Information and Alerts

Pattern of Complaints

According to information in BBB files, Slate Legal Group shows patterns alleging Contract Issues, Service Issues, and Refund Issues.

Specifically, consumers allege difficulty in obtaining services Slate Legal Group was contracted for. Complainants state they are in debt negotiation contracts with Slate Legal Group, where they are instructed to perform monthly deposits into a bank account that Slate Legal Group explained would be used to pay the consumer’s debtors and creditors. Consumers state that they are continuously contacted by creditors, debtors, and courts requesting payments or appearances. At which time they reach out to Slate Legal Group for assistance and explanation but are unable to speak with anyone other than the receptionist. Consumers further state when they are able to speak with someone to request a refund for the unrendered services, the amount of money in the accounts are substantially less than what was deposited. No explanation other than service fees is provided. When requesting an itemized billing the requests go unanswered.

On June 7, 2022, BBB contacted Slate Legal Group seeking their voluntary cooperation in eliminating the pattern of complaints.

On June 27, 2022, Slate Legal Group responded and provided the steps take to address the pattern detected.

We, the understated parties, having been notified of the pattern of customer complaints filed against this business hereby agree to eliminate the pattern of complaint through the procedures or steps outlined below. We further agree to abide by the promised terms.

1. All prospective clients receive a face-to-face meeting with a law firm representative to explain the debt settlement program. During this meeting the client is provided with a Retainer Agreement/contract which includes, among other things, a full payment schedule. The contract details all fees and costs associated with the program and specifically states what amounts are being charged and when. A full payment schedule is provided to the client at this face-to-face meeting. In addition to the payment schedule, all clients are required to open a special purpose savings account, which is owned and controlled by the client and held by a third party. Every client has 24-hour online access to the account and funds. At any point in time, the client can review all transactions in their account ledger. In order to remediate this issue, we will include an additional call to new clients within the first month of the program. We anticipate this call to go over setting up the client portal and reiterating to the clients the program and payment structure.

2. Prospective Clients are specifically informed that they may experience an increase in collection activity by entering this program. That activity may include calls or letters from creditors, collectors, and courts. A remedial measure that we are taking is to redesign our Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to include specific menu choices at the beginning of the call. By implementing this change, we anticipate reducing hold times for clients, providing additional online portal instruction to help clients review their accounts in real time, and to enhance client communication to ensure that their issues are being addressed in as short a time period as possible.

3. Clients own and have full access to their special program savings account and can view the ledger at any time. All payments, fees, and costs are clearly identified. Additionally, our office maintains a client portal where clients can view their account. In an effort to remediate this issue, the additional call that we will be making to new clients will include instructions on how to access this client portal so they can review their account 24-hours a day.

As of June 30, 2023 the pattern of complaint has not been eliminated. This aspect of the Business Profile will be updated once additional information becomes available.