I'd give a negative 10, as the other reviewer also stated. Patrick and his team have no sense of organization or timing. Worst of all, when I scoped the work and he took my money up front, I never heard from him again, unless I reached out to him. He had ample time to accomplish the task he was hired to do, but made excuse after excuse. There is no documenting of any work and when I asked for a synopsis of the work completed it was met with deflection and the comment that I was "blaming" him. I have owned businesses for over twenty years and have never been treated with such a lack of professionalism. Don't hire this company! RUN!!!!! His PI license should be revoked. read more

I found Patrick with Western Investigations to be professional, timely and the company gave me realistic expectations. I highly recommend this private investigations firm. I called on Western Investigations to do a Locate and Background Investigation on a former business partner of mine who I hadn't had contact with for almost 20 years. Patrick was able to find him and also provide me with important information about the guy which helped me tremendously. read more

I have used Patrick with Western Investigations for over 10 years. As a worker's comp claims examiner, I can only use the best surveillance investigators for my claims. I highly recommend Western Investigations. They are experienced and professional and go above and beyond to get the results I need. read more

I did not at all have the same experience with Patrick Schneemann that the other reviewers had. Patrick is engaging during the initial call, gathering the required info to ensure he can help, and seems to genuinely want to help. I hired Patrick to find a friend that I had lost contact with - for over 7 years. A lot of the information I had was outdated but Patrick felt it was still helpful. I thought the price was very reasonable and Patrick provided a timeline of about 3 business days in order to get preliminary information. Patrick met the deadline and provided a very detailed report including a recent phone number. I was able to contact my lost friend and catch up. I was concerned that the efforts would prove fruitless as my friend had a very common name and I didn't have a ton of unique information but it all worked out. Patrick did a great job and replied to my inquiries very quickly (even if just to say he would be in touch the next day). Communication is key, and Patrick met that obligation. Thank you, Patrick! read more

Terrible! Terrible!! Stay away!!! They will take your money and will not provide any services. I paid for their service and they did not provide it. When I called to ask for refund, the owner Patrick Schneeman hang up the phone on me. I tried to call many times after and he keeps ignoring my phone calls and emails. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY! read more

Western Investigations - Private Investigation Near Me - San Diego, California

Patrick and his connections literally saved my life. Long story short I haphazardly left my work laptop in a Cabo airport security bin coming back from Mexico and didn't realize it until I landed back home in the US at 10 p.m. that same night. I was freaking out, called every number at the airport to no avail, tried the US Embassy for help and called a few concierge services. NO ONE COULD HELP ME. I was considering flying back the next day (that's how desperate I was) when I found Patrick online and decided to give him a call. He answered my frantic calls and texts at 11 p.m. By the next morning, he'd put me in touch with a trusted contact of his in Cabo who drove to the airport to retrieve the laptop for me. She mailed it back to me and I had my laptop back within a few days. My work laptop is my life and livelihood. If I had lost it, I would have been totally screwed. Could not be more grateful to Patrick for his speedy response and for being just so nice and helpful. Thank you, Patrick!!! read more

I hired this man to help me get rid of a stalker, but with his endless calls and texts, he made me feel like I had gone to yet another stalker for help. Very unprofessional, and despite me not having signed any kind of contract, he threatened and pressured me into paying him even after I said I did not want to work with him anymore. I told him to send me whatever information he had collected on my stalker since I was paying him, and it has been almost a week since I paid him but I've received no emails/texts/ any kind of information. Patrick Schneemann tries to play the nice, helpful and concerned citizen card by initially being extremely helpful and seeming thorough, even showing you pictures of his family (I guess to make himself seem more relatable). Don't be fooled! Definitely take your business elsewhere. Also, future reviewers, make sure to type in his full name at least once in your review so your review shows up in a google search of his name! We need to warn others who are trying to look for help so they can avoid being conned like we were. I have also reported his business as a scam to the better business bureau, I urge others to do so as well! read more

