Nick, earlier in this thread you stated:
“Would you permit Rob Jones of South Sound Inspections to do your inspection now that you know his only credential is membership in a no-entrance-requirement diploma mill? Buyers and agents beware!”
Well, it’s not his only credential. He carries the only credential recognized by the State of Washington. [FONT=Verdana]The state law set out the minimum qualification requirements for inspectors here and the state doesn’t recognize membership in ASHI, NAHI, AII, NARIES, ISHI, NABIE, interNACHI or any other inspection organization as a valid credential here and doesn’t even require it - probably because independents are supposed to outnumber association members here by 2 to 1 or something like that.[/FONT]
We do have reciprocity rules here but they require that the rules under which the inspector got his license in another state be at least equivalent to Washington’s rules. So, if a fellow from another state, that only requires one to prove membership in a national association but doesn’t require one to pass the NHIE, were to come here and practice, he’d be breaking the law.
Besides, since you brought it up, in order for Jones to be able to call himself a “member” of that other organization – ASHI - he had to complete at least 250 inspections, plus take that beginner’s test, before he could even apply for full membership. No?
How many inspections does one have to complete to be able to call themselves “members” of interNACHI? Isn’t it something less than 20 – which is less than 10% of the minimum number ASHI required before they allowed Jones to call himself a member? Since it can take a few years to reach that number in some places, it would seen that anyone who achieves that “member” status is probably pretty experienced. No?
Yeah, yeah, I know, ASHI members can still go out and practice right away, as soon as they’ve completed their initial application, yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, so can’t the guys and gals that join interNACHI.
What makes an interNACHI inspector with no inspections under his or her belt more qualified to practice home inspections than an ASHI inspector with no inspections under his or her belt? The online test and other requirements you’ve set down to join interNACHI? Oh please! Don’t embarrass yourself
All that aside, Jones carries the only credential that is valid here - his state license. One of your interNACHI member could have 20,000 inspections under his belt and have been in business for 20 years, but if he or she hasn’t met the state standard of competency, than, as far as this state will be concerned after July 1st, that inspector is not competent to practice here and may not perform inspections here after July 1st. In that sense, I guess, in Washington State, Jones is already considered to be a more competent inspector than about 99.9% of your membership, that’s outside of Washington State and/or is here in state and doesn’t carry a license.
You went on to say:
“ASHI’s highest “certified” membership status is not much better and relies on the very same beginner’s exam (NHIE) that the State of Washington uses to license newbies fresh out of school.”
An exam by-the-way that a number of inspectors who were trying to become licensed in the experienced category - meaning they’d been in business for more than two years and had done over 100 inspections by the time they’d taken the test - weren’t able to pass.
I do believe that some of those folks were interNACHI, weren’t they, Nick? In fact, I seem to recall one fellow on here several months ago expressing frustration that he’d been unable to pass it in 4 tries. No?
So Nick, please enlighten us. Why didn’t passage of the interNACHI exam and all of the other entry requirements that you are always posting links to here, prepare these individuals to pass a test that is a beginner’s exam?
Lastly you said:
“I recommend everyone avoid using Rob Jones of South Sound Inspections.”
Did it occur to you that you might have just made this statement actionable? You prefaced it with incorrect information about his qualifications and then followed up by saying you were search engine optimizing the previous post. In other words, you sought immediately to diminish his qualifications in the eyes of the public with false information - you were defaming his company.
I know, it must sting to have someone remind you of all of the families you put in danger in Pennsylvania by installing those radon systems wrong, but that’s no reason to defame the man. Not being a member of interNACHI and being a member of ASHI, is a far cry from doing something that might have, or might already have, caused someone’s death. What he said about your past was true, what you said about him was not - there’s a world of difference.
ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!
Mike O’Handley, LHI
Your Inspector LLC.
Kenmore, Washington
Wa. Lic. Home Inspector #202