Originally Posted by
Randy King
Hi Gentleman hope your inspection schedules are full! I am curious for all of you vets out there if/when you have had a complaint about something that was missed in an inspection or not inspected properly how you handle it and how it affected your business if any as a direct result.
It all depends on what it is. If I missed the fact that a garage door opener was not working or that a food disposer was leaking and broken or the attic power vent was not working, then I would most likely go ahead and pay to have it repaired. In 13 years I have replaced those items and even a French door to avoid it going any further. If you screw-up you need to admit it, take care of the problem and move on with life.
If it was in a small real estate office did it affect your referrals from that office? Did it hurt your business for a month, week, year etc.? How did you handle the situation did you reimburse them, or tell them you wouldn't pay? All input is appreciated.
As for a loss of business from one office, well it is what it is. If you act like a jerk and get all defensive about being called out for missing something then you deserve to be blackballed in that office. On the other hand if you take care of the problem and it is not a major issue and it does not happen several times in a given period of time, then you will most likely not loose any business from that office. But, you just never know.
This is one of the best examples of why we as home inspectors need to strive at reducing the number of referrals from a given office or agent. Your company website should be driving most of the business your way, and once this happens you don't worry about upsetting the apple cart at the real estate office. But, once you obtain this it does not mean that you don't take care of problems that are your fault either.