John Robinson’s Inspection Group

In one word: LOUSY. I lived in another state and so I was not present at the time of the inspection. I had my buyer's agent stand in for me. I was told there "were no big ticket items here". Based on the inspector's expertise and experience, I purchased the house. In less than 2 weeks after moving in I was shut down by SDG&E for the gas furnace and hot water heater. There was a crack in the sink in the guest bathroom. Improper wiring was used in the garage. There was a leak from the roof into the garage. The gas fireplace flue was blocked by a child's toy bowling pins and marbles. The list goes on. In less than 2 years I had to put in over $50,000 to make it a move-in ready house the inspector told me it was before I completed the purchase.

I purchased a house in Carlsbad, California. I lived in New York at the time, so when my buyer's agent recommended using John Robinson's Inspection Group in San Diego, I agreed and sent them a check for $440 to do the home inspection. I could not be present when the home inspection was done so I asked my buyer's agent, Robert Patrize, Patrize Properties, to be there for me. My inspector's name was Chad Stewart. Many mistakes were made by Mr. Stewart, one of them being that when he inspected the water heater and furnace and concluded they were both functioning; he failed to notice the water heater was vented down and the furnace did not light, both of which could lead to carbon dioxide, even possibly carbon monoxide gases to go into the garage where they were housed. A few days after I moved into the house, SDG&E, my utility company, red tagged both the water heater and gas furnace. For the next 7 days I had no hot water in the house, nor could I use my gas washing machine to wash my clothes. I ultimately had to replace both the water heater and the gas furnace (because of their age, neither could be repaired) in the amount of $8000. Mr. Stewart also failed to see a crack in the guest bathroom sink. He also failed to see that extension cords were used to wire in the garage, another possible hazardous condition leading to a fire. He saw water stains on the garage ceiling and said they were dry. The first time it rained, after I moved in, I had a leak in the garage ceiling in that very spot. I could go on enumerating the shoddy inspection done by Mr. Stewart, but the ultimate insult came when I contacted the company to tell them all the problems Mr. Stewart did not find in my house. Their position was they were not experts in any aspect of home inspections and even though their contract states "... it is their responsibility to inform the buyer of possible hazardous conditions and or expensive repairs..." they were not liable. In fact, Mr. Stewart called me in New York and told me there were "No big ticket items with the house." Janice P.

Very thorough. Very good at explaining things. Report was complete and useful.

unknown

The price was average. It was for a bio agent, and they found him through a referral. He was very thorough, and I liked how they used the infrared. That really sold me on them as well. This was the first time that I used them, and I will be using them again.

Went well. He was arrived on time and was professional. He accommodated or quick appointment. Answered all our questions and follow up questions.

John showed up on time and performed an extensive inspection.  He was courteous and available for any questions I had post-inspection.  I felt like his inclusion of the thermal imaging of my home demonstrated his concern in making sure he could evaluate as much of the home as possible.  This extra effort makes me a big fan of John Robinson's Inspection Group.  It was the best home inspection experience I have had to date.  I plan to have John or one of his team of inspectors inspect all of my future purchases.

It was a good experience overall, but because we felt like they could've caught some of the problems during the inspection, we would not used them again in the future.

John and his associate, Andrew, were the best home inspectors I've ever used, and I've had a lot of homes inspected. They were highly professional, knowledgeable, efficient, and meticulous with their work. They have the highest attention to detail and technology, and prepared a thorough and completely comprehensive inspection report. They really took their time and went through the house with a fine-toothed comb, taking their time and not cutting any corners. John even looked at things that we didn't sign up for inspection, and gave professional advice. He shared references for other professionals for specific areas of evaluation. John will end up saving us time and money in the long run. I give the highest recommendation for this company.