Submitted by a Ripped Off Homeowner
Dear Moe,
My advice to all who read this would be to beware of anyone claiming that they can do better then you at negotiating with your lender. I paid $3,000 to “Help Modify Now” out of Newport Beach, California last April and am afraid that I have become yet another victim of the ultimate rip off. This company is part of a law firm that specialized in dept consolidation, bankruptcy and other consumer law services. Another name they are using is “Consumer Resource Law Services”.
I was referred to them by someone I trusted and was told that they could negotiate with my lender. They guaranteed me that they would get results or refund my money.
What a joke that turned out to be. For the last 6 months I have been given the run around and like the nice understanding person I am, I have been waiting patiently. That is until on October 3rd, when after not hearing anything for several months, I sent an email asking for an explanation of what was going on. I was told by my worker, Jaci, that the lender was having technical difficulties with the software for the new program she wanted to qualify me for and that she would be trying again in 2 weeks.
I had spoken to Jaci, exactly 3 times in the past 6 months and this was basically the same thing she had told me each and everytime. So I sent her a reply saying that I didn’t pay her company $3000 to get the run around and that I wanted someone to call me. Her response was that my lenders inability to follow through on what they tell her has kept her from moving forward with the modification and that I should call my lender to see if there were any updates. (Isn’t that what I was paying her to do?)
I sent another email telling her I needed a phone call and that I needed results or I needed my money back. Guess what, that was the last I ever heard from her again. I have tried repeatedly to reach someone at that office. I have left messages on the general mailbox, the customer service mailbox, Jaci’s mailbox and no calls have been received by me from anyone. And that person I trusted who referred me to this company, well he and all his contacts have left the company.
What does that tell you? Yeah, well it looks certain that I’ll be saying bye bye to that $3,000 bucks. But there are other ways to skin a cat. Complaints to the State Bar Association and the Federal Trade Commission are but a few.
So now that I have fired “Help Modify Now”, I did call my lender and after just one phone call I am way ahead of where I was and am being qualified for one of their programs.
My advice to everyone, don’t pay for loan modification until you have first tried every recourse with your lender. Even legitimate modification companies have a full work load and will put you at the bottom of the pile.
If you do it yourself it might take some work and a try, try again attitide, but it will save you from falling victim to one of the many vultures who prey on the down on their luck homeowner.
Submitted to LoanWorkout.org by Ripped Off Homeowner
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I no longer work for Help Modify Now / Consumer Resource Law Center becasue of their unethical behavior. I take my job very seriosuly and I do my very best to help everyone of my clients. I now work for an attorney where I can actually help people. I apologize for your bad experience but your anger and frustrations should be directed at the company.
How can the clients anger and frustrations be directed at the company because no one calls you back or like yourself no longer works for Help Modify Now. Which are trying to call and email but NO LUCK but they have 2,085.00 of our money and said they are working with National City but Guess what we are going to lose our home because of HELP MODIFY NOW AND WE HAVE READ EVERY BLOG ON THEM AND ITS SOUNDING AND LOOKING LIKE THE BIGGEST SCAM ARTIST .So far we had 7 caseworkers and out of 7 only 1 is still there and she hasn’t call back and they keep needing this and that but still no help and but they got all of you bankstatements and financial and social security no# . I WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN AND I HAD TO BORROW MONEY TO SENT TO MODIFY NOW AFTER THEY PROMISE TO HELP AND THEY CAME OUT SAYING THEY ONLY HELP THE REALLY ONES IN BAD TIMES AND NEED THE HELP THEY PICK THE CASES ON CASES BY CASES NOT EVERYONE THEY WILL HELP. CAN THEY REFUND THE 2,085.00 THEY HAVE OF OUR THAT THEY DIDN’T DO ANYTHING
NEVER GO TO HELP MODIFY NOW PLEASE THEY JUST TAKE YOU MONEY AND NOT WORK WITH YOU LENDER AT ALL AND YOU WILL LOSE YOU HOME. NOBODY CALLS YOU BACK AND LIKE SO FAR 6 OUT 7 IS NO LONGER WORKING THERE.
just like some many others i find myself also wondering how i could have been so stupid ! i send intellichoice 5469 kearny villa rd ste.302 san diego ca my 3.000 $$$ lost March today 8 months later with very little communication during those months i have been tryin to call the # 858 541 7616 to speak with Noey my assign representative all i am getting is a busy signal ??? whats up have they all died there ??
ac, make a phone call to the Detective below, they are hot on Help Modify’s trail as we speak.
Detective Watts 949-644-3799
Dena,
Make a phone call to a Detective in that local area and give your info, they will help.
OK me too… but I have 3 other acquaintances that actually got a loan workout through them… I’ve been trying to reach someone this week and maybe that’s the problem — they are all gone… no response by phone or email
it seams even our own citezens are taking advantag of the helpless this is an american companey set up to take advantage of helpless americans with nowhere to go. right know i am not a proud american. Shame on the american legal system and help modify know owners theres got to be a way to make them pay for this one way or another and make it so no other companey dose this sort of thing ever again.
yea they got me too….. $3000 I say we deport his ass
After trying to get a modification with our servicer, Bank of America, I looked into refinancing. Bank of America told me flat out that they do not do modifications. Refinancing would have cost a bundle and the value of our house was dropping so much it didn’t make sense. I saw the commercials for Help Modify Now. I called and got information. I waited three months, debating about giving a company $2,495 for a service that by everything I read I should be able to get from my mortgage servicer for free. Finally I decided to pay them. By this time it was Sept. 17. I know now they were shut down in early October. My contact person was Vic. You know I genuinely grew to like him. In those three months he and I talked quite a bit. I did a bit of research and apparently they were successful in getting over 100,000 loans modified. When the laws changed in October it took away their ability to do that kind of business. Employees either left or were let go and that is when Larry’s dishonesty began surfacing. The bottom was dropping and he wasn’t forthright in dealing with those who were left hanging. This has been an incredibly difficult year but I would still like to think that the individuals I dealt with had some sincerity. You can call me naive but I need to believe in people. I feel bad for me and for others who are in bad shape and out this money on top of it all. I really didn’t see this coming. We are in NJ but I looked up the police dept. in Newport Beach and filed my complaint with Det. Watts. It is important to do that.
i lost $3500.00 on Aug 08 and till date got no modification done. now my bank is doing a short sale on my property. i literally cry everytime i think about what Larry Gunter and his Company did to me.
WOW!
I employed HMN in Nov,2008 with their gauranteed modification or you get your money back.I researched and trusted the News blogs. $3495.00 and over a year later I not only wasted a year of my life, money, sent all of my personal info to a criminal but I too am facing foreclosure. I had a friendly negotiator that seemed to be working very hard on my acct., only to disappear from any of my communications. Prior to this I confirmed that I was in modification with my bank, then due do my negotiator not responding to my lender, I was dropped. I now am in foreclosure and about to loose our first home. I called Det. Watts and left a message, I hope that someone does something! Please!!!!