ComplaintsforItalian Citizenship Assistance Program

• Initial Complaint

  07/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I paid ICAP a $120 fee for an initial consultation that was supposed to included unlimited follow up and questions. Many of my questions have gone unanswered, such as the best contact information for the consulate.Some basic questions, they refused to answer unless I paid for additional services, such as if the consulate would accept a short form document.Some of the information they have given has just been wrong, such as stating the consulate does not require the death certificates of the spouses to the Italian line. This would have delayed my citizenship application.Since I have not received the consultation services that I paid for and their information has been unreliable, I want a refund on this fee.The $300.15 charge was to find and acquire the birth certificates for both of my great great grandparents.I gave them a copy of ******* birth certificate, so their team did not have to do any research and could easily get the exact document.I pointed them towards a possible ********, but could not fully translate the registry entry.oTheir team did not even bother to translate the registry entry to realize that the mother listed was ********, not ****. So they requested the wrong document.oTheir team did no additional searching to find the correct document Their team put 0 effort to acquire these documents and did not even get the right one.Despite my repeated requests, no attempt has been made to check the registry or find the right document. Nor have they actually sent me either of the documents. They are holding on to them to extract additional fees.Since they did not acquire the documents that I actually needed, and their team did not make the slightest effort to find the correct documents, I want a refund on this charge. I believe that is fair. I paid them to spend time doing work and the produce documents I needed. They spent almost no time and did not produce the documents that I needed.

  

  Business response

  07/27/2023

  After *****************************; initial consultation he placed an order for 2 Italian birth records which we successfully obtained and which were sent to him via scan (attached). As far as can be determined by close examination of ********************** client file the birth record of *************************** that we obtained from ***** matches the scan of the civil registry citation that ****************** sent with his order, i.e. Act. #**,  as well as the copy of the old birth certificate that he provided (both attached).  We provide a FREE consultation call after each service rendered is completed. ****************** had his complimentary for the Italian civil record order on June 23, 2023. 

  The Italian civil records were retained in his physical file. We were awaiting the US documents from ****************** that he was obtaining on his own  before proceeding with the next phase which is document analysis of Italian and US civil records. Upon completion of Document Analysis he would have received his next FREE consultation. 

  The stated policy regarding phone consultation is found on our website is: "Our 1 hour initial phone consultation allows you the opportunity to discuss your application for Italian citizenship by descent, or by marriage, with an expert who will review your case and provide information on your eligibility and the specific application requirements. Following the consultation, you will receive a summary of the steps needed for you to proceed with your citizenship application. The fee for the initial consultation is $120.00 to determine eligibility and discuss requirements for Italian citizenship by descent (*** and *****), Italian citizenship through the female line (requiring a court case in *****)."

  Since there was a subsequent miscommunication about the "Free Consultation" upon completion of each service ****************** was offered a refund of $120.00 today which he accepted. The refund was submitted by our CFO. It could take a few days to appear on ********************** credit card statement.  We will ship the two Italian birth records that we obtained for him and close his case at this time. We apologize for any frustration that was experienced by *******************

   

  Customer response

  07/28/2023

   
  Complaint: 20383248
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  They were hired to locate and obtain the correct documents. They put no effort into locating the documents and obtained the wrong document then refused to search for the correct document unless I paid them more money. Below are excerpts from my emails to them that layout these points.

  The $300.15 charge was to find and acquire the birth certificates for both of my great great grandparents.
  I gave you a copy of ******* birth certificate, so your team did not have to do any research and could easily get the exact document.
  I pointed you towards a possible ********, but could not fully translate the registry entry.
  Your team did not even bother to translate the registry entry to realize that the mother listed was ********, not ****.
  Your team did no additional searching to find the correct document
  Your team put 0 effort to acquire these documents and did not even get the right one.
  Despite my repeated requests, no attempt has been made to check the registry or find the right document.
  Since you did not acquire the documents that I actually needed, and your team did not make the slightest effort to find the correct documents, I want a refund on this charge. I believe that is fair. I paid you to spend time doing work and produce documents I needed. You spent almost no time and did not produce the documents that I needed.

  Further, we were discussing procuring Italian records specifically and on your website under Italian Vital Record Procurement, it states:
  We procure Italian Birth, Marriage and Death Records from Towns and Municipalities throughout *****. We are extremely successful in working with the Italian Civil Records Offices in all regions of *****. We are also able to search local and Regional Archives if records are not available at the Comune.
  Fee: $140.00 per birth and marriage record request. The price includes preparation of your record request to the Italian Public Source, follow-up contacts by our Procurement Specialists in *****, if needed (calls, faxes and/or emails to complete your order), obtainment of the birth/marriage or death certificate or statement of no records found, priority shipment of records to our US office, and to your home address upon receipt. Complimentary phone consultation upon conclusion of the research to discuss your next steps for Italian citizenship by descent.  There is an additional $10.00 mailing fee for these documents.
  
  No further research was done. Local and Regional Archives were not searched. The correct document was not found. And neither document was shipped to my home. Instead, they were held by your team and I was repeatedly asked if I wanted to pay an additional $50/document for analysis.
  
  I didnt have a lot of spare money to put into this project, but I needed help. I was quite clear on that from the beginning. I wouldnt be paying for a full service. I would gather most the documents myself but needed help getting the right Italian ones. After that, I was planning to use your team to translate all the documents. But at every turn, I was pressed to spend more money, and I could never get your team to follow through on the task I had already paid for.
  
  In the end, I got tired of asking them to find the correct document and being ignored, or directed to one pay wall after another I gave up.. I just want my money back and to pretend that this headache of the last few months never happened

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

  

  Business response

  08/09/2023

  In speaking with ****************** we have agreed to issue a refund for the Birth Record of *********************** issued by the Commune of ********* Irpini which is not a match for his Italian ancestor. He does not want t have ICAP obtain the correct copy at no additional charge so a refund will be issued by our *************** Officer. ****************** indicated that he would accept this refund and successfully close the complaint. *****************, CEO & Founder. 

  Customer response

  08/13/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  The refund still shows as pending in Paypal, but I expect it will go through. Assuming it does, I am glad to close this complaint in the positive.

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

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