ComplaintsforSchmidt Automotive, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  02/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  i bought a intake june 23,2023 from steve schmidt racing engines for an engine he built for me.He finally shipped the intake out to inductions solutions to have nitrous system installed on intake on August 1 2023.Inductions solutions completed there work in about 3 days and shipped the intake to me after receiving to find it was the wrong intake for my engine.I immediatly contacted steve and told him it was the wrong intake for my engine he then instructed me to send intake back to him and he would get correct intake after numerous messages left for him with his secretary he finally answer the phone around november 1st 2023 and said he had to send to his guy to have nitrous switched to o new intake becuase he didnt want me too have to pay inductions solutions to redo his mistake as of feb 19,2024 i still dont have my intake back.At this point he can send me my intake back completed or send me the nitrous system off the intake that inductions solutions installed and refund me for the ****** dollars he charged my credit card for intake or he can keep it all and refund me ****** for intake and the ******* for the work inductions soutions performed on the intake.Thanks ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Steve Schmidt racing has promised several times to me and also told me that my already paid for parts have been delivered. I pre paid him $25000.00. he has lied to me so many times I can't even count. I believe my paid for parts have been in his shop but from what I gather he just doesn't care about shipping them

• Initial Complaint

  07/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I took my 2006 ****** wrx in for service, they called a few weeks later and explained that the amount of work entailed to fix the engine would be more logical to rebuild the WHOLE engine. I agreed and paid HALF of the **** up front. THey told me it would be 6-8 weeks to finish. After being lied to many times about the car getting finished I began calling weekly, I would always be told it will be done on X date. the day comes and cars have Never been done, I call to leave messages and NO EVER CALLS back, then I the office gals got tired to dealing w/ me so they sent me direct to the owner Steve Schmidt of Steve Schmidt Racing/competition engines. I have left him 4 messages over a month's time- NO CALLS BACK! shop stole my money and now won't fix my car or even return my calls. I dont know what to do, they have caused me thousands and thousands of dollars between cost of insurance on a car for over a year, plates, registration, and this was our backup car. My wife totaled our only car and now we have NO car!! so now we have to rent or buy a another car all because of Schmidt auto. this is criminal actions keeping ,my car hostage. PLEASE HELP

• Initial Complaint

  01/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On June 19th of 2021 my ********** Passat was towed to Schmidt Automotive to get the engine rebuilt. They agreed to work with me and allow me to pay in increments. The total was about $4800, they wouldnt start on it until I paid half. In July I had paid half and they told me they would begin working on my car and it would be ready end of August early September (2 months). I was not given an exact date but when I called end of August they said it wouldnt be ready for another month. I then decided to pay the remaining amount of the money in hopes it would speed along the process. I was never given a receipt or anything I just have the transactions on my bank out. In October when I checked in again they said it wouldnt be ready for a couple more weeks. Then Thanksgiving hit and they claimed they ordered the wrong size part. It is now January 2022 and I still do not have my car. They have been very difficult to work with, they have been dishonest and when I call them and try to figure out whats going on they do not fill me in. When my dad has talked to them they have told him one thing and then told me something totally different. I have not had a car for almost 8 months and it has interfered with my job NUMEROUS times making it difficult to work and make money. On their Yelp they have reviews within the last 8 months saying they did a speedy and amazing job, yet for some reason I have not received speedy and amazing work.

  Business response

  01/14/2022

  -Good morning  Kaysey,  This letter is in response to ********************** complaint received on 01/13/2022. Ms. ******** Volkswagon Passat was dropped at our facility on July 21, 2021 for catestrophic engine failure repair/replacement. I personally phoned ****************** with an approximate estimate to rebuild the vehicle's engine and make run againon the first of July, 2021. The vehicle was not runnable/driveable upon arrival to our location. ****************** expressed her inability to make a full deposit for parts and initial extraction of said engine. Agaist policy we empathized with her situation and allowed her to make partial payments toward her required deposit. ****************** made 4 partial deposit payment over the course of the month of July. On July 22,2021 i allowed Ms ******** VW Passat to be placed back into the technicians rotation to extract the engine. At that time ****************** was advised that it may be several weeks before the vehicle was in turn to be pushed back into a bay for said extraction. She was advised from day one that we work in rotation and no one customer is of more importance than another. Because she was unable to afford her in full, the vehicle would be placed outside until the deposit was paid  and that she would then be placed back into rotation. ****************** is not correct in the statement that she has paid her repair in full and is aware that is not an accurate statement.  At no time has ****************** been given a formal date of completion. 

  No less than 3 different persons have called repeatedly over the course of the repair including a friend of ****************** claiming to be a family member, verbally attacking an employee and placing demands of explanation for delays. Which is completely against our customer privacy policy.

  It is Possible that ****************** has not completely grasped the severity of National parts crisis and employee shortage all as a direct result of the pandemic although i have explained it to her time and again. Certain parts are on nationwide back order and other components have become obsolete over the course of this pandemic. All, at no fault of our facility. We are operating weekly with 2 to 5 employees each week off work due to illness, family illness and/or quarentine.

  Again, a direct result of the pandemic and of no fault of our own. 

  ********************** build is 99% complete. The engine then goes into rotation for install into the vehicle

  I am not able to project a specific completion date and would not attempt to do so because the vehicle was not runnable at the time of it's arrival we have no way of knowing if there are further drivability issues until the engine is in and test driven. What i can say is that i would hope n

  barring any further part crisis the entire job should be complete in the next 15 business days. 

  Sincerely, 

  *************************/Office Manager

   

  Customer response

  01/18/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  [Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  I would like to thank Schmidt Automotive for their reply, but would like to correct a few inaccuracies. If the manager's account were true and she had been reaching out to me to discuss delays, we wouldn't feel right now that we're getting the same run around. 
  
  First, the car was dropped off on June 19, so it has been at the shop for almost 7 months. Secondly I was told that I could pay in increments and work would start when half was paid, which was paid by July. The last payment was made by November. My father has called a number of times to speak with the manager about the car, but doesn't receive return calls and is told only the manager can help him. Last week I spoke with an employee and he told me the car would be ready by the end of this week. Now we receive word through the BBB that it will be 15 business days. We have been told repeatedly, "It will be ready next month, week, weeks." Yet we've paid and it's still not ready. You can understand my concern that there appears to be no end in sight. During this time, I have lost wages as I cannot get to work, so coupled with the amount of repairing the car and the amount of money I have lost in wages, I am out almost double the price of the repair. This has also jeopardized my ability to continue to attend college and put a financial hardship on my family who has had to provide extra support. 
  
  
  I apologize that someone's feelings were hurt, but after several phone calls and you being demeaning to me, I felt I needed someone to help me. 
  
  
  I understand that there are delays and difficulties finding employees. However, more than enough time has lapsed for my car to be repaired. At this point, Schmidt is taking advantage of my father's goodwill and my youth to collect money without doing the work. 

  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