Initial Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 14, 2015/10/10) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] ***, Mng Ptnr Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Contact Email: ***@billbusters.com Ms [redacted] indeed retained the firm May 2, to file a Chapter bankruptcyFrom May through October 2014, Ms [redacted] paid the required fees for her case and provided all required documentationHer bankruptcy petition was prepared and she came in on October 17, to sign the petitionOn that date, the attorney reviewing the petition with her noted some transactions in her recent financial history that could cause some issues with the bankruptcy court if the case were filed immediately The file was returned to the original attorney on the case, Mr [redacted] a partner with the firmHe reviewed the issues and advised that Ms [redacted] hold off on filing until after September to avoid any issues On May 5, 2015, we received a request to close the file and issue Ms [redacted] a refundAs is stated clearly in our retention contract, when a file is closed an itemization must be prepared of services rendered, which is provided to the client along with a refund of unearned fees, if any An itemization was prepared and a refund was issued on June 19, This is outside of the thirty days, for which we do apologize, but it was completedWe had no further communication with from the client until the receipt of this complaintThe complaint was received late due to our contact information not having been properly updated with the Revdex.com, which has been corrected Upon receipt of the complaint, I checked our banking records and saw that the refund check had not been cashedI immediately put a stop payment on the check and re-issued a check, which was mailed on October 2nd along with another copy of the itemization I certainly accept some responsibility for this issueThe itemization was completed two weeks after it should have been doneAdditionally, I personally should have noticed that the check had not yet cleared and followed up earlierHowever, the refund of unearned fees was issued, now for a second timeI will monitor to ensure that this recent check is received by Ms [redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (4000, 15, 2015/10/10) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***, Mng Ptnr
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@billbusters.com
Ms*** retained the Law Offices of *** * *** in *ecember to attempt to quash the service of a summons in a
foreclosure caseShe paid a total of $3,in fees and costs to the firm for this representation
The representation of Ms*** continued through January 13, 2015, when the matter was litigated in the Chancery *ivision of the Cook County CourtUnfortunately, after the litigation the judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and denied our motion to quash serviceMs*** was understandably upset by this decision
She did contact our office by phone on February 24, requesting that an itemization be done and any unearned fees be refundedMs*** was asked to send a written request, as is required by her contract and our procedure, and that an accounting would be done, but that it was unlikely that there were unearned fees given the length and extent of the representationThis is the last communication we had from Ms*** until the receipt of this complaint
I believe from the language of the complaint that Ms*** did send an email to *** *** who was the attorney who originally represented her with our firmHe left the firm at the end of 2014, at which time Ms*** *** assumed responsibility for the caseMs*** was well aware of this, as it was Ms*** that handled the litigated matter and was communicating with the client in person, over the phone and by email after January 1,
Since the receipt of this complaint, the file was reviewed and there is no refund due to Ms***Again, it's unfortunate that we lost the litigation, but that does not obviate the costs of litigating the matter
A refund was issued to this client on the same day that this complaint was filed. The complaining client is correct in stating that a request was received to close the file and issue a refund on October 16, 2015 and that there was a delay in getting a refund issued. This file was opened...
in April 2012. There was a merger of law firms on 1/1/2015 and there was some difficulty in completing the accounting and getting a refund issued from the proper entity. Again, the refund was issued on December 15, 2015.
Initial Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2015/10/10) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], Mng Ptnr
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@billbusters.com
Mr. & Mrs. [redacted] retained our firm on April 16, 2013 with an $80 cash retainer to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy for them. A...
contract was executed with a fee of $1,385 plus a court filing fee of $306 with all fees and costs to be paid in full before filing.
