Amerio Law Firm P.C.

I am rejecting this response because:I never told them I wished to cancel the servicesI called and asked for a refund and I was told there was nothing to be refundedHow is this the case if I never got a bankruptcy? Please generate a bill

Consumer states that the business has contacted her directly and an agreement was reachedConsumer states business went ahead and issued most of the refund requested and consumer is satisfied

Mr*** hired the Firm to represent him for Violation
of Probation, as result of blowing trace amounts of alcohol into a breathalyzer
after being pulled over. The fees
charged is the standard fee we charge for this particular type of case. The machine showed a nominal
BAC. He was not charged with DUI, as the officer
did not feel he was intoxicated, but terms of probation do not allow any trace
of alcohol Therefore, the officer cited
him for Violation of Probation. If
violated by the District Attorney’s office, the consequences would have been
severe, including jail time for up to one yearThe Firm accomplished what we
were hired to do, by handling the Violation of Probation to its conclusion
wherein ultimately the District Attorney’s office did not violate Mr***
for having alcohol in his system while driving a vehicle.
We were not hired to represent Mr*** in his DMV
hearing, but I handled it anyway as a courtesy to the client. The DMV Hearing was conducted by an attorney
at the Amerio Law Firm. After DMV
Hearings, the department mails its decision to the driver and copies the
attorneys office. Therefore, usually the
driver receives the decision before the attorney. Thus far, this office has not received any
such notification of the decision in the case.
Upon inquiry, we have been informed that the case is still pending a
decision.
Staff from Amerio Law left messages for Mr*** to call
us to discuss the outcome of his case since the DMV hearing. Each time, our message was returned by Mrs
***. Therefore, it came as a
surprise that Mrs*** left a Yelp review. At that point, I called the client again to
let him know that no charges would be filed, and that I still did not have
results from the DMV hearingA member of our staff communicated with Mrs***
on at least two occasions, but was not able to discuss details of Mr
***’s case with her, due to confidentiality owed to our client regarding
details of his case. Further, this
office was not given permission to discuss all aspects of the case with Mrs
***. Additionally, it seemed there
was a disconnect between Mrand Mrs*** wherein they were not
communicating about all communication with this office. We welcome any and all inquiries from Mr
***, the client in this case, to explain any aspect of the case. The entire matter was handled as agreed to in
the contract with additional representation added at no additional charge

The release form is not legible Please provide a legible release form so we may provide you with the requested billing details and Legal Services Agreement. Thank you

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me

The detailed invoice with a description of services rendered was printed earlier this week and was mailed on Wednesday 7/15/to the address provided on Bedford Avein Fair Oaks, CA.Client should receive by Monday 7/20/15, at the latest

Attached are documents showing the fees quoted and actual Fees paid by client.Response:We appreciate the Revdex.com reaching out to help solve this problem The spirit/intention of the Revdex.com is to help solve fee disputes after a client has unsuccessfully attempted to receive a refund directly from the
business However, in this case, this is the first time we are hearing of such request for a refund, and have not had the opportunity to resolve the issue directly with the client.This client retained the Law Firm for a Chapter Bankruptcy June 14, 2012. At the time she retained, she was single (un-married) and qualified for Chapter Bankruptcy. Per the signed Legal Services Agreement, the client was on a payment plan and paid a total of $+ $over the course of the next few months Our office then called the client times between March 15th, and July 8th, 2013, because her case was fully prepared and ready to be signed and filed. On July 10, 2013, the client informed us that had had recently married, which changed the dynamics of a Chapter Bankruptcy case Despite additional work involved, our office agreed to file their case jointly for them, since they still qualified for Chapter Bankruptcy together as a couple At that time, the clients wanted to hold off until August or September of to file On January 13th, 2014, client cancelled services because her spouse no longer wished to file bankruptcy We have not been contacted by clients since that timeThe client was never told she did not qualify for Bankruptcy This case has now gone on for well over years. Standard procedure if a client asks for a refund would be for a billing to be completed for services rendered. If any money is due to the client, a refund is issued. However, the client has never asked for a refund to date Upon request, we are more than happy to generate a billing in this matter

Please ask Mr*** to sign a release with permission to discuss his case, and I will respond to his complaint Thank you

Company states: We will generate a bill and the consumer should receive it within a week

The client has been in direct communication with us simultaneous to reaching out to the Revdex.com for help.  After reviewing her detailed billing, as requested, she called our office with questions, and the matter was resolved.

I am rejecting this response because:I never told them I wished to cancel the services. I called and asked for a refund and I was told there was nothing to be refunded. How is this the case if I never got a bankruptcy? Please generate a bill.

