Schmidt's and Serafine's Inc.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
The events of July 2015, which constitute about 50% of Mr. S[redacted]’s response, are not relevant to the issue raised in my complaint.  I have purchased four pieces of power equipment from Schmidt’s and have done business with them for over 20 years.  They have always been a reputable company, which provided good service.  This includes my dealings with Lee S[redacted] who, prior to the events of October 2015, was forthcoming and helpful in my interactions with him.    Thereafter, communications clearly broke down.  I don’t recall Mr. S[redacted]’s 3-day October 2-4 trip, nor do I see that it has any significance.  My contacts were after it, on October 6, 7 and 15h.  Each day Lee was there, but, reportedly, not able to take my call.  On each date, I left a message and was assured he would return the call.  I thought there would be some type of reply (the chipper cost $2,000 and was used once).  It wouldn’t have mattered who responded, as long as I had known what was going on.  From my perspective, Schmidt’s simply didn’t want to deal with the problem.  The notion that Schmidt’s didn’t schedule quickly enough for my liking is completely inaccurate.  I had no idea they intended to schedule at all.  As far as my transporting the unit to them, I don’t have the ability to do so; they were aware of this as Mr. S[redacted] notes they had previously provided delivery.  It was only after my three calls were ignored (and two weeks had passed), that I reluctantly sought recourse with the Revdex.com.  Following my Revdex.com contact, Lee did contact me on October 23 and the essence of what he wrote is correct - I had a mechanic work on the chipper to resolve the issue.  I accept Mr. S[redacted]’s response, not because I am satisfied with the service, but because Lee may not have known the extent of the communications failure and his intentions were apparently good.  At least, I now have an explanation (from his viewpoint) as to why this happened.     
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint ID#:    [redacted]Company Name:    Schmidts & SerafinesCompany Contact Name:    Lee S[redacted]Company Contact Phone:    ###-###-####Company Contact Email:  ...

 [redacted]Consumer's Name:    [redacted]Revdex.com Staff Member (if you know):    [redacted]Complaint Information:    Re: Revdex.com Complaint ID #[redacted], CT [redacted] This letter is in response to the above complaint. Mr. [redacted] purchased a [redacted] Chipper from our [redacted] location on November 24, 2014. In July 2015 we spoke on the phone about an issue he was having with his chipper. We picked up the chipper, at our expense, and did not charge Mr. [redacted] the $45.00 pickup/delivery charge. The unit was brought to our shop. I personally worked on his unit and the following were my findings: "Made sure fuel valve was on, put throttle cable on fast and put choke on, started on second pull. Shut off and started several times. Let unit sit for a few days and started. Started and shut off several times." There was no mechanical defect or warranty claim to submit to [redacted]. I did not charge Mr. [redacted] our minimal bench fee of $35.00 for the work I did. Nor did I charge him the $45.00 pickup and delivery fee. This is a total of $80.00 which I lost on this repair in trying to appease Mr. [redacted]. Please note, [redacted] will not reimburse me for these costs as they do not cover pickup or delivery of units, nor do they cover issues which are not considered warranty. I recall Mr. [redacted] calling in October stating that he was having issues again with the unit. I told him I was going out of state for a few days, October 2nd thru October 4th and I would get back to him and schedule a service call to go to his house and repair any issues. A shop ticket was made on October 7th for Mr. [redacted]. We had not yet scheduled a date and then on October 19th I received your letter of Mr. [redacted]'s complaint. Please note, it is not our normal practice to perform service calls at customer's homes as I may not have the proper tools or parts to repair the unit, however, in this instance I felt is should be a fairly easy repair. I would have liked to resolve this matter with Mr. [redacted], again, at MY expense. After receiving your letter of his complaint, I contacted Mr. [redacted] on October 23rd and was told he "already had the issue taken care of." It's unfortunate that we were unable to schedule a service call quickly enough for Mr. [redacted]'s likings. He also could have transported the unit to us to expedite the matter and it would have been looked at that day. Due to the telephone conversation I had with Mr. [redacted] on the 23rd, I am considering this matter resolved. If you have any questions or anything further is needed, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you, Lee S[redacted], Owner Schmidts & Serafines Sent on:     11/3/2015 10:19:05 AM

Review: On November 20, 2014, I purchased a new [redacted] Chipper from Schmidts. The product was not used until July 2015, at which time it failed to start. I contacted Schmidts on July 22 and the issue appeared to be resolved. I used the chipper one time and, a month later, it would not operate. I called Schmidt's (in early September) and spoke to Lee S[redacted], the owner/manager of the service department. Lee said that they had no problem starting the engine in July. I said I would make another attempt and would be away for several days. Lee said to contact him when I returned should the trouble persist. Though I made repeated efforts, the chipper would not work. I contact Schmidts on October 6, 7, & 15th. On each of these days, Lee was not available and I was assured the call would be returned. 1) The company has not returned my calls, as promised, or attempted to communicate in any way. 2) The product is covered by a three year express warranty, no effort is being made to honor it. 3) There is an implied warranty of merchantability that the item sold will perform an average way for this type of item. This product fails to meet that standard. I have done business with this reputable company for over 20 years and have purchased several power equipment products from them. I cannot understand this poor serviceDesired Settlement: It would be appropriate for the company to respond in a timely way, restore customer trust, honor the warranty and service/repair the chipper as necessary.

