Dear Harry: Last winter, we bought an existing home from the estate of a woman who had just died. As part of the buying ritual, we had the home inspected for termites. The company was hired by the broker for the executor, and they gave us a guarantee of no termites or evidence of termite damage. At the beginning of the summer, we saw what we thought were flying ants. We used a regular bug spray, and they went away. Recently, my husband saw them again, but in huge numbers. We called the same company that did the termite inspections, and they concluded that these vermin were termites. They also said that they were "new to the home" and therefore not covered by the guarantee. The inspector said that there would have been far more damage than he was able to observe if the termites had been there for as long as six months. We called another company, and they showed us some pretty substantial damage to joists in the basement. This much damage would take a lot longer than a year. We brought this information back to the original inspectors, and they insisted that they were right. We had the house treated and repaired at a cost of $11,000, because we were told not to wait for the dispute to be settled. Our insurance broker said we're not covered by our homeowner's policy. Do you think we have a case if we go after the original inspectors?

What Harry says: Before you take that step, do get another report from a reputable company. If they agree with the new inspector, I think you have a good shot at recovering your $11,000. Unfortunately, no rigid training is required for termite inspectors.

Write Harry Gross c/o the Daily News, 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19130. Harry urges all his readers to give blood: Contact the American Red Cross at 800-GIVE LIFE.