Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/21/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  Few months ago I got a letter saying I owe more than $2000 on my HOA fees then I proved it to the lawyer that they are automatically taking the money from my account, I owe them nothing. Since then they freeze my account i can’t make payments online anymore, I called so many times, emailed but they don’t want to help me pay my HOA fees. I think they are doing it on purpose so they can charge me more. Anytime my son creates another account for me to automatically make the payment they will delete it. 3 times they delete the new account . The manager is evil ( ******) is not doing anything about my complaint. Please i need help to make an automatic online payment, thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/25/2023

  Because this represents an issue related to an account balance, we are limited in the extent to which we can respond.  This homeowner lives in a Condominium managed by TMGA.  The Condominium has its own collection procedures, which include referring an account to their attorney if the balance becomes past due.  Once the account is referred to an attorney, we cannot communicate directly with the homeowner nor can we accept payments.  All payments must go through the attorney's office.

  TMGA is simply following the Condominium's collection procedures.  We do not make additional money by not responding to the homeowner as she has alleged in her complaint.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/16/2023

  I'm fine, thanks for your help 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/09/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore 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 am somewhat shocked by how bad and reckless a company's management can be. I have been a regular payer of my HOA fees via the direct debit program. The direct debits ran into issues because apparently they only have the ability to set it for a year?! I immediately contacted the management office via email (until this email I sent they were quite responsive to email). I specifically informed them to interact with me via email as I was traveling quite a bit. I also brought the autopay issue to their attention and asked them for a way to fix the issue. There was no response to the email. I called and left several voicemails. No response again. Since there was no response, I went ahead and updated the autopay online assuming everything was good because the direct debits were happening from my bank account. Then I lost access to my online account because they changed systems. Then in a few months when I logged back into my account, I noticed charges for a lien. Shocked...I immediately paid the $1,000+ charges twice just to ensure all charges were taken care of. I repeatedly emailed and called their office multiple times. Still no response. Finally wrote a letter to their management office to which they responded claiming they sent a certified mail to my address (which I never received) and that they posted a 2nd notice on my tenant's door (which none of the tenants saw). I asked them multiple times for proof this certified mail and posting. They claim they do not have it. Clearly, this company is just too quick to put a lien and cause needless charges to a homeowner. A simple response to my numerous emails or phone calls could have resolved the issue. Wonder what they do to more innocent homeowners?! Please stay away from this company. I would give them 0 stars!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 05/31/2023

  ******************************concerns have been addressed extensively by TMGA and the Board of Directors for his community.  The Board of Directors found, after reviewing all of the relevant information, that *** ***********'s account was handled properly and voted AGAINST refunding to him any fees charged.  TMGA cannot make a billing adjustment as requested by the homeowner under the circumstances.  Furthermore, we have asked him repeatedly to provide us with the emails to which he says he never received a response and the phone number from which he called us so that we can look up our computerized phone logs.  Despite several requests, he has only produced two emails, dated 3/12/22 and 3/27/23.  The 3/12/22 email is discussed below  The 3/27/23 email was responded to on the same day as it was received  by ****** ****** of our Accounting Department.  
  
  To summarize, *** *********** is the landlord of a home in an HOA managed by TMGA.  He does not live at the property and his mailing address is in Puerto Rico.  
  
  Contrary to what he stated in his complaint, he did not pay by direct debit but by recurring e-check.  This is an important distinction because, when he signed up for e-check payments, he could only do so for 12 months at a time.  At the end of 12 months, he needed to renew his subscription for this payment method.  All homeowners were reminded to do so in several community mailings, including the budget mailing that was sent to all homeowners in November 2021.
  
  *** ***********'s account became delinquent in February 2022, and a late notice was mailed to him on 2/28/22 at his address in Vienna, VA (attached).  He subsequently emailed us on 3/12/22 to advise that his mailing address had changed, asking how he could "fix the autopay amount" and requesting that all future communication regarding his account be sent to him via email.  As a result of that email, his mailing address was changed and he re-enrolled for automatic payments.  Since we cannot re-enroll him without his active participation, he clearly worked with our account representative to do so.  This, and the fact that his mailing address was changed, indicates that he did, in fact, receive a response to his email of 3/12/22.
  
  Although *** *********** resumed his automatic account payments starting with his April 2022 assessment, he never paid his February or March 2022 assessments.  Therefore, a Notice of Intent to Create a Lien (NOI) was mailed to him via certified mail on 5/31/22 (attached).  The NOI was mailed to his Puerto Rico address.  *** *********** never collected it from the Post Office; therefore, it was returned to TMGA unclaimed on 7/19/23.
  
