December 23, 2024 • 19 mins
Can Christmas shopping with adult children actually be fun? Laura and I think so! Picture this: margaritas in hand, laughter shared over gift ideas, and the joy of plotting a holiday surprise together. But while the season is all about spreading cheer, it’s also crucial to keep an eye on ethical behavior in all aspects of life, including those pesky home maintenance tasks. We share a not-so-jolly tale of an unethical electrician who took advantage of unsuspecting homeowners, turning a routine inspection into an unnecessary expense. This episode uncovers the hidden traps some homeowners fall into and highlights how maintaining integrity is just as important as picking the perfect present.
In our discussion, we also tackle the sneaky tactics of dishonest electricians, shedding light on how they exploit warranty flat rates to push for unneeded replacements. We delve into a case where a Murray electrical panel, still quite serviceable, was wrongfully declared obsolete. By dissecting these deceptive practices, we aim to equip you with the knowledge to navigate these situations wisely. Remember, getting multiple opinions and estimates is not just a suggestion, it's a necessity. We reflect on why homeowners might mistakenly trust technicians over inspectors and offer insights on making informed decisions. Tune in for essential tips to protect yourself from holiday season scams and ensure your home is both safe and festive.
To learn more about Habitation Investigation, the Two-time Winner of the Best Home Inspection Company in the Midwest Plus the Winner of Consumer Choice Award for Columbus Ohio visit Home Inspection Columbus Ohio - Habitation Investigation (homeinspectionsinohio.com)
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Standing Out in Ohio podcast,
where we discuss topics,upcoming events, news and
predictions with real estateprofessionals and entrepreneurs.
Listen and learn what makestheir companies and themselves
stand out and gain advantagesover the competition and gain
market share.
Subscribe for the latest newsand discussion on what it takes
(00:23):
to stand out from the crowd.
Now here's your host, jim.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey everybody, welcome to the Standing Out how
podcast.
This is Jim and of course, withme is Laura, the office goddess
.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Hello everyone.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
She just got back from Christmas shopping.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
With Megan.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
With Megan.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
You know, I do have to say Christmas shopping with
your kid when they're in their20s is completely different and
a crap ton more fun.
How you sat down and had amargarita.
You had a margarita.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well, you can have like adult conversations.
You're not trying to sneakthings as much.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Well, yeah, and you could like it's just more much.
Well, yeah, and you could likeit's just more fun.
I get it.
You could plot together to getstuff for people and work on
things and make a littlePlotting's always fun.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Plotting's fun.
Plotting's a good reason toplot Nothing nefarious.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Well, christmas gifts , those are fun reasons to plot.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Well, in this time of year, people should be good.
They should be good always,right.
But we have a story wheresomebody was not good and
deserves coal in theirelectrician's pouch.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yes, very true.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
But first let's listen to this.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Habitation investigation is the way to go
for a home inspection in ohio.
Trusted licensed homeinspectors for your needs from
radon to mold to warranties fora great home inspection, you
really can't go wrong.
(01:59):
Visit home inspections inohiocom.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
All right, Laura.
So this is a season where youshould always be ethical, Just
always.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Even more so in Christmas.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Just traditionally, if you're little, if your
parents did the whole Santathing, you're kind of taught
like, no, you need to be reallygood this time of year.
So if your parents were, youknow Christmas and Santa-like,
you learned, oh, I need to bereally good.
But we have a story that thisis something that happened last
(02:38):
week.
Yeah Well first of all, we didan inspection in July, I believe
.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Yes, right.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
And one of our inspectors did the inspection.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Ironically enough, the inspector, who used to be
the electrician, who was theelectrician?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
yeah, so he called out things with the electrical
panel I think it was wiringissues kind of throughout the
house and the attic as wellCalled him out hey, get looked
at, get fixed.
Prior to close Of course, andthen you won't get that done
prior to close, because you wantestimates and you want to know
how much things are going tocost Electricity is all lower.
(03:13):
Any subcontractor, contractor,can be all lower the place with
fees and how they want to dothings.
So you want to get at least agood idea of what it's going to
cost.
So anyway that was July.
We did an inspection for them.
