Complaints

This profile includes complaints for JAMS's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  JAMS

  1920 Main St #300 Irvine, CA 92614-7279

• 

  JAMS

  500 North State College Blvd #600 Orange, CA 92868

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/04/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed an agreement to use this attorney's firm, JAMS, for arbitration. I filled out their intake form and was told to complete an additional form. I asked for reasonable accommodations because i am not well and can't see well. I was told by my "case manager" that I was either to complete the form myself or get an attorney. One this company's website, they say they provide reasonable accommodations under **** I tried to complain to the sources on their website. They're lack of response caused me to try to commit suicide. Finally, ***** ***** got back to me and stated that because JAMS is in ********** and I am in ********, they have a licensee handling the arbitration and the same laws don't apply in ********. She really tried to lie to me and tell me that the FEDERAL LAW - Americans With Disabilities - did not cover me in ********. This is an attorney telling bold faced lies to me, someone who was forced to work with JAMS in arbitration and they're already bold faced lying to me. Nobody in the organization will contact me and ***** ***** told such a ridiculous lie to me, I cannot trust this person to feed my cat, let alone make a decision about arbitration. She tried to tell me that I am not covered under Americans with Disability because I live in ******** and not **********. This kind of deception is so cheap and it demonstrates a complete lack of integrity.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/12/2025

  JAMS is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR)provider.  JAMS provides neutral arbitrators and mediators to assist parties in resolving their disputes. The customer contacted ********************** in ******, **,a licensee of JAMS, ***** to ask about filing a Demand for arbitration. JAMS advised the customer that to start an ******************** with ********************** she would need to submit a Demand for Arbitration form. The customer indicated she may require reasonable accommodations under the **** Within minutes the customer emailed and called ********************** repeatedly. The customer was advised that her request would be reviewed and responded to shortly. Despite this, she continued contacting JAMS staff with threats and allegations. At no time did JAMS state that federal law does not apply in ********. Instead, JAMS explained that JAMS, ***** and JAMS ***** have different procedures to assist the customer with submitting an ******************** Demand. The customer was never told that ********************** or ********************** Denver would deny a reasonable *** request and she was asked to clarify what accommodations she was requesting. The customer requested help filling out the ******************** Demand forms. JAMS advised that it may be able to assist with filling out the form,but could not advise on what information to include. The *** provides that reasonable accommodations must be made unless it fundamentally alters the nature of the services. JAMS as a business does not provide legal consultation,representation, advice, or assistance on what information to include in legal forms. Providing legal advice or guidance on what to include in the arbitration Demand form would fundamentally alter JAMS services and is not a reasonable accommodation that JAMS is able to provide. JAMS provided the customer with legal and other resources for further assistance. JAMS works with individuals to facilitate and make reasonable modifications to policies, practices, or procedures for persons with disabilities. JAMS complies with *** **** and regulations.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/01/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I went to JAMS arbitration as according to my contract with a timeshare company. JAMS charges $2000 for basic filing fee. As a consumer, in the JAMS case initiation it states that consumers pay $250. I paid the $250, and than was sent an invoice for $1750 to pay the remaining balance. That was not what was agreed to or advertised.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/13/2024

  In a JAMS arbitration, a consumer is defined as an individual who seeks or acquires any goods or services, primarily for personal, family or household purposes, including the credit transactions associated with such purchases, or personal banking transactions.  In this case, the customer seeks ******************** pursuant to a timeshare agreement.  Timeshare disputes are not consumer arbitrations, and the JAMS Consumer Minimum Standards typically do not apply.  In a non-consumer arbitration, unless the parties agree otherwise,the Claimant pays the filing fee and the responding party pays a fee for any counterclaim.  After that, fees are split equally.  JAMS invoiced the filing fee pursuant to the parties agreement and the JAMS Rules.  In response to the customers inquiry about the filing fee, a ********************** case manager provided this information to the customer in the ********************. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/14/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I sought out JAMS arbitration service 10/23 for a dispute against *********** 5 months later, I'm still waiting for JAMS to take action.Key Points:*JAMS has closed 250+ cases in the past 5 years. An additional 250+ are currently active, showing they now intentionally slow walk cases.*Administrator ***************************** denied proof of service for months causing delays, admitting to sending legal documents to a random ********** at *********************************************************** (unrelated to the case). This could have been an honest mistake, except for the fact they've handled 500 cases and should know where to serve them.****************************** gave a 2/22/24 deadline for sides to select a neutral. Both parties were late. The rules stated that missing the deadline meant you were ok with the selection. I was the only party to pick a neutral. *Failed to put information in their portal on neutral selection, causing delays. *When ***** failed to make the deadline, JAMS rewrote their rules to allow more time for ***** to respond. This is contrary to the rules spelled out to both sides.Consumers pay $250 while businesses pay a minimum of $1,750 for their services. This amounts to over $1m in revenue. *Repeatedly requested for action or status updates as they let issues be ignored. Based upon the abrupt uptick in ongoing active cases and my personal experience, JAMS is intentionally delaying resolution to maintain their $1m pipeline of revenue; they are not neutral as they tout.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/19/2024

