Pre-Paid Legal Service
&
The Framme Law Firm (referral firm). |
Attempt to get around the Virginia attorney discrimination (March 2006)
This was supposed to be the "solution" to our attorney woes. We had learned our
lesson about high risk stupidity or trusting anyone. Regardless of whether we had done wrong or not
there is an expectation of having competent representation, something that in the past we had found lacking.
My girlfriend had no income, her attempts at the Internet had resulted in
failure. There were too many questions on the Multiver incident, was the
company money laundering ? did Multiver
and Citibank conspire to commit insurance fraud doubling their money ? After my girlfriend informed Multiver
that she was not going to transfer money for them anymore, that their business
sounded like money laundering not investment they told her that they would get
even, a month later, her bank, Citibank was charging her with fraud. If Multiver was also
a victim then they had poor hiring practices as my girlfriend had received a
company check and it was not one individual that contacted her. Nobody was
interested in her story, the New York Citibank attorney stated that it was an
employee that had sent the check.
My girlfriend's bank, Citibank was coming for her property, she needed competent representation and we were informed of
this "Pre-Paid Legal Service"
. We thought maybe they could address the issues in a competent manner, a real business whose goal
would be to ensure that their affiliate law firms would represent their clients. They claimed that if you have an immediate
need for an attorney they would have one for you. So if another event like what happened in 1989
or 2005 we would have access to immediate counsel.
Pre-Paid Legal Service - March 2006 we subscribed to this service. They set us up
to contact their Virginia provider law firm, The Framme Law Firm.
-
When I subscribed I sent an outline of our situation. I wanted to address:
- The first time my girlfriend called The Framme Law Firm they called
her "stupid" and dismissed her. My girlfriend did not need to hear that, she needed a solution.
- The next time she called about Citibank/Multiver they told her not to worry that things would be handled as needed.
- My girlfriend wanted to try to earn some income, go into business and we
thought that they could answer a question as to what forms would be needed for
a business license selling retail things like crafts so that the business would be legal - they could not answer
that question. All my girlfriend wanted was a list of forms for a retail business to sell crafts...
- Summons to appear in court in August 2006, three weeks prior to the date my
girlfriend calls The Framme Law Firm up and they tell her not to worry, but they cannot provide an attorney in time.
Don't sign or agree to anything - my girlfriend complies. But the Citibank attorney goes to the judge
and lies, claiming that an agreement had been made. The judge makes a judgment and now this Law Firm claims that it is too late, but to wait till January
2007.
- January 2007 comes and my girlfriend contacts The Framme Law Firm again, this time they
say that the person that she was talking to had left that they would get back to her.
- February 2007 I complain as this Pre-Paid Legal Service provider law firm,
"The Framme Law Firm" had not done anything to resolve our situation.
- As a result of this "service" we are in a worse position than before.
Every day I come home and ask if this service called with an attorney knowing that if they do then I might as
well open an artery and expect another "loser" member of this Virginia State Bar who will choose not to represent
us in a diligent manner. Of course they will expect payment.
- Better Business Bureau for Oklahoma City (July 30, 2007) - just what do they do ? Contacted the BBB on this "service" but the
Better Business Bureau for Oklahoma City claim that my complaint is outside
their purview. This confuses me as in their instructions they state that they do address "service" issues.
What types of complaints does the BBB handle?
Complaints involving marketplace activities -- misleading advertising,
improper selling practices, non-delivery of goods or services, misrepresentation,
un-honored guarantees or warranty, unsatisfactory service, credit/billing
problems, contracts not fulfilled, etc., are handled by the Better
Business Bureau where the company is located.
My complaint specifically stated that the claimed service was that we would have access to an attorney for our
needs. My mention of court was not to address the issues in the court that day, but to address the fact that
this "service" failed to provide an attorney for my girlfriend for that court date. Then after the court date
had passed they failed to provide an attorney to address the situation that followed and that I followed up with
numerous complaints. I notified the service of the complaint to the BBB and they followed up by calling my girlfriend
everyday, claiming that they were looking. When the Better Business Bureau dropped the complaint as outside their "purview"
the diligence of the service stopped the next week, it has been two weeks and no contact -
SO WE ARE HERE AGAIN.
So what just "What types of complaints does the BBB handle ?" Why did they drop it ?
I did manage to register the complaint with the Better Business Bureau for Oklahoma City against Pre-paid Legal Service but they instructed me to contact the Virginia State Bar to address the Framme Law Firm's failure, they do not address attorney failure.
AGAIN we drop off the deep end - WHY ?
- A humorous side note to our Pre-Paid legal Services experience, in a correspondence dated February 06, 2008 they sent a bill to continue our subscription with this service and they followed this up with a call. My girlfriend answered the phone and informed the caller that there was no way that she would subscribe to this failed service. An advertised guarantee that one would have an attorney for a court date and then they fail to provide one. The alleged letter with a referral, that we never recieved, was dated a month after my girlfriends court date, this item the Virginia State Bar overlooked when they claimed diligence and strategy. The avoidance of the attorney population to address, along with the Virginia State Bar who finds no wrong doing - it is all in the "strategy".
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