Requested documents are attached.Please be sure to redact any and all personal info, including credit card number if this will be published.Our response to her complaint:In response to Ms. [redacted] concerns… unfortunately, collection of documentation (and sometimes what may appear to be excessive documentation submission) is a necessary part of bankruptcy.  All of the documents we collect are required by the Bankruptcy Court.  Regarding the doctor note submitted by Ms. [redacted], the first two notes mentioned nothing specific regarding her panic attacks, and the United States Trustee’s Office would not have considered excusing her from an appearance without such specific documentation.  The third letter submitted was more specific, and although highly likely would work based on our experience, we cannot guarantee that an excuse would be granted.   Ms. [redacted] was not willing to proceed without a guarantee.  Regarding mention of her future husband, at the time of her initial evaluation, no mention of a fiancée was made.  Once we were informed of her intentions be married, she was made aware that he would NOT have to be included in her bankruptcy… and that he would NOT be affected by it. At this point, the work on Mrs. [redacted] case has been completed, and we have done everything possible to address her concerns.  All that remains to be done is to file her case with the Court, and for us to appear at a hearing (likely telephonic) with Ms. [redacted].  However, without a guarantee that her Doctor’s note will be accepted, she will not allow us to file her case.  Although we have called the Trustee’s office several times to get pre-approval for her to appear telephonically, it is their policy to not approve a doctor’s note until after a case has been filed.   When she was told that we could not guarantee a telephonic appearance for her, Ms. [redacted] called back and confirmed with us she wanted to cancel.  She also mentioned the reason for her request to cancel services at this point is because she feels as if she does not have enough debt to file bankruptcy. As per the attached signed Fee Agreement, Ms. [redacted] paid $1595 for attorney fees, $49 for her credit report, and $335 for her Filing Fee,   for a grand total of $1979.  She has already been refunded $335, so the amount paid not yet refunded is $1595 + $49 ($1644).  Since her credit report has already been run by the Firm, the amount still in question is $1595.00. We respect Ms. [redacted] decision to cancel services.  However, considering her case has been fully prepared and is ready to file, a full refund is not a realistic expectation.   It is not realistic to ask us to complete a job, which has been completed, then ask for a full refund once the work has been done.   A billing of services rendered has been issued and e-mailed to Ms. [redacted]  per her request.  Upon review of the billing details, we have encouraged her to call us to discuss any of the individual charges with which she disagrees.Thanks

A settlement has been reached between both parties that is satisfactory to both parties involved.
 
Thank you very much for your help.

Hi [redacted],My case was closed, but I was waiting for the bill from Amerio before I accepted or denied their response. I NEVER recieved ANYTHING from them! Please advise me on what to doThank you

We are awaiting a signed disclosure, which will allow us to respond with case details.

This case is highly sensitive and we must have Ms. [redacted]s signed disclosure in order to respond.Can you please have her sign one, then let me know?Thank you.

Ms. [redacted] has been a client since May 3, 2012.   Initially, she retained the firm to file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, as the first attached fee agreement reflects.  After 4 years of representation and switching courses (as her case did),  it is inevitable that a client will deal...

