Complaints

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:04/18/2024

  Type:Product 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 used probate advance to receive 160k in January of 2023. After 3 months, I paid them back plus their commission. Nevertheless, I paid them back the required amount. $******* and they would refund me the difference from *******. Minus what I owe them which they did except 10k. Holding it like hostage till my probate court closes which doesnt make sense being that they were paid in full. I have all the receipts of the wire payment. They did wire me back the difference except 10k. They still have a lien on my property and said they will wait till my probate court finalize and they will refund it back to me . Fast forward today April 2024. My probate case has ended and is closed by the court. I have reach out to probate advance almost a year and half asking them about 10k and to no avail they never ever return a call back from them on the status. Since my probate court has ended and they been paid in full except the 10k they said they will refund back to me. I have not seen this transaction yet. When I try to reach the appropriate person who help me in the beginning.. they always say he is not available and when I finally got a hold of him , he would say I never got your messages. They are literally lying. They kept saying they would asap the issue and get back to you but no one does. There is no reason why they should still have a lien on my property since they been paid in full. I need them to release the lien off my property and deed!!! I find this to be so unprofessional and horrible business practice. First of all they have not been honest on their term of release of all lien off my estate. Their business practice is not deserving of anyone doing business with them. Please advise BBB to this company business practice which is shady to say the least. On 3/19/24

  Business Response

  Date: 05/02/2024

  We received a complaint from the BBB on behalf of *************************** on April 18, 2024. A rebate letter was sent to her on March 22, 2023, confirming Probate Advance had received payment from the Estate. We spoke with her further on 4/24/2024 and remitted the remainder of the rebate (10K) to her that same day. We appreciate the opportunity to assist ****************** in her case, and, in light of the confirmation of payment to *****************, consider this matter resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/27/2024

  Type:Delivery 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.

  I have received numerous letters from this company regarding the estate of my mother. I believe the existence of this business is predatory. The bottom of the letter includes instructions on how to get removed from their list, which I have followed twice to no avail.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/15/2024

  ******** complains about receiving marketing materials from Probate Advance and believes that we are engaging in some form of predatory lending. Probate Advance markets its services to potential consumers, in this case potential probate beneficiaries, based on publicly available records. We regret any inconvenience to Read, but Probate Advances services are beneficial to those customers that prefer to receive a portion of their inheritance now rather than wait for the lengthy legal proceedings to conclude. Nothing about doing so based on publicly available records is predatory in nature and its customers are never under any duress to do business with Probate Advance. Consumers must apply for ******************* and nothing supports the idea that they are doing so under duress.

  
  Prior to the receipt of this complaint, Probate Advance received a request by email from Read on March 26, 2024, at 10:05 pm, at which time, consistent with our practice of promptly removing any consumer from our mailing lists upon request, we removed Read from any future mailing distribution lists. Unfortunately, any correspondence received by Read after their request was already in process at the time and could not be intercepted.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/19/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [

   In early 2024, I received a letter from this 'business' regarding my deceased mother's estate, which was working its way through probate court. The letter gives instructions on how to be removed from their contact list, which I followed. I continued to receive their solicitations, and in March of 2024 I submitted a complaint to the BBB. "Probate Advance LLC" responded, and I believed I would no longer be contacted. I have received further contact from this organization via **** today, 11/18/24. The sensitive nature of this should not be misunderstood - this organization is preying on those who have lost loved ones and are involved in lengthy legal battles, often entangled with complicated family dynamics. This is an evil company practicing an evil act, and I wish not to receive any communications from them.

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ****
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2024

       *** **** complains about receiving further marketing materials from Probate Advance after her initial complaint back in April 2024, and believes that we are continuing to engage in some form of predatory lending. We do regret the inconvenience in paperwork accidentally being sent to ****.
       Prior to the receipt of this complaint, Probate Advance received a complaint filed by **** in April 2024 due to similar incident. On March 26, 2024, at 10:05 pm, *** **** contacted Probate Advance and requested she be removed from any and all contact. At that time, consistent with our practice of promptly removing any consumer from our mailing lists upon request, **** was removed from any future mailing distribution lists. Unfortunately, in error, *** **** information was not completely removed from our distribution list and further correspondence was sent in error. This error has been corrected and *** **** will not receive any further mailings from Probate Advance.  We regret the inconvenience.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/22/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and would like to close this case. 

