Lawyers, Lawfirms and ONAPI...and People here!

Krishna Duddukuri · May 9, 2015

I have been reading all the posts of foreigners being ripped off, foreign investors going through hell a lot of ordeals to do what they came here to do. I just want to share my part of the story too.
. I hired a well two very very well and reputed law firm who boasts of having offices everywhere. But to be honest, once this is over i hope i will never have to return to them. Complete waste of time and money. Never respect the delay and time. For my immigration proceedure, my law firm from the capital never was keeping me update d with the situation, legal changes in the country and for more than a month did not even respond to my mails. Paid them in full last september, worst mistake! Finally i got so ****ed of and wrote them a frustrated email asking them to give a full refund and stating that if they are not capable of handling my case then accept it and let me find someone more competent Also had to take some influential names of my fianc?s family which had connections to this law firm. Finally now i get regular emails from the lawyer who is following up my case and now we are working on my immigration proceedure.
Now for my second issue. Proceedure of buying a restaurant. As some of you might have read my first post, I came here with a dream of opening a small restaurant in PC. Was thinking of opening in March and till now it's not open. Paying the monthly rent of the place, CEPM and some other bills. This lawfirm in PC is so make me want to kills myself kind of efficient. I purchased the restaurant, got all the contracts signed and one of the owners came for a week from italy to sign the papers etc. I was promised all the documents with transfer of ownership from Registry Mercantile by end of April, after writing them thousands of emails and running behind them for this whole proceedure to take place faster. Without these legal documents i cannot open the restaurant. Cannot sign contracts with suppliers mostly Alaska and others, cannot open a bank account in company name, heck cannot open the restaurant because everywhere you go they ask you for camera de commerce certificate and assembly. Now after being promised the documents for the end of april, the junior lawyer informs me that she completely forgot to take a very important signature from the owner who flew all the way from italy to sign the documents. Now we cannot get hold of him. I just want to blow my head with a gun. Atleast one more month till we hope to make it happen, that is what i understand from my lawyers mails. One more month of money loss for me. Once again i am such an asshole that i paid them in full before hand. This transfer of purchase is so important to me as my immigration proceedure is depending on the documents of my restaurant so i can file for my immigration and hopefully before 16th june. I sent them an email today asking them to deliver the documents by the end of next week or refund me. The funny twist of this story is that my law firm is held up to proceed with my filing papers at the camera de commerce because of ONAPI. We filed a request to register the name of my company and restaurant as OM NAMASTE and ten days later, the junior lawyer tells me that ONAPI refused my application because there are already two food joints under the name of ------ ON THE GRILL and the second one called ON THE GRILL AND BAR!!! can any one of you find the similarities between the name i registered and the excuse they give! i am informed that they have filed an objection to the refusal, instead of picking up the phone and calling ONAPI telling them to learn to read english carefully. This is so frustrating on all levels. Monday i have decided to go personally to ONAPI and see what happens. If necessary i will pay them some bribe and get this name so atleast i can print my sign boards, menus and cards.
My advice to those who are new and want to do business here, please please pease do not pay your lawyers full in the beginning and do not go to big law firms because apart from name and money they make you pay, they are so incompetent and waste of time, like many other things in this country.

Peterj · May 9, 2015

The DR is a paradise but.......you have to come here with 200% motivation because it will be destroyed till you are left with about 10%

I don't think it's wise to write that you are willing to pay some bribe if needed.....all kind of people read this forum!

About missing a signature....use your imagination....

Good luck and don't shoot yourself!

Marcion · May 9, 2015

I want to be on your side with this but I can't read it and it may explain why nobody responds to your emails.

If the attorney failed to remember to get the seller's signature there must be some recourse.

the gorgon · May 9, 2015

welcome to the land of the most useless and clueless lawyers on the planet. these guys would not rise to the level of paralegal in any other country. just yesterday, i went to a lawyer to get a legal document prepared. i gave him my passport, so he could get little things like my name correctly spelt. well, when he delivered the document to me at 5pm yesterday, my name was incorrectly spelt, even though this mook had my passport to look at. now he has to go into his office today to do the thing over.

you have to wonder how some guys here find their way off a bed in the morning.

rubio_higuey · May 9, 2015

ONAPI has some very strict rules as for names registration. Your best bet is to try arrange an official meeting with one of the superiors at Signos Distintivos department. I had a case with my last name that I ran through them before registration and the person who ran the name said it was OK to register. So I filed the name and then the person who had the case denied it. I called him but could not get a hold of him, another person in that department looked at my case and said she could not understand why the name was denied. Next morning I spoke with that guy and he was very arrogant and basically did not accept any reasoning and he said what his other two colleagues thought was not important to him and that his decision was final. I then called his superior and the lady who is a subdirector, has to review all approvals and denials, I gave her the case details, the same day she reviewed the case, overruled his denial and returned the case to him obliging him to approve the name.