From April 16, 2013 through January 22, 2014, there was communication with the [redacted] regarding changes in their circumstances, several creditor calls referred to our office by the [redacted] and multiple letters sent to the [redacted] There were, however, no payments made on the case. For this reason, the file was closed on January 22, 2014 with written notice sent to the [redacted]
On February 5, 2014, Mrs. [redacted] contacted our office and stated a desire to reopen their case and continue with the bankruptcy. Our standard reopening fee of $250 was waived and an appointment was set for them for February 27, 2014 to review and update their file. The [redacted] failed to appear at this appointment. On August 4, 2014, Mrs. [redacted] again contacted our office regarding reopening the case. An appointment was set for August 9, 2014 which they again failed to attend. On August 13, 2014 Mrs. [redacted] scheduled a third appointment to reopen their case set for August 23, 2014. They did appear at this appointment, paid another $300 cash toward their fees and updated their information. The reopening fee was waived as promised.
On August 26, 2014, Mrs. [redacted] called and advised us of an issue with one of their creditors and their bank. Several calls, letters and faxes were sent to resolve this issue. Once the issue had been resolved, there was no further communication from the Pavones, nor any payments made.
On June 17, 2015, Mrs. [redacted] called the office to ask about the process to close the case and get a refund. She was advised that pursuant to the contract that they signed, they must make such a request in writing, upon which an accounting will be prepared and issued to them with a refund if one was due. She was advised clearly, as the contract states clearly, that preparing the itemization may take up to thirty (30) days. The request was faxed on the same day.
Mrs. [redacted] called four times between June 17, 2015 and July 14, 2015 demanding the accounting and a full refund because "nothing had been done". The itemization was prepared and mailed to Mrs. [redacted] on July 14, 2015 showing that they had paid $380 total and that the firm had earned $857.50 in fees. The itemization was mailed along with a letter stating that we would not be pursing any balance owed and that the file was closed. No further communication was received, but this complaint was filed the next day.
At all times during this process Mrs. [redacted] was treated in a professional manner, which is more than I can say for the manner in which she treated myself, my attorneys or may staff. She is clearly of the opinion that since a bankruptcy case was never filed, no work was done on her case, regardless of the clear evidence to the contrary provided to her. It should be noted that I personally prepared and mailed the itemization on July 14, 2015, yet this complaint was filed the next day. It is highly unlikely that she had received the itemization by this time.
Finally, I absolutely did not hang up on Mrs. [redacted]. As soon as I advised her that a full refund was not going to be issued, which was on July 14, 2015, she began screaming at me about no work being done. I remained professional, advised her to review the itemization upon receipt and she hung up on me.
While this is an unfortunate result, this file was open and active for almost two years with significant work being done and fees not being paid. All of the fees paid were earned and a substantial amount more.
Initial Business Response /* (4000, 14, 2015/10/10) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], Mng Ptnr
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@billbusters.com
Ms. [redacted] indeed retained the firm May 2, 2014 to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. From May 2014 through October 2014, Ms. [redacted]...
paid the required fees for her case and provided all required documentation. Her bankruptcy petition was prepared and she came in on October 17, 2014 to sign the petition. On that date, the attorney reviewing the petition with her noted some transactions in her recent financial history that could cause some issues with the bankruptcy court if the case were filed immediately.
The file was returned to the original attorney on the case, Mr. [redacted] a partner with the firm. He reviewed the issues and advised that Ms. [redacted] hold off on filing until after September 2015 to avoid any issues.
On May 5, 2015, we received a request to close the file and issue Ms. [redacted] a refund. As is stated clearly in our retention contract, when a file is closed an itemization must be prepared of services rendered, which is provided to the client along with a refund of unearned fees, if any.
An itemization was prepared and a refund was issued on June 19, 2015. This is outside of the thirty days, for which we do apologize, but it was completed. We had no further communication with from the client until the receipt of this complaint. The complaint was received late due to our contact information not having been properly updated with the Revdex.com, which has been corrected.
Upon receipt of the complaint, I checked our banking records and saw that the refund check had not been cashed. I immediately put a stop payment on the check and re-issued a check, which was mailed on October 2nd along with another copy of the itemization.
