I had asked AR members to comment on how they would have helped a young woman, a past customer, who called with a mold concern. In the first part, Customer Service, What would you do? Part One. the details were given of the woman's situation.

I wasn't looking for a "right answer", but how you would respond as a business and a person to a client's problem. Customer service is not just about the time you spend with the client during the home inspection. It is also what you do after the job is complete that is truly telling of your business and personal ethic.

I got some great responses, some that were almost exactly what I had done. Thanks for your comments and here's the rest of the story.

I asked if she would be home the following afternoon because I would like to come out and look the problem over. I could not give her any advice unless I was able to see exactly what was going on with the home.

She said she would meet me at 4 o clock.

The next day we met and I looked at the areas where she had the mold. She had cleaned everything and there were no signs of mold. I checked all the areas with a moisture meter and found some damp spots, but nothing significant. This may also have been in part to some very dry weather we are having here in CT.

I checked the outside of the home and found some suspicious window shutter screws. These were almost exactly opposite where I had found some moisture under her kitchen cabinets. I found nothing else on the exterior, but did notice that she had closed the attic windows.

I checked the attic and explained to her about venting and keeping the windows open. I also spotted a few problems with the insulation. I gave her advice on repairing the insulation and adding better venting.

The last thing I did was use the infrared camera. I found nothing of any consequence.

I gave her a handwritten list of the repairs she should do and told her to call me if there are any more problems. I was there about an hour. I could see she felt better, but was definitely still worried.

My point is not to put some one off or yes them to death, but simply go and check out their concern. They will be very appreciative and will remember what you did for them and tell other people about your good deed. Everyone wins.

James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC