October 1 my husband and I had almost run out of savings due to a layoff. He found another job but we were still in trouble financially. We went to our lenders website (GMAC) to see if there was anything we cound do. Linked off my lenders website was a company called Hays and Associates, they promised they could negotiate a mortgage modification in short order. (for a fee $3,195, in three installments of $1065 each) We knew we only had a finite amount of cash left, but they assured us that paying this money now was preferable to losing our home.
Our contact with Hays was one Michael Deets. After assuring us that his company could help us, his first order of business was to get us to write the checks and to tell us NOT TO SPEAK TO OUR MORTGAGE COMPANY OR PAY OUR MORTGAGE while they worked on the case. I know, I should have seen the red flag at this point but the only red flag I was seeing at the time was the fact that I could not pay my mortgage. We were sent emails with some paperwork to print and sign, told what documentation was needed to get the case opened. I sent notification to my lender that I gave permission for this company to seek a modification in my stead, and all the paperwork they told me was necessary. Later I asked if they needed any further pay stubs and whatnot to add to the continuing case and was told that 'oh no, we will let you know if you need to send anything else.'
A couple of weeks into my dealings with this company, getting them on the phone or in email became a nightmare. It was like they had dropped off the face of the planet. When I did get throught they told me that they were having email issues and reworking their phone system. I was also jockeyed from one 'case manager' to another. One in particular treated me like I was an uneducated hick that did not know her ass from her elbow. I assure you this is not the case. My emails and calls got progressively sharper over the seven months I dealt with this company, to no avail. The answers when I got them were short and held no real information as far as how my case was progressing.
I did finally receive a workout package from my lender, Hays told me that when it arrived I was to fax it to them before I did ANYTHING. I faxed, and waited an additional two months for an answer, which was unsatisfying like every other time I spoke to them. I emailed for the next month trying to get an idea of what was next. When I told them I could not afford the offer. The woman who was my case manager (Jessella Tiatia) Told me that I should stop eating steak if I wanted to save my house! WHAT? She told me that we SHOULD HAVE PAID THE AMOUNT ON THE WORKOUT PACKAGE and that she was going to have to renegotiate the whole thing. I took her at her word and told her to please do so. When I talked with her after that she was always snippy and mean (only spoke to her twice) after that they completely ignored my pleas for help. Another month, I finally got through to her with some nasty emails. I looked at the site they sent me to that was supposed to have my info on it and found that my case was inactive with the loss mitigation department at GMAC because I had not begun paying when I received the workout package.
LESSON LEARNED. I called my lender immediately and explained the situation to them. They offered to do my mortgage mod FOR FREE. They also told me that Hays and Associates had been removed from their website as a reputable company, as they had gotten the same kind of complaints from other clients. Along with my mortgage mod paperwork, I submitted a revocation of permission to speak on my behalf, naming hays as the slime they were.
I can only hope that GMAC will take pity on me and the others that have been taken advantage of by these charlatans. I have also started counseling through a non profit, I am in contact with my lender almost daily.
0 comments