Buyers Protection Group (BPG)

The professional home inspector that I used was David Batha, whose services were second to none. The inspection that he did was meticulous and detailed. Sometimes throughout the inspection he would discuss certain aspects of the home inspection and bring information to my attention, but at the end of the inspection, he went over in detail everything that was not 100% perfect in the home and what needed to be done to correct the situation. He gave a lot of advice on how to maintain the home and issues to look out for. He answered all of my questions in great detail, leaving me edified and with peace of mind knowing that I would know how to maintain this particular home. David Batha was very knowledgeable and pleasant. It was refreshing to have an inspector of this caliber inspecting my home.

This was my original home warranty that came with my home when I purchased it. I kept renewing it because I was lazy. Bad job. They're super nice on the phone, but if you actually need them to fix something, good luck. During the last interaction (straw that broke the camels' back) we had a toiled that had calicified build up. They sent a clog guy, who said nope, they need a new toilet. They said ok we'll send you a new toilet guy to replace it. Well that guy came out and said there is no problem with the toilet. I made a stink, so they sent another guy to replace the toilet. They said oh yeah, it's calcified, you need a new toilet. Let's set up another appointment to do that. Okay. Yay for me and my new toilet! Nope. They set up two appointments, both which they missed, and I finally ended up just taking the payout and figuring out how to replace the toilet on my own. I had a similar problem with a heater, and it went pretty much the same.

The inspector was recommended by my realtor. He was very thorough during the inspection and recommended a lot of improvements to the home. He was able to upload a report to us the same night and emailed us with pictures. The inspection took about 2 hours to complete.

The inspector John Lampp, House Smart, was punctual and very professional. He gave very detailed findings and explained all steps of the inspection. I would recommend him and this company in the future. 4/16/14 Update - I recently discovered that the thermostat was wired incorrectly when I first used the A/C now that the season had changed and was getting hotter and after having a professional inspect my unit. On my inspection there was no mention of this. I definitely would have had the seller fix the issue before I bought the house. This does change my opinion of the inspection since I thought he would have discovered the issue during the inspection.

We specifically requested Keith Cook as our inspector because he inspected a friend's home and had a high degree of attention to detail. I'm happy to report that he didn't let us down when conducting our inspection. He arrived early and began inspecting the exterior. He climbed onto the roof and even into the attic! He didn't miss a thing...no even loose or missing screws on household fixtures. Keith knows his stuff and takes the time to explain it to you. He's funny and very efficient...our inspection report was emailed less than 8 hrs after completion of the inspection. Additionally, a member of the company called me to report the results of the radon test immediately upon completion. This is an A+ company and Keith rocks!

Last fall, I was buying a coach house that I planned to renovate, and my friend highly recommended that I consider Les Glowacz of Buyers Protection Group for the condo inspection. Never having gone through the inspection process before, I was initially expecting a bit of a detached, rushed experience where I wouldn?t be able to pick the inspector?s brain very much about specific elements of the condo. With Les, I got the best experience that a first-time home buyer (or any buyer for that matter) could ask for. He?s a seasoned pro and pointed out a lot of things about the coach house that I hadn?t previously considered. An inspection with Les feels like having a visit from a really smart uncle who just happens to know everything there is to know about home inspections. With a warm, friendly personality, he never made me feel rushed, and patiently answered all of my questions. As someone about to embark on a renovation, I tried to draw upon his decades of experience, getting his advice on how I might tackle particular renovation challenges, or potential pitfalls to avoid. Better yet, for the relatively small price I paid, he repeatedly encouraged me to give him a call if I ever needed further consultation on the property, at no charge. In fact, I gave him a call a few months later to talk through the design solution that an HVAC company had come up with for my renovation, and he was happy to talk at length with me. I recommend Les Glowacz to anyone who needs a home inspection, because you?ll get a lot of invaluable advice about the most important purchase you?ll ever make.