Something happened Now December, july, august, september,
october, november.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
It started in November.
It started in November, I think.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
So what happened?
They had some issues with theelectrical panel in November.
Was it a break or start a tripor something?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
I don't know exactly what the cause was, because it
wasn't just me talking to them.
Somebody else had talked andgotten more information.
Steve did.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Steve is I don't want to describe this he, if
somebody has a complaint or ahomeowner is having an issue
with something, he helps them tonavigate.
The whole home warranty is whathe does, really.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
How to best help people to get what they need in
the best possible way, in thecheapest way.
So somehow this couple called.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Something happened in November.
It sounds like something with apanel, which I'm going to only
guess it was that a breakerstarted tripping.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
So or that something happened and this electrician
used that as an excuse toreplace the panel.
Because what it so it startedwith them calling and
complaining that we didn't tellthem that the Murray panels were
no longer made.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Well, wait, wait, wait, all right, all right.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
So that was the initial.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Was this before or after they talked to the
warranty company?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
This was after.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
So they talked to the warranty company.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yeah, so once again, I don't know what the warranty
was in lieu of Maybe they talkedto us first.
So my understanding was thatthe warranty company had
approved it.
Whatever the issue was, thewarranty company approved it.
The electrician came out anddenied it, Took their $75 trip
(05:16):
fee and denied it and justwaltzed off and left After
telling them that he wouldhappily replace their electric
panel for $7,000 to $8,000because that panel wasn't made
anymore, which is true it isn't.
However, there's a caveat tothat.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
It's largely bullshit , to be honest.
So they had a new issue withthe panel, okay, and then they
warranted.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Or he created one in an attempt to get the money from
the investment.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Well, there's a problem before he even showed up
, right.
So he comes over and he claimshey, the warranty company
actually denied this claim.
It will be between $7,000.
And he claims hey, the warrantycompany actually denied this
claim.
It will be between $7,000 and$8,000 for me to replace your
panel, because they don't makethese panels anymore.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
And there's no choice .
Yeah, you'll make them anymore.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
You got no choice.
So the client then called usand said hey, why did you guys
tell me the panel is no longerin use, you can't replace?
Well, the panel was a Murraypanel, and because they don't
make anything anymore is not areason why it needs replaced.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
No, weren't they bought out by another company
actually?
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Siemens which makes electric panels I think they do
other things as well.
But Siemens, which makeselectric panels, I think they do
other things as well.
But Siemens bought Murray, soyou can still buy breakers to
replace those old breakers.
There's no need to replace thatpanel.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
And doesn't the Murray even have the double D
where you can do the two wiresinto that?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
I think double D breakers may work in those.
That's one of the things whenwe that's kind of getting
outside the scope of the homeinspection.
When you look into a panel andyou see different types of
breakers in there, oh okay,sometimes that's wrong, but we
don't know until we really likedelve into the model number and
really and we really don't dothat.
(07:09):
That needs to be Sometimes youcan't see the model number of
the panel to know what kind ofbrand this panel is rated for.
So you don't really knowexactly.
But any Murray panel and theydon't make them under the name
Murray anymore, siemens ownsthat brand doesn't keep the
(07:30):
Murray brand, changes to theSiemens but they still have the
replacement breakers for those,and I think Square D may be able
to fit that.
I don't know for certain.
But anyway, the bad thing is islike the electrician lied
through his teeth.
Yeah, he lied, obviously becausehe said the Warrant to Come did
(07:51):
not approve that in the firstplace.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
And they did.
And they did, he lied and hesaid that the panel needed
replaced.
It didn't.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
And this is not the first time we had an electrician
say something about they needto get a whole new panel.
And so anyway, we, steve, didbut talked to the homeowner and
go listen this that's crap.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
Here's the scoop.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Here's how you can get it replaced.
Your warranty company actuallydid fully approve that.
I guess Steve talked to themand they're like oh, and then we
hooked them up with aelectrician that we recommend.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Wait, wait, wait.
Guess how much he is going tocharge and this is just a
blanket off-the-cuff estimatefor him to completely replace a
service, so like that's the newbreaker, that's the wires coming
in and all of that stuff.
