Divorce Helpline has a formal refund policy, which details the charges we assess against your initial payment should you cancel your document or other purchase before completion.
We have broken down the charges to fairly reflect the time and work it takes to prepare and monitor your documents. Please note that you have up to six months from the date your file is opened or when you have purchased your package to complete your case with us. After six months has elapsed, although we will remain available to continue toward completion of your documents, no refund will be payable. Prices are subject to change, should a price increase occur after 12 months of your case being open, the difference will be due upon receiving your MSA questionnaire.
The Charges applied towards a refund request include the following, depending on the specific document or documents purchased:
- Case initiation fee: 30% of initial fee. If you cancel your document more than one week after you have ordered your package, or if you cancel prior to that time, but we have commenced work on your case, we will deduct 30% of the original fee from any refund you may request. This fee includes the following services: customer assistance services, long distance telephone charges; credit card or other bookkeeping charges; engagement letter and questionnaire packet sent; file establishment; database entries; monitoring of case; interoffice case analyses; and status line services.
- First Documents Fee: If we have prepared your first documents from the information on the questionnaire, or if we have ordered and reviewed court documents already filed for a case we are completing, we will deduct an additional $400 from the original fee. This fee covers our costs in preparing the petition, response (including the explanatory materials in the response packet), summons, case management conference stipulations, Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act form, certificates of assignment and any local forms that may be required by your county. If we are completing your case, this fee covers our costs in ordering your file from court, reviewing the documents, and analyzing your case. It also includes all communications with the court. If the first documents have been sent to court, an additional $200 will be deducted to account for any and all court runner fees and for the monitoring of your documents through the court system. It also includes any calls we may need to make to the court clerk to track your case.
- Case Management/Status Conference fee: A fee of $200 will be assessed for each Case Management Conference or Status Conference Stipulation we submit to the Court on your behalf.
- Attorney consultation fee: If your package included consultation time and you or your spouse have used your half-hour consultation, $175 will be deducted if one of you has consulted, and $350 will be deducted if both of you have consulted.
- Disclosure Preparation and Service: If you have turned in questionnaire #2 and/or the Income and Expense declaration (FL-150) for review, no fees will be refundable.
- Final Documents: If we have served disclosure documents and have begun drafting your Marital Settlement Agreement, no fees will be refundable.
- QDRO Document Draft: If we have prepared your divorce documents and you have submitted your QDRO questionnaire for review a minimum fee of $500 will be retained. If we have not prepared your divorce documents and you have ordered a QDRO only, 30% of the total fee paid in addition to the minimum fee of $500 will be retained and any remainder will be refunded.
- Final QDRO: If a Joinder or QDRO have been prepared, then no fees will be refundable.
- Additional services: These include our drafting of formal change of address forms for the court, case dismissal forms, or other court documents. These will be priced according to the time it takes to prepare, and send and monitor them through the court system. You will also be charged $15.00 per month as a file maintenance fee, which is charged for every month your case is open after the first six months.
A refund will be processed within thirty days of our having received a written request for cancellation of our services. Written requests should be signed, dated and faxed to (831) 459-6100.
Please note that all of our packages include various components that are package-priced at a discounted rate for the benefit of our customers. If you request a refund, then the various services already provided will be deducted from the fee paid at the full service price.
Consideration has been given to make our refund policy as fair and equitable as possible while allowing our company to continue to provide top quality documents and service at a reasonable cost. Our goal is to ease your divorce or post-divorce legal documents process. If you have any questions about our charges, or about our refund policy, then please call us at (800) 359-7004.