We are the seller of a home. The buyer hired Buyers Protection Group for the home inspection. When we returned home after the inspection, we discovered that they had entered the attic through our bedroom closet but failed to protect the clothing and personal items in the closet. The clothes, shoes and floor were covered in white powder and debris and require significant cleaning. Calls and emails to the company have not been returned. I would recommend not using this company. Entering someone's home, especially on behalf of another party, should be treated delicately and respectfully. This company does not seem to understand this.

Home inspector missed major obvious problems- wood rot, leaky windows, and broken window panes. He also neglected to tell us basic information about our hvac system and the location of the external water cut-off. BPG is currently repairing the missed items but we wonder if we would have even bought this house has the inspection been accurate and we know we would have paid less. The inspection we had was as bad as not having one at all.

My furnace stopped working on 12/11/13. I called BPG the next day. I didn't submit the claim via their website because even though we had a valid warranty with them, their website didn't recognize this (more on this later). They sent me the name of a contractor which I called the next day. They didn't have any available appointments until 12/19/13 which is strange, but I put up with it because we live in California where it's only kind of cold not life-threatening cold. We made do with a space heater for a week. The tech they sent out was nice enough and told me that we needed a new pilot assembly and a new ignition system and had to be approved by BPG and I'd be hearing from BPG shortly. By the end of the business day for BPG, I hadn't heard from them so I called. The customer service representative's attitude was unbelievable. She immediately started using that sing-songy condescending voice you hear from flight attendants went they're giving you bad news. Beside attitude, the only information that she gave me was that they were waiting to hear from the Tech. This was strange because I heard the Tech talk to BPG over the phone. So I called the Heating company to see if I could speed things along. They were unaware that they needed to provide any more information to BPG and agreed to do so. Because the reality was that this furnace would not get fixed without ordering a custom part, I asked them if they would order the part now with the understanding that I would cover the cost of the part if BPG was going to weasel out of it. They said they couldn't because BPG wouldn't allow them to order any parts while the claim was in Pending status. I tried to make the case that the heating company wasn't going to risk anything, I just wanted to get my heat working sooner rather than waiting for all this bureaucratic stuff to clear up and then order the part. She explained that I wasn't the heating company's client, BPG was their client so I was out of luck. The next day, I called BPG and they still said they were waiting for information from the heating company. I asked to speak to a manager and he said that they were waiting to see how much a part cost before they decided whether or not to cover it. I asked what the cost of a part had to with a warranty and he said it wasn't covered right now because it needed a "new part" but if it was cheap enough they might decide otherwise. He also refused to let the heating company order the part until they have finished the approval (rejection) process. First off- what? A furnace stops working after four years without problems but it's not covered by a warranty because it needs a "new" part? That's insanity and that's not the purpose of a warranty. Second, what's in it for BPG to not allow the heating company to order the part? Of course it's to delay the process until I say "Screw it, I'm going without the warranty. I can't be without a furnace all winter this is ridiculous." This company takes $463 dollars every year in the form of a premium plus a $75 deductible with every call. Then, they systematically delay the process hiding behind language in the contract that doesn't really apply to the situation. This is borderline criminal. On top of that, they treat you like you're just a huge hassle and shouldn't be bothering them in the middle of their day. "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WE'VE GOT LOTS OF CLAIMS TO NOT PAY?" Their customer service is appalling. Oh yeah- the web site. If you renew your contract the website doesn't know about it even though you have an account with BPG and a username & password for their website. When you log on, the website says your plan has expired and that's that. When you call, they tell you that you have to enter your new plan into the website. Stay away from this company at all costs. I've been a customer for four years, and the first time I needed them in an urgent situation they did nothing but delay the process of getting my furnace fixed. The bottom line is my furnace has been out for 10 days and I'm now further away from getting it fixed than I would've been if I had just called the heating company directly. Oh- but I did get a lot of attitude as a bonus.

