Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/30/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Dec 24, 2024 ******* and *** **** were scheduled to conduct a home inspection for a buyer interested in purchasing my home. I was out of town but have cameras outside of the house. I was notified when they arrived and looked at the camera and to my surprise he was covering my camera. I immediately called my realtor and once he was called out he's uncovered it. He then noticed another one and said " what a **** peeping ***!" As he proceeded to the back deck he looked directly at my camera and said "'you shouldn't **** off the inspector, it could go really f****** bad!" He then pressed himself up against the wall and told her to also so they can't see you, he said. At this time I spoke through the speaker and told them to leave my property. They left shortly there after. When I received my well report, it was bad, and the buyers backed out. after some investigation I found out it was not my well that he inspected. When I arrived home they had tracked mud all the house.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/31/2024

  Good Morning,

  We are in receipt of Mrs. ******* complaint to the BBB.  The following is our response to said complaint.  

  1.  Mrs. ****** nor her *********** agent disclosed that there were cameras with audio on the premises.  We licensed and bonded with the State o ******** and take our fiduciary duty to our client (the Buyer) very seriously.  Our work is proprietary work product and if the Seller wished to know each and every deficiency in their property they have had the opportunity to hire an inspector to advise them of said deficiencies.  For a Seller to use a camera with audio to determine what we are reporting on, is unfair business practices to our Buyer. We were unaware prior to our arrival that there were cameras and even when we were there, we were unaware that the Sellers were listening to what we assumed was a private conversation.  

  2.  I have attached the *** sheet we received prior to the inspection which does not disclose the cameras, and indicates the property has been on the market at that time for over 254 days.  I am also attaching the well and Sewage Disclosure.  I have highlighted that this well is a shared system.  Seller also states that the property was under contract previously and stated that they are unaware of why it failed.  Any septic inspection report is to be filed with both the State and the County, therefore it is public knowledge.  For them not to know "why" when they are trying to Sell their home is just plain irresponsible.  The fact of the matter is that the tank is a metal tank and has reached its full life cycle.  We were asked to leave prior to the completion of the hydraulic load test, and could not determine if the lateral field is operating as intended.  

  We realise that this is still their home and have the right to have cameras - BUT they are legally obligated for it to be disclosed.  As a woman, I have had a situation in the past whereby the Seller followed me around via camera and that is a completely unnerving situation.  When this is disclosed, we do not use tape identifying items but just take pictures and limit our conversation.   Again, our conversation was assumed private.  

  3.  The water sample that was submitted was collected from the premises in the hall bathroom, from the tub faucet and the sample indicated Coliform Bacteria.  The well inspection was of the closest well to the premises, it was also a shared well. A responsible Seller would have identified where the well head is located and which homes share said well.   Either way it does take away from the fact that the water in that house has Coliform Bacteria present.  

  4.  The Buyers once contacted about the situation, were not happy we were asked to leave for doing our job.  They were also unaware of the cameras and audio and stated that they were speaking freely when viewing the home and it was not all favorable.  We forwarded our report to the Buyers for their review.  It is apparent that the home has issues that the Seller does not wish to address or disclose.  In our report consisting of 38 pages, we identified 10 safety items, 27 items ranking marginal, took 56 photos of deficiencies, and made an additional 64 comments to the items identified.  All of these items were noted prior to us being asked to leave.   It appears Mrs ****** is again disappointed that another contract was terminated and felt it is our fault.  The home is a 1993 Ranch style home with the original HVAC system (30 years of age) and many items neglected or reaching its full life cycle.   According to our Buyers the contract was terminated because they felt they were not getting value for their dollar at the previous negotiated price for the condition of the property.  

