ComplaintsforRoman Financial Group LLC

• Initial Complaint

  06/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been getting illegally telemarketed by Senior Benefits, American Benefits, etc. for years now, probably ***** calls per week to numbers listed on the *** list for many years. A second Roman Financial Group insurance agent called today, said he was following up on a Senior Benefits lead. The first Roman FG agent was also following up on a call made to me by Sr ********* The first agent continued calling after I told him I'm listed on the N***R and specifically asked for his written *** policy, which he's required to have available on demand under 47 CFR 64:1200 (c). The overseas call center is most likely in ********. Roman Financial continues to utilize Senior/American Benefits, et al. for leads even after others have made BBB complaints. I read RFG's response to an earlier complaint, and it'll be most interesting to see RFG tell their story to a judge and jury.

  

  Business response

  06/28/2023

  Hello,

  We would suggest you stop agreeing to a call back when Senior Benefits calls, this way none of our agents will get your name and number as a lead. If you get called by Senior benefits simply tell them to take you off of their list and you will not be called anymore by them.

  Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I saw that others have complained about Roman's illegal telemarketing practice & thought I would also chime in. In April I received a call from an illegally spoofed number, I picked up & the line was silent for several seconds, then a boop sound was made & a pre-recorded message played saying that I was speaking with "***** from American Benefits." I have received & documented over 100 calls from "American Benefits" & asked them to stop calling many times, so I played along in order to find out who hired this company to make calls on their behalf. ***** asked a few questions, then sent me to "Bill" (a real person) who stuck with saying he was with American Benefits when asked. He asked a few questions & said that an agent would call me back. When pressed about exactly who would call me back, he said "*******." A few days later I get a call from another spoofed number, answer *** *********************************** introduced himself but did not say what company he was with, only that he was following up on an American Benefits call I had received. I immediately stopped him & told him that I needed to know who the call center was & how to contact them about the calls. He said he did not know who it was but did know American Benefits is a fake name that is used & he knew that other companies also use that fake name. ******* claimed to be an independent agent (the number listed on his license plays a VM saying he is with ***********************. We agreed to no more sales calls & that they would reach out to let me know who they had used to make the call. I never heard back on the subject.On 7/13 *************************** called & said he was following up on a "Senior Benefits" call. I confirmed he was w/ Roman & told him to have the owners call me to discuss the illegal calls. I have had literally hundreds of Senior Benefit calls & saying "I am on the *** list please do not call me," does not work (Roman called again after I told them this). You cannot enforce that unless you know specifically who you told.

  

  Business response

  10/15/2022

  Thank you for being upset 7 months later. There is not any "illegal telemarketing practice" when you give a 3rd party vendor the ok for somebody to call you about interest in final expense and they forward us the information. I would hope you aren't looking for an easy handout from suckers because we are not that. we take every claim very very serious and every threat even more serious. We have over **** clients on the books that love our services and the fact we could protect there loved ones. If a 3rd party vendor forwarded us your info after you giving the ok,  Be happy somebody cares about you and wanted to make sure you were protected.This will be our last and only response if you continue to try to harass us we will have our lawyer contact you. thank you and have a great day. 

  Customer response

  10/17/2022

   
  Complaint: 18228032
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I appreciate that after 7 months I was finally able to get a response from someone at the company! "Thank you for being upset 7 months later." I was upset day one but it took 7 months and a BBB complaint for someone to finally respond. I guess the silver lining is that now more people can potentially trace the illegal calls that they have received back to its source, Roman Financial. Since my post, I discovered there is already a class action that has been filed against Roman, so my experience with them is likely not unique. 