Purchased Home Warranty in buying home over the summer. One AC unit stopped working 9/21 (Saturday). Called BPG, but offices closed, so used on-line claim submission form. They sent order to Nevari Air, who is closed on weekend. Nevari came out on Monday, we paid them $60 deductible, they decided problem was with electrical. BPG sent electrical company on Tuesday, who decided problem was in AC (we did not owe another deductible). BPG sent Nevari back on Wednesday 9/25, and they agreed it was compressor gone bad. BPG now has to order compressor, but they do not replace with same brand we have (York). BPG calls me to say that they approved another 4 ton compressor, but it will cost $160 additional for copper tubing modification to fit. Though our policy states in "Air Conditioning Coverage" they replace components to "maintain compatibility with the replacement unit" including all lines, etc...there is another clause in "Limitations on Liability" that says "not responsible for modifications to pipe runs, etc". So before they order part, we must agree to $160 out of pocket for fitting the non-York part. Called back later same day to clarify, and suddenly it is $175 due. Several days later (another weekend delay) 9/30, Nevari comes back with compressor, but it is the wrong one. BPG must order again, and then they call to say we will owe $220 for new pipes PLUS mandatory acid wash that is also not a covered item. Will not order compressor until we agree to that. It is installed on 10/2, but no manufacturer warranty comes with it. BPG and Nevari cannot find one, we are told to call manufacturer, who emails simply an invoice verifying purchase, and tells us it is an unwritten 1-year warranty. It took 12 days to get repair. Overall experience may reflect the nature of using warranty insurance, never as good as paying directly for what you want in a repair.

They were very helpful and helped me to understand many details I would not have otherwise known.

I thought he was very thorough, took his time and was very good at resolving minor and major issues with my house. He did a good job of walking through the house with me and under the house and the roof and explaining all the things that needed work.

I got right through when I called and the person I spoke with was friendly and very helpful. She told me that since it was Thursday afternoon, I could wait 30 minutes and call the service provider directly and refer to the order number she gave me. This way I could be sure to get an appointment scheduled sooner and not have to go all weekend with no a/c (not fun during a Houston summer).

He did an outstanding job. Very knowledgeable and professional. He promised and delivered.

Well, we are buying an older home that we know needs work. While I'm a bit handy, I did want some additional information and background. Plus, as the house has a cellar, radon testing was a no brainer. I arrived early at the house at the time of inspection, and Jason Thompson had already arrived. To make a long story short, Jason spent the next 3 hours walking around and through the house. He had a number of findings, and it felt like a thorough walkthrough. As for the radon, Lynda King was on site to collect the radon devices. They both answered my myriad of questions. Do I expect that we found everything wrong with the house? Goodness no. I'm certain that there are numerous small issues that we missed, but I still feel that this was a thorough review and inspection. The reports were received on a Saturday evening, a quick turnaround in my opinion.

It was awful because they do not cover replacement of MY faucet. In fact, they do not cover replacement of any single hole faucet according to my conversations with the claims people at BPG. Instead, they charged me $60 trade call fee and sent their own technician out to tell me they don't cover single hole faucets, but I still have to pay the $60 for nothing!!!! They should have told me they don't cover single hole faucets on the phone! I guess it is in the fine print somewhere they only cover "builders grade" materials, which is fine in general, but most new places have single hole faucets and they DONT REPLACE single hole faucets, even a cheap one... so, this does not make sense. There must be a basic single hold faucet out there that they can cover.... They are going to send me $105 for a job that cost me $345 (including the $60 trade call fee), so why bother paying for this insurance? The plumber they sent out charged me 285 for the job and a new single hole faucet, and it was too much, but I had already taken a day off work to be here and the time and energy it would have taken to get another plumber in here in a new area, while my faucet was leaking was just not ok. But then again, neither is this, so that's why I'm writing this review. This was one of the worst professional/service experiences of my life! I really would have been better off just hiring a plumber on my own, but then maybe that's what these home warranty companies are counting on....

