Complaints
This profile includes complaints for LegalShield's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 344 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 114 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe 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:05/26/2023
Type: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 am writing to express my deep frustration and dissatisfaction with this company regarding the cancellation of my subscription. Despite my attempts to cancel, I was met with resistance, lengthy persuasion attempts, and an unwillingness to accommodate my request. I firmly believe that as a consumer, I have the right to terminate a service that no longer meets my needs or expectations, and I expect a prompt resolution to this matter.
Business Response
Date: 06/01/2023
Dear Ms. ********:
This letter is in response to the above referenced individuals’ complaint.
PPLSI does not require a statement about why a member wishes to cancel their membership. The request must
be in writing, include the membership number of the account the member wishes to cancel, and have the
member’s name or email address that is on the membership file. The written request to cancel requirement is on
the website as well as in the membership contract.
Should you have any further questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact our office.
Respectfully,
Anna ****
Staff Attorney
Pre-Paid Legal Services, IncCustomer Answer
Date: 06/01/2023
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:When I'm signing up for the service, they don't require a phone call or written statement. That's when they're getting the money so that process is easy. But when I want to cancel the membership, I have to call and write a statement of why I want to cancel. They are simply purposefully trying to make the cancellation process hard so that they get more money.
All the talk about "this is for your security" is absolute BS and cannot fool anyone. I can close my bank account and credit card with a phone call. My bank doesn't need a "written statement" with all my money there. But this shady company is asking for written statement! It's just laughable.
I'm so happy that I cancel my membership. I'm sure they could never provide the service they are advertising with all these dirty practices.
*****************************Business Response
Date: 06/06/2023
Dear Ms. ********:
This letter is in response to the above referenced individuals’ complaint.
Upon receipt of this Better Business Bureau Complaint, we have reviewed the membership file. PPLSI requires
a written request to cancel the membership. Members may call in to place a hold on the membership to prevent
future payments while they send in their written request. Seyed Mehdi Rahimi called PPLSI Member Services
on May 26, 2023, and PPLSI received a written request from the member that same day. The membership has
been cancelled and one month refund is in the process of being issued.
Should you have any further questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact our office.
Respectfully,
Anna ****
Staff Attorney
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.Customer Answer
Date: 06/08/2023
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:
They are simply repeating their bogus claims. When someone wants to sign up for their service, there is no written statement. But when they want to cancel, they should give a written statement!
It all just a pathetic attempt hoping that people don't bother with writing a letter and they can keep charging them money. So pathetic.
*****************************Initial Complaint
Date:05/24/2023
Type: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.
Ive been a member of Identity Shield for 12 years: 2011-present. I pay $29.90/mo. According to the employee I spoke to today one of the benefits of buying this identity protection is they monitor your ss#. This past December I discovered someone stole my ss# and filed taxes with HR BLOCK using my ss#. When I called Identity Shield (Owned by Legal Shield), and asked what to do?:1. They had no knowledge of the ss# breech.2. They provided me with the exact steps listed on ****** and NO MORE INFORMATION, so they expected me to contact the 3 credit bureaus myself. Why am I paying them?3. I had a 2nd FRAUD occur and they said because I followed the directions of the fraud caller they cant reimburse me the $500 I lost.4. When I called to cancel I was given an email address for me to have to cancel instead of them taking care of it - more of my time wasted by them! I wrote down the email address and it popped back. I called to get the email address to check in case I made a mistake and was put on hold for 10 minutes!!!Business Response
Date: 05/30/2023
This letter is in response to the above referenced individuals’ complaint.
Upon receipt of this Better Business Bureau Complaint, we have reviewed the membership file. Ms. Wilson’s
IDShield membership does provide monitoring services, however, IDShield cannot monitor the systems of
government agencies, including the IRS. Credit freezes must be initiated by the consumer themselves, which is
why the IDShield representative informed Ms. Wilson she would need to contact the credit bureaus herself.
IDShield does not provide reimbursement of lost funds due to scams. PPLSI requires a written request to cancel
all of its memberships. We consider this BBB complaint Ms. Wilson’s written request to cancel. She will
receive a prorated refund of the amounts paid. It appears that Ms. Wilson’s payment is being automatically sent
each month through her bank which she will need to contact directly to stop.
Should you have any further questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact our office.
Respectfully,
Anna ****
Staff Attorney
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.Customer Answer
Date: 05/31/2023
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:I reject the Identity Shield response to my complaint. I paid them to protect my identity and then my identity SS# was compromised when someone paid for their tax return using HR Block and used my SS# to file THEIR taxes for 2022. When I notified Identity Shield they gave me the same information that is on ******* I pay this company $29.90/month for the past few years (see my complaint for the amount paid over time). They told ME to contact Experien etc - all 3 credit companies and place a HOLD on my accounts, which I did, NOT THEM. So what am I paying them for?
Sincerely,
***********************Business Response
Date: 06/06/2023
This letter is in response to the above referenced individuals’ complaint.
