ComplaintsforOmni Community Association Managers, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  01/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 9/13/22 received letter from OMNI stating we violated deed restriction re: trash cans. Emailed Ms. ******* that it isn’t stated in paperwork. Violation was closed. On 2/20/23 alleged to be in violation for Christmas lights. Requested Ms. ******* to point out where this was stated in paperwork. No reply received. Received second letter threatening fines this time and emailed again on 6/30/23 asking to provide the rule violation. Received reply from Ms. ******* on 7/5/23 to check the document for deed restrictions. Replied with copy of deed restrictions and again pointed out there was nothing regarding the violation. She acknowledged that in follow up email stating it was an “unspoken rule.” I replied they can not enforce nor fine someone for unspoken or unwritten rules. I received no further communication regarding this alleged violation. On 8/8/23 we received yet another letter alleging an unwritten violation for parking a car on the street! I emailed that it isn’t a violation, they can’t regulate street parking AND IT WASNT EVEN ONE OF OUR CARS! I received no reply. Finally, on 1/31/24, I checked my account to see when HOA dues are due. I saw another violation for Christmas lights was listed on 1/23/24 with a letter scheduled to be mailed to us. OMNI/ Ms. *******, has now displayed a pattern of harassment by sending letters and in one instance threatening fines for violations, by her own admission, are not listed in the deed restrictions.

  Business response

  02/08/2024

  Ms. ******* is correct that her property has been the subject of multiple notices regarding conditions at her property that are not acceptable in the community in which her home is located, and she was sent a notice sent to multiple addresses in an effort to identify to whom an improperly parked car belonged.  Unfortunately, she also received poor information through our office (for which I apologize) regarding the authority of the homeowners' association in her subdivision to regulate the conditions at her home.  By way of background, the Amberfield at Big Walnut Subdivision is a deed restricted community, but its deed restrictions are not the "typical" set that have been recorded in the vast majority of the over 250 communities that Omni manages.  In responding to her complaint that the associatoin "can't enforce" things like making sure people put away their trash cans other than on trash collection day, don't have Christmas lights hanging from their homes in and after February (hers in 2023 didn't come down until some time between mid-April and June) and that lawn maintenance is performed, our manager looked in the normal spots within most deed restriction sets where the relevant requirements would typically exist.  Because Amberfield has an a-typical set of deed restrictions, our manager did not locate the language she believed exists, and apologized to Ms. *******.  In fact, the policies of the association as adopted by the Board and under its authority given to it under the Deed Restrictions and Ohio law (RC2312.01 et seq.) give the Association the right to regulate decorations that are visible on the exterior of homes, the placement of trash cans and yard maintenance requirements.  Specifically, in the Section of the Deed Restrictions titled "Hobbies", the Restrictions provide  "...Hobbies or other activities which tend to detract from the aesthetic character of the Subdivision and any improvements used in connection with such hobbies or activities shall not be permitted unless carried out or conducted within the building erected upon the Lot and not viewable from either the street or the adjoining properties. This restriction refers specifically but not exclusively to such activities as automobile, bicycle, moped, motorboat and sailboat repair."  Although the "title" to the section does not clearly point to its actual content (hence why it was 'missed' by our manager), the section clearly states that "...activities which tend to detract from the aesthtic character of the Subdivision...shall not be permitted...".  The list of specific activities included within this section state that those activities are "refer[red to] specifically but not exclusively...".  The Board has determined that trash cans not being put away, Christmas decorations still in place past the end of January and unkempt lawns detract from the aesthetic character of the Subdivision.  As such, Ms. ******* is not being harassed, she is being asked to abide by conditions and behaviors that are subject to the Association's Board oversight in the nature of "being a good neighbor", and maintaining the aesthetic character of the community.  We regret confusion, but also request that Ms. ******* adjust her behavior so conform to the requirements that we believe fall into the category of "things people do to be good neighbors" (in addition to being required).
  

  Customer response

  02/08/2024

  [If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.] 
  