  "There is not any "illegal telemarketing practice" when you give a 3rd party vendor the ok for somebody to call you about interest in final expense and they forward us the information." There actually is. The fact that a pre-recorded message was utilized without my prior written consent is a violation of 227b of the **** (ie; it is an illegal telemarketing practice). The fact that a spoofed number was used is a violation. The fact that there was silence when I picked up, a boop, and then the recorded message indicates that an ATDS may have been used, which is a violation. Receiving a 2nd call within a 12 month period from Roman is a violation. Roman's licensed agent admitted that "American Benefits" is a fake name and they knew that this 3rd party used fake name(s), which is a violation. Calling a number on the national DNC list is a violation. A called party can also "play along" with the call in order to find out who is actually behind the call (Roman Financial in this case). (The fact that he 'play[s] along' with telemarketing scripts to 'find out who [they] really are' is not as devious as Defendant suggests. A plaintiff must know the name of the telemarketer that violated the **** in order to bring suit against it, and the content of the message can help prove that it was a solicitation. ****************** ********* & Elec., LLC, No. 17-4063, 2019 U.S. *********** *****, at *12 (E.D. *** Apr. 5, 2019))

  "I would hope you aren't looking for an easy handout from suckers because we are not that. we take every claim very very serious and every threat even more serious." It has taken 7 months, many emails, calls, texts, and finally a BBB complaint to get a (snarky) response. I very highly doubt that anyone at Roman takes any claim, much less "every claim very very serious." In the 7 months I have been waiting for them to take my claim very very serious, I have found multiple other people who have also spoken with Roman agents after what they claim are illegal calls and not a one of them have *ever* heard anything back from anyone at Roman...minus when they receive additional sales calls. I've seen Yelp complaints, ******** complaints, and another BBB complaint all regarding similar claims. BBB seems to be the only one to get a response and that one is equally snarky and sure doesn't take the claim "very very serious." 

  "If a 3rd party vendor forwarded us your info after you giving the ok,  Be happy somebody cares about you and wanted to make sure you were protected" Imagine getting around ***** calls from Senior ******** and American Benefits every single day for well over a year. No matter how many times you tell them to stop, they keep on calling. I really doubt what they are doing is wanting to make sure I am protected. They know that your company does not, in fact, take "every claim very very serious" and know they will face no repercussions from a company that takes 7 months to respond to a complaint. They know that Roman Financials' ignoring of these complaints is a tacit endorsement of the illegal practices being utilized to gain clients for Roman. They may have also heard that Roman's agents also do not announce what company they are working for when calling back leads after illegal calls (a violation), so if someone does have an actual complaint they really have to work to find someone to follow-up with. I am of the mindset that the illegally spoofed numbers used by Roman and its 3rd party, the 3rd party giving a fake name, Roman's agent never mentioning Roman when directly asked what company he is with, no one following up via phone, no one following up via email, etc, are all part of a way to ignore these valid complaints and only reap the benefits of the illegal calls and hope that others do not also take you to to court or continue to file class actions (that look like Roman *may* be ducking service on?...again "very very serious" is how they take these complaints). The FCC adamantly disagrees with the notion that simply hiring a 3rd-party to break the law for you absolves you of responsibility, even if you allege that you were unaware that they were engaging in illegal marketing efforts, which you have admitted to knowing. You are ultimately responsible for the actions of the telemarketers with whom you contract, and multiple courts have held to this effect...even if you think they are reaching out only because they care about me and want me protected (ie; an illegal sales call).

  "This will be our last and only response if you continue to try to harass us we will have our lawyer contact you." We all know that you will not have your lawyer contact me, as there is no harassment taking place. My address is included in my complaint, as is my number, so please feel free to have the attorney reach out to me via any method. They can also email me using the email address I provided. If they would like to serve me paperwork just let me know and I will make sure to be home on the day of service. I look forward to speaking with the attorney about these issues!

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  

  Business response

  11/04/2022

  
  

  

  Business response

  11/28/2022

  rom: ******************************* <*****************************************>
  Date: Wed, Nov 9, 2022 at 6:41 PM
  Subject: Complaint 18228032
  To: *************************************** <***************************************>
  
  
  Anouska D,

  
  

  I gave my response the first time to these people. I am not going to keep going back and forth for their entertainment. They know exactly what they are doing. Everything is recorded and we are not a company that is going to get hustled plan and simple. We have over **** clients on the books, every once in a while we get some of these that act like they did not fill out the info but the truth is there is a recording of them saying yes I want somebody to call me about final expense. Then we call them and they try saying they are on the *** list. We will not become part of the circus. I gave my one response and that is all they are getting. Thank you have a great night!

