Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/24/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I hired ****** Kounoupis to help us settle my father's estate in ******, using his partner offices there. My mother paid him the retainer fee of $2500 and I sent him the requested paperwork and notarized POA's. A month after I sent the paperwork I called to get a status. He did not return my call. Over the course of that month and the next, he never took nor returned any of my phone calls. His assistant finally answered me in an email saying they're working on it and that they'll get back to me soon. From that point forward they never spoke to me they only communicated me with by email and infrequently at that. The final communication from them was May 2023. I emailed him 2 more times after that but he never replied. Meanwhile, the first step in processing my father's estate would be to declare his death in ******. He did not even do that. I cannot hire anyone else until he cancels the ******** in addition to a full refund, I need him to cancel the POA's, and return all of my father's paperwork so I can finally move on and get my father's estate processed by someone else.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/15/2024

  Dear *** ************** style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); margin: 0px; font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 

  Please see attached letter from *** Kounoupis.

   

  Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/03/2025

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: 22329876
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  

  Dear Mr. ****************** style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">
  

  I am requesting to reopen the above complaint.

  
  

  Mr. ******************** claims that the probate process takes over 2 years. Twenty-nine (29) months have passed since I had given him all the requested documents in August of 2022.

  Mr. ******************** did not address the part of my complaint that a month after I sent him the requested paperwork, I called his office 7 times (9/9/22, 9/26/22, 10/3/22, 10/19/22, 10/26/22, 10/27/22, 10/27/22), where he did not take my call, nor did he ever once return any of them. I have not spoken to him since prior to that. 

  
  

  He states that he explained to me that based on his investigation, my father's brother owned half of one of my father's properties. I already knew that. I had sent him the paperwork showing that; same for my father's voter registration, the TIN numbers for my parents, among other documents, sent in August of 2022. 

  
  

  However, he is correct in stating that on April 4, 2023, he requested a certified original death certificate. But,

  • On 5/22/23, I replied to him that we had already sent it to him in August of 2022. 
  • On 6/9/23, I hadn't heard back from him, so I emailed him again.
  • On 6/9/23, he replied saying, thank you for your email we will update you soon. 
  • On 6/20/23, I hadn't heard back from him, so I emailed him again. 
  • On 6/21/23, he replied asking for more time. 
  • On 7/6/23, a month and a half later, he finally followed up on via email stating that he could only find one of our passports and still couldn't confirm that they had the original death certificate that I sent them a year prior (August 2022). 
  • On 7/6/23, I replied to him saying that if he gives me the serial number of the scanned copy that is in his files, I can verify that the original is not my possession (i.e. I sent it to him). I also told him that my parents already have tax ID numbers, also sent to him in August 2022.
  • on 7/6/23, he replied saying that he will have his assistant check on Monday (presumably 7/10/23). 
  • On 7/11/23, I hadn't heard back from him or his assistant yet, so I emailed him, but I never heard from him ever again.

  He states in his reply to my BBB complaint, that he told me on 7/6/23 (i.e. 17 months ago) that they had substantially did all the work and were waiting on the Consulate to register the Death Certificate. That is incorrect. As I stated above, in his 7/6/23 email, he was still claiming that he did not even have all the necessary paperwork (that I had sent him a year earlier). When I sent him follow up emails to get it cleared up, he never replied, and I never heard from him again. I am able to send copies of those emails, if needed.

  
  

  He also stated in his complaint reply that it takes one year to register a death certificate; however, seventeen (17) months have passed since 7/6/23. Due to this, and the conflicting information between his last email to me and his reply to my BBB complaint regarding the registration of my father's death certificate, I am requesting that Mr. ******************** provide verification of the request made with the Consulate, including the date of submission of that request.

  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ********