The Foreclosure Law Center / Drew Alia – Consumer Complaint – July 25, 2013

Consumer Statement:

I paid the Foreclosure Law Center/Drew Alia Esq. $3,000 to work with my lender to obtain a loan modification. I was told by the law firm not to speak with my lender during the negotiation process which could take up to 9 months.

My lender called almost daily, while I was being told by Drew Alia that everything was fine and there should not be a problem getting my loan modified.

Imagine my surprise when I finally talked to my lender and they said they had never been contacted by my attorney or anyone acting on my behalf regarding a loan modification.

Consumer Action Taken:

My lender told me that I was victim of a scam and should try to get my money back. I contacted The Foreclosure Law Center and they basically laughed in my face when I asked for a refund. Drew Alia actually left a message on my phone threatening me with a trade libel suit if I spoke out publically against him or The Foreclosure Law center.

Date This Problem Happened: April 15, 2013

State You Live in: Texas

Race/Ethnicity: White

Age Range: 21-35

Total Amount of Fee Paid: $3,000

Company Name: The Foreclosure Law Center, Drew Alia

Company Address:

1518 Walnut
Suite 1506
Philadelphia, PA 191102

Company Telephone Number: 888-600-5505

Website of Company: theforeclosurelawcenter.com

Additional Documentation

The Foreclosure Law Center Client Agreement

Emails

To: azaslow
Date: Sun, Mar 3, 2013 4:11 pm

Alan,

I tried to call you Friday. I am somewhat confused about what is going on. Naomi said that I might need to declare bankruptcy, yet… Drew said, ” he’s got my back.” All I can say is that I sure hope that he, or someone does.

Tomorrow is th 4th and I have not heard anyone say that my home will not go on the auction block come Tuesday the 5th. I am not sure what I could do about it at this point, but I still like to know whether to start packing ( God forbid) or not.

Since you were my first contact, could you let me know something…please. 
Thanks!

From: Naomi Catchings
Sent: Mon, Mar 4, 2013 2:54 pm
Subject: I’m sending instructions shortly…

Naomi,
 
I have gone through my email correspondence dating from my first contact with the “intake specialist”  Alan Zaslow, until the most recent contact with you, and others, at The Foreclosure Law Center. I have those messages in chronological order for review, if need be. 
I went through my the admission process where Alan and I thoroughly discusses my mortgage situation. There should have been no surprises to anyone. He was made totally aware of my situation in detail. He assured me that you law offices dealt with situations like mine, on a daily basis, with very good results.  I told Alan that I had an impending foreclosure date and I included a copy of those documents in the Fed Ex package you received February 19th. Shortly after that I was contacted by Shanika and she assured that my documents were being processed. I thought everything was being handled properly.

In my mind, what should have happened was that Alan should have made sure the legal team was made aware of the impending foreclosure date when the documents arrived. Obviously, my file sat in a stack of other files before anyone acted.

Needless to say, I was getting nervous when I did not hear anything. Consequently, I called Alan and asked him to please make sure someone in the legal department was aware of the pending sale date. Alan said that he was on a different floor from the legal, but that he would check on it for me. I did not receive a response from Alan.

I received an email from you on February 27th saying that I MIGHT NEED to declare bankruptcy. I sent you two email messages inquiring about this but I heard nothing else from you until March 4th. You left a phone message on my cell phone at about 10:30AM. I returned your call during my lunch hour at about 12:00PM. Yes, less that 24hours from the sale date, you said that I would need to declare bankruptcy/chapter 13. You even had the audacity to scold me like I had done something wrong. l went into a total panic! Somehow I had to come up with $300.00 to file and another $35.00 to take an online course, take off work, (without giving notice)…Honestly, I was stunned and angry!

Then I had to wonder what might have happened if I couldn’t make it to the court house for some reason like a flat tire, or some other glitch. What would have happened then? I would have lost my house!
  
If bankruptcy had been my only option, shouldn’t that have been determined at the intake process? SeeIn addition to that, you told me that we could not fore stall the sale because there was a 15 day window. The way I see it, you had 15 days, but someone ( perhaps several people) dropped the ball. 
 
Now, here we are. I have no clue what the consequences are for filling an incomplete bankruptcy. But that is what I did. That was the legal advice I was given. Your email message,

March 4th, 2013 below in bold type:

Here is a copy of your correspondence email to me on March 4th 2013 in bold type.

Your bankruptcy case will be dismissed in approximately 14 days due to the remaining documents not being filed.  You will also receive a notice from the court explaining what documents are missing.  That is normal as your intention here is not to go through a complete bankruptcy but just to stop the sale, but do not voluntarily inform the clerk that though.
 
Once your case is filed contact myself so I can contact the foreclosure attorney representing the bank and advise them of your case number and send them a copy of the filing receipt.
 
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask.

Naomi Catchings
Foreclosure Paralegal
The Foreclosure Law Center

Naomi Catchings
Foreclosure Paralegal
The Foreclosure Law Center
1518 Walnut Street, Suite 1506 
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Toll-free: 1-888-600-5505    Local: 215-732-1010  Fax: 215-732-1199

To: ncatchings
Date: Tue, Mar 5, 2013 6:02 pm

Naomi,

Just to touch base… The clerk at the bankruptcy court said that I needed to provide them with a list of creditors within 48 hours of filing. That needs to be provided to the court by this coming Thursday. After that it will be 14 days before anything else will be required. So, I am guessing that I need to provide the court with that information. Am I correct?

Thanks,

If you feel you’ve been financially hurt by a debt relief company and deserve a refund, read these step-by-step instructions on how to proceed to attempt to get your money back.

If you do get your money back, come back and leave a comment about it. I’d love to praise companies that step-up and do the right thing for people.

Scam reports are submitted by consumers like you. If you would like to file a scam report, please click here.

If you are the company named in this report and you want to respond, please read How to Handle a Consumer Complaint Like a Pro And Come Out Smelling Like a Rose