Guess how much he charged.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
He said it would be between 3 300 and 4 300 is, on
average, what it would cost toreplace out that service, not
seven to eight thousand dollars,and that included the service
line.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Coming right, it was the new service and not just a
panel, not just a couple ofpanels.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
I think it says about 1300 just the panel, he said
was 1300, and usually that'swhat they need.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
If, well, if that just replace the panel.
At the worst, typically if it'soverloaded, you add one sub
panel and that's all you need,and not not that expensive so
that electrician completely andtotally tried to take advantage.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
And I also learned an interesting thing about
warranty companies.
So I guess part of the thingthat a warranty company has is
like, let's say they paid 300bucks period end story, flat
rate for a house visit Okay,house visit, okay.
So let's say it cost him ahundred bucks to replace
(09:57):
whatever the part was, an hourtime, whatever that comes out of
that 300.
Like he doesn't get paid anymore than 300.
If it's something beyond thathe has to call and get approval
for that.
This guy obviously was justtrying to milk the system
because he told them that theclaim was denied and that they
should just go through him tohave him fix it just go through
(10:19):
me yeah, and he don't tell youhe'd take care of him, which
which is crap.
And then today I hear about aguy who paid 13 000 to get his
service panel replaced yeah,yeah and that guy's like old
dementia and somebody washelping him out and I'm like you
(10:40):
got taken.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Taken advantage.
Yeah, so well, talk to theelectrician that we recommend,
and if you do ask and want toknow who the bad electrician is,
we're not going to tell you.
They're not on our list.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Yeah, they are not on our electrician's list.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Yes, they will never not on our professional list.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Yes, they will never be on our professional list.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
He the good guy.
Good electricians said thatwhen he hires other electricians
to work for him, he has to kindof battle their training,
because a lot of the companiesand it's not just electric, it's
plumbers as well, plumbers andHVAC do a ton.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
This happens to be about an electrician right now.
That's who we're focusing on.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
As many industries will do this.
Once the technician gets outthere, their job is a salesman,
not to fix that problem, it's asalesman.
Remember when Caitlin had alittle issue with her furnace
and the guy wants what?
Spent like nine thousanddollars because he hears list
(11:42):
like, oh, this is gonna go bad,you need to take care of this,
and then this is gonna need it.
So we'll put you on a plan likenine thousand dollars over the
course of the next nine monthsand I'm looking like that one
part.
that's's 26 bucks, right, themost expensive I've found.
It I'll get myself, so youdefinitely want to shop around,
but, uh, what I don't get is thefirst.
(12:05):
I don't, like, I should say, isthe homeowner.
As soon as they heard theelectrician say that this is a
bad panel and you need to bereplaced immediately, assumed
that we were wrong, instead ofassuming that the technician was
exaggerating or lying.
(12:25):
Yeah, I don't get why a lot ofpeople want to throw a homeless
person underneath the bus,because we have no motivation to
ever be wrong and we could bewrong.
But our goal is to find it whenit's.
Is it function as design?
That's it I've had.
I've had real estate agentscomplain can we find too much
stuff?
I'm like this is actually howthe house is.
(12:46):
We're not making up issues.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
We don't go in and we don't do 20 years of damage in
two hours.
It is what it is.
We are the only only group ofpeople in a real estate
transaction or even just goingout and doing maintenance
inspections.
That has nothing to gain.
We don't have people that comein as service tax.
(13:10):
We don't have any stake inwhether or not the house gets
sold and we've got a paycheckcoming if it does.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
We make no money on repairs.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
We make no money on repairs.
We make no money on the sale.
We are the most impartial youwill have anywhere in a
transaction.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
But if you have an electrical panel or an
electrician saying, hey, youguys need to in a transaction,
but if you have an electricalpanel or electrician saying, hey
, you guys need a new panel orthis is wrong, that's wrong.
I like to carry it.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Double check get, get another can I put a caveat on
that?
Actually not just for, like, inthe middle of a real estate
transaction or the end of atransaction, not just an
electrician, for Pete's sakes.
If something doesn't soundright to you or it sounds
inordinately expensive, call ahome inspection company, have
(13:57):
them come out and look at thestuff and do an inspection for
you and tell you what's going onand then use their list of
recommended professionals.
