Recently, this website and comments about our company were brought to my attention, and I am now here to post: My responses are not given in an attempt to "sell you" on our services, but are to clear these erroneous remarks about our company. We have saved far too many homes for negative comments like to go ignored.
I'm addressing the comments as they come to mind - maybe not in the order that they are listed below:
1. I am Sara Miller, but I am not an owner of the company (which can be confirmed at the BBB website) and I am not married to or connected in anyway with Dan Miller - other than I work for the company he owns. We do share the same last name, but I'm pretty sure that it is as common of a name as Smith or Jones or Johnson.
2. Our mailing address is not our brick and mortar address - we provide a mailing address on our letterhead where homeowners can send their very private and confidential documents to the secure mail center in that complex. It amazes me that whomever answered the phone from another business in that complex and said, "No Tila here," didn't at least offer up the information that there is a secure mail center in that complex. Why do we not reveal our brick and mortar location? Simple: We investigate lenders who are backed by billions of dollars and we make them mighty uncomfortable. They wouldn't mind doing the same for us.
3. In the past 36 months we have had one complaint filed at the BBB. We satisfactorily responded to that, but the homeowner who complained about us never did respond to the BBB. I can't help but wonder if he was the one who claimed we did nothing for him, but when he couldn't get the BBB to agree with him, he just went off smashing and bashing wherever he could on the web?
4. We are an audit company. We charge for investigations. No homeowner is obligated to use the free service that we offer. Our website states that we are attorney backed. We don’t offer to litigate for people. Why do we offer a free negotiation service? It is not as the posts suggest. It is because, sadly, if we don't, the lender will still walk all over the poor homeowner who has been taken to the cleaners enough times to have his head spin. We want you to have the best result possible. If that means that after we investigate we then have to go in and negotiate on your behalf to ensure that the lender pays attention to those forensics and resolves the matter, then we will do so. We do it every day and we succeed.
5. Youtube posts: no idea - Occasionally, I go and I read stuff and it looks weird to me - and it is not just on our video. It seems that youtube has a lot of people commenting on a lot of stuff and it normally seems to be dissenting comments - I'm not that fond of the website myself, but if our video helps anyone then that is a good thing. I do know that the Advertising Dept. has been concerned about the comments coming in from time to time and steps are being taken to utilize filters to be more able to ensure that the postings that go under our video are valid. But I do not know where they are at with that project.
6. Not accredited with the BBB: True - we are guilty as charged. That means we have to work even harder to keep our A rating because we don't pay them anything to be accredited, and why don't we? Because they want a percentage of gross revenues, and that would mean that we would have to raise our prices. We are one of the most affordable programs out there, raising our prices is not in the best interest of the homeowner. So we do it the hard way and keep that A rating by hard work and happy clients.
7. And what is the rating of all these lenders who are accredited at the BBB? Seriously, Chase carries an F, AHMSI either a D or maybe and E, BofA, last I checked, was sporting a B but that was in October of 09, and Saxon was at either a C or a D. Hey -- and they are all accredited as far as I recall.
8. Working from our homes: That could be possible when I think of the hundreds of times that I personally have forwarded the phones to my home or cell because I had a homeowner in a critical juncture who needed me. Yah, I'm guilty as charged, I stayed on the clock but still got some home time or drive time. Should I have just let the homeowner wait until morning or Monday? Maybe. Other companies would have, but TILA just doesn't work that way. We are here seven days a week for homeowners and we go the extra mile when off the clock.
9. Somebody couldn't get through the main line and had to leave a voice mail: OK - all our clients have direct lines to their consultants, why didn't they call their consultant if leaving a voice mail wasn't working for them? We have more than one number, our phones ring all the time, and we check messages frequently, answering and returning calls as rapidly as we can. When we can't return the call, we email the homeowner to let him know that we got his call and address whatever he needs. In terms of homeowner communication, I truly feel that we are top of the line in caring for our homeowners and demonstrate daily the greatest courtesy, respect and compassion.
Essentially, very decent people who have struggled hard to buy a home, and even harder to keep a home are possibly being denied an opportunity to turn the whole situation around. They are being denied an opportunity to save their home and get on with their lives because some unidentified people are not reporting accurately at a website that happens to offer a service that is in competition with one of our allied companies. That is just plain sad.
I close this post with these letters from homeowners, whose grammatical, punctuation or typographical errors I have not fixed so that they are as authentic as our electronic age allows.
Regards, Sara
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February 22, 2010
Not sure what you have done with First Mortgage Corporation, but you sure gave them a wake up call. I was called by them from their regional office today asking me what I would like to do, i.e. re-finance, modify or what to my loan because they had received a letter from you. It sounded like they are scared to be audited because that is the first time they have asked me what "I would like to do".
I told him I didn't want to do anything at this time because I was upset with them. They can deal with the negotiators from TILA. hahahahahaha I really had a good laugh, thanks TILA.
Edward L. W.
Retired Postal Manager
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To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing a recommendation for the positive experience I have had with TILA.
These people are knowledgeable, compassionate and patient in the care, service and understanding of my situation with a national bank which broke many laws in making me a predatory loan.
The counselors and the negotiator namely Sara and Liana have been kind, patient and honest in what I could expect of a forensic evaluation of my loan papers, which i received in a timely fashion.
When I felt I had no where else to turn, I found these wonderful people to guide me through this mess, hold my hand when I needed it, and to shed real light on what I thought was a hopeless situation.
I highly recommend their services. They are worth every penny and then some.
Regards,
Dee S.
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Sent by email 4th of July, 2009
Dear Tonya
Happy Independence Day!!! Hope your not at work and dont get this till monday.
Just a heads up, we got our papers from the lender on friday afternoon!!!! Yeah... They dropped our payments to under 1500.00 and at 5% on a fixed rate, and that includes our property taxes and insurance! We are saving almost 800 a month!!
So, all things considered, not bad. We are very relieved.
We wont have a payment until September 1st. again, all in all a very fair deal. Much more then we ever thought we would get!!
I really dont even have the vocabulary to tell you how thankful and relieved we are. I dont know if your a believeing peerson, but we both feel like God has answered a HUGH prayer and worked a miracle. And you have been such a blessing in all your help and hard work and friendship.
I feel you really personally went to bat for us and we wre soooo greatful.
Hope your out enjoying family & friends. We will celebrate this Indepenence day with a new twist. A real feeling of liberty, with this getting behind us.
Talk to you soon
Dana & John
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Sent by email Feb 23 2009
Dear Sara & Kelly,
We are grateful to know that the house situation is finally resolved....yippeee!
Thanks again for all that you did in that regard. I wanted to call Mark and thank him personally as well.
Please convey our appreciation when you get a chance. You all made it such a positive in the midst of rather negative circumstances.
Truly a blessing
Jim & Evelynn
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I just want to send a short note to thank you for all the work you put into helping me save my home. I am not one that often sends a thank you letter, but this time is different.
I cannot tell you enough how much it means to me that you saved my home for myself and my son. I really did not think it could be done. Even as I signed up for your services, I figured it was a long shot.
You did it. Thank you!
Kevin J.