with several different employees.  I assure you, her information does not “float around” our office as she claims.  Rather, it has remained confidential in her file, as well as in our internal database.  For various reasons, Ms. [redacted] was not able to pay her Chapter 7 fees, as agreed.  As of April 28, 2015, Ms. [redacted] had paid $1300 of the $1995 she had contracted to pay for her Chapter 7 bankruptcy services.  At that point, it was determined that she was no longer eligible for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, because her income had increased beyond the qualifying amount.  Therefore, the client wished to change courses and prepare to file for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy instead.  The fees for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy are $4000.  I agreed to credit the full $1300 she paid towards the Chapter 7 legal fees to her Chapter 13 bankruptcy.   Ms. [redacted] paid the balance of her fees in full in December of 2015.  On March 8, 2016, Ms. [redacted] met a legal assistant to review her paperwork.  It was determined she was missing some required information, so she agreed to submit those documents at a later time.  On May 1, 2016, a paralegal e-mailed the client detailing a list of 10 required items  that were missing and necessary to complete her case.  That same paralegal then spoke Ms. [redacted] and she confirmed that client would be dropping off remaining documents the following day, which she did.  Our attorney then fully prepared the remainder of Ms. [redacted] bankruptcy petition, and her petition review/signing appointment was scheduled for May 13, 2016.  Ms. [redacted] returned to our office for a 2 hour detailed review of her case with an attorney.  Corrections were made to the petition (this is the point of a petition review), and Ms. [redacted] refused to sign the petition, because she viewed the corrections as “mistakes”.  Our supervising attorney had an extensive phone conversation with Ms. [redacted] on May 31, 2016, assuring her that her case was ready to be filed with corrections made from the in-office appointment.  However, the client wanted to have another in office appointment prior to filing case.  This request was honored, and Ms. [redacted] returned to our office for another 1 hour petition review appointment with the original attorney handling her case.  Ms. [redacted] has a misunderstanding of the process.  The whole point of a petition review/signing appointment is to make the make necessary corrections during the meeting so the case can be filed.  Ms. [redacted] felt the petition should have been 100% correct prior to her appointment.   However, this is not feasible in most cases, since the most updated information available must replace outdated information, and that updated information is input by the attorney during the appointment. The next day, after her case had been completely finalized and prepared to file again, Ms. [redacted] called wanting to cancel, and demanded a full refund of her money.  It is true that I called Ms. [redacted] on Friday afternoon to let her know that her case was completely finalized and ready to be filed.  She was unavailable to talk at that point, so I asked her to call me Monday.  Unfortunately, when she called, I was unable to answer the call.  I did return her call at my first opportunity that same day.  I was not giving her the “run-around” or playing a game of “cat and mouse”.  Once we did connect via telephone, she did not let me speak, but rather yelled at me, threatened to take me to court, and write bad reviews if I did not return her money.  I told her that my accounting department would send her a billing, as is our standard procedure for all cancellations.   If any money is due back to the client, she will get a refund.  By the end of that day, she had already written negative reviews on numerous websites, including my own Facebook page… demanding a full refund.  Through the Revdex.com, Ms. [redacted] is requesting a full refund minus the $500 “as stated in my contract”.  However, the Fee Agreement she signed is much more detailed than that.  #3 on page 2 of the attached Fee Agreement she signed on May 3, 2012... as well as the one she signed on April 28, 2015 both explain that $500 is the minimum fee.  She initialed next to #3 both times.  This would cover the administrative costs of the bankruptcy, and her initial evaluation and attorney conversation from 2012, and then again in 2015 when she changed to Chapter 13 bankruptcy.  Additionally, the firm charges $50 per month to maintain a file, and bills for work completed.  Therefore, her billing shows the amount of work completed and the amount of respective fees due to the firm.  Despite the billing, and not inclusive of the 10 + hours of work by my paralegal staff on this case, I am willing to only charge the client the $500 administrative fee plus the 5 + hours of attorney time spent on this case.  I will even waive the $50/month administrative fee. Therefore, her refund would be $1750.  The work on this case has been completed twice.   All that remains is to electronically file the case.   However, at this point, more updates would need to be made prior to filing.  I am happy to send the detailed billing to the client upon request, and also send her partial refund check if she agrees to it.

I am rejecting this response because:I have paid $2,400 to the law office for bankruptcy they have sent me back $334.00 dollars back for filing fee. I am still waiting on $2,100 I canceled because they rejected my...

panic attack notes from Dr. They lied thought the whole year I delt with them. I went to Dr. 3 times for notes because I can not go upstairs Elevator or stairs they told me they could go fro my in the begining but now it's paid in full they cant guarntee anything to me. [redacted]  [redacted]

Review: I hired Amerio Law firm to represent me for a auto accident thinking the driver was insured. Turns out he wasnt, so it was or should have been an open and shut case. Instead they used stall tactics for almost a year. I dealt with more than 3 different attorneys, one of which was fired without my notification. After being told months later my attorney was no longer with the organization I was transferred to Jeff and given the run around for months more. The justification for holding onto my check was they were waiting for insurance to submit their invoice. Insurance/[redacted] submitted the invoice months ago but it wasnt good enough, I had to go to [redacted] myself to present the attorneys I HIRED to calculate and give me my money even though I HIRED THEM. They didnt work for me, they worked for themselves and still took 33 1/2% plus extra fees. I cant believe these folks are still in business practice. I will be moving forward with my actions against this firm for grand theft.Desired Settlement: I want the money owed for work not done. I need $2000 returned to me to settle this issue otherwise I will press forward.

Business

Response:

Please ask Mr. [redacted] to sign a release with permission to discuss his case, and I will respond to his complaint. Thank you.

Review: I should have done more research prior to signing up with them as I have found out so many unsavory details. After paying over $4, 000 I have had to deal with 7-8 different individuals all which have mishandled details regarding my case. My personal information has basically been floating around their office with whomever. No structure at all, but I was still willing to try to give it a chance. The attorney that was assigned to my case was far less organized and competent than I would have expected from a firm who supposedly specializes in Bankruptcy. I did not receive even half the services that were promised to me. I did most of the footwork and they couldn't even do simple data entry. After experiencing what was supposed to be last signing meeting since I have already had to come in twice due to numerous mistakes , there once again was another mishap and I got an email again because the "attorney" lost one of the documents. That is when I decided I was done. I do not feel comfortable nor confident with this firm handling any of my personal affairs. I have been trying since last week to get a refund to no avail. [redacted] did try to contact me on Friday but I couldn't talk about the issue in depth. She requested I call her today in which I did, I was put on hold and then the girl came back asked who I was and then returned to the phone then stating [redacted] was unavailable. Sounds like the run around and cat vs mouse game to me. I am full of anxeity right now, All I want is my money returned and to never have to deal with these people ever again. Got a call back just now from [redacted] who was very rude and condescending, she informed me that she basically did not want to refund my money and would bill me for services that were not rendered. They have done nothing but make mistake after mistake and cause me undue stress. All I want is my money returned to me and to not have to deal with this type of unprofessional behavior.Desired Settlement: All I want is my money returned to me minus the $500 fee stated in my contract and to not have to deal with this type of unprofessional behavior.