Don't, don't just go with youknow whatever list you find on
Google, because one of thethings that this electrician did
(14:19):
was that they had Google reviewalready up and gave to the
client say okay, is this okay?
And then they had the clientsubmit that to Google.
So before they even realizedwhat a schmuck this company was,
they'd already taken thatGoogle review and uploaded it,
(14:40):
so you're not going to haveaccurate reviews on these
companies, because they'rescamming the system.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
And if I remember I overheard part of the
conversation that review theelectric.
The bad lectures I wrote up forthis couple talk about a panel
upgrade, didn't it?
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Yeah, panel upgrade or replacement or something like
that you come with that already.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
I'm like, no, it's all a sales pitch.
A lot of people are just salespitches.
Home, home, we're basicallytrying to like is those pitches
we're basically trying to make.
Is it working?
Yes, good, it doesn't.
I don't care if it's.
I really I like old houses,yeah, and I think every homeless
person really loves an oldhouse that's maintained and
doing what it should.
It's not for us.
(15:22):
It's about function, safety,make sure there's no damage
going on, or something that youknow, like a huge roof leak or a
little roof leak, orcontractors yeah, they can come
and make some money for fixingyour stuff, but they make a lot
more money if they can rope youinto paying for repairs that
(15:43):
really are not necessary.
They might say they'renecessary, but they're not
really necessary.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
And then make sure you have a home inspection
company come out and do the work.
Tell them that you're going tohave a home inspection company
come out and do the work because, whether you do or not, they're
going to do a better job foryou.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
And that.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Oh, yeah, yeah, we have seen that.
I was going to say all right,so I'm going to see if I can
find these pictures.
I don't know if I can find themor not.
Remember when I did a chimneyscope a couple years ago and
there are handprints on the?
Speaker 3 (16:18):
inside of the chimney scope.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yes, I do remember that I'm going to try and find
that.
It was pretty cool because thepeople their kids were watching
and this was not planned, buttheir handprints were like holy
cow.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
That's proof that Santa was up in the ship.
And their little eyes got sobig yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
And the year before that.
This is when I rigged I pretendI did a sewer.
I'm going to it down and have apiece of red cloth.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
You're like oh crap, santa got stuck.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
Yeah, but I'm like, oh, I guess Santa tore his crazy
coat up inside, so I'll see ifI can find those videos.
I'm not guaranteeing I'll seeif.
I can find them.
I'll put them on Facebook aswell.
I'll find them.
But I think that's about it forhere.
But if you hear crazy estimates, get a different opinion.
(17:12):
Definitely want to double checkwith things.
And just because somebody'slicensed doesn't mean they're
going to tell you the truth.
Electricians are licensed butthey need money too, and
sometimes they will exaggerate.
Sometimes their ethics arepurchasable, depending upon the
time of year and time of yearand how much money they need to
(17:33):
make or they want to make but ifyou do want to know of a very
good, ethical electrician whowill do good work, call.
I will happily give his nameout yeah or or, if you're out
out this Columbus Ohio area.
Call us, because we do knowhome inspectors all across the
country, or just call aninspector that you trust in your
(17:53):
area.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
I remember a long time ago I had an electrician
who the agent recommended and Igo how do you fix those?
He's like, oh, I do this, hewould make them bootleg grounds.
That ain't right.
He goes, yeah, but it works.
So just because they'relicensed doesn't mean they're
going to do it correctly so hewas never recommended After that
(18:17):
, that's for sure.
So I think that's about it.
Thank you everybody.
Have a Merry Christmaseverybody and listen.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Stay safe.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
If you want coffee, Trothwood Forest Coffee.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
They have the peppermint canes.
I got peppermint candysprinkles for the coffee for it
Did you.
Yes, I did.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
But no yeah, trothwood Forest Coffee.
It's good, very good.
Sometimes coffee bothers, yourstomach Hurts a little bit in
the morning.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
This hasn't bothered me as much as the other stuff.
I think it's pretty low.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
I think it was low acidicness and I like the blonde
rose you've been having.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
No breakfast and the blend, the candy, she's in the
candy.