  Complaint: 21229570
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 
  It’s wrong. You can not enforce what is not written. Your own staff have previously admitted they were wrong. It is harassment and I will not be bullied or intimidated by a company that doesn’t know its own rules. Your employees lack of knowledge and understanding of the basic restrictions is not justification for threatening fines for items beyond your purview. You referred to the following statement:      NUISANCES:
  No obnoxious or offensive activity shall be carried on upon any Lot, nor shal anything be done thereon which may be or become an annoyance or nuisance to the neighborhood.

  This Still does not allow for the alleged violations claimed. This is a very subjective clause. And I wasn’t accused of leaving garbage cans out by the street but in view, as does the majority of the community since no area was provided to put them anywhere else. Lights are on display all over the neighborhood. Holiday lights, especially if they are not on, aren’t a nuisance. And it is hardly your place to tell me or anyone else what a good neighbor is or how to “behave.” 
  

  If your company can’t handle overseeing multiple communities with different covenants then maybe you should do something else.

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

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  * In the last nine months, Omni erroneously approved multiple additions to a neighbors house/yard including trampoline, fence, wood burning fire pit and retractable fabric awning. * I reported the items that are not allowed and was told one story and a neighbor was told a completely different story as to why they were approved (leading me to believe I was lied to). Both the neighbor and I were told the items would be allowed to remain, even though they are clearly in violation of our community. The neighbor in violation happens to be an employee of the Home Builder (Fischer Homes) of our community. * Shortly after the first trampoline was installed the beginning of May, a second home owner installed one. I contacted Omni and was told this trampoline was in violation and the owner would be contacted. I again had to contact Omni because the trampoline was not removed and was told he forgot to report it. The trampoline as of today 7/8 is still standing. * In the last two months, Omni has posted on their community webpage the wrong Community Architectural Guidelines confusing multiple homeowners as to what they can and cannot have on their property such as above ground pools, privacy fences and sheds. All of which are forbidden. * This company does not pay attention to details, which is what their business should be about. * This company does not enforce community guidelines, which is what their business is all about. * This company is not efficient in responding to homeowners requests or communications. * Our community is still in the building phase. We are not even at the halfway mark of completion. It is difficult to believe these issues will get better with double the residents we currently have.

  Business response

  07/13/2023

  Ms. ****** is incorrect in stating that the referenced additions were "erroneously" approved.  In fact, what she is referring to is that there have been applications for improvements in her community that were approved in accordance with the architectural standards adopted by her community's Board, but that after some were approved, the Board adopted revised standards under which those improvements are no longer allowed to be approved.  I am unable to provide any factual information about specific applications because Ohio law prohibits such disclosure of information about "other owners" properties.  However, I can state without hesitation that no owner has been (or ever will be) treated differently or received preferential treatment as a result of any actual or perceived professional relationship with the builder/developer in the community.  All owners are held to the same standards.  In regards to the comment that a trampoline is "still standing", if the trampoline was not approved, it is likely the subject of a pending violation action involving the relevant owner.  Again, we are legally not allowed to disclose such information -- but the assumption that nothing is being done, based upon the violation still existing, is a bad assumption.  The Association's policies do not include entering upon someone's property to physically and forcibly remove violations; instead a process is involved that takes time to complete.  We hope that, through the process, violations are removed and corrected.  But we do not have the ability to magically make violations disappear in an instant - it takes time.  Also, the "wrong" architectural guidelines were not posted -- the Board changed the guidelines.  A significant portion of the enforcement process is dependent upon owner communications, in identifying and reporting violations.  Our business is not "about" being the deed restriction police, and there are significant legal reasons that neither the HOA nor Omni as its manager, is charged with the responsibility to locate, identify and take action against all owners who have a condition on their property that violates the deed restrictions.  We pay significant attention to 'the details', but not all owners fully understand the processes or reasons behind them.  I am not aware of any prior communications or requests that were not timely responded to, so I have no way to comment on the suggestion that we are not efficient in responding.  We work hard over long hours to serve the communities we manage, but that does not mean we are always able to please all owners and the varying expectations they have regarding how the Association should function.

  Customer response

  07/14/2023

  [If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.] 
  