  The NOI was then physically posted on his property on 9/9/22 at 6:26 p.m. (see the attached photo and affidavit from the process server).  It was also mailed to *** *********** at his Puerto Rico address via first class mail.
  
  A lien was filed against the property on 11/15/22 and the account was sent to the collection attorney.  It was only then that *** *********** responded to the collection notices.
  
  As he has been advised on several occasions:
  
  1.  In 2022, the Association could not correspond to homeowners about their account via email as this would not have complied with the Association's duly adopted collection procedures.   These procedures required all collection notices to be sent by mail.  Note, this policy was changed in 2023 when TMGA updated our accounting software to accommodate email correspondence about billing issues but, at the time *** ***********'s account became delinquent, this was not possible or legal for us to do.
  
  2.  The NOI was first mailed, then posted on the property in accordance with the Maryland Contract Lien Act.  Sending him an email would not have constituted legal service of the NOI.
  
  3.  The only additional charges added to his account were for actual out of pocket expenses incurred by the HOA to contact him about his delinquent balance.  If these fees were waived, *** ***********'s neighbors would have to pay for them.
  
  4.  None of these charges would have been necessary if he had simply (a) balanced his checkbook, or (b) read his mail.
  
  *** *********** has taken no responsibility for his part in this situation and repeatedly insists, in the face of ample evidence to the contrary, that he never received any notification about his account.  Furthermore, he has repeatedly refused to provide any evidence to support his claims that he did not receive a response to his calls or emails.
  
  All of the above was carefully reviewed by the Board of Directors for his community at their meeting in May 2023.  The Board agreed that the charges assessed were accurate and justified and determined that no waiver was justified.
  
  Sincerely,

  *************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/03/2023

  [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: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The issue is not about whether TMGA could only send legally required notices by mail. It was about the inefficient and rather reckless manner in which TMGA went about collecting this payment. I would like to see a law section where it says that TMGA cannot respond to an owner's query about fixing an outstanding balance via email. If TMGA's intent was simply to collect the small outstanding balance in the fastest way possible, a simple email response to the tenant's question would have resolved the matter in 1-2 days. Instead, TMGA took the approach of a company that did not care about this specific owner, ignored the request for email communications and resorted to legal notices which cost the owner cost to $1,000 and earned TMGA more than $100 in management fees. And, last but not the least, delaying the collection of the small balance by about 10 months. What could be accomplished in 1-2 days, they took 10 months!!! Though only a notice via mail will meet legal notice requirements, it does not prohibit TMGA from ALSO notifying a tenant via email especially when the tenant is having some issues with payments due to an antiquated auto-debit system and is asking to specifically communicate only via email. TMGA team could have still met their legal obligactions by sending notices via mail AND by responding to the owner's query via email.

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/26/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore 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.

  Beginning late March, I have been attempting to contact our HOA management group to pay an outstanding balance. I submitted a letter of abatement expressing financial instability and my desire to pay the outstanding balance in full. I recently took on a second full-time job to try to get back on my feet post Covid.. The Management group and our HOA president completely failed to respond to my requests. I then attached my Abatement letter and sent another email group that included the HOA president, the management group (this time to both property managers assigned to our residences), the individual responsible for accounts receivable in that management group, as well as the Attorney who represents the HOA. I thought that if everybody was called upon, it would create a platform for accountability to be had. To my surprise, it did not. This failure to respond left me uncertain and distressed as the April deadline grew closer. I submitted fractional payment through the HOA portal and this payment was drawn against my bank account. I corresponded in the portal to inform I had submitted a payment to confirm that it would apply to my balance and requested insight. No response. It has been a week since this payment posted and there is no record of the payment being made. Had somebody taken a couple of minutes to respond to my expressed concerns this financial disaster would have been avoidable. To add insult to injury, there is another late fee now added to the balance. I am facing uncertainty as to what I owe, where my money is, and what my transaction history is. I’m panicked that my condo will continue to ignore me and silently lien against my home. This feels predatory to me; I am in fear that they will remove me from my Home that I’ve worked very hard to keep. I am very appreciative for your assistance. Please advise.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/12/2023

