Oh you’re such a kidder, Stephen. Your license was issued on August 17th. Hope you didn’t bruise your chest pounding it like that.
I dunno. I’d say that Ms. Myers should get a commendation or something for what she’s had to put up with for the past two weeks.
Just this past week was kind of rough on her. It began when the Seattle P.I. online paper and the Seattle Times both erroneously reported on Monday that Tuesday was the deadline for all home inspectors in the state to be licensed. That’s when inspectors started showing up at her office at the Department of Licensing in Olympia. The lobby of the help counter was so crowded at times that they stood shoulder to shoulder. Then, one by one, if it was impossible to get it all done for them by COB that day, they blew their stack at everybody and everything. One guy was so threatening that a male co-worker got up, went over and stood next to her desk until he left.
She did manage to do some remarkable things to help some of them make it though. There was one fellow that came in about a week before the deadline who told her flat out that he’d been in the business for many years but didn’t think he could pass the tests. She reassured him that he could and sent him on his way. Well, she heard from the guy a day or two later in a voice mail that he had failed. She contacted him and urged him to try again and told him she was confident that he would. She told him not to think too hard about the questions and just do his best. He showed up on the 1st with a huge grin - he’d retaken the test and passed it. Because he’d applied and taken his first test before the deadline, they issued him a license.
She said that another guy called from the far eastern end of the state all in a tizzy on the 31st claiming that he’d never heard anything about licensing until he’d talked to another guy who’d just gotten licensed. She had him fax her his test application paperwork and had then gotten on the phone and gotten him into the last open chair at the Yakima test center that day and faxed the approval directly to them. He drove to Yakima, paid for and took the tests, then grabbed his pass cert and hand carried it all the way to her office in Olympia in order to get licensed before they closed the office Monday afternoon. He made it and was licensed. She could have simply said that there was nothing she could do for him but she didn’t.
She said that was pretty much the way it has gone the last ten days up to the deadline. She worked in the office some nights until 8:30 pm and had folks faxing and in some cases even express-mailing their stuff to her to make the deadline. In the end, it looks like just over 420 persons will have made it under the wire.
Since the deadline passed though, it’s been inspector after inspector showing up trying to get some kind of exception. Unfortunately, the RCW doesn’t have any provisions for an exception to policy so her hands are tied unless the Director, who has broad authority under the RCW, opts to allow exceptions.
Kudos to Ms. Myers for putting up with all of the rude comments and unprofessional behavior that she’s been subjected to over this and maintaining her professionalism.
ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!
Mike O’Handley, LHI
Your Inspector LLC.
Kenmore, Washington
Wa. Lic. Home Inspector #202