  JAMS is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider.  We provide neutral mediators and arbitrators to assist parties in resolving their disputes.  Several factors all not within JAMS control appear to have contributed to delay in this case.  Customer filed a Demand for ********************** with ********************** on November 8, 2023, but did not submit certain items necessary to proceed for example, the customer did not provide an ******************** agreement between the parties or the full filing fee.  JAMS did not receive payment of the entire filing fee for this arbitration until February 5, 2024, despite having billed for it in early December 2023.  After receiving payment of the entire filing fee, JAMS promptly commenced arbitration on February 8 and provided a list of arbitrator candidates for the parties to strike and rank pursuant to the JAMS Rules.  Further contributing to delay in this case, all documents have had to be served by U.S. mail (instead of electronically) because neither Claimant nor Respondent has provided an email address for Respondents representative in this case.  Currently, the arbitrator selection process is underway and an arbitrator should be appointed in the near future.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/02/2024

  I immediately sent a reply when your website only allows for a response the length of a few text messages. It takes too long to edit down to fit in there.
  
  If you want to throw my response out because of this reason then so be it. I did reply. You did intentionally ignore my reply and accept their response at face value. 
  You make the process as difficult and non-user friendly as possible. 
  
  JAMS has failed to assign an arbitrator. Their response was 10 days ago and stated they'd have one picked the following week. This was a lie. The complaint was they were slow walking the process at the behest of big business.
  Their response was paperwork mix up, we'll have someone assigned pdq.
  This still hasn't happened, so the original complaint is not only accurate but the situation has only become that much worse with JAMS' blatant slowing down of their cases with Chase Bank. 
  
  JAMS should acknowledge they are in fact not neutral. 

  Business Response

  Date: 04/05/2024

  JAMS served a notice of appointment of arbitrator in this matter on March 21, 2024. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/02/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  JAMS arbitration is a sham! Its so outrageous that anyone could get away with this. The retired judge claiming to be unbiased is a lie and an injustice to our legal system. I was severely injured by a ********************; board certified plastic surgeon, **************************, who claimed to be an ENT nose specialist, that charged me 15k to correct a nasal fracture but instead, preformed an ****** aggressive rhinoplasty and removed all of my healthy inferior turbinates which is medical battery and only supposed to occur in cases of cancer or tumors in the turbinantes, neither of which I had. Sadly I thought that arbitration was supposedly faster, less costly and followed some CA rules of court but, it did not. JAMS Arbitrator, retired judge *************************** ignored the civil rule of evidence, her own scheduling order but allowed defense to conveniently change their retained expert on day 3 of the hearing, denied ******** nurses notes and charts, denied our subpoenas, denied our impeachment evidence, denied our impeachment witness and testimony, denied us from obtaining a copy of the defenses exhibits, ignored medical records evidence, misstated expert testimony and after months of delay; issued an interim award for me to pay ALL of defenses legal fees, arbitration costs and interest which also violated the initial arbitration agreement. When we opposed her interim award ruling, ****** threatened to file a formal complaint with the ************************** against my lawyer for allowing his unlicensed employee to send JAMS neutrals an email about our disputes and concerns. More appallingly, ****** completely ignored the statement of facts that she refers to as she quotes the respondents egregious misconduct of allowing his unlicensed medical professional; ************************* to make chart entries in my patient records without an examination which was is negligent per se.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/10/2023

