Homegauge behaving like Porch

Just got this in an email. Now my software vendor is dictating terms in my agreement. I guess it’s time to start evaluating options.

  1. Requirement for the inspector to add to his or her agreement:

Why: To help protect yourself, your customer and HomeGauge (a 3rd party) from any potential legal issues involving the customer and their data. This can help protect the inspector when using other vendors that the inspector may decide to use outside of HomeGauge, such as: scheduling, call centers, or other vendor programs. This clause is aimed to help protect you and your company should you later opt in to any future vendor programs as well.

Please modify your customer agreement by January 31, 2018 to include the following:

In providing the property inspection and inspection report, information about the client, inspector, real estate professional, and property will be collected and input into HomeGauge inspection software and services, which inspector uses to produce the inspection report. This information may include personally-identifiable information about the client, inspector and real estate professional. This information may subsequently be used by the provider of HomeGauge, as set out in the HomeGauge Privacy Policy found at HomeGauge Privacy Policy. Inspectors may choose to use this information to market new or related products and services to clients.

Russell: what is your recourse when inspectors do not do this. I don’t think your company has ever seen my agreement.

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I just got this email as well and was amazed. Who is advising Russell? I am not going to change MY agreement to add their language. Why would they think I would ever do that? It’s absolutely none of their business what’s in my agreement.

They of course can modify their terms of agreement with me and I can either accept or not, but to actually think they can force me to alter my agreement between me and my client is crazy.

I’m completely happy with my Homegauge software but I think I’m going to have to start shopping for a new vendor.

David Massey
Compass Property Inspectors LLC

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When I read the clause one thought popped into my mind quickly -
YOU’RE FIRED!

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I Do not enter anyone’s phone number into Porch or HG. They can email them but never do I want them to call.

Somewhere around January 10th we are going to ask you if you added the language. If you say yes, then HG has no liability should your buyer sue you based on anything you do. We are a 3rd party and to avoid liability we asked you to put that info in your agreement. That’s about it. Those that do offer any programs like ADT or another warranty company you should have that language in your agreement.

HomeGauge Updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

I do not use Any of HomeGauge’s add-on services other than uploading, emailing, and storing reports; and Never will. I have always been concerned/cautious about HG’s access to both my clients and my own personal information. Though I have had no issues regarding that over the years.

The statement below has me very concerned, especially test highlighted in red. This is basically saying they have free access to All of my reports and client information. This is Not good. I may start looking elsewhere. Even though I do not know where that would be since this is apparently the new norm with all software vendors.

**“In providing the property inspection and inspection report, information about the client, inspector, real estate professional, and property will be collected and input into HomeGauge inspection software and services, which inspector uses to produce the inspection report. This information may include personally-identifiable information about the client, inspector and real estate professional. This information may subsequently be used by the provider of HomeGauge, **as set out in the HomeGauge Privacy Policy found at HomeGauge Privacy Policy. Inspectors may choose to use this information to market new or related products and services to clients.”

Russell -

And if we say NO?

Will all due respect Russell, thats not about it. You’re trying to make this sound like something less than it is.

At this point you have absolutely zero liability with any inspection I perform. By putting yourself in my agreement you are actually introducing yourself to liability. A first year law student could see that. There’s another agenda going on here and I have to assume you know what it is.

Sorry, but I am irritated by this whole thing. As I’ve said before I like your product and now I’m probably going to have to make a change.

Regardless, you don’t have to wait until January 10th for my answer. We’ll see what happens.

David Massey
Compass Property Inspectors LLC.

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Yikes… I hope Dom over at HIP is hiring a few more office staff and adding some more phone lines…

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He told me some more HG users are switching.HG is now owned by a Insurance company…guess what…welcome to slavery.:slight_smile:

Seriously though if the opposite happened I would have gone to HG and actually feel bad because the war between HG and HIP pushes both.

That being said there are some explosive upgrades I am beta testing .

Drama, drama, drama.

Wow. I can just see it now.

All the other tool manufacturers will require language in your contract so they can’t be sued in case you failed to use their tool correctly and get sued by your client.

I am great friends with Dominic but if he were to require something like this in HIP I would tell him to shove it where the sun doesn’t shine and drop him and his product like rock. While I am required to put certain language in my contract by State law, NOBODY, I repeat, NOBODY, no individual, no company, and especially NO VENDOR will tell me what I am required to put in MY contract with MY client.

F.O.A.D. to all these vendors. :twisted:

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I haven’t changed my inspection agreement in 12 years, why should I do it now. I don’t sell warranties or any other junk so my clients info shouldn’t be exposed or sold to 3rd parties.

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What’s going on here it some pin head lawyer with the new “Investor” has been digging through HG’s operating procedures and because the have deeper pocket they want to throw up as many road blocks and disclaimers as possible. These statement are written by some attorney and quite frankly are very confusing and if I may use the term “ALARMIST”

Everyone should have some type of privacy policy but where does it end? So now what if they want to opt out of and not allow me to use HG Services wow this just creates more work for me keeping track of all the opt outs. CRAZY.

Finally, we were promised more improvements quicker now that they have an investor and additional capital. So here is the first improvement to come down the pipe line!

Bottom line Russel is not in charge anymore and has to now answer to a higher power! Better get your fiddle Johnny!

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Did any of you even read the privacy policy?

Lead brokers that sell private data to others guarantee that use of the lead that they sell does not violate state telemarketing laws. Accordingly, they require language in the contracts from their lead sources that release them and future owners of the lead from liability should they ever be reported to governing entities. The language that they require in your agreements goes with the lead when it is sold, assuring the purchaser that the lead is “clean”.

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Well put J.B…So looks like prep work to be like Porch and tailor HG fees so that you are prodded to sell the company Client info in exchange for the lowest tier pricing while in the future raising the fees for non compliance…I have no idea but think that is a possible scenario if contracts are being forced IMO …Study Home Hub zone pattern of fee structure from inception to when they were sold.Anyway I am concerned for this merging of Inspector software or other Vendors depended on in the community being sold to …information brokers…Not my software so will stay out of it from now on here.

I don’t see the big deal. It is THEIR software, by the way. However, I don’t want my clients to think I’m selling them out. So I added to the wording:

PRIVACY: The following text is required by OUR software provider: “In providing the property inspection and inspection report, information about CLIENT, US, CLIENT’S agent, and property will be collected and input into the HomeGauge inspection software and services, which WE use to produce the inspection report… This information may include personally identifiable information about the CLIENT, US, and CLIENT’S agent. This information may subsequently be used by the provider of HomeGauge, as set out in the HomeGauge Privacy Policy found at HomeGauge - Error. Inspectors may choose to use this information to market new or related products and services to CLIENT.” Note: At the time of the signing of this Agreement, WE do not use CLIENT information to market any other products or provide to 3rd party vendors!"

Our home inspection business prides itself on not sharing our client’s information with outside parties. I’m definitely not including a clause in our agreement that says otherwise. We’ve got four inspectors using HomeGauge now that will have to change to other software. This was not a good idea.

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Neither will I. What will HomeGauge do if the majority of subscribers just say NO?

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