgreen: **
I said $1000 because that was the inspector’s offer. Claim mental distress and ask for $15K if you can get it.
sorry i know this is thread drift a little…$200 :shock: that’s the first issue. :roll: curious how long he was there and what the sf is?
reminds me of someone last week telling me on a 1965 1700sf that my fee should be no more than $100.:shock: i about fell out of my chair.
My first impression is the lack of response from the HI.
Next, You may not need a new HVAC unit. He may have been able to shake down the HVAC company that justs wants to sell equipment.
Any unit can be fixed, it’s about how much and if that money can be better used as a down payment on a new unit.
Warranties just plain suck!
It sounds that you were led to believe otherwise. Makes it sound like the best thing since sliced bread.
The warranty does not cover old appliances.
He did not know what was going to fail. I am sure there is coverage on other things. Getting a Home Warranty from the seller would not have likely covered anything either. Most of those have more exclusions than coverage.
Answer this: why would anyone in the insurance business insure an old piece of junk “site unseen”? To loose money? If those warranties sound too good to be true, they are.
Next subject: Home Inspectors are not allowed to do what is required to evaluate the operation of the HVAC equipment, period. There is no way the inspector could properly do this evaluation. Another misinformation.
Your inspector did not fulfill your expectations, or you may not have paid attention. I was not there and do not have access to the report, so I can’t tell you which.
When you buy a used car there is always a greater chance for equipment failure in the near future. When this will happen, no one can tell.
There is always a chance that the equipment was serviced to get it through to closing. Or the a/c could not be tested because it was winter when you purchased.
I think your expectations that some warranty or your inspector should pay for future repairs when old equipment fails is unrealistic.
I think that your inspector not responding to your needs for information is just plain poor!
The two of you are the only ones that know the facts.
The two of you should be working this out.
That’s when you tell tell them send me some pictures and I’ll send you a report. 
Ahhh, another reason I don’t offer a warranty. If the the mechanicals are working at the time of the inspection, it’s in the report saying so. There is also a statement that just because it’s working today, doesn’t mean it will be 2 days from now.
It’s ridiculous for a buyer to assume that an inspector knows how much life is remaining on a furnace, dishwasher, water heater, etc… Nobody knows what life remains on any unit.
An inspector that “claims” he has a 90 day warranty on limited items and does not back that up - should be dealt with accordingly. In this case he claims he’ll pay at least the $1000, he should have just paid the $1k and moved on or even paid his $200 fee.
$200 for the inspection? - you get what you pay for.
It was a condo.
I charge $99 for all my work, and I’ve never spent more than two hours in a condo, so I wouldn’t have any problem charging $199 for a condo inspection for either my BASIC or STANDARD inspections.
I don’t think it’s really an issue of what the home inspector charged, it’s an issue of the home inspector not working with his Client.
I have to agree with mosts of the responses here however I do find it troubling that for some the first reaction is “did you read the fine print” or “oh yeah, warranties suck”. This is the typical contractors response to a problem. The inspector should have been at the home to verify and at least document the issues and then set a strategy to come to an agreement that satisfies everyone. Sometimes for the good of your reputation you have to just reach back for your wallet and buck up. It does not sound like debbie is being unreasonal at all. She did not get the home she thought she was getting and the inspectior should be there finding out why, not ignoring her.
If you want to continue on this line, I have a handful of examples (and several initiated lawsuits) to support my statement.
Are you a warranty vendor?
If you are, do you do business to loose money as the warranty claims?
There are good “no questions asked” warranties out there (which require an inspection of the items warranted).
You get the repair or a buyout about stated up front.
IMHO, warranties and most insurance still “suck”!
Run a search on this BB, there is a pot full of disclaimed warranty here.
Maybe you should check with your ASHI brothers and see what they think. Oh yea, things aren’t as open over there.
My question would be to Debbie.
Did you attend the inspection? If so did you watch the inspector test the dishwasher, furnace and air conditioner?
I do what Russel suggested and crank the air and heat until people complain how cold & hot it is. I also take pics with a laser thermometer and place in report to show the actual temperature in case of a call back.
I would of hoped you attended the inspection to watch and learn from your inspector.
I am sorry you have had issues.
It would be nice to see the inspection report.
If you ever have any question feel free to contact me.
As I stated before, home warranties are a joke, even worse, they are a sick joke that some Realtors and some, in my opinion, unethical, home inspectors use as a marketing scam.