  
  *** ****
  
  
  
   
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/27/2024

  Type:Product 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 received a **** mail from Probate Advance promoting their ******************** It appears that this company is utilizing public records to acquire contact information for marketing their for-profit service to individuals who are grieving the loss of a loved one. This conduct is reprehensible, as it exploits vulnerable consumers who are already facing the challenges of closing an estate.Upon calling to inquire about the source of my information, I encountered silence on the line. It seemed as though an individual responded without identifying the company and simply greeted with "hello". Despite my attempt to unsubscribe from their communications via phone, using the provided unsubscribe code included in the mailing, I am adamant about not being contacted by this company in the future. During my conversation with the company to express my concerns about their marketing practices, they behaved unprofessionally by abruptly ending the call while I was speaking.It is imperative that state and federal regulations are enacted to prevent the exploitation of public information for personal and business gains in such circumstances. Elderly individuals face heightened challenges in comprehending the probate process and should not be subjected to predatory marketing tactics. I urge others navigating the probate process to be spared from this unacceptable marketing campaign orchestrated by this unprofessional company, as well as any other for-profit entities engaging in similar practices.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/11/2024

  ******************** complains about receiving marketing materials from Probate Advance and believes that we are exploiting vulnerable consumers who are facing the challenges of closing an estate. Probate Advance markets its services to potential consumers, in this case potential probate beneficiaries.  We regret any inconvenience to ********************, but Probate Advances services are beneficial to those customers that prefer to receive a portion of their inheritance now rather than wait for the lengthy legal proceedings to conclude.  Nothing about doing so based on publicly available records is predatory in nature and its customers are never under any duress to do business with Probate Advance. Consumers must apply for ******************* and nothing supports the idea that they are doing so under duress. 
  

  Prior to the receipt of this complaint, Probate Advance received a phone call from ******************** on March 26, 2024, at 11:51am. ******************** asked how Probate Advance got their address and contacted them, and the process was explained by staff to them. ******************** asked to be removed off the list for any future contact, and after providing an unsubscribe code at the bottom of the letter, the call was disconnected. Consistent with our practice of promptly removing any consumer from our mailing lists upon request, we have removed them from any future mailing distribution lists.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/27/2024

  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.

  My mother passed away in April 2023. She did not have a will. We had to sell her house through probate. I fell on hard times and reached out to probate advance. Long story short, the last advance i got i told the gentleman I did not want to have them take my early buyout rebates but to see if I could get an advance of any kind. He calls me back and said they could do $5000 for $10,000. I agreed. Come to find out he scammed me and took my buyout rebates anyway. I have repeatedly reached out to no avail. I want my money back. I don't appreciate being tricked in this vulnerable time. They took over $20,000 from me!

  Business Response

  Date: 03/12/2024

  We regret any inconvenience and miscommunication relating to ****************** complaint. Probate Advance is reaching out to ************** to communicate that it is waiving her assignment of her rebates, which has not been filed in the probate matter. Since Probate Advance is providing ************** with her requested relief, we consider this matter resolved.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/16/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

  To whom it may concern,

  Probate advance has resolved my issue.

  Thank you for your help in this matter.

  ******** *****

  ******** ***** ****** ************ ******* *** ****** ** ********** ******** *****  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/24/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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 applied for an advance of $100k thru this company and provided the requested documentation on 1/19/24. They immediately called back and said everything looked good and would be able to wired the advanced funds on Monday 1/21/24. They sent a contract via docusign. I reviewed and accepted the offer which included court documents authorizing Probate Advance to receive $194k prior to any payments being made to me out of the estate. I was told the funds would be wired 1/22 and in my account by 2:30 pm unless they needed anything further. I reiterated the importance of speedy funding due to my obligation to be out of my current residence by 1/31/24. I was assured me it would be done. Monday I received a call from Probate Advance. They told me that the Legal Team had questions and needed to talk to my attorney. I gave them his info. Numerous times, I was reassured the funds would be wired that day. As the day continued, they came up with several reasons to delay the wire. By COB, they called to say they would be able to immediately wire $15k and once they could speak to my attorney, they would wire the remaining $85k. However, they needed to me to sign a new agreement that outlines these terms. I agreed and signed the contract. I was told to expect funds on Tuesday 1/24/24. Late afternoon on 1/24/24, I got a text message from ******* Id been communicating with *** simply stating the deal couldnt go thru. He claimed the will was being contested. To date, there has no contest filed. Later, I re-reviewed the documents I signed, I realized that this company now has TWO ********************************** FILINGS with my authorization to collect $194k, totaling $388k. I demanded either immediate payment of the funds or an official signed statement and filing that voids prior contracts. no response. So now, Probate Advance will be paid $388k of my inheritance. Ive received $0 from them. I also lost precious time that I could have sought funding elsewhere.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/23/2024

  Probate Advances services are beneficial to those customers that prefer to receive a portion of their inheritance now rather than wait for the lengthy legal proceedings to conclude.  The fundings are provided to customers via an assignment of a portion of their probate estate interest to Probate Advance; this product is a sale/assignment and not a loan. 
  
  It is correct that the complainant requested funding on January 19, 2024, for the amount of $100,000.00, that a contract was sent and signed by ************** at that time, and that a revised agreement was sent to ************** on January 22,2024, after Probate Advance informed ************** that it would need to speak with her attorney prior to providing funding. 
  