A/C started working only intermittently. So I called them last week as I have the 'preferred' (step up from basic) warranty plan. BPG sent sent out their "best" local technician (Diversified Air - stay FAR FAR AWAY from them). Technician failed to submit accurate and timely report to company and was dishonest. I immediately called the company to voice my concerns about actions and statements their tech made to other customers on the phone while I was standing there and to me personally such as "warranty companies are all a joke and it's not worth my time to submit for the repairs as they will decline it regardless". This was supposedly the warranty company's #1 rated tech. I called the warranty company 4 times over 3 days last week seeking status of repair after Diversified came over, and the tech they sent out would not submit his findings. 4 people from warranty company promised to call me back not one ever did. After being annoyed by my hounding the warranty company the tech finally submitted his report and altered it from what he told me he was going to submit. After 8 days of intermittent a/c in 99 degree heat, I called and spike with company manager Phaim who promised to let me have a tech of my choice repair if my tech submitted findings for authorization, as I informed Phaim I already had two other companies out for estimates and they both had the same findings. Had local reputable company call with findings that were consistent with the findings of a separate local company (can provide both estimates) as requested by Phaim and warranty company is now refusing to honor the job unless they send ANOTHER company out. Going on 10 days without proper a/c in 99 degree heat and company is dishonest and purposely not allowing repair to get done. Clearly, the warranty company is participating in fraud, as they are purposely trying to not pay for repairs they are obligated to.

Un-ethical they will take your money and never provide any real service. This Company has poor quality sub contractors. They refused to make major repairs or replace multiple items that should be covered by our warranty. I would never recommend this company's Home Warranty to Anyone. They have horrible reviews All Over the internet. I cannot believe we got taken advantage of by these people. Long story short, They will not fix your stuff that is in the warranty. Don't bother buying from them, Just go elsewhere. It is sad that companies like this take advantage of home buyers. They make their own rules and they decide if you get repairs or get paid. We have gotten neither. There is no oversight, or ethics in their business.

Inspector was prompt and professional. Company worked with us on a unusual billing situation, so that was appreciated.

For the company itself, they are rather nice and fairly quick to respond to you. HOWEVER, their contractors are some of the worst in our area. Aside from the pool guy, the rest were fairly clueless and nearly impossible to contact. Our A/C broke, in the middle of a FL summer. The company that they contracted apparently only fixes what is wrong and not what actually is broken (which was the compressor). They came out 4 times to deice the pipes, which would solve the problem for a week or so, before it broke again. After pleading with BPG, they finally sent out another company which actually did the work correctly (well, for now. We'll see how it goes this summer). Finally, we had an appliance guy come work on the dishwasher. He came, ordered a part for it and never showed by back up. It's been over a year...... never heard from the guy again. Bye bye $60.....

Horrible . Won't use them as the sleazy people they send out for repairs . Feel very uncomfortable having these people know where we live. They are a scam as I found out to late. If I hadn't spent $1,600 for the warranty, I would have money to put towards new air conditioner.

I can't really complain about the price because the home warranty ($400/yr) was a gift from our realtor, but these guys are a total waste of time and money. You call them when something breaks and file a claim... (after waiting on hold for an eternity)... then YOU pay a local handyman who they contract with $60 to come out and inspect the problem...and supposedly fix it...Only in my case, they didn't fix it and were never heard from again. The first time my stove was broken--the guy said he added a part, but didn't want to wait around to see if he actually fixed the problem, despite my plea...so of course he leaves and the darn thing is still broken. The second time I had an electrical problem, the company (BPG) tried to explain it was related to the light which is considered "a fixture" and not covered (it wasn't a fixture problem, it was a wiring problem--wiring was so melted it could have started an electrical fire). Save you money and hire someone directly from Angie's list to do the work--at least you know it will get done right

BPG refused to believe my compressor did not need to be replaced even after I got an independent opinion from another company and faxed it to them. They demanded I sign a document that said I would NEVER again ask for the compressor to be fixed and paid me for the cost of the part.

