Bob Foster
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- Joined
- Oct 8, 2006
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- 8,870
Tell us why and how long it's going to take you got get you there.
Do you aspire to be a certified inspector?
The Great Oz said:Do you aspire to be a certified inspector?
Being a pre-installation specifier? Maybe. Being an after purchase educator? No thanks.
I respectfully offer a counterpoint to Tony's post. Here are some general observations of mine.
Mills don't think as much of certain inspector certifications as you think. After seeing some of the "certified" inspection reports I can understand their reluctance to use these guys. Mills will usually use their reps as inspectors until it looks like they're heading for a no-win situation. $200 could include two hours at the job site, two to four hours drive time, an hour or two to write the report and collate photos (if you want be a sought after inspector). You may find it to be more of a hobby than a living. Once you've built a reputation for getting a mill out of jams you might make some money though.
Carpet owners call when they're at the end of their rope and want new carpet or a goodly portion of their purchase price back, and will balk at paying $150 for an inspection. Don't offer any advice unless you have a healthy fee structure in place for "expert" testimony, or you'll get a subpeona to appear and get paid nothing for your time. Make sure you're an expert, or at least absolutely convinced of the accuracy of your report, as the other side may bring in people that have doctorates in textile science and make you look foolish.
If you're also in the cleaning business, you have a conflict of interest. Once you're done with your inspection, someone will be on the losing side. No matter how wrong they are, they have a tendency to blame you for pointing it out. (I don't think Couristan would ever call me, but they cheated and needed to pay for the fix.) So do you adjust your report to side with the retailer that refers cleaning business or risk having them cut you off?
What you learn by taking inspection courses could make a huge difference in your cleaning business though. Once you've seen enough damage caused by guys that buy everything they hear from their bulletin board buddies, you'll learn to clean carpet and stop throwing oxidizers and hide-all goo at every problem.
Good luck!![]()
harryhides said:ps, btw, Marty, sadly I passed with only a 96% but it was top score for that class. :mrgreen:
The Great Oz said:I respectfully offer a counterpoint to Tony's post. Here are some general observations of mine.
Mills don't think as much of certain inspector certifications as you think. After seeing some of the "certified" inspection reports I can understand their reluctance to use these guys. Mills will usually use their reps as inspectors until it looks like they're heading for a no-win situation. $200 could include two hours at the job site, two to four hours drive time, an hour or two to write the report and collate photos (if you want be a sought after inspector). You may find it to be more of a hobby than a living. Once you've built a reputation for getting a mill out of jams you might make some money though.
Carpet owners call when they're at the end of their rope and want new carpet or a goodly portion of their purchase price back, and will balk at paying $150 for an inspection. Don't offer any advice unless you have a healthy fee structure in place for "expert" testimony, or you'll get a subpeona to appear and get paid nothing for your time. Make sure you're an expert, or at least absolutely convinced of the accuracy of your report, as the other side may bring in people that have doctorates in textile science and make you look foolish.
If you're also in the cleaning business, you have a conflict of interest. Once you're done with your inspection, someone will be on the losing side. No matter how wrong they are, they have a tendency to blame you for pointing it out. (I don't think Couristan would ever call me, but they cheated and needed to pay for the fix.) So do you adjust your report to side with the retailer that refers cleaning business or risk having them cut you off?
What you learn by taking inspection courses could make a huge difference in your cleaning business though. Once you've seen enough damage caused by guys that buy everything they hear from their bulletin board buddies, you'll learn to clean carpet and stop throwing oxidizers and hide-all goo at every problem.
Good luck!![]()