  Complaint: 20291547
  
  I am rejecting this response because: erroneous is the correct word.  There are several items in Farmsteads guidelines that are permitted and do not need approval BUT at the bottom of the guideline page there are very clearly a list of lots that these additions may not be made.

  Cut from the Architectural page RE trampolines

  LOCATION
  ??To be placed and used behind the rear corners of the home
  ??To be placed so as to contain play to the lot
  ??To be placed to limit visibility from street
  ??Any lot that adjoins a lake/pond is subject to additional restrictions for an Improvement proposed to be installed within 10 ft of the lake/pond; Improvements, within the aforementioned 10 ft perimeter, are to be installed no higher than 4 ft above grade, so as not to impede sight visibility
  ??Lots 1-10, 18-21, 28-34, 70 -78 are not permitted to install this improvement

  Trampolines and wood burning fire pits are NOT required to have approval from HOA for lots that are not located on the main pond.  They are simply not permitted on those lots.  Yet OMNI  gave approval for a trampoline.  An item addition that they don’t have to approve.  This is where attention to detail comes into play.  The other neighbor I referred to in my initial complaint, was told that the items were approved because OMNI thought that this lot was located in the patio home section of our community.  This still doesn’t explain why they approved items that do not require approval.

  I was never asking for a “magical” resolution to the second trampoline.  I simply waited 6 weeks for the trampoline to be removed.  When it wasn’t removed, I contacted OMNI and was told by the representative  (Copy of my email)  Mon, Jun 19, 8:36?AM
  
  I mistakenly did not add this to my violation list last month. I will address it this week. 
  
  THIS WOULD MEAN I DID NOT MAKE A BAD ASSUMPTION.  In fact, this means my assumption of nothing had been done was CORRECT.
  

  As for wrong guidelines being posted on the HOA website, please see my email to OMNI below:

  On Monday, May 8, 2023 10:30pm, "****** ******" <******——————-com> said:
  Hi *******.
  My husband was looking through FaceBook posts this evening and noticed Maple St neighbors were talking about storage sheds being allowed and other topics. So he pulled up our Fischer Homes login page and the Architectural Guidelines, went to Maple St version and it clearly states that storage sheds are not permitted. Then pulled up FarmsteadHOA.com and the guidelines were completely different and were clearly not for our community.

  The FarmsteadHOA.com and pulled the guideline there and it states that sheds are allowed. Also allowed in that list are above ground pools, privacy fence, posts for dual mailboxes, etc. Clearly these are not allowed. Updated 9/29/2022

  There are 2 completely different sets of rules listed in 2 completely different places. The incorrect list is the one you don't have to log into FarmsteadHOA.com, so guess which they are pulling up. I don't know if Omni owns this site or where it came from.
  Whoever owns The FarmsteadHOA.com list should take down the guidelines until whatever confusion is cleared up.
  There is a ton of confusion in this neighborhood right now and anything Omni can do to help the situation is needed and appreciated.
  Thanks for your help,
  ******

  
  As you can see, I do have email communications regarding the items I pointed out.  I also have the 2020 Architectural Guidelines in addition to the updated 2022 Guidelines.  

  To conclude, I am not looking to be pleased.  Nor am I, in any way, stating that OMNI should be policing my neighborhood.  We are a pleasant community of friendly people/neighbors.  I am stating that when complaints do arise and are sent to OMNI, we should be able to expect that we won’t be given different stories for why something was allowed and that the issue will be addressed.  I AM however, looking to protect my investment and the investment of my neighbors.  I am also looking for a contracted company to do the things they have been contracted to do.  Neighbors and myself have called or emailed regarding things such as our pool gate being broken off or children being able to get into the back gate once it was fixed without parents.  It takes more than one email/contact to get items corrected.  And the excuse that they are managing many properties and are very busy doesn’t ease my thoughts of what will happen when our community is pushing 400 homes.

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

• Initial Complaint

  05/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  OMNI serves as the HOA for our neighborhood (forced by the home builder). Even though I've repeatedly asked them where our money goes, they won't share that information with me. This company is taking advantage of us, and I'd like to know exactly how much money they've spent on my behalf.

