Bob
First off as we all have heard, life is not necessarily fair...
I always give the customer the option of going over my head when I do make a decision about a piece of equipment or a decision they do not like. I have the information necessary for them to do this... actually I sometimes prefer that the decision is out of my hands and does not require my signature.
Remember Bob that we inspectors sometimes have to make very unpopular decisions. We are not perfect. I always try to work with a customer to help, especially when the circumstances involve time lost on a job or money or possible embarrassment.
In my example above, I worked with the contractor and the homeowner trying to make the equipment work...in the end it came down to the manufacturer and his information that actually helped the homeowner to decide to get another hood. Also try to remember that all details of such events are hard to post, otherwise my lengthy posts would be more boring than they are already