Exactly, as I get further into the business of Home Inspections I truly believe in the axiom of “No good deed goes unpunished”. Go back and read my lawsuit thread, I believe the warranty company paid about 5000 or so ( anyone familar with how these things work would know about confidentiality bla bla bla ), had they fixed every thing up front I might not have been dragged into the whole thing.
I am not in the warranty business, there is not enough money on my end to sell warranties. Your frigging mileage may vary.
Ok, can’t help but chime in. Granted, I am a newbie, only in my 3rd year. I did an inspection 2 years ago, and missed a HUGE defect I should have caught. The client called me after she moved in, I went over and looked at what she was complaining about, and PROMPTLY, GLADLY, refunded her payment. I put in my report that the crawlspace was inaccessible. Turns out there was a large entry under the carpet in one of the closets. The whole thing was filled with water from the main drain line of the house falling down and all the wast water from the house being emptied into the concrete crawl! I could have given her the “we don’t pull up carpet” etc., but I bit the bullet and gave her her money back. Truth is, we don’t know what the report said, what the * said in the contract, or what really happend with the A/C. Maybe he missed it, maybe he didn’t. He should have gone back to see what the issue was. For that, I believe he is in error.
RR, why would you have told her we are all a bunch of jerks on here that would automatically side the the inspector? Doesn’t sound like good marketing of iNachi to me. Just my $289 worth. And besides, this might end this thread, every other time I post it does!!!
I didn’t. I told her that many home inspectors would rush to defend one of their own. That’s only natural. If she could get past that, she might get some useful information, especially if someone in Michigan were willing to help her. It played out exactly as I thought it would play out as far as many home inspectors rushing to defend one of their own. I don’t know if anyone was able to help her since she has not come back to say anything.
Do you suppose that covered her costs of repairing the drain line and cleaning/disinfecting the crawlspace? That’s why I don’t like and use signed “waiver” (or “weasel”) clauses!!
Home inspectors are not in the warranty business. The SOP is specific. It is handing out someone else’s warranty…which they may or may not honor for a variety of loopholes…that can drag us into situations like the one introduced by the first poster on this thread.
There is a tremendous propensity for misunderstanding…which…the providors of the warranty are banking on in order to make a buck. They do not sell $1000 or more worth of coverage for $17 with the expecations of paying out on more than one claim for every 200 warranties. These odds are created through “exclusions”.
Stay out of the warranty business and, according to Deborah Smit, you will have provided her with a greater service.
I think that any inspector who has been in business long enough has had a complaint over a perceived or real mistake. Some are real, some are not, but the inspector does not help himself by not discussing the issue with his client. I don’t side with either party because I was not there. Hopefully both the client and the inspector were, I’m sure they probably have different sides of the argument and the facts may lie somewhere in-between.
If the inspector checked the A/C and dishwasher at the inspection and found them to be working normally and reported as such, he has fulfilled his obligation per the SOP.
If he provides a warranty, and properly represents the coverage, all is fine.
If he did not check the claimed systems and reported they were functional, relying on the warranty to bail him out from a poor inspection, he should own up and take care of his client, and should consider a new industry to work in or learn from this and provide a better inspection.
If he provides a warranty, and misrepresents the coverage, or provides a personal guarantee of coverage which he does not honor, he is unethical, and again, should consider an new industry to work in.
Dodging someone is only gonna piss 'em off any way.
If it gets worse, you’ll probably look worse for not at least trying to work it out with your client.
One other thought. Its said his warranty covers items missed that were clearly visible on the day of the inspection.
I don’t know - you don’t know - and Debbie hasn’t said if these things were working at the inspection or NOT, AND if the defect was clearly visible to a HI. Sometimes you try and talk to a consumer and they go ballistic on you.
My guys and staff are trained to be nice and polite until someone trys to cuss you, get rude, get nasty, threaten you or if you’re in the field get physical with you.
Then they’re trained and given my blessing to tactfully handle the confrontation Marine Corps style.
It is my understanding that inspectors do not guarantee anything. We are not in the guarantee business. Now if an inspector misses something that is a different matter. But we cannot be held responsible for a AC unit that tested ok during the inspection and then cratered soon after. One time I did an inspection and the AC ran a while, then failed under test. It was not my fault only doing my job. The unit was very old and it was time for it to go. This inspector offering a 90 warranty was using probably a sales gimmick and it bit him in the the back behind.
), had they fixed every thing up front I might not have been dragged into the whole thing.