I'd give me a negative 10 if that was an option. Just like everyone else said, I contacted Patrick and he agreed to serve a subpoena in San Diego. I NEVER heard from him again, despite my many phone calls and emails asking for an update. Not a single word from him. This guy should not have a PI license. read more

I had the same experience, unfortunately, that all of you had. He sounded great on the phone. When I emailed him to let him know I wanted him to proceed, he immediately requested payment via Venmo. I did it, stupidly, paying him $300. Within ten minutes, I had found these Yelp reviews and also looked up his license on the BSIS website and saw that it was expired. He denied that it was expired and blamed a payment mixup. I contacted the BSIS twice, and both times was told he is not currently in good standing, and that he should NOT be practicing as long as their site shows him as expired. Because of Venmo's policies, I am out $300. Not even my bank can help me. I am going to pursue legal action against Patrick. If you're interested, or you have any information to offer, please contact me at westerninvestigationsfraud@gmail.com. read more

I retained the services of Western Investigations in order to determine or prove co-habitation of my ex-wife and her current boyfriend. Although they were unable to do so, this review has to do with their responsiveness and general customer service, not the final result. During the intake process, Patrick at Western Investigations was very energetic, open, and expressed enthusiasm for the job. I provided him with as many details as I could - current address for my ex-wife, phone numbers, work information, etc. as well as various pictures of her with her new boyfriend. I was told that I would receive regular and frequent updates as to the status of the investigation. I received an invoice (very promptly, I might add) prior to the work commencing, which I paid. I was also promised the work would be completed by July 25th, as I had a court appointment the following week and my attorney would need time to review the findings and determine if it could be used. During the coming days and weeks I made multiple phone calls and sent multiple emails requesting updates. When I received questions, I replied to them immediately only to learn that the emails were not reviewed or were full on ignored. From all of my requests for updates (totaling around 12- including phone and email), I received three, however one was an error as it referenced a case different than mine. Not only did they bring up my hopes and tell me that they found a number of things related to my case, but it had turned out to be false and inflated. In addition, I did not receive my final report until late July 31st, a week after promised, even after repeated calls and emails requesting the report. Given how late I received it, I could not have used it even if it had been successful, as my court appearance was the following business day. One of the things that Patrick stated was that I had not provided them with an accurate address for my ex-wife and that they were unable to prove anything because of my inaccurate records. This is an excuse on their end to provide the end customer with nothing, and then turn around and blame the customer. Post Script- All of the information I provided to the private investigator was accurate and did not change throughout the course of the "investigation," nor has changed since. I would not recommend this company's services based simply on their lack of organization, unresponsiveness, and meager customer service. They are unprofessional, and while Patrick initially seemed very charismatic and eager for the business, once they got their $1,000 to do 10 hours of work, they fell off the map. I asked for a breakdown of how the hours were spent and that was hastily put together in the 11th hour. Again, I would like to reiterate that this review is based on the lack of communication entirely or the miscommunication that ensued. When I was able to get Patrick on the phone, he was continuously "in the field" and therefore unable to respond. He habitually promised that the would get me an update, and did not follow through on his empty promises. Do not use this service, as it is a waste of money and will only service you with aggravation and ineptitude. Another one of the reviews referred to Patrick as a used car salesman. There is nothing more accurate that I can use to express my feelings toward Patrick than to describe him so aptly, as the used car salesman that he is. read more

I hired Patrick to help me with a personal matter. I was suspecting that my girlfriend was unfaithful and living a dual life by secretly working as a stripper. We met and discussed my case, which seemed pretty stright forward. After a detailed discussion and formulation of a plan, Patrick agreed to take on my case and move forward. He assigned the work to an assistant who would investigte her activites and bring proof. After paying for the services, the assistant never completed the task. I never received the infomation I paid for or needed. This was a bad half-ass job. To get answers, I had to do it myself. I think that a professional like Patrick should know and clarify to the client the scope of his business and if he is not able to complete the contract then he should be honesty and upfront. Basically I feel I was taken advantage of and paid for nothing. read more

