Client Privacy - Customer Email addresses

In the last several years, many of us here have seen in one shape or form where Client Data is or has become attractive to 3rd parties. As another vendor had recently sold a number of Nachi member’s email lists/email service or whatever it was called (not mine thank you very much)… I think the time has come for a change and to take this issue by the horns.

Simple, I suggest a change to the Code of Ethics here to better protect our customers.

We are given email addresses to EMAIL THEIR REPORT… not stuff a 3rd party agreement in a home inspection agreement to allow their information to be shared/uploaded whatever to third parties that profit from such.

I realize information is very valuable, and it may be naive of me to think that inspectors will use customer’s email addresses the way I do, to email their report and nothing else as I don’t offer widgets/sell alarms/warranties or whatever else that may in fact work for them… I’m really not.

I just think that the client should be better protected, via an opt-in system or something BESIDES giving email addresses out.

This practice of HI’s and 3rd parties sharing customer information needs a better look.

I agree Tim but I don’t see anything changing, email lists are big business nowadays and there will always be loop holes to get around the COE’s.

If there’s too many loop holes tie a knot.

Part of my point is, you expect to be spammed by certain types of business’s when you’ve provided an email address and had to click / agree to get something or you’ve signed up for something, but when we are getting closer to getting spammed by your Plumber or service provider… that’s a bit much and violates trust.

And those without ethics will always find and use them.

I support this, but don’t foresee anything being done. The content and enforcement of the COE belong to Nick, not the members. IMO: Nick goes where the money is and there is money in peddling your client’s personal information to marketers, especially for the brokers errr widget suppliers.

I agree also. IMO when my client gives me their email they are showing their trust in me and I assume they think I’m keeping it private and not sharing it with anyone. Even if you have some mumble jumble in your agreement most will probably overlook it. I will never engage in any vendor widgets including HG’s Warranty they keep promoting.

As for as putting something in the COE Nick will never do that.

I agree… people assume that they can trust providers they’ve hired. As most HI’s end up signing up with this stuff to improve or enhance their presence/business whatever, it may be easy to overlook some other consequences… such as when a vendor ends up selling/transferring your customer information(which recently happened), where does that leave the HI and/or his customers and contacts? Shaky stuff.

I think as our world and technology change, our COE can reflect such changes and provide a guiding path.

I agree but as the others have stated there is no chance it would make it to the COE or in a form that would be truly functional. The only answer to this issue is to educate consumers about the real dangers of giving up their personal information of any type to those selling widgets to them. Also educating other Inspectors of how they can affect their clients by selling their private data to the widget providers.

As long as Inspectors can make money off of selling these widgets to collect personal data and pass it to the widget providers there will always be Inspectors willing to take advantage of consumers!

Can you imagine how few clients would opt in if they had to sign or acknowledge a separate page / form clearly indicating that they would be hearing from other value added companies that the inspector would share and potentially benefit directly or indirectly by having shared their clients information with?

I may be wrong about that, maybe many would like the idea.

Let’s not forget that as business owners, we are LEGALLY responsible to maintain the PRIVACY of our Clients sensitive personal information!

Agree with you 100 percent Tim, but as you know many of us went around with Nick till we were blue in the face trying to get a “properly” written clause in the COE that would make this practice an ethical violation. Unfortunatly in the end the money always wins out.

This is my way of letting my clients know I care about them and their privacy. Trust Your Inspector

Read it & weep! :wink:

“Your inspector may have an an affiliation with a third party service provider (TPSP) in order to offer you additional value-added services. By entering into this agreement you (a) authorize your inspector to provide your contact information (including telephone number) to the TPSP, (b) waive and release any restrictions that may prevent the TPSP from contacting you (including by telephone), and © authorize the TPSP to contact you (including by telephone) regarding special home alarm system offers”

So you are saying that you drink Thornturd’s Kool-Aid?

That being in the thick of a contract/agreement many people will “skip” right by it.

That’s what makes it unethical.

A home inspection agreement should be about a home inspection, NOT a document that authorizes the inspector to release his clients information to a “third party service provider”.

If that’s the case it should be labeled “HOME INSPECTION AGREEMENT AND AUTHORIZATION TO RELEASE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION”.

Exactly. I could only imagine all of the callbacks/text/emails I’d receive from clients questioning the agreement before they would sign it if I had any wording like this in it. That is if they even noticed it.

You are joking right?

Exactly my point.

You know me better than that!

This is already in the COE but Nick has and most likely never will enforce it but will dance around it, most likely because he is loves and promotes Nathan.

  1. The InterNACHI member shall not release any information about the inspection or the client to a third party unless doing so is necessary to protect the safety of others, to comply with a law or statute, or both of the following conditions are met:

a. the client has been made explicitly aware of what information will be released, to whom, and for what purpose, and;

b.the client has provided explicit, prior written consent for the release of his/her information.

Jim