Whenever I do an inspection and the listing or buyers agent states that there is a warranty, I inform the client that it is worthless. Heck, even 12 month builder’s warranties are pretty much worthless, at least around here.
As far as the A/C, pretty much all you can do is operate it and check that the gas line is properly insulated and that the disconnect is within site and not obstructed and check the age (Yeah, I know there are some HIS who used to be HVAC techs, and that is fine, but what about your electrical or structural inspections :mrgreen: ?).
Did an inspection on Friday. Old Kelvinator electrical stove (1971). It worked OK. All the coils heated up. The clients mother (who has moved three times and “decorated” each time she did so and told me all about this and that that qualifies her, somehow, as an expert on stoves) found a 1 1/2" piece of the plastic seal for the above stove oven that was broken off. She was all excited and wanted me to defect the whole stove (she probably broke it off herself, when I was not looking 
). I explained that this plastic seal was just a cushion, for the closing of the glass oven door and was not needed as a seal and the stove operated as intended.
I also said that I would not guarentee that it would be operating tomorrow, and would not be surprised if it kept going for the next 20 years.
It is key that you MUST manage your client’s perceptions and expecations.
Ahh!! The great BBBB…Better (Beware) Business Bureau…not all it’s cracked up to be. Basically a bunch of quasi-consumer advocates controlled by businesses (who pays the salaries; not the consumer!!). These people work hard to make themselves appear relevant so that they will not disappear into the ether and not have a job. Hear very few good stories about the BBBB! The whole city of Toronto does not have a BBB!!!
I don’t think it’s really an issue of what the home inspector charged, it’s an issue of the home inspector not working with his Client.
[/quote]
I tried to help and talk to this young lady, but I have come to this conclusion…you get what you pay for. Yes the waranty sucks but you signed the paper. You really need to read the fine print on these warranties… which is why I don’t offer them. They are junk. Which, in the end, only makes the inspector look bad, because that is who the customer dealt with. I am sorry this happened to you Debby, but hopefully more people are aware of this problem now, and will not be taken advantage of.
Thanks, Ian.
That, of course, still does not excuse the home inspector from avoiding his Clients until after this thread appeared…
Clients whose service professionals refuse to be professional in answering phone calls and emails usually tend to then resort to publishing diatribes on the Internet, such as at www.ripoffreport.com. I’d much rather do everything in my power (as long as it’s legal, ethical, and in their best interests), than have my name permanently published negatively on the Internet.
Note that Blaine Wiley is listed on that web site, and even though we know the resolution to that issue according to Blaine, there does not appear to be any way to have a business to have one’s name removed from that site since it’s “By Consumers, For Consumers.” Nick Gromicko might think that “any publicity is good publicity,” but there are certain areas where I can’t agree with that philosophy.
A lot of complaints against the BBB at ripoffreport!!!
I diasgree - obviously getting what you pay for should also include customer service, reliability, professionalism - not just an accurate report or a knowledgeable inspector. So obviously for $200 this poor consumer did not get any of the above.
But there are the guys out there that charge $500 for a condo and aren’t professional or customer oriented. So it can go both ways.
Yes, indeed. And many others. And the site is growing. Personally, I prefer a positive web site, such as Done Right or Angie’s List, rather than the negative ones like ripoffreport. Similar to being positive in life or relying on all the negativity in The Bible.
And since I said, “it’s an issue of the home inspector not working with his Client,” I’m not sure which part you are disagreeing with since you quoted my whole post.
There’s people in every industry who failed to develop their bedside manners.
Very true, but if she went with this guy because of price…There is probably a reason his price is that low. Know what I mean.
Although I don’t know the size of Debbie’s condo, I don’t consider $200 to be “that low” for a condo under 999 SF, but that’s in my area where we don’t inspect the roof, exterior walls, and foundation. In some areas they do, and if Michigan is one of those areas, than $200 for a condo inspection that included the roof, exterior walls, and foundation would be low.
Unfortunately, as is often the case in situations like this, we don’t have access to the home inspection report to see how the home inspector might have addressed conditions at the time of the inspection or how he worded things in his report.
Also, many times people mistake something said verbally, even in jest, as being true, which is why I include this little snipped in my emails and in my reports:
This property report shall always supersede any and all discussion at time services were provided, and any and all verbal and/or written comments or discussion prior to the date on this report.
So far that sentence has served me well.