Beware of home warranties and pre-existing conditions - ABC15.com (KNXV-TV) - InspectionNews

Brian Hannigan · #1 (**permalink**) 10-05-2008, 11:56 PM

InspectionNews has just found the following information that might be of interest to you:

Beware of home warranties and pre-existing conditions
ABC15.com (KNXV-TV), AZ - 11 minutes ago
"He said it was probably caused by a pre-existing condition as per the home inspection report," Michael says. So why did Homelife Warranty claim the coil ...

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Ted Menelly · #2 (**permalink**) 10-06-2008, 01:27 PM

I just got a call Saturday that my clients home I inspected 9 months ago had water coming up from the floor last week and warping the laminate floor in the kitchen. The home warranty folks says that this has been going on for a long time and your inspector should have picked up on this. They say it is a pre existing condition.

Hmm, a pre existing condition that did not show up for nine months "but I should have seen this."

They also say their dishwasher was not working (nine months later) and it was never hooked up under the sink. I have a picture of the underside of the kitchen sink and it shows the water line and waste line hooked up.

I had another client that moved into their home and one of the heatpumps was not coming on. They said the wires from the unit to the heat pump (from the thermostat) where not hooked up and they would have to "drain the unit down, recharge it and replace the board that the wires hook up to, for a cost of 855 dollars." I had a picture of the ton of attic junk stored around the unit that was moved when the sellers moved out. I also (in that picture) had a picture showing the wires hooked up. I called an HVAC company to come and look and repair the unit. His cost 100.00. Obviously the wire had been pulled free when all the junk was moved.

There is truly something going on with this warranty company. It is the same warranty company for both clients.

The HVAC concern was the first home. Do you think it had anything to do with me bagging them on the massive price that they tried to charge for the repair in the first home?????????????????????????????????

Just a little edit here. I paid the 100.00 for my client. I was happy to for the agrivation my client went thru. I have since received three referrals from that first client.

Rick Hurst · #3 (**permalink**) 10-06-2008, 01:43 PM

Ted,

Had one of those calls this morning at 7am. Said they had been painting over the weekend and came across some active termites with some damages. Said my WDI sticker was below the sink and I had cleared the house.

First I told her, I do not clear any houses.

Told her I was headed out the door and the house was on my way that I would drop by for a few minutes to check it for her.

On the way, I pulled the address up on my laptop and right there on the report was noted "Active Termites" found with damages found on the drywall.

Show up to the house and find out that this lady was not even my client. She had bought the house actually last week and closed on it Friday while I had done the original inspection last Feb. with my client walking the deal over the findings.

I confirmed she had termites and she insisted that I ought to be the one responsible since I had inspected the home. After I explained to her that I had not inspected the home for her and that she had no recourse with me and that she should take it up with her agent or the warranty company she told me to get the f*&# out of her house.

Just another day in the big city.

Ron Bibler · #4 (**permalink**) 10-06-2008, 01:58 PM

A Sign of the times. as we see more and ore people short on cash. they well come out of the wood work looking for that dirty HI.

I have agents doing some crap like this.

Keep a stiff upper lip.

Best

Ron

Ted Menelly · #5 (**permalink**) 10-06-2008, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

Ted,

Had one of those calls this morning at 7am. Said they had been painting over the weekend and came across some active termites with some damages. Said my WDI sticker was below the sink and I had cleared the house.

First I told her, I do not clear any houses.

Told her I was headed out the door and the house was on my way that I would drop by for a few minutes to check it for her.

On the way, I pulled the address up on my laptop and right there on the report was noted "Active Termites" found with damages found on the drywall.

Show up to the house and find out that this lady was not even my client. She had bought the house actually last week and closed on it Friday while I had done the original inspection last Feb. with my client walking the deal over the findings.

I confirmed she had termites and she insisted that I ought to be the one responsible since I had inspected the home. After I explained to her that I had not inspected the home for her and that she had no recourse with me and that she should take it up with her agent or the warranty company she told me to get the f*&# out of her house.

Just another day in the big city.

Respomcible for what. You found termites in Feb and it was not taken care of. She should take it up with her termite inspector and the agent and seller for not disclosing it.

You know. I would not mind a call (well I would) if I had screwed up but the only thing I get calls for is bull and someone looking to rip someone off or someone looking for somethng for nothing and of course warranty company crap.

Scott Patterson · #6 (**permalink**) 10-06-2008, 02:54 PM

I think all of this boils down to folks just not wanting to take responsibility. The trend is to now put the blame on somebody else.

We see this is our own personal lives every day. Just the other day at a local C-Store the clerk gave me back $5 too much in change. I pointed it out and she blamed the cash register!

Rick Hurst · #7 (**permalink**) 10-06-2008, 03:06 PM

Just found out from the realtor that sold the house to the lady I mentioned in the prior post that she never got a home inspection.

Go figure.

When they had looked at the home they had seen my termite inspection sticker and just assumed everything was ok.

I'm tempted to take my clients name off the report and send her a copy of the report with the 15K things wrong with the home just to make her day.

But I won't.

K Robertson · #8 (**permalink**) 10-28-2008, 07:56 AM

Rick -- I can beat yours. I had a call from house I inspected over 2 years ago. They of course were buying it as a foreclosure, the bank and stuck my report on listing from their for some un-Godly reason. The buyer never bothered to look at the report date and was complaining about a ton of damage that "you didn't catch" and threatened to seek damages for over $10K that was not on my report. I just told him to have his attorney call me so we can have a beer and and a good laugh.

It's bad enough business has slowed to a crawl, but crap like this just pisses me off!