LTSteve · May 9, 2015

Krishna Duddukuri said:
I have been reading all the posts of foreigners being ripped off, foreign investors going through hell a lot of ordeals to do what they came here to do. I just want to share my part of the story too.
. I hired a well two very very well and reputed law firm who boasts of having offices everywhere. But to be honest, once this is over i hope i will never have to return to them. Complete waste of time and money. Never respect the delay and time. For my immigration proceedure, my law firm from the capital never was keeping me update d with the situation, legal changes in the country and for more than a month did not even respond to my mails. Paid them in full last september, worst mistake! Finally i got so ****ed of and wrote them a frustrated email asking them to give a full refund and stating that if they are not capable of handling my case then accept it and let me find someone more competent Also had to take some influential names of my fianc?s family which had connections to this law firm. Finally now i get regular emails from the lawyer who is following up my case and now we are working on my immigration proceedure.
Now for my second issue. Proceedure of buying a restaurant. As some of you might have read my first post, I came here with a dream of opening a small restaurant in PC. Was thinking of opening in March and till now it's not open. Paying the monthly rent of the place, CEPM and some other bills. This lawfirm in PC is so make me want to kills myself kind of efficient. I purchased the restaurant, got all the contracts signed and one of the owners came for a week from italy to sign the papers etc. I was promised all the documents with transfer of ownership from Registry Mercantile by end of April, after writing them thousands of emails and running behind them for this whole proceedure to take place faster. Without these legal documents i cannot open the restaurant. Cannot sign contracts with suppliers mostly Alaska and others, cannot open a bank account in company name, heck cannot open the restaurant because everywhere you go they ask you for camera de commerce certificate and assembly. Now after being promised the documents for the end of april, the junior lawyer informs me that she completely forgot to take a very important signature from the owner who flew all the way from italy to sign the documents. Now we cannot get hold of him. I just want to blow my head with a gun. Atleast one more month till we hope to make it happen, that is what i understand from my lawyers mails. One more month of money loss for me. Once again i am such an asshole that i paid them in full before hand. This transfer of purchase is so important to me as my immigration proceedure is depending on the documents of my restaurant so i can file for my immigration and hopefully before 16th june. I sent them an email today asking them to deliver the documents by the end of next week or refund me. The funny twist of this story is that my law firm is held up to proceed with my filing papers at the camera de commerce because of ONAPI. We filed a request to register the name of my company and restaurant as OM NAMASTE and ten days later, the junior lawyer tells me that ONAPI refused my application because there are already two food joints under the name of ------ ON THE GRILL and the second one called ON THE GRILL AND BAR!!! can any one of you find the similarities between the name i registered and the excuse they give! i am informed that they have filed an objection to the refusal, instead of picking up the phone and calling ONAPI telling them to learn to read english carefully. This is so frustrating on all levels. Monday i have decided to go personally to ONAPI and see what happens. If necessary i will pay them some bribe and get this name so atleast i can print my sign boards, menus and cards.
My advice to those who are new and want to do business here, please please pease do not pay your lawyers full in the beginning and do not go to big law firms because apart from name and money they make you pay, they are so incompetent and waste of time, like many other things in this country.

Your story is why most of the members of this forum always recommend to proceed with extreme caution. If you come to the DR without local knowledge than this is the kind of things that can happen. Your biggest mistake is to pay in full for anything which has not been done. Do this is the DR and you can kiss your money goodbye. Most of us know this fact and would never consider paying for any services which are not delivered. I can empathize with you but your story sounds like many other coming to a foreign country without the background needed to avoid the pittfalls of new customs, rules and regulations. Buyer beware.

Krishna Duddukuri · May 9, 2015

rubio_higuey said:
ONAPI has some very strict rules as for names registration. Your best bet is to try arrange an official meeting with one of the superiors at Signos Distintivos department. I had a case with my last name that I ran through them before registration and the person who ran the name said it was OK to register. So I filed the name and then the person who had the case denied it. I called him but could not get a hold of him, another person in that department looked at my case and said she could not understand why the name was denied. Next morning I spoke with that guy and he was very arrogant and basically did not accept any reasoning and he said what his other two colleagues thought was not important to him and that his decision was final. I then called his superior and the lady who is a subdirector, has to review all approvals and denials, I gave her the case details, the same day she reviewed the case, overruled his denial and returned the case to him obliging him to approve the name.