My experience with Patrick Schneemann is just like the other comments here. He was super nice at first and said he could help us. He wanted the money asap to get started, but after that, he wouldn't respond to calls to texts and when I did get a hold of him he would say there was technical issues with his surveillance equipment, or his daughter didn't do something... He had an excuse for everything. The information I ended up getting from him, I could have got myself on the internet and paid a whole lot less. As far as surveillance... I could have hired a high school kid and got better results. My advice... do not hire this man, you'll be throwing your money away!!! read more

DO NOT HIRE THIS MAN!!! I had the same problem, seemed very legitimate and eager to help. Then all he did was put me off and have lots of excuses and he never did the work. I paid him in advance too! i don't believe he's the real deal, pretty sure he's a con artist. My next call is to the consumer affairs to check his licensing read more

My family has been SCAMMED by this company - Patrick. My family hired him to find a missing person. He talked us is to believing he cared and would do a good investigation. He did say he could not guarantee results ,which is understandable, but he failed to provide guarantee his services. He is very very very very DIFFICULT to contact. He never answers any Voice Mails to his cell phone and office phone. Only once replied to a text message after several texts were sent. He even stated in the text not to "STRESS" he was on the case including his daughter and investigator named Dan. It has now been over two weeks, after several calls and texts; my family has NOTHING from him. Our request to close the case and provide us a report of his investigation findings with copy of his database searched have not been honored. Plan to file complaint with BBB and FTC. RECOMMENDATION: DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. read more

I'm writing this for my boyfriend and myself. Unfortunately my bf did not research well enough before hiring this man. He was sincere when we meet him and told us that he would get the job done ASAP but he has been taking his sweet time and not answering any of our texts, emails and calls. Even when we first meet him, he was late and keep changing the time we were going to meet. I should have know then, to convince my bf to not hire him. We were hopeful that everything was going to be done in a timely fashion and professionally. If you are looking for someone to help you out, this guy is not your man. Highly suggest you look somewhere else. read more

unfortunately.....my experience is EXACTLY the same as every other review here.... he says he is an investigator (which now I seriously doubt....his license in the computer is expired).....he acts like you are his very best friend in the world,,,,he so understands your situation... and really wants to help you.... so i speak with him on a fri about 5p....he is so insistent that i get my paypal money to him that night so i will get my results on the flwg mon....i do exactly that ...but then his "partner" says the money did not go thru...i call paypal - they say everything has gone thru on my end....they have some issue with paypal and their acct is locked....not surprised... finally they get my money after like 3 days - i call, text and email both of these guys.....i get some msgs ...yeh - yeh u will get it tomorrow...each time then no responses at all...i put in a complaint with paypal.....waiting 10 days - paypal says they have ruled in my favor and put my money back in my acct which i immediately take out...only good thing was that he insisted i go through paypal.... unbelievable - initially i was trying to get my money from a crook .....call western investagators and feel like i am being robbed again. it is very difficult to views these reviews...u have to add his business name just right.....otherwise nothing comes up so .....buyer beware....I felt it is my duty to post my terrible experience with western investigators...are there any honorable people any longer is this world!!!!!!? read more

I request a service from Patrick Schneemann he was really nice and gave me his best advice. He seem trustworthy and offer me other services he taught will be best. But I could only afford the service he said it would be $250. He would start the investigation as soon as I paid him, I received his E-mail to pay him through PayPal. I immediately send him the payment. Waited a couple of days but never got an update, I started asking for an update and he always said he would get back to me later. I didn't get the job done and after 1 week ask him for a refund. Until now he as not anwer me and hasn't given me my money back. I made a research after this on him and he has done the same thing to other people. What a shame. read more

This firm is incredibly slow and unresponsive to queries. Even when they did perform, it was after numerous phone calls and numerous emails inquiring about when my work would be performed. Despite my indication of the urgency in certain matters, they were generally unresponsive. I will never use them again. read more