Business

Response:

Complaint ID#: [redacted]Company Name: Schmidts & SerafinesCompany Contact Name: Lee S[redacted]Company Contact Phone: ###-###-####Company Contact Email: [redacted]Consumer's Name: [redacted]Revdex.com Staff Member (if you know): [redacted]Complaint Information: Re: Revdex.com Complaint ID #[redacted], CT [redacted] This letter is in response to the above complaint. Mr. [redacted] purchased a [redacted] Chipper from our [redacted] location on November 24, 2014. In July 2015 we spoke on the phone about an issue he was having with his chipper. We picked up the chipper, at our expense, and did not charge Mr. [redacted] the $45.00 pickup/delivery charge. The unit was brought to our shop. I personally worked on his unit and the following were my findings: "Made sure fuel valve was on, put throttle cable on fast and put choke on, started on second pull. Shut off and started several times. Let unit sit for a few days and started. Started and shut off several times." There was no mechanical defect or warranty claim to submit to [redacted]. I did not charge Mr. [redacted] our minimal bench fee of $35.00 for the work I did. Nor did I charge him the $45.00 pickup and delivery fee. This is a total of $80.00 which I lost on this repair in trying to appease Mr. [redacted]. Please note, [redacted] will not reimburse me for these costs as they do not cover pickup or delivery of units, nor do they cover issues which are not considered warranty. I recall Mr. [redacted] calling in October stating that he was having issues again with the unit. I told him I was going out of state for a few days, October 2nd thru October 4th and I would get back to him and schedule a service call to go to his house and repair any issues. A shop ticket was made on October 7th for Mr. [redacted]. We had not yet scheduled a date and then on October 19th I received your letter of Mr. [redacted]'s complaint. Please note, it is not our normal practice to perform service calls at customer's homes as I may not have the proper tools or parts to repair the unit, however, in this instance I felt is should be a fairly easy repair. I would have liked to resolve this matter with Mr. [redacted], again, at MY expense. After receiving your letter of his complaint, I contacted Mr. [redacted] on October 23rd and was told he "already had the issue taken care of." It's unfortunate that we were unable to schedule a service call quickly enough for Mr. [redacted]'s likings. He also could have transported the unit to us to expedite the matter and it would have been looked at that day. Due to the telephone conversation I had with Mr. [redacted] on the 23rd, I am considering this matter resolved. If you have any questions or anything further is needed, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you, Lee S[redacted], Owner Schmidts & Serafines Sent on: 11/3/2015 10:19:05 AM

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

The events of July 2015, which constitute about 50% of Mr. S[redacted]’s response, are not relevant to the issue raised in my complaint. I have purchased four pieces of power equipment from Schmidt’s and have done business with them for over 20 years. They have always been a reputable company, which provided good service. This includes my dealings with Lee S[redacted] who, prior to the events of October 2015, was forthcoming and helpful in my interactions with him. Thereafter, communications clearly broke down. I don’t recall Mr. S[redacted]’s 3-day October 2-4 trip, nor do I see that it has any significance. My contacts were after it, on October 6, 7 and 15h. Each day Lee was there, but, reportedly, not able to take my call. On each date, I left a message and was assured he would return the call. I thought there would be some type of reply (the chipper cost $2,000 and was used once). It wouldn’t have mattered who responded, as long as I had known what was going on. From my perspective, Schmidt’s simply didn’t want to deal with the problem. The notion that Schmidt’s didn’t schedule quickly enough for my liking is completely inaccurate. I had no idea they intended to schedule at all. As far as my transporting the unit to them, I don’t have the ability to do so; they were aware of this as Mr. S[redacted] notes they had previously provided delivery. It was only after my three calls were ignored (and two weeks had passed), that I reluctantly sought recourse with the Revdex.com. Following my Revdex.com contact, Lee did contact me on October 23 and the essence of what he wrote is correct - I had a mechanic work on the chipper to resolve the issue. I accept Mr. S[redacted]’s response, not because I am satisfied with the service, but because Lee may not have known the extent of the communications failure and his intentions were apparently good. At least, I now have an explanation (from his viewpoint) as to why this happened.

Sincerely,