That was good.
The Sim is good also, butanyway, transport for coffee.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
I think it's about it .
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Have a great Christmas and an amazing 2025.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
And just stay safe next week we'll have to do it.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
End of the year, end of the year one alright, thanks
everybody, bye, bye you've beenlistening to the Standing Out in
Ohio podcast.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
be sure to subscribe on Spotify or Google podcast to
get new, fresh episodes.
For more, please follow us onInstagram, twitter and Facebook,
or visit the website of thebest Ohio home inspection
company athomeinspectionsinohiocom or
jimtroffcom.
That's J-I-M-T-R-O-T-H andclick on podcast Until next time
(19:48):
.
Learn and go do stuff.
Welcome to the Standing Out in Ohio podcast,
where we discuss topics,upcoming events, news and
predictions with real estateprofessionals and entrepreneurs.
Listen and learn what makestheir companies and themselves
stand out and gain advantagesover the competition and gain
market share.
Subscribe for the latest newsand discussion on what it takes
(00:23):
to stand out from the crowd.
Now here's your host, jim.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey everybody, welcome to the Standing Out how
podcast.
This is Jim and of course, withme is Laura, the office goddess
.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Hello everyone.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
She just got back from Christmas shopping.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
With Megan.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
With Megan.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
You know, I do have to say Christmas shopping with
your kid when they're in their20s is completely different and
a crap ton more fun.
How you sat down and had amargarita.
You had a margarita.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Well, you can have like adult conversations.
You're not trying to sneakthings as much.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Well, yeah, and you could like it's just more much.
Well, yeah, and you could likeit's just more fun.
I get it.
You could plot together to getstuff for people and work on
things and make a littlePlotting's always fun.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Plotting's fun.
Plotting's a good reason toplot Nothing nefarious.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Well, christmas gifts , those are fun reasons to plot.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Well, in this time of year, people should be good.
They should be good always,right.
But we have a story wheresomebody was not good and
deserves coal in theirelectrician's pouch.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yes, very true.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
But first let's listen to this.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Habitation investigation is the way to go
for a home inspection in ohio.
Trusted licensed homeinspectors for your needs from
radon to mold to warranties fora great home inspection, you
really can't go wrong.
(01:59):
Visit home inspections inohiocom.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
All right, Laura.
So this is a season where youshould always be ethical, Just
always.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Even more so in Christmas.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Just traditionally, if you're little, if your
parents did the whole Santathing, you're kind of taught
like, no, you need to be reallygood this time of year.
So if your parents were, youknow Christmas and Santa-like,
you learned, oh, I need to bereally good.
But we have a story that thisis something that happened last
(02:38):
week.
Yeah Well first of all, we didan inspection in July, I believe
.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Yes, right.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
And one of our inspectors did the inspection.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Ironically enough, the inspector, who used to be
the electrician, who was theelectrician?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
yeah, so he called out things with the electrical
panel I think it was wiringissues kind of throughout the
house and the attic as wellCalled him out hey, get looked
at, get fixed.
Prior to close Of course, andthen you won't get that done
prior to close, because you wantestimates and you want to know
how much things are going tocost Electricity is all lower.
(03:13):
Any subcontractor, contractor,can be all lower the place with
fees and how they want to dothings.
So you want to get at least agood idea of what it's going to
cost.
So anyway that was July.
We did an inspection for them.
Something happened Now December, july, august, september,
october, november.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
It started in November.
It started in November, I think.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
So what happened?
They had some issues with theelectrical panel in November.
Was it a break or start a tripor something?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
I don't know exactly what the cause was, because it
wasn't just me talking to them.
Somebody else had talked andgotten more information.
Steve did.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Steve is I don't want to describe this he, if
somebody has a complaint or ahomeowner is having an issue
with something, he helps them tonavigate.
The whole home warranty is whathe does, really.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
How to best help people to get what they need in
the best possible way, in thecheapest way.
So somehow this couple called.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Something happened in November.
It sounds like something with apanel, which I'm going to only
guess it was that a breakerstarted tripping.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
So or that something happened and this electrician
used that as an excuse toreplace the panel.
