O Canada! > Canadian > Canadian Chat > [Rant] What a shame - Negotiating on Home Inspection Fees

When I have a contractor working at my house, I expect his full attention to the job that I am paying him for. I don't care if he's a home inspector, plumber, or an accountant. Like I said, I'm willing to be cooperative if asked for permission, but otherwise stay off your phone while you're working for me.

Customers obviously want to speak to a person, but if that person is not available then they may or may not move on to another inspector. As a customer who has hired you, that's not my problem.

Like I said, I've had many home inspections done, all at full but fair prices. Most don't seem to have the anti-customer attitude of Viper, but perhaps he feels safe behind the anonymity of the internet. Based on his posting here, he wouldn't get my business if I knew who he was.

I would not take you as a customer myself.

If I'm paying someone by the hour to do a job and they're yakking on the phone, that's one thing, but if they are providing me a service with a fixed fee, who cares, they're taking longer to do my job, costing them more money.

As for paying for the entire job, if someone is on the phone for whatever reason, who cares. You paid for the job, and so long as the job is completed on time screw off out and let them do the work you paid for. If you bitch at someone for being on the phone because you have the attitude that you own the person while they're doing the job, chances are you're going to get shittier work in return and they won't go out of their way for you or do you any favours.

I think what everyone is missing here, is reality.

Many contractors/plumbers, home inspectors don't have an office per se, they may have home offices , for tax purposes and paperwork, but their real office is their trucks and cell phones.

If I'm paying someone by the hour to do a job and they're yakking on the phone, that's one thing, but if they are providing me a service with a fixed fee, who cares, they're taking longer to do my job, costing them more money.

At the same time, in order to survive you still need to take calls (yes it can go to VM) in order to line up future jobs.

When I have a contractor working at my house, I expect his full attention to the job that I am paying him for. I don't care if he's a home inspector, plumber, or an accountant. Like I said, I'm willing to be cooperative if asked for permission, but otherwise stay off your phone while you're working for me.

If I'm paying someone by the hour to do a job and they're yakking on the phone, that's one thing, but if they are providing me a service with a fixed fee, who cares, they're taking longer to do my job, costing them more money.

Do you answer your phone in the middle of a meeting with your boss? Unless it's about work and it's damned important, I'm going to guess you leave the phone in your pocket.

what does a typical $350 inspection include? What qualifications do you need to be a home inspector

It's a home inspection. I realize that they happen at someone's own home from time to time, but I'm talking about a home on which I've made an offer and am now having inspected (usually do to a condition of the offer). I have literally nothing to do but stand there and chat with the realtor, or accompany the inspector around as he does the work, mostly out of curiosity about what he's finding (typically, they've encouraged me to do so).

I'm not at home. I can't go turn on the TV or get some work done on something else.

His schedule worked for me and his price was more in line with what I'd paid in the past (still very high by Alberta rates, but something I could afford). In the end, to be honest, I think I could have picked better, but that's only with 20/20 hindsight. He did a good job, but missed (or misinterpreted) one major issue. To be fair, the guy doesn't have X-ray vision, so it's hard to really fault him. Others have suggested he ought to have caught the problem. I'm not so sure.