Can I give a negative star? Took my money and did nothing. Please dont use him! Strings you along and does nothing. Im stage 4 cancer and wanted help with restraining order. He did nothing. What a creep! Took my money and ran. Evil! Stay away! read more

Unfortunately my husband and I have the same story as everyone else who has left a review here. We had hired Western Investigations (Patrick Schneeman) to do an investigation of a subcontractor who had filed a fraudulent workman's comp claim against our business. Upon initial contact with Patrick, he seemed trustworthy and concerned claiming that he has worked with State Fund many times in fraudulent workman's comp cases and would be starting on our case right away. Although the outcome of the case was not guaranteed, in the event that Patrick found evidence against the subcontractor, he stated he would provide pictures, video, and a formal written report of his findings. Immediately after writing a check to him we had an extremely difficult time contacting him. When we were able to get a hold of him, he would usually tell us that he was, "out of town" or "working on another case." Eventually he put Dan Quidang, one of his investigators, on our case who was somewhat easier to get a hold of but still did not perform as contracted. We ended up taking matters into our own hands to obtain evidence for our case because Patrick and Dan were so unreliable. Sadly, we gave these two crooks a total of $5000 dollars with absolutely NOTHING in return. No pictures, no video, no formal written report, no contact. In an effort to prevent some other crook from defrauding us and our business, we hired Western Investigations believing that professional help would get us what we needed to close our case but, we ended up being defrauded by Patrick Schneeman and Dan Quidang instead. They are nothing more than internet scam artist who have no intention of providing any type of service but ONLY have the intention of stealing your money. Anyone reading this who is considering hiring this company do your research. If you go to dca.ca.gov you can search his license number (18932) and you will find that his license expired on 6/30/16 and prior to it becoming expired, he had been operating with a delinquent license for almost a year before. Furthermore, if you do your research on his accomplice Danielo E. Quidang you will find his mugshot along with information of his 2 year prison sentence for theft, possession of property, and possession of contraband. DO NOT HIRE THEM, THEY ARE FRAUDSTERS. read more

Put in a request for a DMV registry check about a week ago and still have not heard back. Have called and emailed SEVERAL times and have not gotten any response yet other than that the owner doesn't know if the person he assigned it to has started on it yet. Spoke to Ivan, someone who works there, and he was very unprofessional. Don't waste your time with this. read more

This Company is very unprofessional, incredibly slow and unresponsive to queries. After calling to obtain updates on status. it was like pulling teeth. Patrick is very smooth and a typical car salesman. I' am not complaining on the results. I understand this is not guarantee but profession is what I' am looking for. I ask Patrick for is final professional opinion of what he thought on the situation four months ago. Guess what? I' am still waiting. What never recommend this company. read more

My 2 year old beautiful daughter was taken by the non custodial estranged parent on Sept 4th 2017. My family immediately hired western investigations to track my ex and locate my beautiful baby girl.We paid $1,500! Patrick and Dan are nothing more than con artists! Every single time I have called either number to speak with either Patrick or Dan it is the same person. For 16 days I have tried to call them, get updates, hoping they have something, anything about where my baby girl is. They respond via text saying I can't talk now I am in a meeting or I am out of town and I will call you soon. In 16 days they have done nothing but lie to me and fail my missing daughter. Its been so long since she was taken that my ex and her are long gone and I will probably never see her again. When confronted, Patrick or Dan or whoever it is sent me pictures of his children, saying he is a family man and his heart breaks for my daughter, again promises he is honest and real and that he will find her. He is nothing more than a liar and a thief. If I had the money I would have hired another private investigator for my daughter but sadly I am broke after paying this crook. I know there are bad people in the world but someone who risks the life of a 2 year old princess is beyond sick. He is a child abuser also in the means that he did nothing as to his promise to help protect my beautiful baby girl but instead lied and failed to help find her. My heart is truly broken :(. read more