Because what it so it startedwith them calling and
complaining that we didn't tellthem that the Murray panels were
no longer made.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Well, wait, wait, wait, all right, all right.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
So that was the initial.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Was this before or after they talked to the
warranty company?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
This was after.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
So they talked to the warranty company.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yeah, so once again, I don't know what the warranty
was in lieu of Maybe they talkedto us first.
So my understanding was thatthe warranty company had
approved it.
Whatever the issue was, thewarranty company approved it.
The electrician came out anddenied it, Took their $75 trip
(05:16):
fee and denied it and justwaltzed off and left After
telling them that he wouldhappily replace their electric
panel for $7,000 to $8,000because that panel wasn't made
anymore, which is true it isn't.
However, there's a caveat tothat.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
It's largely bullshit , to be honest.
So they had a new issue withthe panel, okay, and then they
warranted.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Or he created one in an attempt to get the money from
the investment.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Well, there's a problem before he even showed up
, right.
So he comes over and he claimshey, the warranty company
actually denied this claim.
It will be between $7,000.
And he claims hey, the warrantycompany actually denied this
claim.
It will be between $7,000 and$8,000 for me to replace your
panel, because they don't makethese panels anymore.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
And there's no choice .
Yeah, you'll make them anymore.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
You got no choice.
So the client then called usand said hey, why did you guys
tell me the panel is no longerin use, you can't replace?
Well, the panel was a Murraypanel, and because they don't
make anything anymore is not areason why it needs replaced.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
No, weren't they bought out by another company
actually?
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Siemens which makes electric panels I think they do
other things as well.
But Siemens, which makeselectric panels, I think they do
other things as well.
But Siemens bought Murray, soyou can still buy breakers to
replace those old breakers.
There's no need to replace thatpanel.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
And doesn't the Murray even have the double D
where you can do the two wiresinto that?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
I think double D breakers may work in those.
That's one of the things whenwe that's kind of getting
outside the scope of the homeinspection.
When you look into a panel andyou see different types of
breakers in there, oh okay,sometimes that's wrong, but we
don't know until we really likedelve into the model number and
really and we really don't dothat.
(07:09):
That needs to be Sometimes youcan't see the model number of
the panel to know what kind ofbrand this panel is rated for.
So you don't really knowexactly.
But any Murray panel and theydon't make them under the name
Murray anymore, siemens ownsthat brand doesn't keep the
(07:30):
Murray brand, changes to theSiemens but they still have the
replacement breakers for those,and I think Square D may be able
to fit that.
I don't know for certain.
But anyway, the bad thing is islike the electrician lied
through his teeth.
Yeah, he lied, obviously becausehe said the Warrant to Come did
(07:51):
not approve that in the firstplace.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
And they did.
And they did, he lied and hesaid that the panel needed
replaced.
It didn't.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
And this is not the first time we had an electrician
say something about they needto get a whole new panel.
And so anyway, we, steve, didbut talked to the homeowner and
go listen this that's crap.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
Here's the scoop.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Here's how you can get it replaced.
Your warranty company actuallydid fully approve that.
I guess Steve talked to themand they're like oh, and then we
hooked them up with aelectrician that we recommend.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Wait, wait, wait.
Guess how much he is going tocharge and this is just a
blanket off-the-cuff estimatefor him to completely replace a
service, so like that's the newbreaker, that's the wires coming
in and all of that stuff.
Guess how much he charged.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
He said it would be between 3 300 and 4 300 is, on
average, what it would cost toreplace out that service, not
seven to eight thousand dollars,and that included the service
line.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Coming right, it was the new service and not just a
panel, not just a couple ofpanels.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
I think it says about 1300 just the panel, he said
was 1300, and usually that'swhat they need.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
If, well, if that just replace the panel.
At the worst, typically if it'soverloaded, you add one sub
panel and that's all you need,and not not that expensive so
that electrician completely andtotally tried to take advantage.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
And I also learned an interesting thing about
warranty companies.
So I guess part of the thingthat a warranty company has is
like, let's say they paid 300bucks period end story, flat
rate for a house visit Okay,house visit, okay.