• Initial Complaint

  08/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company has called my cellphone (which is on the Federal Do Not Call List) over and over again. They also call themselves "Senior Benefits". I have repeatedly asked them to stop, yet they keep calling. The last call, on 8/12, I recorded, and was successful in getting the name of their company. I have attempted to contact them to resolve this matter via email and phone call, but have been ignored. At this point, the only way this can be resolved, is for them to have their ATTORNEY or LEGAL REPRESENTATION contact me at my email or phone number listed above. Simply "removing the information and number from their system" will NOT suffice. I intend on holding them accountable for their multiple violations of the Federal TCPA. Failure to provide contact from their attorney, will result in significant legal action being taken against them.

  

  Business response

  08/24/2022

  Lets break this down for the simple mind:

   

  We are an insurance brokerage, not a lead vendor.  We buy leads from a 3rd party vendor just like every other sales opportunity in *******. The lead vendor we bought leads from must have called this woman who continues to harass us along with whoever her friend ** is, via voicemail, email, social media and now on BBB. so lets break down the steps of what the lead vendors do because we called them to ask.  The lead vendor does everything it can to scrub the leads to ensure they do not call *** individuals. While on the phone the lead vendor states they are with senior benefits and moves forward to ask the client a few qualifying questions. At the end of the call, if the client looks like they can possible qualify, the lead vendor then will ask the client if it's ok if a licensed insurance broker can call them to see about getting life insurance. If the client says yes then that name and information goes into a list and is shipped off to whoever buys the lead. One of our brokers happened to buy a lead pack with this irrational woman's name in it.  Any normal person who gets calls that is on the *** would simple say "I am on the *** list please do not call me ever again", end of story. ***** for some reason decided to go through the whole prequalifying questions with the lead vendor then agree for a broker to call her back to see about getting life insurance. One of my brokers called her doing his job because she gave them the ok and now she is mad. I know we are living in different times dealing with society but companies need to be able to fight back against predators like ***** and ** who are simply looking for a hand out from individuals who work hard and are doing the right thing. Again we are not the lead vendor we buy leads, ***** gave the ok for someone to call and we got her lead. It sounds like ***** knew what she was doing so she could try to do what she is doing now. end of story. thank you 

  Customer response

  08/25/2022

   
  Complaint: 17754533
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Regardless if the company uses a third party vendor to obtain leads, THEY ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE for said illegal telemarketing. This is defined both in the Federal TCPA, as well as case law. I suggest Roman Financial consult an attorney, to have this better explained to them. I make every effort to identify illegal telemarketers, including "playing along" and answering their questions, and doing whatever is needed to hold them accountable. I also have the right to obtain restitution as defined by 47 U.S.C.227(b)(3). I again, suggest that Roman review this matter with an attorney. I will offer these two options regardless. Roman can provide me with the PHYSICAL ADDRESS, and WORKING PHONE NUMBER and EMAIL for the third party vendor that called me, PROVIDED that they are located here in *****************. If that is not feasible, Roman can have their ATTORNEY contact me to discuss a resolution to the violation of the Federal TCPA, along with both ******* State and Florida State Law. If neither of these two things happen, I will contact an attorney that specializes in TCPA, and file a Class Action suit in a ** District Court here in *******. I will also consult with the State Attorney Generals' Offices in both ******* and *******, as to what state codes have been violated, and what can be done about those violations. Again, I HIGHLY suggest Roman consult with an attorney on this matter, as the resulting consequences can be both financially significant, and legally punitive. I have been dealing with and taking legal action against TCPA violations for over five years, and this isssue with Roman is a common example of TCPA violation, and the result is always the same in the end. It is in their best interest in resolving this BEFORE it goes in front of a Court.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  

  Business response

  08/29/2022

  First, this will be our last response on BBB. Second, we do not respond to threats of any kind especially harassing our people through social media. The interesting part of this whole message is that this woman stated she has been doing this for 5 years. Maybe this is a profession for her if she has been doing it for this long. She should have mail coming to her this week, please respond to it. Have a great day. 

  Customer response

  08/29/2022

   
  Complaint: 17754533
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Roman Financial IS responsible for illegal telemarketing. They are already facing litigation in a separate case. A response to their letter will be sent shortly. They can also expect to hear from legal counsel as soon as we obtain it. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