  Business response

  05/16/2022

  As happens only too often, residents misunderstand Omni's role for their Association.  The statement that "Omni serves as the HOA" is incorrect.  Omni has been hired by the Board of Directors of the HOA, to act as its manager - we handle the day-to-day business operations of the HOA, as directed/approved by the Board.  We are not "the HOA" itself.  We don't make business decisions for the HOA and we don't make the rules for the community.  The duty and obligation of Omni, as the Association's manager, is to follow the directions of the Board, which in the case of financial information, is provide detailed financial information to the Board.  Individual owners/residents who are not members of the Board have the right to request the scheduling of a records inspection at our office, piecemeal document deliveries of bits, pieces and parts of the Association's records are not done (I have directly communicated this fact to Mr. *******).  Every owner is provided with a copy of the annual budget which indicates the intended and anticipated expenditures the Association will incur in a given year, the amounts of which may change from year-to-year based on the Board's approval of the budget, and consideration of the expenses actually incurred in the previous year(s).  Notably, Omni provides online, 24/7 access to owners, which includes copies of monthly financials consisting of the Balance Sheet and Income-Expense Statement for the Association, and the Income-Expense Statement is prepared to show detailed information including the comparison of actual expenses relative to budgeted expenses.  I don't know whether Mr. ******* has availed himself of the opportunity to review the financials, though I can see through our system that he has logged into the Caliber Portal several times, including within the past week.  The concept that "we won't share" financial information is simply incorrect -- if he wants to see more details, he is welcome to schedule a records inspection.  I would welcome further discussion with him regarding his allegation that Omni is "...taking advantage..." of the Association, since that suggestion is completely without merit and likely results from his misunderstandings about the Association's and its manager's rights and responsibilities relative to each owner's rights and responsibilities.

  Customer response

  05/16/2022

  [If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.] 
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  Attention: The readers of this post: 
  
  *****, an attorney and owner of OMNI, sent me an email five minutes before responding to the BBB complaint, inviting me to come look at the books. FIVE minutes! Hes good!  Our community has tried for 3 years, and finally he gets a complaint from the BBB, and now wants to be transparent. 
  
  To find out more about OMNI as a firm, simply Google them.  If you feel confident after conducting your own research, have at it.   
  
  Great conversation, *****. The clock has started on when your "services" wont be needed from us.  Good luck.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *******

  Business response

  05/20/2022

  Mr. ******* complained that he didn't get answers to questions about finances.  I responded that the financials are openly published on a site that he has 24/7 access to.  Then the complaint switched to experiences his neighbors have had with us in other communities.  His substantiation is what appears to be a cut-and-paste of a handful of the comments made (some 5+ years ago) and responded to elsewhere, having nothing to do with his original statements, and some in communities not even in Ohio.  I honestly don't know what he wants, but he and his neighbors aren't stuck with Omni, the upcoming turnover of their association from developer to elected residents will free them to move on to another manager with ease if that's what they decide they want to do.  We take no pleasure from providing services in situations in which the residents don't want us as their manager, and if that's what the new board decides, we will part ways professionally.  I don't know how else to address his complaints and comments.

• Initial Complaint

  03/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have caught this company taking pics of my home and my kids in the yard. I have reached out to the manager Kathy and got dismissed. We as home owners feel harassed as the rep was caught on video taking pics of my children. No where have I ever signed saying they could photograph my home. I am requesting them to cease and assist with being on my property or around my home.