So let's say it cost him ahundred bucks to replace
(09:57):
whatever the part was, an hourtime, whatever that comes out of
that 300.
Like he doesn't get paid anymore than 300.
If it's something beyond thathe has to call and get approval
for that.
This guy obviously was justtrying to milk the system
because he told them that theclaim was denied and that they
should just go through him tohave him fix it just go through
(10:19):
me yeah, and he don't tell youhe'd take care of him, which
which is crap.
And then today I hear about aguy who paid 13 000 to get his
service panel replaced yeah,yeah and that guy's like old
dementia and somebody washelping him out and I'm like you
(10:40):
got taken.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Taken advantage.
Yeah, so well, talk to theelectrician that we recommend,
and if you do ask and want toknow who the bad electrician is,
we're not going to tell you.
They're not on our list.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Yeah, they are not on our electrician's list.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Yes, they will never not on our professional list.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Yes, they will never be on our professional list.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
He the good guy.
Good electricians said thatwhen he hires other electricians
to work for him, he has to kindof battle their training,
because a lot of the companiesand it's not just electric, it's
plumbers as well, plumbers andHVAC do a ton.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
This happens to be about an electrician right now.
That's who we're focusing on.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
As many industries will do this.
Once the technician gets outthere, their job is a salesman,
not to fix that problem, it's asalesman.
Remember when Caitlin had alittle issue with her furnace
and the guy wants what?
Spent like nine thousanddollars because he hears list
(11:42):
like, oh, this is gonna go bad,you need to take care of this,
and then this is gonna need it.
So we'll put you on a plan likenine thousand dollars over the
course of the next nine monthsand I'm looking like that one
part.
that's's 26 bucks, right, themost expensive I've found.
It I'll get myself, so youdefinitely want to shop around,
but, uh, what I don't get is thefirst.
(12:05):
I don't, like, I should say, isthe homeowner.
As soon as they heard theelectrician say that this is a
bad panel and you need to bereplaced immediately, assumed
that we were wrong, instead ofassuming that the technician was
exaggerating or lying.
(12:25):
Yeah, I don't get why a lot ofpeople want to throw a homeless
person underneath the bus,because we have no motivation to
ever be wrong and we could bewrong.
But our goal is to find it whenit's.
Is it function as design?
That's it I've had.
I've had real estate agentscomplain can we find too much
stuff?
I'm like this is actually howthe house is.
(12:46):
We're not making up issues.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
We don't go in and we don't do 20 years of damage in
two hours.
It is what it is.
We are the only only group ofpeople in a real estate
transaction or even just goingout and doing maintenance
inspections.
That has nothing to gain.
We don't have people that comein as service tax.
(13:10):
We don't have any stake inwhether or not the house gets
sold and we've got a paycheckcoming if it does.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
We make no money on repairs.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
We make no money on repairs.
We make no money on the sale.
We are the most impartial youwill have anywhere in a
transaction.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
But if you have an electrical panel or an
electrician saying, hey, youguys need to in a transaction,
but if you have an electricalpanel or electrician saying, hey
, you guys need a new panel orthis is wrong, that's wrong.
I like to carry it.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Double check get, get another can I put a caveat on
that?
Actually not just for, like, inthe middle of a real estate
transaction or the end of atransaction, not just an
electrician, for Pete's sakes.
If something doesn't soundright to you or it sounds
inordinately expensive, call ahome inspection company, have
(13:57):
them come out and look at thestuff and do an inspection for
you and tell you what's going onand then use their list of
recommended professionals.
Don't, don't just go with youknow whatever list you find on
Google, because one of thethings that this electrician did
(14:19):
was that they had Google reviewalready up and gave to the
client say okay, is this okay?
And then they had the clientsubmit that to Google.
So before they even realizedwhat a schmuck this company was,
they'd already taken thatGoogle review and uploaded it,
(14:40):
so you're not going to haveaccurate reviews on these
companies, because they'rescamming the system.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
And if I remember I overheard part of the
conversation that review theelectric.
The bad lectures I wrote up forthis couple talk about a panel
upgrade, didn't it?
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Yeah, panel upgrade or replacement or something like
that you come with that already.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
I'm like, no, it's all a sales pitch.
