ComplaintsforSafety Environmental Laboratories, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  07/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Prior to scheduling a home inspection with Safety Environmental, I had a lengthy conversation over the phone about exactly what the inspection would include. I was assured that my home would be inspected from attic to crawl space and every surface in between, any source of water damage and/or mold would be pinpointed, and my familys health would be prioritized during the inspection and in the report. On July 3, 2023 **** came to my home to perform the inspection. **** was very nice and well mannered, however, he never entered the attic, only viewed one section of the crawl space, and even failed to look under the kitchen and bathroom sinks. The section of crawl space that was never even viewed has a shower, sink, toilet, and washing machine above it. We paid $1050.00 for an inspection and report that didnt provide us with any new information. I expressed my dissatisfaction with the services that were promised but never provided and requested a refund of 75%. We paid over $1000 and still didnt have what we needed to move forward with repairs and remediation. I feel that a 75% refund is necessary because they did not do the job they said they would do, and we still lack what we need to solve any problems with our home. ********************* apologized that we were never given a complete inspection and said the best that their company could do to make it right is to come out to do another inspection in 1-2 weeks. The report takes 5-7 business days. Meaning we would potentially have to wait another 3 weeks for any answers or solutions. This is unacceptable especially when the health of our children is potentially being negatively impacted by this situation. I am highly disappointed that we paid for services that were never rendered. I would not recommend SELC to anyone ever.

  Business response

  08/16/2023

  I can understand that perhaps our report did not provide her with any additional information which she may have already known and therefore, may not have lived up to her expectations.  However, the report is an accurate and thorough fungal assessment of the home and reports the extent of the issues in her home. An accurate report that complies with indoor air quality guidelines and standards is certainly not grounds for a refund.  An extensive amount of time and expense is utilized to conduct the inspection, analyze the samples collected, and to write the report.  The report is then reviewed by a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC).  This is a professional engineering / scientific style report that is often required by insurance providers, lending institutions, and remediation contractors before any corrective actions on their part are initiated. If the client was dissatisfied with the on-site inspection, which she paid for only after it was completed, she could have mentioned it at the time or at any point during the 5 business days before her report was issued.

  
  We continue to offer to send another individual to the clients home to inspect any additional areas she considers to be lacking the necessary attention.  We would issue a revised report to the client within a matter of 1 to 2 days with any necessary corrections and offer our sincerest apologies for any misunderstanding. This would all be provided at no additional cost to the client.Alternatively, as a good faith effort, we would offer a 10% refund of the cost of the assessment. We would also ask that she remove the negative on-line posts regarding SELC and close this complaint with BBB under satisfied conditions.However, refunding 75% of the cost for our services without any evidence that we did not adequately perform the inspection / assessment is excessive.

  
  The customer contacted SELC to conduct a Limited Indoor Environmental (Fungal) Assessment of her home.  This is a service we provide to residential,commercial, and industrial clients on a daily basis.  Our clients for these services include many distinguished governmental agencies, educational institutions, and some of the largest corporations in the state. In fact, we conduct 5 to 10 of these assessments every week.  These assessments are conducted in accordance with standards / guidelines put forth by the *************************************** and **************** of ******* and Materials.  Furthermore, SELC has been performing this same service for over 15 years under the same ownership and technical management.  SELC is a fully accredited laboratory through the ****************** of Standards and Technology / ***************************** Accreditation Program and the *************************************** Laboratory Accreditation Program.  SELC is one of only a few companies, if not the only, in the state that hold these credentials.

  
  However, we understand that miscommunication can happen.  We certainly strive to satisfy our customers. Which, is why we have never had a complaint to the BBB in 17 years of business and have all 5-star reviews on ******* with the exception of this complaint.  Our reputation with repeat customers is outstanding, a fact that we are extremely proud of.

  
  As the customer stated, we do inspect the home completely.  However,there may be limitations to areas that can be accessed.  As the customer stated, we didnt inspect all of the crawlspace.  This was due to low clearance in the crawlspace created by limited space between the ground and the floor joists, air ductwork, and/or plumbing utilities. 

  
  I would note that the customer was on-site during the full course of the inspection and never mentioned any dissatisfaction concerning the inspection at that time. The customer also paid the full amount at the time of the inspection without questioning the extent of the work performed.  The client was provided a full report with a detailed mold remediation protocol within a week of the inspection.  Only after receiving the report did the client send an email stating that she was not satisfied with our inspection and demanded a 75% refund. 

  
  Our director of operations reached out to the client immediately to resolve any issues.  He offered to personally come back to the home and reinspect any portions of the home possible that the client felt were not adequately covered by the technician.  Furthermore,the customer could not tell us about any specific issues impacting the home that we failed to identify in our report. The customers statement that it would be 1-2 weeks before we could re-inspect is not true.  This is a busy time for us and we do have other projects scheduled, but we would always make this a priority and offered to be there in 3 to 4 days.  Furthermore,any adjustment to her report would not take 5 to 7 business days as she stated.  We would do that immediately following the inspection.  That statement is speculation on the customers part.

  
  The customer was very argumentative and obtuse during the follow-up phone conversation with the director of operations. She was reluctant to fully listen to our offers to satisfy her concerns and was only interested in getting a refund with no willingness to entertain any other options. She refused to cooperate with our manager and essentially hung up on him, ending the conversation. 

  
  

  Customer response

  08/16/2023

   
  Complaint: 20383500
  
  I am rejecting this response because simply put, it is not factual. The company admitted that a full and thorough inspection was promised and not delivered. The crawl space was not inspected in its entirety and the attic was not inspected at all. I do admit that I was preoccupied with caring for my infant and did not realize that he did not fully inspect the home as my husband was the one walking around with him. Another false truth was that the company said they would come out in 3-4 business days. I was told it would be the next week or the following week. I was not argumentative and I did not hang up on their representative. The company refused to listen to my perspective and concerns as the customer. A 10% refund is not sufficient nor is an additional inspection 1-2 weeks later. If you are truly trying to operate with excellence you put the customer first. The offers are a little too late. I will glad remove the reviews (the only negative review I have ever had to leave for any company or service) if the requested refund is received. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  08/22/2023

  We continue to believe that our assessment of the subject residence was completed to the extent possible and necessary.  We feel that our offer to return to the home to inspect any further concerns at no additional charge is more than fair.  I would reiterate that no information as to additional issues impacting the home not identified by our inspector have been provided.  However, we feel that this matter is not going to be resolved in a manner that satisfies both parties.  Therefore, we are more interested in moving past this and trying to restore our good name in the public forum.  As such, we are offering to do something that we have never done and quite frankly, never been asked to do. We will agree to refund the client 75% of the total charges for her inspection in exchange for her removing all of her comments concerning SELC from all forms of social media.  Upon doing so we will consider this matter closed and wish the client the best moving forward.

  Customer response

  08/23/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I will remove negative reviews upon receipt of 75% refund. Thank you for assisting me!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