Thank you so much for the information. i will try to do that.

Criss Colon · May 9, 2015

You should have read, and paid attention to, the 100's of threads and post here on DR1 telling people NOT to come to the DR to start a "Bar, Restaurant, business!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The success rate is so low, you have better odds playing the Lotto with your money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then you should have read and paid attention to , the 100's of post telling you to be careful of DR lawyers, and government agencies!!!

You just got exactly what you have been told to expect to get, from dozens of posters here on DR1, "Your One Source For Information" about the DR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soooooooooooooooooooooooo, stop your crying!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

donP · May 9, 2015

Steep Learning Curve

Krishna Duddukuri said:
I hired a well two very very well and reputed law firm who boasts of having offices everywhere. But to be honest, once this is over i hope i will never have to return to them. Complete waste of time and money. Never respect the delay and time. For my immigration proceedure, my law firm from the capital never was keeping me update d with the situation, legal changes in the country and for more than a month did not even respond to my mails. Paid them in full last september, worst mistake! Finally i got so ****ed of and wrote them a frustrated email asking them to give a full refund and stating that if they are not capable of handling my case then accept it and let me find someone more competent

I share your view about the 'reputed law firms'. Most of them are not much better than any other crook with a 'law office'.
It took me years to find a lawyer and notary, who would return calls, be available when needed, answer emails and produce legal papers without grave mistakes.

Krishna Duddukuri said:
Also had to take some influential names of my fianc?s family which had connections to this law firm. Finally now i get regular emails from the lawyer who is following up my case and now we are working on my immigration proceedure.

Indeed, it's best to be introduced to a reliable lawyer by some high ranking 'functionario', serious businessman or longtime friend. And even then things may not go as smoothly as one wishes.

Krishna Duddukuri said:
I came here with a dream of opening a small restaurant in PC.

I am very sorry, that you have to go through this nightmare.
One would think, by now the world knows that you do not want to come to this 'paradise' in order to work and make a living or open a business.
Although the success rate is low, the revolving door effect keeps churning in the victims unabatedly; the Dominicans know this and thus won't and need not change their crookedness.

Krishna Duddukuri said:
My advice to those who are new and want to do business here, please please pease do not pay your lawyers full in the beginning and do not go to big law firms because apart from name and money they make you pay, they are so incompetent and waste of time, like many other things in this country.

I admire your steep learning curve and wish you all the best.

donP

robbiee · May 9, 2015

why are you suprised ? what would you expect from someone who barely can read, have zero knowledge about world outside DR and probably has no basic knowledge of mathematics, too...
and it all starts in colmado when they use calculator to count how much they owe you if you give them 100 pesos and your bill is 80 pesos...
can you believe that i met some bank clerk who didnt know basic or math, like 9 x 8 ? and she worked in a bank....

Krishna Duddukuri said:
We filed a request to register the name of my company and restaurant as OM NAMASTE and ten days later, the junior lawyer tells me that ONAPI refused my application because there are already two food joints under the name of ------ ON THE GRILL and the second one called ON THE GRILL AND BAR!!! can any one of you find the similarities between the name i registered and the excuse they give!

donP · May 9, 2015

Licdo. Calculadora

robbiee said:
... in colmado when they use calculator to count how much they owe you if you give them 100 pesos and your bill is 80 pesos...

Oh, they do like calculators. (But even with them they often do not get it right. :classic: )
Operating such a sophisticated machine somehow bestows them with the aura of a 'licenciado(a)'.....

donP

zoomzx11 · May 9, 2015

Lets see. You went to lawyers and were cheated, delayed and in general ripped off? That is the normal course. Very, very, very few foreign owned business ventures work out in the DR. Businesses that are profitable are Dominican owned. This is a country for vacations and living off money made elsewhere. Come down and sit under a palm tree for a year or two and unwind. You seem to need to relax a little. I almost got stressed by just reading your post. Good luck.

Expat13 · May 9, 2015

Sadly your description and outrage is only normal here. I don't care what firm you deal with, you cannot expect complete 1st world type competence. I have dealt with top firms here which are far better than most, but still many delays and mistakes are made.