I certainly accept some responsibility for this issue. The itemization was completed two weeks after it should have been done. Additionally, I personally should have noticed that the check had not yet cleared and followed up earlier. However, the refund of unearned fees was issued, now for a second time. I will monitor to ensure that this recent check is received by Ms. [redacted]
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 14, 2015/10/10) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] ***, Mng Ptnr Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Contact Email: ***@billbusters.com Ms [redacted] indeed retained the firm May 2, to file a Chapter bankruptcyFrom May through October 2014, Ms [redacted] paid the required fees for her case and provided all required documentationHer bankruptcy petition was prepared and she came in on October 17, to sign the petitionOn that date, the attorney reviewing the petition with her noted some transactions in her recent financial history that could cause some issues with the bankruptcy court if the case were filed immediately The file was returned to the original attorney on the case, Mr [redacted] a partner with the firmHe reviewed the issues and advised that Ms [redacted] hold off on filing until after September to avoid any issues On May 5, 2015, we received a request to close the file and issue Ms [redacted] a refundAs is stated clearly in our retention contract, when a file is closed an itemization must be prepared of services rendered, which is provided to the client along with a refund of unearned fees, if any An itemization was prepared and a refund was issued on June 19, This is outside of the thirty days, for which we do apologize, but it was completedWe had no further communication with from the client until the receipt of this complaintThe complaint was received late due to our contact information not having been properly updated with the Revdex.com, which has been corrected Upon receipt of the complaint, I checked our banking records and saw that the refund check had not been cashedI immediately put a stop payment on the check and re-issued a check, which was mailed on October 2nd along with another copy of the itemization I certainly accept some responsibility for this issueThe itemization was completed two weeks after it should have been doneAdditionally, I personally should have noticed that the check had not yet cleared and followed up earlierHowever, the refund of unearned fees was issued, now for a second timeI will monitor to ensure that this recent check is received by Ms [redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (4000, 15, 2015/10/10) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***, Mng Ptnr
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@billbusters.com
Ms*** retained the Law Offices of *** * *** in *ecember to attempt to quash the service of a summons in a
foreclosure caseShe paid a total of $3,in fees and costs to the firm for this representation
The representation of Ms*** continued through January 13, 2015, when the matter was litigated in the Chancery *ivision of the Cook County CourtUnfortunately, after the litigation the judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and denied our motion to quash serviceMs*** was understandably upset by this decision
She did contact our office by phone on February 24, requesting that an itemization be done and any unearned fees be refundedMs*** was asked to send a written request, as is required by her contract and our procedure, and that an accounting would be done, but that it was unlikely that there were unearned fees given the length and extent of the representationThis is the last communication we had from Ms*** until the receipt of this complaint
I believe from the language of the complaint that Ms*** did send an email to *** *** who was the attorney who originally represented her with our firmHe left the firm at the end of 2014, at which time Ms*** *** assumed responsibility for the caseMs*** was well aware of this, as it was Ms*** that handled the litigated matter and was communicating with the client in person, over the phone and by email after January 1,
Since the receipt of this complaint, the file was reviewed and there is no refund due to Ms***Again, it's unfortunate that we lost the litigation, but that does not obviate the costs of litigating the matter
A refund was issued to this client on the same day that this complaint was filed. The complaining client is correct in stating that a request was received to close the file and issue a refund on October 16, 2015 and that there was a delay in getting a refund issued. This file was opened...
in April 2012. There was a merger of law firms on 1/1/2015 and there was some difficulty in completing the accounting and getting a refund issued from the proper entity. Again, the refund was issued on December 15, 2015.
Initial Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2015/10/10) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], Mng Ptnr
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@billbusters.com
Mr. & Mrs. [redacted] retained our firm on April 16, 2013 with an $80 cash retainer to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy for them. A...
contract was executed with a fee of $1,385 plus a court filing fee of $306 with all fees and costs to be paid in full before filing.