  We sympathize with the financial difficulties *** ****** is experiencing and respectfully disagree with her statement that she received no response.  It is, in fact, because she communicated with so many people at once that there was some confusion as to who would respond to her.  
  To summarize, *** ******' account was delinquent in fall 2022 and was referred to the Association's collection attorney for action.  The account once again became delinquent in 2023 and *** ****** submitted a request via our website on 4/3/23 simply stating that she was, "seeking conformation from TMGA Inc property managers **** ******* and *** *******.  Re: HOA payment abatement."
  The PA for her community, ******* *******, responded on 4/5/23 to advise that she would forward *** ******' request to the Property Manager.  She advised *** ****** that the Property Manager was out of the office and would respond upon his return.
  On Friday, 4/7/23, *** ****** sent an email to both Property Managers for her community, the Board President and the collection attorney about her account and asking for a waiver of late fees.  TMGA is closed on Fridays; therefore, on 4/11/23, *** *******, one of the Property Managers, advised that he would provide a response by the close of business.  *** ******* responded the same day at 1:15 p.m. to advise that we could waive $30 in late fees if the balance was paid by May 12th.  He also advised that the hard costs incurred by the Association could not be waived.  He asked that *** ****** respond to the email to accept the waiver offer and agree to the payment terms.
  *** ****** did not reply immediately but did respond on 4/17/23 questioning the balance due and asking for an itemized statement.  Please note that, at any time, she could have obtained an itemized statement simply by logging in to her Owner Portal online.  It was not until 5/4/23 that she advised us that she was having difficulty logging in to her Owner Portal.
  On 4/20/23, *** ****** sent another email, this time copied to *** *******, *** *******, **** ******* (the other Property Manager), the Board President and the collection attorney.  This email was quite threatening, referenced a conversation with her legal counsel and demanded an accounting of her payments from 1/1/22 through the present.  Because of the nature of her email, *** ******* and *** ******* incorrectly assumed that the collection attorney was going to respond.  The collection attorney assumed that TMGA would respond.
  On 4/27/23, *** ****** then contacted the Montgomery County CCOC, which has no jurisdiction over delinquent account matters.  Because TMGA works on several matters with the CCOC, their staff reached out to *** ******* and *** ******* for a response.  On 5/2/23, *** ******* responded to advise that, "This account is being handled by the Condominium's legal counsel.  As such, as you know, we are not to interfere.  Counsel was addressed in *** ******'s email but I have not yet seen a response from that office.  Early this morning, I issued an email asking if they have responded."
  *** ******* and *** ****** then traded several emails on 5/2/23.  *** ******* was advised by legal counsel that they had not responded to *** ******.  Therefore, on 5/4/23, *** ******* provided *** ****** with a breakdown of her account and advised that, through May 2023, the balance due was $2,743.52.  On 5/5/23, *** ****** responded to *** ******* to advise that she would pay the balance in two installments -- one on 5/5/23 and the final on 5/8/23. In her email of 5/5/23, *** ****** stated that, "There is no question my outstanding balance will have been paid in-full before May 22nd!".
  No payment was made on 5/5/23.  A payment of $2,000 was made on 5/8/23; however, a balance is still due on this account.  
  *** ****** is welcome to contact our office to request a reasonable payment plan for the remaining balance due, with the understanding that TMGA cannot waive out of pocket expenses incurred by her Condominium for collection efforts.  Unless the account is paid in full or she arranges a payment plan, her account is subject to collection action.  *** ****** may also reach out to us if she still has problems logging in to her Owner Portal and we will assist her as needed. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/11/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore 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.

  The Management Company is the current property manager for the HOA that my property belongs to. Although I’ve requested an itemized bill of my HOA fee and a digital form of payment multiple times and attempted to contact them both in writing via email and by telephone, I have not been able to get a response. I don’t know how much I owe and how I can pay. I’ve called at different points during their business hours and either get directed to voicemail or get a message that states that they’re closed for the day. The company is willing to ignore it’s clients and cost them money in the form of late fees because of it’s incompetence.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2023

  We respectfully disagree with the homeowner's complaint for several reasons.  TMGA took over management of the homeowner's condominium association, The *********, on 3/1/23 after the Board found significant financial mismanagement by the previous management company.  As a result of this significant mismanagement, the Association's records as of 2/28/23 did not accurately reflect payments made by homeowners.  Payments made had either not been deposited by the former management company or were commingled with other client accounts.  Due to these issues, the Condominium is currently engaging in a forensic audit to trace its funds and, as of this date, does not have an accurate accounting of assessments received up to the time when TMGA took over management.

  ************ was given detailed instructions for how to access her Owner Portal for each of her units on 3/24/23 (see attached letters).  These letters were sent to her via email again on  4/11/23.  By logging in to the Owner Portal, she would have been able to see and download a statement of her account from 3/1/23 onward.

  In addition, I responded to ************ via email on 4/11/23 to explain in detail why we could not give her an accurate account statement through 2/28/23 (see attached).  

  In my 4/11/23 email, I invited ************ to contact me if I could be of any further assistance but, to date, she has not.  She is more than willing to file 1-star ****** reviews and BBB complaints, but does not appear to have made use of any of the options she was already given to either log in to her Portal directly or contact me with questions.

  For the above reasons, we do not believe that **************** complaint is justified.

  *************************, COO/VP, The Management Group Associates