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted] has been a client since May 3, 2012. Initially, she retained the firm to file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, as the first attached fee agreement reflects. After 4 years of representation and switching courses (as her case did), it is inevitable that a client will deal with several different employees. I assure you, her information does not “float around” our office as she claims. Rather, it has remained confidential in her file, as well as in our internal database. For various reasons, Ms. [redacted] was not able to pay her Chapter 7 fees, as agreed. As of April 28, 2015, Ms. [redacted] had paid $1300 of the $1995 she had contracted to pay for her Chapter 7 bankruptcy services. At that point, it was determined that she was no longer eligible for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, because her income had increased beyond the qualifying amount. Therefore, the client wished to change courses and prepare to file for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy instead. The fees for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy are $4000. I agreed to credit the full $1300 she paid towards the Chapter 7 legal fees to her Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Ms. [redacted] paid the balance of her fees in full in December of 2015. On March 8, 2016, Ms. [redacted] met a legal assistant to review her paperwork. It was determined she was missing some required information, so she agreed to submit those documents at a later time. On May 1, 2016, a paralegal e-mailed the client detailing a list of 10 required items that were missing and necessary to complete her case. That same paralegal then spoke Ms. [redacted] and she confirmed that client would be dropping off remaining documents the following day, which she did. Our attorney then fully prepared the remainder of Ms. [redacted] bankruptcy petition, and her petition review/signing appointment was scheduled for May 13, 2016. Ms. [redacted] returned to our office for a 2 hour detailed review of her case with an attorney. Corrections were made to the petition (this is the point of a petition review), and Ms. [redacted] refused to sign the petition, because she viewed the corrections as “mistakes”. Our supervising attorney had an extensive phone conversation with Ms. [redacted] on May 31, 2016, assuring her that her case was ready to be filed with corrections made from the in-office appointment. However, the client wanted to have another in office appointment prior to filing case. This request was honored, and Ms. [redacted] returned to our office for another 1 hour petition review appointment with the original attorney handling her case. Ms. [redacted] has a misunderstanding of the process. The whole point of a petition review/signing appointment is to make the make necessary corrections during the meeting so the case can be filed. Ms. [redacted] felt the petition should have been 100% correct prior to her appointment. However, this is not feasible in most cases, since the most updated information available must replace outdated information, and that updated information is input by the attorney during the appointment. The next day, after her case had been completely finalized and prepared to file again, Ms. [redacted] called wanting to cancel, and demanded a full refund of her money. It is true that I called Ms. [redacted] on Friday afternoon to let her know that her case was completely finalized and ready to be filed. She was unavailable to talk at that point, so I asked her to call me Monday. Unfortunately, when she called, I was unable to answer the call. I did return her call at my first opportunity that same day. I was not giving her the “run-around” or playing a game of “cat and mouse”. Once we did connect via telephone, she did not let me speak, but rather yelled at me, threatened to take me to court, and write bad reviews if I did not return her money. I told her that my accounting department would send her a billing, as is our standard procedure for all cancellations. If any money is due back to the client, she will get a refund. By the end of that day, she had already written negative reviews on numerous websites, including my own Facebook page… demanding a full refund. Through the Revdex.com, Ms. [redacted] is requesting a full refund minus the $500 “as stated in my contract”. However, the Fee Agreement she signed is much more detailed than that. #3 on page 2 of the attached Fee Agreement she signed on May 3, 2012... as well as the one she signed on April 28, 2015 both explain that $500 is the minimum fee. She initialed next to #3 both times. This would cover the administrative costs of the bankruptcy, and her initial evaluation and attorney conversation from 2012, and then again in 2015 when she changed to Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Additionally, the firm charges $50 per month to maintain a file, and bills for work completed. Therefore, her billing shows the amount of work completed and the amount of respective fees due to the firm. Despite the billing, and not inclusive of the 10 + hours of work by my paralegal staff on this case, I am willing to only charge the client the $500 administrative fee plus the 5 + hours of attorney time spent on this case. I will even waive the $50/month administrative fee. Therefore, her refund would be $1750. The work on this case has been completed twice. All that remains is to electronically file the case. However, at this point, more updates would need to be made prior to filing. I am happy to send the detailed billing to the client upon request, and also send her partial refund check if she agrees to it.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.