ComplaintsforGalloway Building Services Inc

• Initial Complaint

  08/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired Galloway services to inspect my home on **** ********* ***. Per Galloway, everything was serviceable and working as expected. That was a lie. And my now 3-year-old have been inhaling carbon monoxide from the furnace for the last two years. The paperwork was falsified, and this was pure negligence that could've cost the life of my daughter and me. He claims he addressed the concerns with the seller and my realtor, but nothing was fixed. This home should not have passed inspection, and it did. This is a health hazard and could have been detrimental to my child and me. I now have to come out of pocket $15,100.00 for repairs on something that should've been fixed before I moved in. I was not aware of this issue, and this is unacceptable.

  

  Business response

  08/18/2022

  Dear Dispute Resolution Department,

  Thank you for allowing us to reply to the complaint #********. I would like to break down the complaint to several reasons why this although sad was not true regarding our inspection report. As you will see, I did respond and address each of these concerns and even more that the complaint. I am sending with this the inspection report that was sent to ******* and her agent.

  1) “He claims he addressed the concerns with the seller and the realtor, and nothing was fixed.”

  The chain of order of events is I send the report to the buyer (******* *****) and her realtor. The Realtor and the buyer review the report and decide what items they want the seller to attend to. If they have any questions regarding the inspection report, they will call me and discuss it. Then they, not us on decide on what they want the seller to attend. I am not in any of the negotiations. The seller will normally be given a copy of the inspection report if items are to be attended to. I never know what is worked out between the seller and buyer.

  I do have it in my report that the buyer should get the corrections inspected to ensure they are completed.

  GENERAL CONDITIONS

  We attempt to give the client a comprehensive, clear cut and unbiased view of the building. The inspection is based on the condition of the property and visually accessible areas at the time of inspection only. The inspection is performed to the ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) Standards of practice. This report is not a detailed breakdown of individual items of repair but a general summary of concerns and of possible repairs. This is NOT an engineering report. The pictures in this report as well as the issues of concerns are generalized and not isolated and when repaired should be fully investigated.

  .

  The purpose of the report is to identify major problems and safety concerns and does not reflect cosmetic imperfections (nail holes, nicks and scratches etc.) This is not a Code Inspection.

  When repairs are recommended, we suggest using a licensed professional (contractor) in the specific field. We do not perform verification of repairs, so we suggest client(s) obtain

  verification to repairs at or prior to the final walk through. If the client(s) have any questions about the report, please call immediately

  2) “This home should have never passed inspection, but it did.”

  A building inspection is an assessment of the general condition of the building. We are an ASHI inspection company and follow the ASHI Standards and Practices. (I am sending a copy of this also) The other inspections are separate of the ASHI inspection. The other inspections which some are by law to be done by licensed inspectors such as (the City of St. Louis, Gas Inspections, HVAC Inspections, Sewer Lateral, Mold, Radon and the list goes on but these are the popular ones.

  ******* only did the ASHI General inspection. She was informed of the other inspection by the agent and in past inspections I had done for her she did them. This time she declined to do them. The agent will have all this information also.

  The City of St. Louis is the legal authority on “Pass or Fail” when they do the Occupancy permit. No one is allowed to move into the home or building until the city inspects for code and safety concerns. The Agents (Buyer & Seller) works this inspection out and any of concerns it may produce. I am not involved in any of this and never know anything about them.

  I did put in the report about many of these concerns and no one contacted me about them. This happens when a home is bought as is or if you can get a deal and do some of the work. I do not know any thing about this with ******* because this is between her and her realtor. It is private information.

  I do not know if St. Louis City inspected it and passed or if Laclede Gas inspected it before turned on the gas.

  I do not know exactly what was sold to ******* and never saw the concern to confirm the HVAC company might have claimed was needed.

  I do not know what has transpired or possible work has ever been done on the home since I inspected the home 2 years ago.

  Here are some highlights from our report to show I did address ******* concerns in my report.

  GENERAL CONDITIONS

  We attempt to give the client a comprehensive, clear cut and unbiased view of the building. The inspection is based on the condition of the property and visually accessible areas at the time of inspection only. The inspection is performed to the ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) Standards of practice. This report is not a detailed breakdown of individual items of repair but a general summary of concerns and of possible repairs. This is NOT an engineering report.

  The purpose of the report is to identify major problems and safety concerns and does not reflect cosmetic imperfections (nail holes, nicks and scratches etc.) This is not a Code Inspection.

  When repairs are recommended, we suggest using a licensed professional (contractor) in the specific field. We do not perform verification of repairs, so we suggest client(s) obtain

  verification to repairs at or prior to the final walk through. If the client(s) have any questions about the report, please call immediately

  4.00 CHIMNEY/FIREPLACE:

  Our evaluation of the fireplace and chimney is limited to the exterior portions. High efficiency gas seal unit. We did not operate unit and recommend Gas Company for further inspection

  4.01 FIREPLACE:

  4.011Fuel Burning Accessories; None

  4.012 Condition of Fireplace; Non functional

  4.02CHIMNEY:

  NA

  5.00 ATTIC:

  Water stains around roof penetrations such as chimneys, plumbing vents, and heating vents are quite common. No stains were present. Proper ventilation and adequate insulation is imperative for energy efficiency of the home. We recommend regular inspections of the attic.

  5.01 ACCESS:

  Not Accessible

  9.00 HEATING & A/C:

  The evaluation of the heating and air conditioning units is both visual and functional provided power and/or fuel is supplied to the component. Dismantling of any appliances, including heaters and heat exchangers, is beyond the scope of the inspection. The local fuel provider (i.e. Laclede Gas) generally performs an extensive safety inspection on all gas appliances. Additionally, we recommend annual cleaning and servicing of heating and cooling equipment as a routine maintenance effort.

  9.01 FURNACE:

  All operable access panels opened and inspected:

  Fuel, gas: Appears serviceable but did not operate due to the temperature

  11.05 CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS PRESENT:

  None present

  13.11 COMMENTS:

  Smoke detector noted and did not respond when tested, Heat source present

  ******* also reported this to Google, and I shared with them this same information I am sharing with you, and they removed it after they reviewed it. I pray you do too. I have worked really hard to always do a great job for people and keep my Great rating at the BBB. I take this very seriously and will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

  Customer response

  08/18/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: You failed to test my furnace because of the weather, when that is a vital part of the home. Per the city of Saint Louis, the city verifies that the flus are hooked up and when residents pay for a private inspection, the heating system should've been turned on and this likely would've been found. You verbally told me over the phone that my realtor told you to do anything to get me into this home. Which is basically negligent. I hired you for two homes prior to this one and you were extremely thorough in ensuring I purchased a safe home with the documents above, you can obviously and blatantly tell that said items were avoided because you knew that something was wrong with the furnace and you didn't want to address that because I probably wouldn't have gotten the home unless the seller fixed those items. But I'd rather have a safe home than an unsafe home. Troy when I hired you, you were extremely informative in every single home addressing all of the concerns with me. But when we got to this home the only concerns that you addressed with me was the buttons that needed to be replaced on the electrical panel. Per the letter from **** ******* and cooling there was no chimney and no flu therefore my home should not have passed inspection. Me and my child could've have died. Do you not understand the severity of that? Please explain to me how in the prior home inspections you were so thorough and in this home you lacked the decency to address concerns you clearly did not address that could make or break the purchase of this home. You knew about the underlying issues and refused to disclose those to me and that is not okay. I hired you as my inspector, my realtor did not. If I hired you for a service don't expect my realtor to relay that information to me when you should relay it to me, that is what I hired you for. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *****

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