That Call…

This month, I want to talk about “that call.” If you’ve been inspecting for any amount of time, you know what that call is. It kind of goes like this: The phone rings, and you answer, “Good Morning, Family Home Inspections. This is Randy. How can I help you?” In reply, you hear, “Hi, this is John Smith, and you did my home inspection about five months ago.” It is at about this time that your sphincter factor rises to about a DEFCON 10, your blood pressure is elevated and you answer, “OK, how can I help you?” If you’re lucky, the other party says, “I just have a couple questions on correcting what you pointed out.” You breathe a sigh of relief and your day is good. But what about the time when there is a problem? “That call” is about to ruin your day.

First, remember, this is just me talking. Anything I say is what I do and how you handle something like this is your decision and should be done with the advice of your attorney and E&O carrier. Enough of my disclaimer. In this article, I want to discuss the mental stress “that call” can put on you and how you can move on.

So, now what do you do? The first thing is talk less and listen more. Sometimes, people just want to be heard. But what if that is not enough? We’ve all been there at some time. The first thing I do is collect the facts as given by the caller. Don’t make decisions or statements that could result in harming you. Just listen and inform the caller that you will need to review the report and get back with them as soon as you can. This is the fork in the road—after you hang up, what do you do? Some calls are not of much account, but can lead to other claims. This is why you should notify your E&O carrier of a demand. I can tell you from experience that, at least in the case of my carrier, they will review the claim and give you advice on the next step. 

Let’s get back to the reason why I am writing about this—how do you get your focus back on your job and get on with life? First, you must realize that we all make mistakes, but how you deal with them is the difference. I have a circle of inspector friends I have known for years and they are the best council you can have to at least talk about the problem and ease your mind. I can remember years ago, at our monthly chapter meetings, we would discuss these events and how relieving it was to have other inspectors to talk to. One older (or should I say “seasoned”) chapter member named Larry Schindler (who is now deceased) would always open the conversation by asking, “Well, who bought a chimney last month?” This was just to let us know that we are not alone and we all can make mistakes. He would then lead the conversation and other inspectors would share any incidences that they were dealing with. This therapeutic effect is one of the most overlooked benefits of attending chapter meetings and it can keep you mentally in the game.

Remember, we all can and will make mistakes over time. We must learn how to deal with them internally and externally and not let them get control of our mental game. Learn from other inspectors by attending chapter meetings. These meetings will provide not only the knowledge to be a better inspector, but also help you navigate through that call of “you did my home inspection about five months ago and I have a problem.”

As always, inspect safe, keep your mind in the game and do the best job you can provide.