  JAMS is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider.  JAMS provides neutral arbitrators and mediators to assist parties in resolving their disputes.  The customer is currently involved in an ******************** against a doctor.  A JAMS arbitrator, ******************************** (***.), chairs a tripartite panel of arbitrators appointed to hear and decide the case.  (Two of the three members of the panel are not affiliated with JAMS.)  The panel conducted a four-day evidentiary hearing in June of 2022, which included extensive expert testimony from both sides.  The parties then submitted post-hearing briefs. In October of 2022, the panel rendered a lengthy reasoned Interim Award.  The panels Final Award is pending, as the parties have been in discussions since the issuance of the Interim Award.  We understand the customer disagrees with the panels decision in the case.  However, JAMS has no authority, and is not in a position, to overturn the panels decision or to change the outcome of the case.  Justice ****** is a neutral adjudicator and she based her decision on her impartial view of the facts and the law.  The customer has not been billed for, and will not have to pay, any JAMS fees for this case.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/07/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  LIKE THE OTHERS WHOVE HAD VALID COMPLAINTS AROUND THE EFFICACY AND CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THIER EXPERIENCE WITH JAMS SERVICES HAS STATED, JAMS MANDATORY ARBITRATION SERVICE IS A SHAM AND ROBS INNOCENT PEOPLE OF THE RIGHTS THAT MANY FOUGHT AND DIED FOR ** TO HAVE! THE JAMS ORGANIZATION AND ALL OF THIER AFFILIATES ARE SINGLE-HANDEDLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE ERODING OF THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION AND THE LABOR LAWS THAT WERE WRITTEN TO PROTECT ** (including the Neutrals children at JAMS who benefit from the scams that JAMS engages in. I laugh at the IGNORANT who believe for one minute that KARMA isnt a MOTHER OF RECIPROCITY)??IS IT NOT A CONFLICT OF INTEREST TO RECEIVE YOUR PAY AND VITALITY FROM THE SAME SOURCE THAT YOU ARE LOOKING TO ACT ADVERSELY AGAINST? FOR INSTANCE, THE SAME CORPORATIONS/ENTITIES THAT YOU BRING YOUR CASE AGAINST ARE GENERALLY THE SAME CORPORATIONS THAT PAY JAMS AND THIER SUPPOSED NEUTRALS! I MEAN THE ISSUE WITH RECEIVING YOUR PAY AND VITALITY FROM THE ENTITY YOUR SUPPOSED TO UPHOLD AN ADVERSE DEMAND AGAINST ( IF LEGALLY NECESSARY) AUTOMATICALLY POSES A CONFLICT OF INTEREST FOR THE EMPLOYEES/WORKERS and the Little Guy WHO THESE ARBITRATION CEREMONIES ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT. FURTHERMORE, I JUST WITNESSED THE ***** THAT ARE INSTITUTED WITHIN THE ***** OF THE JAMS FACILITY MYSELF!!! THE SUPPOSED NEUTRAL JUDGE USED MY TIME TO TELL ME HIS OWN PERSONAL STORIES THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ME OR MY CASE. THINK ALONG THE LINES OF A FILIBUSTER TACTIC. THEN, HE ADMITTED THAT HE WASNT BASING ANY OF HIS ACTIONS ON ACTUAL EVIDENCE, BUT RATHER HE WAS GOING TO WORK ON GETTING ME THE BEST SETTLEMENT. THE JUDGE COMES BACK WITH AN OFFER OF $8,500 ON A CASE VALUED AT $150K. I INFORMED HIM THAT THE DEFENSE OFFERED $20k JUST A MONTH OR SO AGO. IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE JUDGE WAS WORKING WITH THE DEFENSE TO PAD THIER PAYOUT AND ADDRESS THIER LOSSES BY DEDUCTING THEM FROM MY SETTLEMENT. WHEN WERE ALL SLAVES THEN THEYLL SEE ***** OWN DEMISE AND WHY LIES NEVER PREVAIL??

  Business Response

  Date: 11/11/2022

  JAMS is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider.  JAMS provides neutral mediators and arbitrators to assist parties in resolving their disputes.  The session the customer refers to with ************************* (***.) was a mediation.  In a mediation, any resolution of the case is voluntary on all sides.  A mediator does not make factual findings or rule for or against any party.  A mediators role is to attempt to facilitate a mutually agreed-upon settlement between the parties.  As part of that effort, a mediator may attempt to build rapport and trust with the participants, including by sharing past experiences.  In this case, Judge ***** shared some of his experiences as a judge in other cases to shed light on how this dispute might play out if it did not settle.  Where a mediation does not result in settlement, a plaintiff is free to pursue her claims in other ways.  Regarding fees,any party may contribute to a mediators fees.  In this case, the defendant (the other party)paid for the mediation session.  We understand the customer is unhappy with the ********************** and the mediator.  However,after reviewing the matter we believe the mediator attempted to facilitate a settlement in a neutral and evenhanded manner.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/15/2022

  The issue is with the assumption that when employees arrive at JAMS they will be met with a Neutral process. It was clear to me as a LAY PERSON, that the odds were stacked against me for the wrong reasons. It is even more clear NOWand should be ******* clear to any astute mind, that the JAMS proceedings are not what they claim to be. AFTERALL, Ive read several studies and white pages at this point which all have eluded to the detriments and degradation employees consistently face when pursuing their claims at JAMS. Every single study pointed to the ills and uneven playing field that employees face when attempting to arbitrate even substantial claims at JAMS and other legal houses that provide such services to the people. Employees are being forced to seek assistance through JAMS even when they really dont want to, BUT since theyve already signed a mandatory arbitration clause they cant. These clauses are usually presented upon hire and are a condition of employment. This REQUIREMENT is evident in the attitude of SOME of the employees at JAMS and in the processes of their proceedings. Obviously, not all things are bad, but I will say that IF America and ********* honor their freedom, rights, and pursuit of happiness with the ability to seek justice when it becomes necessary, then an institution like JAMS needs to be better regulated with some level of oversight that includes the very people that are being positioned and forced to pursue their legal woes through JAMS and other like-minded services. JAMS and the signing of these MANDATORY ARBITRATION AGREEMENTS should be eradicated and deemed optional and should NEVER pose a treat to ones viability and ability to make a living for themselves. I REPEAT JAMS IS A SHAM AND ROBS THE ******** WORKER OF THE LIBERTIES THAT OUR FOREFATHERS DIED FOR ** TO HAVE!