AVOID - AVOID - AVOID Gary Dingledine and BPG Home Inspections. The story from start to finish that Angie's list requested would take way too much of my time so here's the Reader's Digest version: We would have done better if we had hired Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder instead of Gary Dingledine!!! He seems to have missed d*** near everything that was wrong with our house and yet the problems were clearly visible to the naked eye. Here's the chronology... December 28th - Closing and day 1 of move-in, also the first night we spent in our new home. December 29th: I took a quick shower in the master bathroom. A short while later one of the movers asked if we knew that the ceiling in the living room was dripping. Naturally, we were surprised. Less than 24-hours after closing and our first problem with our new house. The plumber who showed up almost a week later (thanks a lot BPG Home Warranty) diagnosed the issue as aged and failed caulk. "Could that have gone bad within the last month?" Nope he said - it is in such lousy shape that it failed quite a while ago. We re-caulked but still wound up with an ugly stain on the ceiling in the living room. Great first day in the new house - thanks Gary! January 3rd: I decided to close the french doors between my office and the living room. One of the handles came off in my hand. Upon inspection it was obvious that it had been completely broken. I cannot say for sure that this was something Gary missed but I'm willing to bet it was given the totality of his errors. January 6th - I decided to replace one of the garage door openers. During the process of attaching the new opener I realize that the garage door is falling apart. During the process of testing the new opener I realize that the weather seal on the bottom of the door is being held on with tape. Great discovery given that the report said the garage door was in good condition - thanks Gary! January 26th - I return from my first business trip since buying the new house to find that a very reputable siding repair company is doing work on my neighbor's house and spotted damage to my house from the street. When I get the $3000 estimate to replace approximately 10% of the siding on the house I ask "could that have gone bad within the past two months?" Nope he said - damage like that takes years to get to that point. Great, a $3000 repair bill for problems that were visible from the street - thanks Gary! Early February - We had a hellacious rain storm so I went down to the basement to look around the next day. What I found was 2 rooms of soaked carpet and some damaged furniture. I pulled up the carpet, rented fans from Home Depot and called my insurance company. The adjuster they sent out pointed to the failed epoxy repair visible from the side yard and told me that it was likely the culprit and therefore not covered. She recommended that I watch it carefully the next time it rained. Sure enough, a couple of weeks later I had soaked carpet again! This time, I called a crack repair specialist and wound up demolishing a wall in the finished basement. What I found behind the soaked drywall made me sick to my stomach! There was water running out of a crack that went from the corner of the window all the way to the basement floor. I asked both of the companies that came out to estimate the repair: "could that have gone bad within the past two months?" Nope they both said - that epoxy repair likely failed some time ago. Maybe that explains why one of the pieces of baseboard that I ripped off the wall was date-stamped for 2/2010. I will spend over $3000 on this repair & restoration - thanks Gary! Mid February - The dishwasher croaked. The repairman who came out asked me why the front was being held on with tape - yep, Gary missed that also. We've owned this house for less than 90-days at this point and have spent over $5000 fixing problems that Gary Dingledine should have spotted. In each and every instance, I asked the professionals if the problems were new and their opinions were unanimous - nope, your home inspector should have seen them. Each of these problems have clearly existed for quite some time plus each of these problems were visible to the naked eye and required no special tools or proceedures to detect. Pure incompetence on the part of Gary Dingledine, a home inspector in a state with no licensing process. I brought all of this to the attention of BPG and they refused the opportunity to exercise some corporate responsibility and make me whole for some portion of the problems their employee clearly missed. They told me repeatedly that their liability was limited to the cost of the home inspection. Between myself, my realtor and my lawyer we eventually got them up to $1000 - a far cry from the damages we have already sustained in the first couple of months in this home that Gary said looked to be in great shape. I'm more than a little scared of what else he missed... AVOID - AVOID - AVOID Gary Dingledine and BPG Home Inspections.

This is my second instance working with Tom Crosby of Buyer's Protection Group. Both times, Tom was early to the appointment, and very thorough throughout the entire home inspection. Tom willingly answers many questions, offers his opinion and suggestions, and treats inspections as if they were for his own home. He is a pleasure to work with, and definitely sets the standard for home inspectors. Tom checked roofs, gradings, crawlspaces, basements, electrical work, attics, and everything in between. His reports offer detailed information that needs attention or maintenance and serve as great bargaining points for real estate transactions. The very-detailed reports also photograph points of concern, and at a later time, BPG emails you regarding seasonal maintenance times, and other concerns. Scheduling is always very prompt. and on both occasions Tom was able to fit me in on short notice at a time that was convenient to me as well.