  Business response

  09/01/2022

  I understand that this is a renewal of a 'complaint' from many months ago.  In reviewing our records from the applicable time frame, I find a picture of the trash can sitting out in front of the house (not on trash day), with the house in the background.  There are no people (children or adults) visible in the picture.  Our field representative is very sensitive to this issue, and she vehemently denies taking pictures, at this house or others, that include people in them, particularly children.  She has uploaded all pictures taken and finds no exceptions, there are no pictures of children.  Yes, we do take pictures to validate the presence of conditions that exist on a property that violate the Deed Restrictions, and we include those pictures when asked to "validate" that the violation exists.  While this homeowner believes inappropriate pictures were being taken, they were not.  The Association, including Omni as its manager, has the right and authority under the terms of the Deed Restrictions, to enter upon owners' properties and do such things as it needs to do in the performance of its duties to enforce the Deed Restrictions.  In fact, we rarely go on people's lots, and the pictures we have were taken from the street.  I regret that he felt 'dismissed' when speaking with our office, we take all expressions of concern seriously and looked into his allegations to verify that he was simply mistaken.  In the performance of our job duties, we will continue to be in the community, and if violations exist, we may need to document them.  We will not take pictures of him or his children.
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Omni changed their billing cadence from every 6 months to quarterly. According to Omni a notification was mailed on December 21st with the change and a payment book. We received no such mailing. Additionally we received no email notification of this change. In their platform we have email and postal mail as our notification preferences. Omni did not honor our notification preferences. Not until Feb 25th, did I receive an email with an invoice with the January charge along with a late fee and interest charge. I also received a mailing of the invoice on / around the 25th as well. It seems Omni honors notification preferences only on certain things. We made payment on Feb 28th for the original balance.

  Business response

  03/10/2022

  Mr. ********, along with all other owners in the Saunton community, was mailed a coupon book, and a notice that for the benefit of all owners, the Association's Board (not Omni -- Omni doesn't have or 'establish' a billing cadence, the Board defines how often invoicing is done) decided to spread the annual charge of $670 into four installments 0f $167.50 instead of two installments of $335.  The letter and coupons sent to Mr. ******** were not returned as 'undeliverable' by the Post Office, which leads to the conclusion that they were delivered.  We do not accuse Mr. ******** of any wrongdoing in making the assertion that he didn't receive the mailing,  it is simply the Association's position regarding such matters that, unless a mailed notice or document is returned to the Association by the Post Office, or there is other hard evidence of non-delivery or an error on the Association's end (i.e., wrong address used, not applicable in this case), the risk of delivery is borne by the owners, not by the HOA  Particularly in circumstances in which it appears that everyone else in the community received their letters and coupons, the Association acts on the assumption that the mail was properly delivered.  As such, when the first quarterly payment was not made, a late fee and interest charge were assessed to his account.  Regarding the use of e-mail, billings for communities that make use of coupon books does not take place through mailings physically handled by Omni.  Because a third-party provider prints and sends the coupon books and the invoicing letters drafted by Omni, there is no way for the invoicing event to be e-mailed.  Omni's address is used as the return address on the third-party's mailings so if the mail had been undeliverable, it would have come to Omni; and the third-party's records reflect the printing and mailing of 32 invoicing letters and coupon books to 32 different addresses in Saunton - Mr. ********'s is one of 32 properties in the community.  Again, all reasonable steps are taken to ensure the proper and complete handling of the mailing process, as evidenced by the high rate of owners who did pay on time using the coupons that were mailed.  I regret that Mr. ******** believes the process did not work in his case, but we simply have no evidence that the mail was not delivered, and therefore under the Association's policies the late fee and interest charges will not be waived.  This is a rule as adopted by the Association, intended to treat all owners equally, fairly and with a desire to keep costs in control and dues as low as they can be.  If the HOA bears the risk of mail being delivered, everyone's dues would likely have to increase, albeit by a small amount, to cover that risk.  The extremely high percentage of delivery success justifies the allocation of risk to the individual owners in lieu of even a minor dues increase.

  Customer response

  03/10/2022

  *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** ********* *** ********* ********* *** **** ***** **** ***********  ********** ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: we have a service by the USPS that scans and sends notification of all mail being delivered to the address.  Our records do not have any correspondence in those notifications with Omni as the sender.

  Again, we received an invoice via email and a letter with the invoice with the balance and a late fee assessed.  We received no notification from Omni or the Association of a change in how fees are collected.  
  

  Omni should at the bare minimum resend the notification and coupon book as those items have not been received.
  