  It is important to note, we take on a tremendous amount of liability for a Buyer to trust us with educating them as to the true condition of a property they are considering.  For most of us, our homes are the biggest investment we make and we are not there to befriend the Seller but to report the true condition of a property.  Many home inspectors remain vague to please realtors to gain more work.  We are not that inspection company.  Had we known Mrs ****** could hear our conversation, we would have never made the statements spoken to each other.  A home on the market for this amount of time in this particular market has issues and our job is to identify them for the Buyer.  If we do not identify these issues, our Buyer is disappointed.  In the thousands of inspections we have performed, the only complaints ever received have been from the Seller!   Selling ones home is an emotional situation. To most, their home is their castle.   Often Sellers are unaware of the deficiencies due to lake of education on the subject of building science.  Mrs. ******* listing agent has not properly prepared her client for the process of listing and potential inspection results.  Now that two contracts have fallen through, it may behoove her to hire an inspection company to inspect the property so they can address the issues identified or price the home accordingly.  *********** performs prelisting inspections frequently for responsible agents who truly want to get their clients the most amount of money for their property.  Other agents do not want to know of said deficiencies prior or they are ethically required to disclose them.  ******** is a Caveat Emptor State, meaning Buyer beware.  This is why we take our responsibility so seriously.  A Buyer has little recourse if items are identified after closing that the Seller was aware of.  There are only 5 items legally a Seller must disclose: 1. Lead paint, 2. Home of a sextual preditor, 3. Methamphetamines ever in the home, 4. Toxic waste on the property or 5. existence of mold.  So if the home had a previous fire, or someone died there or a flood, they are not legally obligated to disclose that or any other deficiency they may be aware of.    However, a realtor is ethically held to another standard and that is why many do not encourage a prelisting inspection because they would rather not know.   

  It is unfortunate Mrs ****** is upset, but it is more unfortunate that she wishes to secretly gather information she has not paid for by the use of cameras and audio to counter any inspection notice request that may be forthcoming.  That fact alone should give a Buyer pause.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/06/2025

  Complaint: 22747996
  
  I have reviewed the business' response and am rejecting it because:
  
  
  Thank you for addressing my initial complaint regarding the recent home inspection conducted by pillar premier. I would like to provide further clarification and address several inaccuracies in the response I received regarding my concerns.
  ******** Tampering and Threatening Behavior
  My exterior cameras do not record but provide alerts when someone is detected. I became suspicious when the male inspector covered my front camera with tape, which I consider tampering and a destructive act toward my personal property. I have a right to monitor my property, and I only asked for the tape to be removed.
  
  
  After this, the situation escalated. The inspector moved to the back of the house, looked directly at the camera, and said, Dont **** off the inspector, it could go really [expletive] bad. He then instructed the female inspector to stay close to the house to avoid being seen on the cameras. At this point, I asked them to leave my property due to the threat of a retaliatory inspection report, which ultimately materialized.
  
  
  Exterior security cameras are a common feature of homes today. If they were conducting a professional and competent inspection, the presence of these cameras should not have been an issue.
  2.Incorrect Well Inspection
  The inspectors tested the wrong well. They did not ask me, my agent, or the *** president about its location. The well they tested belongs to the neighboring property and is privately owned.
  
  
  Additionally, the *** president recently had the well serving my property inspected, and it was confirmed to meet safety standards, free of contaminants like Coliform and E. Coli. The inspectors claim that this oversight was due to a lack of communication on my or my agents part is inaccurate, as no inquiries were made.
  3.Lack of Respect for Property
  The inspectors tracked mud throughout my house without wearing shoe covers or removing their shoes. Upon my return from holiday travel, I found the home in a state of disarray, which reflects a disregard for my property and basic professionalism.
  4.Incorrect Reporting
  The inspection report referenced a garbage disposal, which I do not have. This raises questions about the accuracy of other observations in the report.
  5.Unfair and Retaliatory Behavior
  I believe the inspection was influenced by retaliation after my agent called the buyers agent to request that the tape be removed from the camera and the inspectors leave the property. Their conduct and the subsequent report do not reflect a fair or unbiased assessment.
  
  
  In light of these points, I hope this letter clarifies my concerns and highlights the unprofessionalism I experienced during this inspection process. I trust that this matter will be reviewed thoroughly.
  
  
  Thank you for your attention to this issue.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ***** ******
           ****************************
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/07/2025

  Again, it is unfortunate that the homeowner feels that the report was in retaliation.  Our record speaks for itself.  This particular Buyer is the second Buyer that we are aware of that terminated their contract due to the condition of the property which equates to not receiving value for their dollar.  If a Buyer has to put more money into a property than they can legitimately get back out of it in a timely fashion, the property is overpriced.  The homeowner has the right to have cameras, but is required by LAW to disclose them.  It is apparent that the motive of this homeowner is not one of honesty.  The Coliform Bacteria within the sample collected from the bathroom tub of that home indicates Coliform Bacteria is present within that house regardless of which well head they claim its coming from.  What we thought to be a private conversation may not have been professional, but our reporting on what we see within a home is what a Buyer pays us for and was professional in every way.   I would be happy to privately supply the Buyer's Agent and the Buyer's contact number if requested.  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/08/2025