  However,on January 23, 2024, Probate Advance received court documents showing ************** was neither the ***** of ******** nor Guardian and Conservator for the deceased. Court documents also showed that ************** was neither a close friend, nor romantically involved with the deceased. As a result, ************** was contacted by Probate Advance and told the funding could not be processed at this time because the will was being contested. As of this date, there is no active contract and Probate Advance will not retrieve funding from the deceaseds case, especially due to her lack of relationship with the deceased and being listed to receive an inheritance from the deceaseds estate.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/21/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  My Mother recently passed away and I received unsolicited mail from this business offering a cash advance on my inheritance. I have no idea how they know my mother passed away or that I am an heir but this is not only intrusive, I believe it's also a scam. They advertise themselves as A+ Rated Accredited by BBB but I highly doubt it. Again, I did not solicit any information from this business nor do I know how they got the information including my name and address. This needs to be stopped.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/05/2024

  The case information is public record. Our intent is to notify heirs in estates that there is an option available to them to avoid waiting until the end of probate to get their inheritance. While not everyone appreciates getting our mailers, those who actually need and use our service are grateful that we are there for them.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/11/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/27/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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 reached out to several representatives regarding a fraud Loan/Advance made under my name for my inheritance. The sales reps tell me that they cannot help, but will contact the fraud department. I spoke to the ***** from the fraud department and he gave some information regarding the fraud and stated that he would email me everything regarding the incident. ***** never emailed anything and now when I call, only sales reps answer and tell me that he will contact me... documents can be provided upon request.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/27/2023

  In response to *******,

  He has been notified by our legal department that in order for us to move forward a police report would be required. Once law enforcement determines whether the assignments were fraudulent we will speak with the agent handling the investigation. 

  ******* has yet to produce a police report, or respond to our legal department to prove fraudulent activity. Instead he has instead taken to reporting us to the BBB without evidence.

  Thanks,

  ***

  Probate Advance

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/20/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  Inheritance ************ continues to reach out exploiting the death of my mother. It's concerning that a company would obtain these death records and find personal information on family members, pushing them to file for inheritance opportunities through them, when that's the last thing you're thinking of when someone you love and are close to you dies and also, this being private financial and estate matters that should only go through family, family lawyer and whatever government organizations are relevant to the deceased ************ or whatnot). I've received two pieces of mail from them within 2 months, minimum.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2023

  Hello,

  We've added you to our do not contact list. You should not receive any further communications from us. Our intent is to notify heirs in estates that there is an option available to them to avoid waiting until the end of probate to get their inheritance. While not everyone appreciates getting our mailers, those who actually need and use our service are grateful that we are there for them.

  Thanks.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/01/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

   The answer is shady. Yes, you're a business, but you're also taking advantage of people who have lost their loved ones. Do better. If you're going to reach out, do better checks on the target audience you're going after (Ie person who passed age, timeframe, etc) and if you're going to reach out and don't hear back within a period of time, don't attempt to reach out again. We don't need our loved one's name plastered on a mailer for others to see and just be reminded of the coldest part of someone's passing. Better yet, let us all live in peace and do different marketing, like online advertising. So, in the event someone is LOOKING for a service option that like, your business comes up, rather than this crude mailer attempt, reaching out.

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/09/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  It appears these vultures scan probate cases and then try to contact potential inheritors through mail (if not in other ways). I do not want junk mail, and I especially do not want this type of junk mail. Have them remove me from their mailing/contact list.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/10/2023

  Hi,

  The services provided are legitimate and provide a service many benefit from. We will remove you from our mailing/contact list. 

  Thank you.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/10/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  

  While the business may offer legitimate services, they are not wanted, and were not asked for.  If I had wanted you to finance the probate case, which I'm not actually a party to, I would have sought you, or another company like yours, out.  Vultures preying on the bereaved.
  

  
  Anyway, I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/25/2023

  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.

  We received a letter from this company offering to help us get an advance on our inheritance. While I understand this information is obtained from searching court records, this company should understand that they are sending unsolicited letters to people who have just lost a loved one. This company is in business to make money and I get that but the least they could do is do a bit more research before sending out unsolicited/unwanted letters like this. The death we are dealing with is that of our 22 year old daughter who was a semester away from graduating college and starting her career and adult life. There is no inheritance for **. There is just us settling her school debts, credit card balances and car loan,packing up her apartment, knowing we will never see her marry or have children and trying to figure out how to learn to live without her here with us. We don't need a greedy company reminding us of our loss by sending letters like this. This should be criminal. These letters are cruel and uncalled for. Post an ad in the local paper or on local tv/radio stations and let people to who need this type of help reach out to the business but don't essentially cold call someone about getting money faster from their loved ones death. It's despiciable and thoughtless.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2023

  Hello, 

  We've taken the unsubscribe code from the attached pdf and have added you to our do not contact list. You should not receive any further communications from us. Our intent is to notify heirs in estates that there is an option available to them to avoid waiting until the end of probate to get their inheritance. While not everyone appreciates getting our mailers, those who actually need and use our service are grateful that we are there for them.