  ******** **** ********

• Initial Complaint

  02/09/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have tried to contact this company regarding HOA fees and their services. I do not ever get a response or a call back. They also have sent a bill stating that I am late but I have never received a bill to begin with. I also paid my HOA fees a year in advance when I purchased my home in May 2021. They will not answer any of our requests for services. Examples: home amenity approval, treatment of the roads for snow, speed limit sign posting, trash collection, backed up irrigation system, and will not present a break down of our HOA neighborhood budget.

  Business response

  02/11/2022

  I have tried to contact this company regarding HOA fees and their services. I do not ever get a response or a call back. They also have sent a bill stating that I am late but I have never received a bill to begin with. I also paid my HOA fees a year in advance when I purchased my home in May 2021. They will not answer any of our requests for services. Examples: home amenity approval, treatment of the roads for snow, speed limit sign posting, trash collection, backed up irrigation system, and will not present a break down of our HOA neighborhood budget.
  

  Ms. ***** is an owner in an Omni-managed community.  Our records reflect that our first contact with her was a phone message received yesterday morning, which was responded to promptly and followed-up upon with an e-mail sending her the documents and information she requested.  Our records also confirm that when she closed on the purchase of her home, her 2021 dues (prorated) were paid in full, and that she has not been invoiced or charged for anything attributable to 2021.  She does have a currently late, unpaid balance on her account which consists entirely of 2022 charges, initiated with the mailing of her 2022 dues Statement in early January.  Regarding the attachments to her BBB complaint, the two-page letter is a document that was not sent to Omni (nor the developer), from what we have gleaned it was hand-posted on everyone's door by a disgruntled neighbor.  We just received a copy in the past few days, from a number of owners who reached out to us to express that they disagree with many of the items raised in the letter, and wanted to make sure we knew that they weren't associated with it.  Importantly as it relates to this BBB complaint, most of the items complained about are not HOA or HOA management related concerns.  The issues are community-development issues, driven largely by the local requirements for subdivision development (requirements for lighting at mail kisosks, and signage, for example), and/or Board decisions made by the Developer for the financial benefit of the community (having a minimum snow fall amount before paying for very expensive snow removal, for example).  Others relate to the status of current development of the community, which is not complete.  As related to Omni, it is the HOA's responsibility to send "violation letters" when people violate the community rules, which is one of the reasons people choose to live in deed restricted subdivisions.  There are no 'threats' in the letters until previous letters get ignored, and more than threats, the letters' content advise owners of the consequences they subject themselves to, as provided in their deed restrictions, if they choose to continue to break the rules.  The Board has great discretion to adopt and enforce architectural standards, which owners agree to by accepting deeds to their homes.  Neither Omni, **** *****, nor the HOA as an entity, discriminate against any Owners for any reasons, including "cultural beliefs," but all owners are held to standards of "reasonableness" regarding the types, size, locations and durations of display, for seasonal/event-based decorations.

  I regret that Ms. **** is unhappy, but we are resolving her personal account issues with her, and are in the process of communicating with the community as a whole as regard the unfounded (in most ****s) or inappropriately directed complaints contained in the "unhappy neighbor's" letter.

  Customer response

  02/11/2022

  *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** ********* *** ********* ********* *** **** ***** **** ***********  ********** ********
  I am rejecting this response because: Myself and my boyfriend have reached out to OMNI several times before yesterday so that is a lie. I reached out about a letter that I had received in October 2021 from OMNI regarding my grass but still to this day they have never returned my call. I called and left ***** ***** a voicemail and then I called again the next day and I was told that Mrs. ***** was on vacation and her boss would reach out and again still have never received a call from either one. I also even left a voicemail for the president of the company as well. They sent a deed restriction violation about the grass being tall but did not know why the grass was over their version of "excessive growth".  The sod had to be re-laid three different times there for we could not cut the grass but had they returned my phone call they would have known that. I do not take lying lightly. OMNI is in the wrong and per their financial budget for this neighborhood. We are being charged for trash pick up, mind you the trash was just picked up today from 2 weeks ago it is suppose to come every Friday. We are being charged for snow removal but have never once seen snow removal in this neighborhood. When it rains there is about a foot of water or more that comes in the roads by the drains. Also we are being charged a club house fee and there is not a club house in this neighborhood. I could go on and on about the items that we as a neighborhood are being charged by OMNI but it is not accurate. I have attached the letter of the "deed restriction violation" that I received back in October 2021. So it has been 4 months and no return call on that matter.  
  
