02/11/16 ***UPDATE***
The company has acknowledged my concern. We have agreed to a compromise. I have updated my review for this reason. Thank you.
***UPDATE to owners reply****
Thank you Scott but my review needs no clarification. Its simple, you missed the defective water heater and instead of trying to correct this matter with quality customer service, you have decided to outright deny any wrongdoing. Thank you for posting the photo from my inspection as it clearly indicates you could have easily viewed the hole in the heater in the bottom right corner where the control valve is located. Thus is how PG&E was able to view the problem and notify me of the safety concern. Also, I have spoken to other consumers who have had similar problems in their home inspections with other inspectors. However, their inspectors did their customer justice and compensated them for the mistake. Shame on this company for making the consumer the "Bad Guy" and then posting it to my review instead of contacting me directly... you are demonstrating to other yelp consumers how you try to cover your mistakes. Please just correct your actions and become a better service for your next consumers. Thank you.
Original POST:
Initially their service was exceptional. The inspector was a sweet person who appeared to be an exceptional inspector. However, after escrow closure, my family discovered the company does not honor its own ethics dictated on its own pamphlets. PG&E uncovered a large rusty hole in one corner of our water heater. Feel free to read my email interaction with this company for your own decision making with hiring this company. I choose not to recommend them nor will I ever utilize their services again after such an exchange.
Good afternoon,
This email is in regards to the residential home inspection service recently completed at ****
I have a concern I would like to share. Recently, I had PG&E visit my home for a separate gas line issue. The technician resolved my issue but while onsite, completed a general viewing of my gas appliances for safety. Upon doing so, he peeked under a small corner of the blanket to my gas water heater and uncovered a huge rusty hole. I will send pictures of the unit. Of course, I was dismayed as it was surely something my home inspector would have found. I immediately called my plumber to replace the unit. Upon removal of the entire blanket, there were multiple holes in the unit and the entire bottom of the unit was rusted and completed dismantled upon removal from the stand. Now, it is understandable that certain things during a home inspection may not be visible to the inspector. However, all the PG&E technician had to do was merely peek under a corner and there was one of many holes completely intruding the water heater unit. I entrusted the inspector with such viewing and I do know he looked for a date stamped manufacturer seal, so it was assumed he viewed the unit. I am very disheartened with this whole matter. I am respectfully requesting compensation for my loss as I believe, had this been discovered in my inspection, I would have been able to request the unit be replaced before my escrow closure. Please review my pictures of the unit as definitive proof of my loss.
On 02/03/16 at the ***, I purchased a replacement gas water heater for $598.00 not including tax. I would like to be compensated for this amount. I will also attach a picture of this receipt as proof of purchase.
I did enjoy working with the inspector, but am sorry to have discovered such a flaw in service.
I look forward to your timely response.
Thank you,
Their response:
As home inspectors there are a set of Standards we have to follow when inspecting every house. This is from the beginning of our Standards; "A general home inspection is a non-invasive, visual examination of the accessible areas of a residential property, performed for a fee, which is designed to identify defects within specific systems and components defined by these Standards that are both observed and deemed material by the inspector".
Uncovering insulating blankets to view water heaters exceeds our Standards of Practice as highlighted below.
According to our Standards of Practice: 2.2 III. The inspector is not required to: move any personal items or other obstructions, such as, but not limited to, throw rugs, carpeting, wall coverings, furniture, ceiling tiles, window coverings, equipment, plants, ice, debris, snow, water, dirt, pets, or anything else that might restrict the visual inspection, dismantle, open or uncover any system or component, enter or access any area that may, in the opinion of the inspector, be unsafe, enter c read more