A lot of people are just salespitches.
Home, home, we're basicallytrying to like is those pitches
we're basically trying to make.
Is it working?
Yes, good, it doesn't.
I don't care if it's.
I really I like old houses,yeah, and I think every homeless
person really loves an oldhouse that's maintained and
doing what it should.
It's not for us.
(15:22):
It's about function, safety,make sure there's no damage
going on, or something that youknow, like a huge roof leak or a
little roof leak, orcontractors yeah, they can come
and make some money for fixingyour stuff, but they make a lot
more money if they can rope youinto paying for repairs that
(15:43):
really are not necessary.
They might say they'renecessary, but they're not
really necessary.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
And then make sure you have a home inspection
company come out and do the work.
Tell them that you're going tohave a home inspection company
come out and do the work because, whether you do or not, they're
going to do a better job foryou.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
And that.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Oh, yeah, yeah, we have seen that.
I was going to say all right,so I'm going to see if I can
find these pictures.
I don't know if I can find themor not.
Remember when I did a chimneyscope a couple years ago and
there are handprints on the?
Speaker 3 (16:18):
inside of the chimney scope.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yes, I do remember that I'm going to try and find
that.
It was pretty cool because thepeople their kids were watching
and this was not planned, buttheir handprints were like holy
cow.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
That's proof that Santa was up in the ship.
And their little eyes got sobig yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
And the year before that.
This is when I rigged I pretendI did a sewer.
I'm going to it down and have apiece of red cloth.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
You're like oh crap, santa got stuck.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
Yeah, but I'm like, oh, I guess Santa tore his crazy
coat up inside, so I'll see ifI can find those videos.
I'm not guaranteeing I'll seeif.
I can find them.
I'll put them on Facebook aswell.
I'll find them.
But I think that's about it forhere.
But if you hear crazy estimates, get a different opinion.
(17:12):
Definitely want to double checkwith things.
And just because somebody'slicensed doesn't mean they're
going to tell you the truth.
Electricians are licensed butthey need money too, and
sometimes they will exaggerate.
Sometimes their ethics arepurchasable, depending upon the
time of year and time of yearand how much money they need to
(17:33):
make or they want to make but ifyou do want to know of a very
good, ethical electrician whowill do good work, call.
I will happily give his nameout yeah or or, if you're out
out this Columbus Ohio area.
Call us, because we do knowhome inspectors all across the
country, or just call aninspector that you trust in your
(17:53):
area.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
I remember a long time ago I had an electrician
who the agent recommended and Igo how do you fix those?
He's like, oh, I do this, hewould make them bootleg grounds.
That ain't right.
He goes, yeah, but it works.
So just because they'relicensed doesn't mean they're
going to do it correctly so hewas never recommended After that
(18:17):
, that's for sure.
So I think that's about it.
Thank you everybody.
Have a Merry Christmaseverybody and listen.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Stay safe.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
If you want coffee, Trothwood Forest Coffee.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
They have the peppermint canes.
I got peppermint candysprinkles for the coffee for it
Did you.
Yes, I did.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
But no yeah, trothwood Forest Coffee.
It's good, very good.
Sometimes coffee bothers, yourstomach Hurts a little bit in
the morning.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
This hasn't bothered me as much as the other stuff.
I think it's pretty low.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
I think it was low acidicness and I like the blonde
rose you've been having.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
No breakfast and the blend, the candy, she's in the
candy.
That was good.
The Sim is good also, butanyway, transport for coffee.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
I think it's about it .
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Have a great Christmas and an amazing 2025.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
And just stay safe next week we'll have to do it.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
End of the year, end of the year one alright, thanks
everybody, bye, bye you've beenlistening to the Standing Out in
Ohio podcast.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
be sure to subscribe on Spotify or Google podcast to
get new, fresh episodes.
For more, please follow us onInstagram, twitter and Facebook,
or visit the website of thebest Ohio home inspection
company athomeinspectionsinohiocom or
jimtroffcom.
That's J-I-M-T-R-O-T-H andclick on podcast Until next time
(19:48):
.
Learn and go do stuff.
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