  Good  Morning,
  I have attached the following items for further review. 1.  Picture of the current condition of the home's HVAC A-Coil, showing obvious signs of age and neglect. As a certified Air quality specialist, the debris displayed shows potential mold spores and an abundant amount of dirt indicating lack of maintenance.  This HVAC system is 30 +/- years of age.    This has the potential to spread mold spores throughout the home which may compromise the health of certain individuals.  
  2. Letter from the Buyer which states why they terminated the contract.  The Buyers Agent is also standing ready to put something in writing on our behalf or I can provide his contact information.  Please note, we again received a glowing review from our client.  As stated in my earlier correspondence our only complaints ever have come from Sellers who are upset that their contracts got terminated. In Mrs.******* **** as you will further note in the letter from the Buyer, that Mrs. ****** declined to address the original HVAC system and safety items yet we are somehow to blame for her losing a Buyer?  
  3.  Mrs. ****** made another accusation as if she read our entire report.  After contacting the Buyers agent, I was told since our report is Federally protected by copyright law, he did not forward the report to Seller or Sellers agent since they felt the septic report and well report was enough information to terminate the contract.  Since the Sauces  paid for the report,they  did not want it shared in its entirety.   This just shows another example of **** Howards dishonesty.  If in fact she did somehow receive the report, we would have every right along with our client to pursue copyright law.  Mrs. ****** first felt entitled to snoop on her Buyers inspection instead of paying to learn the homes deficiencies and then further claimed untruths in order to blame us for her contract termination due to the lack of maintenance to her home.  
  I believe we have spent enough time replying to this complaint.  I will again remind Mrs ****** that I do not work for her and have an obligation to my client to honestly depict deficiencies noted within a property and do not appreciate her continued examples of dishonesty with undisclosed cameras, speaking untruths as to the condition of her home and accusing us of retaliation resulting in her cancelled contract,  
  We want deals to come together but have a fiduciary duty to our client to provide an honest report of the condition of a home.  If a Buyer wants to Buy and a Seller wants to Sell, usually there is further negotiation to close the gaps.  ********************* felt this Buyer and the previous Buyer do not share her enthusiasm for her property.  That is her decision and has nothing to do with us.  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/10/2025

  Dear pillar premier,
  
  
  Thank you for your response regarding my complaint. While I appreciate your acknowledgment of certain points, I must address several inaccuracies and mischaracterizations presented in your reply:
  1.Allegation of Retaliation
  Your assertion that the report was not retaliatory is inconsistent with the conduct observed during the inspection. The statement made by your inspectorDont **** off the inspector, it could go really [expletive] badwas not only unprofessional but clearly suggested a bias that impacted the reports objectivity.
  2.Cameras and Disclosure
  Your claim that it is required by law to disclose the presence of exterior cameras is incorrect. Exterior security cameras are standard in many homes and do not require explicit disclosure under typical real estate practices. Additionally, tampering with personal property, such as covering my cameras with tape, is a violation of my rights and is entirely unacceptable under any circumstances.
  3.Water Testing
  Your reference to coliform bacteria found in the bathroom tub sample is misleading. As noted in my initial complaint, the inspectors tested the wrong well, which belongs to a neighboring property. Furthermore, the well report you attached to your response is irrelevant, as it does not pertain to my property. I am unsure why this report was included. Recent HOA water tests confirm the well servicing my home is free of coliform and E. coli, directly contradicting your findings.
  4.Condition of the Property
  The claim that my propertys condition caused the termination of multiple contracts is speculative and irrelevant to the professionalism of the inspection. Your role is to provide an objective report, not to make judgments about the propertys value or speculate on buyers decisions.
  5.Unprofessional Behavior
  While you acknowledge that the private conversation between your inspectors may not have been professional, this further underscores my concern about the overall conduct during the inspection. Respect and professionalism should be upheld at all times, regardless of whether a conversation is public or private.
  
  
  In light of these points, I stand by my original complaint and request that this matter be reviewed thoroughly. I am also happy to provide additional evidence, including HOA documentation and camera footage, to support my claims.
  
  
  Thank you for your attention.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ***** ******
  ******************************