Originally Posted By: Nigel A. Bonny
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Thank you both Nick and Scott.
As a friendly warning to you Nick, Joe may cause your organization some problems. Of course he is entitled to render “opinion” on this board. I specifically raised a concern because some members beileve they can obtain legal advice from him. Their specific posts have requested that only NACHI memebrs should be entitled to this legal “advice” as a membership benefit. In the legal world, “advice” is very different from “opinion”. Please be advised that if the ABA gets wind of this, they will come down on you like a ton of bricks. (Vicarious liability).
(I’m not snitching, but there are those who monitor this kind of stuff.I personally do not give a rat’s.)
Again, I warned about Nations Hazard, NOT because we were losing business (we lost 4 guys to them) but because I hate to see people getting ripped off.
I am not scared of NACHI…NACHI members ( the vast silent majority who read the board’s postings but do not contribute to the postings ) know us and love us & they know full well that FREA is a benign organization that just tries to do its best. (Blaine Wiley excepted {sidebar…Blaine…get a credit card})
Nick knows this…he expressed his displeasure about a long lost article in the Communicator a long time ago, but that was not our view and it is now ( I hope ) water under the bridge.
Our profits are reasonable but not grotesque. We are (please, it goes without saying) all in business to make a living. I try to understand the insurance business. I try even harder to understand the nitty-gritty of home inspection. We need each other. We learn from each other. We need to co-exist. Fighting over this Inspector versus Insurance provider is like watching 2 bald men fighting over a comb.
If you guys were smart, one of you might consider asking if FREA would give you all a group rate.
So far, all you have done is bitch and moan & criticize us as though we are rip-off merchants.
You guys, of all, know the roof "expert " who comes in after your inspection and says…12 months after the home purchase…“Oh Boy ! This roof is like Swiss Cheese!. How long have you owned this house ?..Oh…only a year…but didn’t you get an INSPECTION before you bought theplace???..You did, did you ? didn’t the moron who inspected your house tell you that you needed a new roof ??? Huh ?? Huh ???”
They convince the homeowner that the inspectors are experts in everything & should know better. Well, we know & understand insurance, & you guys know & understand inspecting.
Just this year I sold and bought a home. I thought the price of the inspection was high, but never considered asking for a discount because the VALUE derived from the inspections was way above and beyond the $ cost. Compared to the benefit derived from the service it was an out & out bargain.
Instead of campaigning for lower insurance fees I, and the Communicator have been advocating for higher inspection fees. I would like to see fees set at a standard of $495 minimum (realtors get at least $3500 on an average home sale and they do very little) across the board. We control the Communicator…if we had solidarity we could achieve this for you all. If we had the support (instead of the unfathomable criticism) of your leadership, we have a realistic chance of attaining the goals that would benefit all of us.
Ok…enough already. Sure we make a profit and of course the insurance program we run makes a profit…but I can honestly tell you that the profit is not vast. We are constantly on the lookout ofr other carriers because 3 or 4 big claims in one year will spook the carrier and send them running for cover. That’s just life folks.
This will be my final posting for a while. I’m a business-man like you guys. I have a famly , young kids, mouths to feed and a life to live…I’m not going to allow personal attacks to cloud life’s real issues.
Joe Ferry, if you do not understand the difference between rendering a legal opinion & offering legal advice you better call the ABA rightaway.
Being criticized by you & your ignorance is akin to being mauled by a dead sheep.
Anyone who wants real “opinion” from a real defense attorney can call me on 858 483 2490
If you agree that fees should be higher feel free to email me also. Better still, write an article and we will publish it in the Communicator and give your organization a big big plug.
Best wishes,
Nigel
858 483 2490
I won’t be in tomorrow cos it’s my b’day, but Chris will answer any questions you may have…
ps…if you are not my client I cannot give you legal advice…especially outside the State in which I have a licence to practice law in.