  ******** ***** *****

  Business response

  02/14/2022

  I am grateful that, among other things, Ms. ***** has not disputed that her 2022 payment is late, that Omni did not receive the disgruntled owner letter, and that many of the items raised in the letter have nothing to do with Omni or the HOA.  Contrary to her assertions about "lying," I stated that "...our records reflect...", which is true, our records do not reflect any individual phone attempts she might have made with the site manager - I don't have any idea who she spoke to outside of the records, I simply indicated that within our system, there appears only 1 contact, which was immediately responded to.  I am the president of Omni, and I have never received a message from her.  I'm attaching a picture of her lawn, showing weeds somewhere between knee- and waist-high.  That's excessive.  The HOA does pay for trash removal, and I will research her assertion that a week was 'missed' - this is the first I'm hearing about it.  Snow removal is contracted for with a minimum threshold amount before services are provided, I understand that each time the threshold has been met, plowing has taken place.  Rain in the roads from the drains is simply not an item the HOA has responsibility for.  There is no "clubhouse fee," there was, in 2021, a reserve item for electronic equipment maintenance that had the word "clubhouse" on it, but it was not an expense (it was a reserve item) and the electronics exist and need to be reserved for.  In summary, we work hard to respond when we are contacted (and I believe we have been responsive to Ms. *****).  Under the direction of the Board, budgeting covers all necessary items for which the HOA is responsible, and contractors' work is overseen.  The HOA is not responsible for site development, or other items under the control of local government.

  Customer response

  02/22/2022

  *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** ********* *** ********* ********* *** **** ***** **** ***********  ********** ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: OMNI is not stating the facts. Since you want to keep saying that I haven't paid my dues for January. Can you please take a look at all the money that has been taken out of my Escrow and explain to me how I have a bill. Also I have attached a photo since you claim the grass was at knee/waist level. This picture is for reference of a knee and waist level. This visual should be very clear that the grass was never knee length or waist level. OMNI did sent out an email today ironically address several items that they do not cover. Which brings me back to the question of what do you do has a HOA for our neighborhood besides collect our money. Have a great day :)
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****

  Business response

  02/24/2022

  I don't wish to get in a 'game of semantics' (knee-height vs waist-high), but see attached picture (same base picture previously sent) to understand why the clear overgrowth on her lot includes some growth that is at least knee-high.  Also, her comment about money being taken from her escrow -- HOA dues are not paid from escrowed funds.  Her comment leads me to believe that she thinks her mortgage company pays her HOA dues, which is not correct.  Mortgage escrows generally cover taxes and insurance only.  The last payment that was received on her account was received in May of 2021.  That payment covered the remaining quarterly assessments in 2021, but no payment has been received on the first quarter dues for 2022.  She needs to log in to Caliber Portal and make on online payment, or mail a check, but the payment comes from her, not though any "escrow".    The e-mail she refers to was a community-wide response to the letter she copied on her original complaint to the BBB - recall, that letter was neither addressed to nor sent to Omni or the HOA, so we didn't even have a copy to respond to for some time after the neighbors received it from whomever it was that authored and delivered it.  As explained in the letter sent by e-mail, a significant number of the complaints raised in the resident's letter have nothing to do with the HOA, nor with matters that HOA even has the power to address.  I have attached a copy of the letter sent by e-mail.

  Customer response

  02/24/2022

  *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** ********* *** ********* ********* *** **** ***** **** ***********  ********** ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have contacted the Accounting department and left a voice mail today and I have also contacted my title company. In the Caliber portal it shows a total of $1,020.55 plus a $100 set up fee was paid on 5/18/2021. Please help me to understand how I owe Omni. I will be patiently waiting for Julie from your accounting department to return my call. And I went ahead and paid the "January quarterly fee" so you wont have to discuss that anymore but I still want an answer to all the money that you collected on 5/18/21. Have a wonderful day. 
  
