Complaint Review: American Engine Installations

American Engine Installations (AEI) went out of business October 31, 2008 being unable to survive the economic downturn. AEI has always made its best efforts to provide quality products and services to its customers in a timely manner. Sometimes this was not possible due to supplier issues (AEI utilized over a dozen engine suppliers,) shipping issues, staffing problems, unpredictable workflow, parts availability, or unrealistic customer expectations. With all that said, AEI was not perfect and had its challenges. The engine replacement market is probably the most difficult to insure customer satisfaction within the automotive industry. With there being so many unknowns and variables most general repair shops avoid this line of work. Still, the vast majority of the company's clients were pleased and satisfied with the products and services provided by AEI.

Ripoffreport.com reports as of May 12th, 2009, of nineteen complaints, 3 are duplicates; leaving 16 complaints over a 6-year period, five of those were filed after the company went out of business; or to put it another way, less than three complaints per year. In truth, there were many additional complaints filed with various city BBB's, and with various State Attorney General offices; although, many of these represent the same complaint filed with both agencies.

In total, during the reporting period there may have been about 350 complaints of one kind or another. AEI operated about 45 shops, mostly franchises and about 15 owned by the company. It must also be remembered that not all customer complaints are reasonable, realistic or accurate and that it is not possible to satisfy every issue to everyone's liking. AEI sold or installed about 7,000 engines per year, and during the reporting period about 42,000 engines were sold or installed. Resulting in a complaint percentage of less than 1%; not an unreasonable percentage given the industry and scope of work. Reported complaints were addressed by the company, and a reasonable effort was made to resolve the issue at hand.

Both the Colorado and Texas Attorney General's offices have taken action against AEI. Both cases have been settled; AEI was not convicted of anything and admitted to no wrongdoing. AEI had been a member of the BBB for about ten years, and had always been in good standing (to be so, a company must be reasonable in addressing customer complaints and/or issues.) AEI was dropped by the BBB pending the Attorney General's actions, which were not resolved, before AEI terminated operations.

All AEI warranties have become void as a result of AEI's bankruptcy and closure. A proposal had been made to the Texas Attorney General for the continued support of AEI warranties for the balance of their outstanding terms. This proposal was denied by the Attorney General's office, leaving AEI customers with worthless warranty paperwork. As part of AEI's settlement with the Texas Attorney General, a penalty was paid to the state. These funds were to be made available to AEI customers presenting valid claims against the company. Should you have a claim, some restitution may be available to you through the Texas Attorney General's Dallas office.