Complaint Review: Inspectrum

Had Jeff actually done his job, I would not have purchased this condo which has been the biggest nightmare of my life. I don't know if he was in cahoots with the realtors or what, but he practically spent more time pointing out nice things about the property (the diagonal wood floors and the way the cabinets were screwed in) than the defects -- the vast majority of which he missed. It's not the inspector's job to point out good things about a property. Then, he listed completely ridiculous defects like a burnt out light bulb and a 2mm overlap of laminate below a cabinet.

However, he failed to notice the air conditioner had a giant sign saying it was leaking Freon posted literally next to the unit. I didn't know what R22 is but you'd think an inspector would, right? (It's freon) In a 3 year old unit, it is not normal to leak freon. This cost me $2000+ to fix. This is documented on YouTube (search for "inspectionmess" in the box). Then, I told him straight out "the toilet in the master bath has a very low level of water in it - I think it's broken" and he said that was normal (see youtube). He said "it hasn't been used in a while." Two plumbers have now confirmed the toilet is defective and I have to have it replaced at a $400+ cost. He missed the fact that the baseboards had no caulk or paint in them all on 1 entire side of the condo. This was actually due to leaks that I later found out about. It required replacement of 3 large sliding glass doors over a 5 day period when my home was turned into a construction site and I had to miss work. Had he noticed the baseboards instead of the 2mm of laminate, I would've been able to investigate this issue further.

The dryer also was broken and required visits from GE and from a guy who cleaned out the outtake vent. The dishwasher did not release soap during the cycle but it wasn't left on long enough to make this determination during the inspection. It also was incredibly difficult to close & had to be repositioned. Virtually everything he found was irrelevant to the sale - like the broken humidifier and slightly off-track freezer door. None of that would have prevented the sale...naturally. My life has been a nightmare since buying this condo. I have spent 5 months repairing every defect they missed which not only costs money, but requires an endless amount of time I don't have to wait at home for service people. His boss Julio was very condescending and refused to negotiate any settlement with me above the cost of the inspection (read the release you sign!). They made me sign a document that stated my claims against them were "highly unlikely and greatly disputed" in order to get a refund of their fee. Well, now that I've documented it all...you see how "unlikely" it all was on YouTube (search for "inspectionmess").

Advice to others: don't hire an inspector. Call a plumber, electrician, and HVAC tech & let them inspect your place.

Barry
Chicago, Illinois
U.S.A.