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As a lot of you people in here I guess we were really screwed by MRI.
We went to Calabria/Pizzo in march 2008 to look at some projects. We found our dream and went for it. We payd the 3, 000 euro deposit, signed contracs, etc... When we came home we transferred the 35% deposit for the property. A few months later we still had heard nothing! When I call them in february this year to get som info the lady i spoke to said; Oh, haven't you got the info - MRI have pulled out of all projects in Italy. She told me that I was on my own, because we had signed contract with the builder, not with MRI. I got angry, and she told me that she would check if they could do anything for me.
She called me the day after and said that they might get our 35% deposit back, but we had to commit us to spend those money in a project in Lisbon/Portugal. If not, they would not help us at all.
I contacted an organization in Italy that contacted the lawfirm that MRI used to finished the contracts with. Ten they said that i was entiteled to get all of our deposit back, and that the the prodject in Lisbon just was ment as a extra service to us. What a bunch of crap. I was never given that choice.
I have now got new info. The property that MRI sold did not have the licence to start building the project. It was not approved by the local governments. The project is now sold to another company, and they are now waiting for the licenses to start building.
In the meantime I'm trying to get our money back. I'm really angry, mostly at MRI, but also at myself that got fooled like this. This is a story you just read about in the papers.
Kai-Roger
Re/Max
191 reviews
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My family were screwed over too. Lost 50, 000 Euro's (retirement fund) and just deserted by Mri to fight the Italian Law to try to get our money back!
REALLY nice to see they are still trading in 4 or 5 other countries when if your surf the net they have had hundreds and hundreds of complaints for a number of bad practices.
They have ben chucked out of reputable Govening Bodies of property sales, so that speaks for it self.
Bunch of crooks who have been allowed to carry on regardless!
We have had the same experience with a development in Calabria ! We bought 6 apartments between ourselves, my son and brother and were left high and dry by MRI, who have now pulled out of Italy and don't want to know. We were offered to transfer our deposits to property in Portugal ! but what they forgot to mention to us that the property in portugal had been reduced dramatically in the mean time but not for us ! and they were looking for us to hand over another 30% down payment ! I think as many of us should get together and put pressure on them !
Michael & Teresa Deane
Hi all
I am in contact with many people who have had problems.
If you want to contact me regarding this, feel free to do so.
My family have also lost 1000s through dealing with these crooks. I'm trying to help my mum reclaim money from them, has anyone any advice for me?
has the development the silver coast beech resort been sold to another company ?
i bought the silver coast beech resort in portugal and am awaiting on it to start
has it been sold to another developer
Wow. Me and my parents have been scammed too. In 2006 we went to spain with MRI to look at property in Almiramar Spain. We were told that the development was almost sold out and that we needed to put our deposit in right away in order to secure the price. We were also promised that they would allow us to sell the units after we had the units in contract and paid the deposit. So long story short we put our deposit in of 100, 000 euros. Then we immediately ask to put the unit back on the market for what they promised buyers were buying the units for. Then MRI came back and said that we had to wait 6 months before we could actually sell our contracts. (This was never disclosed until after we wired our deposit for the units) By the time 6 months ended the market had changed completely and there were no more buyers. The story gets worse from here. We then were forced to purchase the units when the units were completed. We were also told when we put the deposit money down that if we were not able to sell them that we were for sure going to be able finance the properties and rent them out. By the time the units were completed the property had fallen to half the price we secured with our deposit. Now in order to finance the properties that we paid a 100, 000 euro deposit on we needed to come up with another 150, 000 euros otherwise we could not get a loan because the value dropped by so much. We have begged for our money back and ask for help many times from the local attorney's that are handling the development. They are now wanting us to come up with more money or they are going to take legal action to me and my parents for not fulfilling the contract..
Has anyone had any luck with a class action against MRI? THANKS FOR THE HELP
I've had the same problem in Romania goochi. I paid deposit of c. E32, 000 - now they are not operating in Romania and they say they are not in a position to give money back. The law firm involved (which was provided by MRI) are in regular contact with me regarding opening a court case. However, I don't trust them and given I've already lost E32k I'm reluctant to hand over another E5k. Has anyone here taken a case against MRI and won? Do any of ye actually trust the solicitors that were recommended by MRI?
Send a complaint into the Serious Fraud Office about what has happened to you.
Hi mates
In exactly the same position as you all. I was put under immense pressure in Calabria to hand over the €3000 deposit. I then came home and was happy enough to have invested. I wanted this place for myself to spend winter time in. Then I signed contracts and handed over the 35% ending up paying around €41, 000. I thought it was all above board because the contracts were legal and the lawyers were specific and particular about the content.
Then I heard nothing until MRI contacted me and 'hounded' me to meet them about the development. At this stage I already knew the builder had been prosecuted and had illegally obtained the permit to build. An appeal in the Italian Supreme Court upheld the ruling. MRI wanted to meet me here in Limerick, Rep of Ireland where I live. Like many of you, if MRI want to meet you or talk to you they are relentless. I met them and found them to be very rude, aggressive and eventually just got up and refused to talk to me because they had no answers for what I wanted.
Then the lawyers originally involved wanted me to pay them €7000 to try to get mt money back. I had enough and said 'No'. They came back with a reduced offer of €5000. I lost enough money already. Now the builder has contacted me with the offer of 'transfer' to another development which is finished. What i find odd is that once the developmet was no longer viable, I never got any offer of a refund, just a transfer. MRI are the greatest shower of liars I've ever seen. They only care about duping us to give them our hard earned money. I have to work for more years now just to pay back what they took. I hope some action ends up closing their company down and throwing their directors in jail...maybe in some country where conditions are not so good.
I am so angry at myself for allowing them to put so much stress in my life, but as they say 'It's a long road that doesn't have some turn'. I wait for justice.
Gil Gordon (Ireland)
Hi Gil
Contact the DBPR in Florida. Give them as much information as you can and documented proof if you have it.
They have a website and this tells you about complaints.
MRI are now trying to sell property in Florida. This won't get us our money back but it may stop others from losing their money to MRI.
My name's Liz and I work for a legal service company called CPC Worldwide Ltd based in Durham, .
We help people that are victims of fraud, to get their money back throughout the UK and Europe.
We can assist you with repossession, demolition orders, missing title deeds, fraud, misappropriation of money, failure to obtain first occupation licenses and land grab law; in fact if you have a problem relating to property, land, abusive contracts, abusive guaranteed rental contracts, dodgy time-shares, or simply not getting the property you paid for and not getting your money back we can and will help you with our specialist teams both here in the U.K and Abroad and we wont charge you the earth to do it but we will move heaven and earth to help you.
All our lawyers are fully qualified and have excellent checkable track records in their chosen areas of expertise.
If yuo are a victim of property fraud, please visit our website or contact us on: [protected].
Liz
Rolf Christensen former MRI has since then in Feb 2014 set up operations in a new company Dreamlife Property, based in Estepona Spain. Runs it with a Martin Jorgensen, website http://dreamlifeproperty.com. People need to know about this.