ComplaintsforSeagate Inspections Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  07/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Friday June 21st Seagate performed an inspection at my father home. In the process of performing the inspection they damaged the stairway leading to the attic. The inspector contacted our real estate agent ******** and advised them the spring and support structure for the stairs were damaged. I waited for seagate to reach out to us and make the necessary arrangements to repair the damage they caused. When we still had not heard from Seagate i reached out to the owner ********************* on July 1st and left a message. ***************** returned the call a few hours later. He advised me that he personally did not inspect the house but had an employee perform the task. He acknowledged there was damage to the attic stairs but insisted that somehow the damage was not his employees fault. When i advised him that the stairs were in perfect working order and used only a few days beforehand he became very defensive. He advised me his employee had worked for him for over 20yrs and refused to accept responsibility for damaging the support structure. I asked ***************** what he would do to repair the damage. He advised me that he would do nothing and said i was unreasonable for suggesting his firm pay for damages. In over 35yrs of buying and selling properties i have never encountered a home inspection company who damaged property and refused to make the necessary repairs. ***************** was very callous and seems to have no regard for customer **********************.

  

  Business response

  07/02/2024

  ****************** was not at the inspection (neither was I) and therefore ****************** has no firsthand knowledge of what may have happened. My inspector was there and gave me the firsthand report on the incident. ****************** claims his family had been in the attic in the days leading up to the inspection and the folding stairway was in good working order. Funny, that when my inspector simply pulled the string to lower them one of the steel arms came flying down and almost hit him in the face. Perhaps the truth here is that ********************** family broke these stairs and put them back up so it they could blame the inspector who would be there within a few days. However, I would like to believe that since the most stress on the arms and springs for any folding ladder are in the going up and coming down actions, perhaps the family used them without issue and when they put them back up, the arm came loose but was not known. It is possible that the simple motion of pulling them down, again one of the two most stressful operations for this hardware, caused it to fly away from the opening. In either event, the inspector did not break anything. He simply pulled the string to bring them down, as is standard for anyone wanting to use them, and the steel arm nearly hit him in the face. Fortunately, the steel arm did not hit my inspector in the face, or we might be having another conversation about medical bills and the seller's responsibility for a hazard on their property.

  With that said, I simply told ****************** that our inspector did not break anything, he even used his own ladder to get up into the attic through that opening. I was not callous; I was firm in my denial that our company had any responsibility for this issue. That remains my stance. 

  Customer response

  07/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 21926772
  
  I am rejecting this response because:    The response from Seagate inspections is unacceptable.  To imply that my family somehow sabotaged the attic stairs is paranoid and a blatant attempt to shift the blame from the damage caused by ********************* employee.  I believe that Mr ******** employee used excessive force in pulling down the stairs and damaged the hardware.  I believe he was concerned for his job and did not disclose to his boss what occurred.   The employee left the stairs hanging partially down thereby creating a very negative image for prospective buyers.  To suggest we would purposely do anything to hinder the sale is beyond ludicrous.  As you can see from the picture the stairs are partially down and stuck.  The damage could not have been done prior to the inspection because the stairs were secure and up in the attic.     I feel Seagate should be responsible for the  cost of repairing the damaged stairway.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  07/10/2024

  The inspector in this case has been with our company for over 20 years inspecting 3-5 houses per day, 5 days per week, many of those houses with pull down stairs to an attic.  To suggest the inspector pulled the string too hard is ridiculous. There was NOT excessive force used in pulling these stairs down. To further suggest that the inspector feared for his job is offensive to the integrity of our inspector and to me in the way that I deal with our employees. Our company has inspected over ****** homes in 30+ years. We have accidently broken things and we have paid for repairs or replacement when we were responsible for that damage. NO EMPLOYEE has EVER feared for his job over anything! The fact remains that our inspector did not do anything to break the stair arm that almost hit him in the face. He simply pulled on the string to lower the stair assembly as he has in every other home he has inspected for the last 20 years without incident. ********************** unwillingness to accept the truth does not change the facts or our responsibility in this matter. We will not make repairs to their defective stair assembly, nor will we pay for repairs.

  Customer response

  07/15/2024

   
  Complaint: 21926772
  
  I am rejecting this response because:   ***************** and his company have made no effort to redress the damage i believe was caused by their employee to my fathers home.   Instead he has attempted to slander my family name by fabricating a story that they sabotaged their own home prior to the inspection.  I think it is vital that this review and complaint are posted so that anyone having their home inspected by Seagate can take proper precautions before letting this company on their property.   Having previously been a member of the BBB for many years  I am appalled  in the manner in which ***************** and his company have approached resolving this complaint.    I believe it is very important for the public to view this complaint and ********************** responses to see how they may be treated.  I have already had the stairs repaired at minimal expense.  This was never a matter of the money only accepting responsibility which ****************** and his company Seagate have steadfastly refused to do. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

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