From April 16, 2013 through January 22, 2014, there was communication with the [redacted] regarding changes in their circumstances, several creditor calls referred to our office by the [redacted] and multiple letters sent to the [redacted] There were, however, no payments made on the case. For this reason, the file was closed on January 22, 2014 with written notice sent to the [redacted]
On February 5, 2014, Mrs. [redacted] contacted our office and stated a desire to reopen their case and continue with the bankruptcy. Our standard reopening fee of $250 was waived and an appointment was set for them for February 27, 2014 to review and update their file. The [redacted] failed to appear at this appointment. On August 4, 2014, Mrs. [redacted] again contacted our office regarding reopening the case. An appointment was set for August 9, 2014 which they again failed to attend. On August 13, 2014 Mrs. [redacted] scheduled a third appointment to reopen their case set for August 23, 2014. They did appear at this appointment, paid another $300 cash toward their fees and updated their information. The reopening fee was waived as promised.
On August 26, 2014, Mrs. [redacted] called and advised us of an issue with one of their creditors and their bank. Several calls, letters and faxes were sent to resolve this issue. Once the issue had been resolved, there was no further communication from the Pavones, nor any payments made.
On June 17, 2015, Mrs. [redacted] called the office to ask about the process to close the case and get a refund. She was advised that pursuant to the contract that they signed, they must make such a request in writing, upon which an accounting will be prepared and issued to them with a refund if one was due. She was advised clearly, as the contract states clearly, that preparing the itemization may take up to thirty (30) days. The request was faxed on the same day.
Mrs. [redacted] called four times between June 17, 2015 and July 14, 2015 demanding the accounting and a full refund because "nothing had been done". The itemization was prepared and mailed to Mrs. [redacted] on July 14, 2015 showing that they had paid $380 total and that the firm had earned $857.50 in fees. The itemization was mailed along with a letter stating that we would not be pursing any balance owed and that the file was closed. No further communication was received, but this complaint was filed the next day.
At all times during this process Mrs. [redacted] was treated in a professional manner, which is more than I can say for the manner in which she treated myself, my attorneys or may staff. She is clearly of the opinion that since a bankruptcy case was never filed, no work was done on her case, regardless of the clear evidence to the contrary provided to her. It should be noted that I personally prepared and mailed the itemization on July 14, 2015, yet this complaint was filed the next day. It is highly unlikely that she had received the itemization by this time.
Finally, I absolutely did not hang up on Mrs. [redacted]. As soon as I advised her that a full refund was not going to be issued, which was on July 14, 2015, she began screaming at me about no work being done. I remained professional, advised her to review the itemization upon receipt and she hung up on me.
While this is an unfortunate result, this file was open and active for almost two years with significant work being done and fees not being paid. All of the fees paid were earned and a substantial amount more.
Initial Business Response /* (4000, 14, 2015/10/10) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], Mng Ptnr
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@billbusters.com
Ms. [redacted] indeed retained the firm May 2, 2014 to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. From May 2014 through October 2014, Ms. [redacted]...
paid the required fees for her case and provided all required documentation. Her bankruptcy petition was prepared and she came in on October 17, 2014 to sign the petition. On that date, the attorney reviewing the petition with her noted some transactions in her recent financial history that could cause some issues with the bankruptcy court if the case were filed immediately.
The file was returned to the original attorney on the case, Mr. [redacted] a partner with the firm. He reviewed the issues and advised that Ms. [redacted] hold off on filing until after September 2015 to avoid any issues.
On May 5, 2015, we received a request to close the file and issue Ms. [redacted] a refund. As is stated clearly in our retention contract, when a file is closed an itemization must be prepared of services rendered, which is provided to the client along with a refund of unearned fees, if any.
An itemization was prepared and a refund was issued on June 19, 2015. This is outside of the thirty days, for which we do apologize, but it was completed. We had no further communication with from the client until the receipt of this complaint. The complaint was received late due to our contact information not having been properly updated with the Revdex.com, which has been corrected.
Upon receipt of the complaint, I checked our banking records and saw that the refund check had not been cashed. I immediately put a stop payment on the check and re-issued a check, which was mailed on October 2nd along with another copy of the itemization.
I certainly accept some responsibility for this issue. The itemization was completed two weeks after it should have been done. Additionally, I personally should have noticed that the check had not yet cleared and followed up earlier. However, the refund of unearned fees was issued, now for a second time. I will monitor to ensure that this recent check is received by Ms. [redacted]