Lewis Home Inspection Inc

On the basis of a recommendation, I retained LH Inspection to carry out all the pre-purchase home inspection services before buying a new single family home. In addition to the home inspection, I was offered an internal infra-red inspection of the entire house for an extra $95 - which was to have revealed problems with insulation, leaks, electrical hot spots, etc. inside walls and ceilings. In addition, I was also offered, and I purchased an external full-house infra-red examination for an additional $300 - which would reveal similar problems in external walls, and also show leakages around windows and doors, areas of potential heat loss, etc. Their services came with a free one year warranty (from date of closing on the property) on all appliances, furnaces, air conditioners and water heaters that were part of the inspection. I am not an expert in home inspections, but the inspections looked cursory to me compared with what friends told me their own inspectors had done when their houses were inspected (I was present when the inspection was done). The results of the infra-red scans - both inside and out - consisted of a few infra red photos. The inside examination was done with most of the lights etc. still switched off, i.e. with no opportunity for the wires or junctions inside walls to heat up and show on the infra red photos. Maybe this was not required, but the first time we switched on the chandelier, the area around the switch overheated to the point of buring your skin. The outside infra red inspection results were never submitted to me until I made two written requests for them (over a few weeks time) and even then consisted of a few photos with no analysis or explanations or recommendations. This cost $300! As luck would have it, one of the air-conditioners broke down within a few weeks of our moving in (4-6 weeks after the inspection). I got it repaired (some internal part had failed and had to be replaced) and submitted the claim to LH Inspection for reimbursement under their free warranty on the included air conditioner. The claim was turned down on the grounds that they had not received my signed 'acceptance' of the free warranty in the mail! I did not send it by certified mail/courier, so I do not have proof that they received it, but the mail was not returned undelivered to me. Even if they never received the form, refusing to honor the warranty on a frivolous technicality like this made me feel that the warranty was a bait and switch tactic and they were not serious about honoring it. Keeping in mind that full payment was made for all services, what customer would turn down a free warranty that came with the services? Did their not receiving an acceptance form really suggest to them that I was rejecting a built-in warranty after paying for it? I would not recommend this company to anyone.