  ******** ***** *****

• Initial Complaint

  06/21/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Omni Hoa is using very bad business practices. There is no question on how they are with their properties they managed for HOA’s they are rude and horrible to deal with. They did a system update that they did not notify anyone of until you attempted to log in to pay your bill only you can’t log in. So you go round and round trying to get the login to work but you have to use their “helpdesk” to reset it. They offer no help, the. The link expires in 24 hours and then They charge late fees plus 3$ processing fees of 25$ For them to be at fault on their end. Their help desk once you do reach someone tells you that once it is charge it can’t be reversed. As I said this is horrible business practices.

  Business response

  06/22/2021

  Mr./Ms. *****'s complaint states that we use "very bad business practices."  To the contrary, in an effort to improve our customers' experience, increase efficiency and make the processing of online transactions easier, we did, in fact, perform a system change.  One of the results of that change was that the web address that contains the current login window for making online payments, changed.  We sent e-mail notifications to all owners among the 30,000ish owners we serve, who are on "recurring ACH" plans, notifying them that they needed to change their settings to accommodate the change.  We sent the notice to this group of individuals because individuals who do not use the recurring ACH plans are extremely unlikely to have bookmarked the old login page for making online payments.  People who make online payments occasionally, typically login through a link to the Caliber Portal on Omni's website -- and that link was updated to coincide with the software change.  We also adopted an internal policy that no one experiencing payment difficulties using the ACH portal, at a time prior to the assessment of late fees, would incur a late fee as a result of such difficulties.  In the *****s' case, they apparently had bookmarked the login credentials for Caliber Portal even though they did not use recurring ACH, and when they tried to use the old login site, the login failed.  They contacted our Help Desk via e-mail on June 17, at a time when the late fee on their June, 2021 assessment had already been assessed.  Payments are due on the 1st, late on the 11th.  Our response policy is 'within 48 business hours' and within that time, our personnel reached out to Mrs. ***** asking for more information, Mrs. ***** called back in and was given assistance in making the changes necessary to restore her online access.  Mrs. ***** paid her account that day, including the late fee that had already been assessed.  Because she did not contact us before the late fee was assessed, the fact that she had difficulty logging into the system did not result in a waiver of the late fee.  I believe her comments that we are "...rude and horrible to work with..." is more a reflection of the fact that her request for a waiver of the late fee resulted in a response of "no", than it is an accurate reflection of how she was treated in her communications with us.  There is no "processing fee" for our personnel assisting an owner obtain online access; but yes, she got a $25 late fee for not paying her dues by the 11th.  We did our best to advise everyone who was likely to be affected by the system change, in advance, and then to deal with "one-off" situations as they arose.  No late fees were charged to anyone who attempted to make timely payment but failed due to system complications.

  Customer response

  06/24/2021

  [If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.] 
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: they did not send emails I searched looking for help prior to reaching out to their help desk, and even then then return email for that was sent from the help desk wasn't from the same address so it got filtered by my junk folder and found it more than 24hours later.    
  Their instructions on the website were very vague and didn't make it clear what to do or that I needed to make a whole new login which is what was done.  Omni is also not accounting for the number of times I logged in or attempted to which I'm sure their webmaster could provide.  in my past dealing with Omni I have had rude people the person I dealt with on the phone was polite and I she offered me a phone number to the accountant that rang busy and gave no option to leave a message.  In my frustration I reached out to other home owners in my community and many have had that same issue as my self.  late fees that are not reversible.  if you look into Omni's history with the BBB you will see that I am not alone and just feel that they have poor business practices applying fees to residents for the issue being at another house and just plain difficult to deal with.  I did pay my late fee because I didn't want to give them a reason to asses any other fees for not paying it.  my account has always been in good standing with them and I reached out trying to ask for help but got no help and I felt the explanations that them not adding fees  is pretty low because what they give a 5 or 6 day grace period when reaching out to them take a day or two once you realize you have exhausted your options with reseting cash on your internet and clearing issues it could be on your end.  My intention was to bring attention to an issue I am sure that I am not alone in my disagreement with them.  
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****

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