Guide Engineering

I am rejecting this response because:
The engineer, *** who inspected our home stated " there would be no charge if he did not complete the report." I only gave him the check as I was not sure if my husband would want to proceed with the report at that timeWhen I called the office *** answered the phone ( I assumed he was the owner)and stated " in these instances we just do not charge if no report is doneIt is just the cost of doing business. I will leave a note for *** to return your check." I only paid the $check because I was told my $check would not be returned to me unless I paid it
I want other potential clients to be aware that they will be charged a fee they are not being advised of or agreeing to upfront if a report is not done on their homeThis company should provide a disclosure that states their $"trip fee" if a complete report can not be done

To whom it may concern, Please consider this letter our response to the complaint ID# *** filed by *** *** on 05/24/It is my understanding from conversations with our engineer and office staff that
the following is accurateOur engineer preformed an inspection of ***’s home per the request of her husbandThe engineer stated his findings to the customer at the inspection out of courtesy*** gave the engineer the full $fee once the inspection was completed indicating he should be paid for his timeThe engineer was apprehensive in taking the check with the full inspection fee but took it due to her insistenceAfter the engineer left he received a phone call from ***’s husband, who originally set the appointment, indicating he did not wish to pay the full fee for the inspection and asked if the engineer could do anythingThe engineer let him know he would only charge the travel fee of $and that was accepted by ***’s husbandAt some point before our engineer had reached his next destination, *** called our office to dispute being charged at allThe office staff that she spoke to indicated he did not think she would have to pay but did not know as he did not take care of billingHe indicated I was not in at that time and I would have to give her a call backWe do apologize for the miscommunication she had with this office employee and have made corrections to avoid confusion in the futureUpon returning to work I received an email from *** requesting her check be returned and no fee be chargedI took the email to the owner and emailed her apologizing for the miscommunication she indicated happened over the phone and explained the person she spoke to was not one of authority to make those decisionsI also stated that a trip fee would be assessed as an inspection was completedI mentioned in our experience most companies would have written a report stating their findings which would have not have helped them move forward with their plansWe truly care for our customers so instead of charging the full $for a report they would not use we only charge a $trip feeI further explained that the engineer did drive to her home hour away and performed the inspectionI also gave her the option of returning the check for the new check or refunding the differenceI asked her to give me a call or email as I did not want to call at her place of business since that is contact information she provided in her email***’s response via her company email stated she was frustrated and “I have a strong client base at my position at the bank and I would really like to refer business to you folks in future“Her response also requested we take a fee times less than we charge per hourThe verbiage in this email indicated that she was using her position with her employer to influence our decisionIt further indicated that she could cause good or harm to our business via her positionI again spoke to the owner and responded with our hourly rates to assist her in understanding the cost breakdown for the time spent on her inspection and collection of paymentOur hourly rates would have caused a larger balance dueShe responded by asking for the address to send the check and also requesting the return of her checkIt is our practice to keep a check on hand until a replacement is receivedOnce the new check was received we mailed her previous check back to herWe are sorry for any confusion that occurredWe truly care for our customers and offer the travel only fee to assist themWe do however stand by our decision that *** *** does owe the travel fee for the service performed on her home as agreed upon by her husband via phone with the engineerCordially, *** *** **If you would like copies of the email correspondence I would be happy to provide it

Review: We agreed to pay $500 for a roof inspection to determine what type of material was best for our roof. The inspector came out and advised he could not recommend tile and would not be charging us for the trip. I reached out to their office to ask them to please return my check. The gentleman who answered the phone ( I assumed was the owner) said there would be no charge. The billing contact [redacted] then reached out to me to state their would be a $200 charge. I asked them to waive it as I was advised there would be no report and the inspector and office manager ( ?) advised there was no cost. I have mailed them the $200 check ( and been advised my $500 check would not come back until they receive it) but I want other consumers to know that they do not tell you about this cost before the inspection and they should. Thank you!Desired Settlement: I would like to be refunded the $200 fee as I was advised by 2 separate employees there would be "no charge" and the work was not completed.

Thank you!

Business

Response:

To whom it may concern, Please consider this letter our response to the complaint ID# [redacted] filed by [redacted] on 05/24/2016. It is my understanding from conversations with our engineer and office staff that the following is accurate. Our engineer preformed an inspection of [redacted]’s home per the request of her husband. The engineer stated his findings to the customer at the inspection out of courtesy. [redacted] gave the engineer the full $500 fee once the inspection was completed indicating he should be paid for his time. The engineer was apprehensive in taking the check with the full inspection fee but took it due to her insistence. After the engineer left he received a phone call from [redacted]’s husband, who originally set the appointment, indicating he did not wish to pay the full fee for the inspection and asked if the engineer could do anything. The engineer let him know he would only charge the travel fee of $200 and that was accepted by [redacted]’s husband. At some point before our engineer had reached his next destination, [redacted] called our office to dispute being charged at all. The office staff that she spoke to indicated he did not think she would have to pay but did not know as he did not take care of billing. He indicated I was not in at that time and I would have to give her a call back. We do apologize for the miscommunication she had with this office employee and have made corrections to avoid confusion in the future. Upon returning to work I received an email from [redacted] requesting her check be returned and no fee be charged. I took the email to the owner and emailed her apologizing for the miscommunication she indicated happened over the phone and explained the person she spoke to was not one of authority to make those decisions. I also stated that a trip fee would be assessed as an inspection was completed. I mentioned in our experience most companies would have written a report stating their findings which would have not have helped them move forward with their plans. We truly care for our customers so instead of charging the full $500 for a report they would not use we only charge a $200 trip fee. I further explained that the engineer did drive to her home 1 hour away and performed the inspection. I also gave her the option of returning the check for the new check or refunding the difference. I asked her to give me a call or email as I did not want to call at her place of business since that is contact information she provided in her email. [redacted]’s response via her company email stated she was frustrated and “I have a strong client base at my position at the bank and I would really like to refer business to you folks in future. “. Her response also requested we take a fee 2 times less than we charge per hour. The verbiage in this email indicated that she was using her position with her employer to influence our decision. It further indicated that she could cause good or harm to our business via her position. I again spoke to the owner and responded with our hourly rates to assist her in understanding the cost breakdown for the time spent on her inspection and collection of payment. Our hourly rates would have caused a larger balance due. She responded by asking for the address to send the check and also requesting the return of her check. It is our practice to keep a check on hand until a replacement is received. Once the new check was received we mailed her previous check back to her. We are sorry for any confusion that occurred. We truly care for our customers and offer the travel only fee to assist them. We do however stand by our decision that [redacted] does owe the travel fee for the service performed on her home as agreed upon by her husband via phone with the engineer. Cordially, [redacted]. If you would like copies of the email correspondence I would be happy to provide it.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:The engineer, [redacted] who inspected our home stated " there would be no charge if he did not complete the report." I only gave him the check as I was not sure if my husband would want to proceed with the report at that time. When I called the office [redacted] answered the phone ( I assumed he was the owner)and stated " in these instances we just do not charge if no report is done. It is just the cost of doing business. I will leave a note for [redacted] to return your check." I only paid the $200 check because I was told my $500 check would not be returned to me unless I paid it. I want other potential clients to be aware that they will be charged a fee they are not being advised of or agreeing to upfront if a report is not done on their home. This company should provide a disclosure that states their $200 "trip fee" if a complete report can not be done.