Peterj · May 9, 2015

the gorgon said:
welcome to the land of the most useless and clueless lawyers on the planet. these guys would not rise to the level of paralegal in any other country. just yesterday, i went to a lawyer to get a legal document prepared. i gave him my passport, so he could get little things like my name correctly spelt. well, when he delivered the document to me at 5pm yesterday, my name was incorrectly spelt, even though this mook had my passport to look at. now he has to go into his office today to do the thing over.

you have to wonder how some guys here find their way off a bed in the morning.

As with most things you are able to do yourself...do it yourself!

Peterj · May 9, 2015

robbiee said:
why are you suprised ? what would you expect from someone who barely can read, have zero knowledge about world outside DR and probably has no basic knowledge of mathematics, too...
and it all starts in colmado when they use calculator to count how much they owe you if you give them 100 pesos and your bill is 80 pesos...
can you believe that i met some bank clerk who didnt know basic or math, like 9 x 8 ? and she worked in a bank....

Now that's a tough one 9 x 8, they will first repeat the question 2 or 3 times, look into the sky, get their fingers above the table and start to count...when they see there are fingers "missing" they will give you a random number between 1 and 100...
When you tell them it's 72 they will probably tell you right away that's not correct...and then will tell you the question is wrong; it should be 8 x 9........but at least they are Licenciados or licenciadas.....

rubio_higuey · May 9, 2015

LTSteve said:
Your story is why most of the members of this forum always recommend to proceed with extreme caution. If you come to the DR without local knowledge than this is the kind of things that can happen. Your biggest mistake is to pay in full for anything which has not been done. Do this is the DR and you can kiss your money goodbye. Most of us know this fact and would never consider paying for any services which are not delivered. I can empathize with you but your story sounds like many other coming to a foreign country without the background needed to avoid the pittfalls of new customs, rules and regulations. Buyer beware.

Well, myself for my part require full payment in advance for services rendered, FROM DOMINICANS. Seller beware

*

* Yes I do have some Dominican clients that were given a chance and have proven to be "buena paga" with post-payment. 20/80 is the ratio... 'nough said.

Most of the times though I go for a risk-risk situation... Full payment halfway through.

We are talking about advertising/marketing services.

Krishna Duddukuri · May 9, 2015

Criss,
Thank you for your message, actually speaking this is not crying, this is venting out frustration and warning all new comers who have not seen all the threads before about coming to this country and planning to Invest. I mean i expected things to be slow and didn't expect professionalism but this worse? Never! I come from India where **** like this happens but here, people are just lazy, including lawyers!!! No offence to the lawyer in this forum but i have heard of people facing problems with that law firm as well. It really a shame that this country is living up to it's reputation.

Krishna Duddukuri · May 9, 2015

Dear friend, DonP

Thank you very much.
I have to tell you, even before coming here, i got a small taste of it because even before i landed here, i was looking on the web for places to buy here in Bavaro, came acros a wonderfully sweet lady who was selling her small sandwich restaurant. For weeks we continued our deal, fix the price, she got the owner to increase the rent for 200$, lied to me about paying the salary for a waiter, telling me that i should pay 500$US montly plus tips. Later i understood that minimum salary is 6880 pesos per month for a company with investment of less than 4 million pesos. Amazing rank on trip advisor bla bla. Was promising to help me till i settled down. gave me the reason that they want to settle down and stop restauration business and create family. I came here to close the deal and realized that all of it was a scam. That S*hole was not worth 5000$, there was nothing worth selling in that place, four plastic tables and was almost paying 7 times more. Also found out that they were planning to buy another bar few hundred metres from the existing one. Luckily i did not sign any papers and never owed her anything. They gave some advance to the business they were planning to buy which they lost in the end as i backed off. They wanted to sue me but realised cannot touch my hair. Karma is a bitch.
Another story of the engineer who is helping me renovate the restaurant which i bought now. He signed to create a bar, bathroom slab with marmolite and in the end was fixing the bar with cheap cement slap which cost him peanuts. I had to threaten to sue him and now he is doing everything with marmolite.

This is one hell of an adventure for me and i am enjoying it on all fours. Not sad or crying but makes me more stronger day by day for me to run a business. Once again folks who are new, please learn from my mistakes.

franco1111 · May 9, 2015

Edited to delete stupid questions to which there are no answers : )

rubio_higuey · May 9, 2015

Krishna Duddukuri said:
here in Bavaro

I am in Higuey, about 30 miles away ... if you want to get down for a beer one day, just let me know via PM. Been living in DR for 10 years now.

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