IDShield cannot monitor government agencies, which includes the IRS and tax filings. No one but the consumer
themselves can place a credit freeze, occasionally our representatives have been permitted to be on the phone
with a member when they place the credit freeze, but it must be done by the consumer. The benefits of the
IDShield plan Ms. Wilson was on includes consultation and restoration services, credit and financial monitoring,
and credit threat and hard credit inquiry alerts. This is a broad overview of what is covered by the membership.
Should you have any further questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact our office.
Respectfully,
Anna ****
Staff Attorney
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.Initial Complaint
Date:05/17/2023
Type: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 am writing to you today to request a refund for an unauthorized upgrade to my LegalShield plan. My membership number is ***********.On April 22, 2023, I was billed $33.90 for my monthly legal plan. Prior to this, I had always been billed $26. On May 10, 2023, I contacted LegalShield to request a refund for the overcharge. I was told that I had been enrolled in an upgraded service on March 1, 2023, and that this upgrade had caused the increase in my monthly bill.I did not authorize this upgrade. I have never used the LegalShield app, and I have never requested to be upgraded to a more expensive plan. I believe that LegalShield enrolled me in this upgrade without my consent.I contacted LegalShield again on May 11, 2023, to request a refund and to opt out of any future plan upgrades. I was told that I would receive a reply within **** hours. As of this date, I have not received a reply, and I have not been refunded the $7.90 that I was overcharged.I am requesting that LegalShield immediately refund the $7.90 that I was overcharged. I am also requesting that I be opted out of any future plan upgrades that do not have my expressed approval.Business Response
Date: 05/23/2023
This letter is in response to the above referenced individuals’ complaint.
Upon receipt of this Better Business Bureau Complaint, we have reviewed the membership file. Mr. Gallagan
was sent the attached email on March 1, 2023, notifying him of the price increase and plan change that was
going to occur. Mr. Gallagan’s membership contract states in General Provision V. Change of Contract that,
“Should there be any change in this Contract, a thirty (30) day notice will be given.” General Provision X.
Change in Fees states, “The Company reserves the right to change the established membership fee for this
membership. Changes in the membership fee will only occur after the current payment period has expired.
Should the membership fee be changed, the Named Member will be given a thirty (30) day written notice at the
Named Member’s address according to the records of the company.” If a member does not want their plan to
change, they may contact Member Services to opt out of the plan change. Mr. Gallagan has been refunded $7.90
and returned to his previous plan.
Should you have any further questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact our office.
Respectfully,
Anna ****
Staff Attorney
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.Customer Answer
Date: 05/25/2023
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.
Sincerely,
*************************Initial Complaint
Date:05/12/2023
Type: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.
The ******************************* is refusing to provide contractual service that is charging monthly membership.Business Response
Date: 05/18/2023
Response is in attached document.Customer Answer
Date: 05/18/2023
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:Their response is a template that has noting to do with the facts of their contractual responsibility and timely diligent response. They did not explain why the attorney took a week and refused even to call about the case or even work on it while they promise 4 hours response. The replaced attorney was very rude, insulting and hanged up on me. Where is the code of conduct and proficiency?
Sincerely,
***********************Business Response
Date: 05/23/2023
Response is in attached document.Customer Answer
Date: 05/23/2023
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because: Falsification and avoiding the fact of violation in code of conducts, a so called attorney is not supposed to insult client and calling names.False advertising and misguiding on cases.
Sincerely,
***********************Initial Complaint
Date:05/08/2023
Type: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.
Started service less than 2 weeks ago. I asked to terminate the service. They asked me about 7 or 8 questions to try to keep my service. Then bluntly said i had to write in to cancel service?They did not require me to sign anything to take my service. I did not have good results with the services provided. And wanted to terminate due to that. Since they want in writing to terminate, I feel doing it on this site in best.Thank you,*****Business Response
Date: 05/11/2023
This letter is in response to the above referenced individuals’ complaint.
Upon receipt of this Better Business Bureau Complaint, we have reviewed the membership file. The
membership contract states in General Provision “J” that, “The Member may cancel the Contract at any time by
giving written notice to the Company.” PPLSI considers this Mr. ****** written request and the membership
will be cancelled.
Should you have any further questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact our office.
Respectfully,
**** ****
Staff Attorney
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.Customer Answer
Date: 05/11/2023
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because: If payment is not taken with paper work, canceling shouldn't require it either.I find their A+ rating to be a bit of a joke, since they made me jump through hoops. But at least the service is cancled now.
Too bad I had to put so much effort into it.
Sincerely,
***********************Initial Complaint
Date:05/05/2023
Type: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.
My membership number with Legal Shield was *********** (now closed).A couple of months ago I discovered that they had been double billing me every month from 03/08/21 through 03/20/23. I contacted them and was told after several minutes on hold that I was NOT being double billed. I needed to send them proof of my accusation so on 03/19/23 11:24 AM MDT, I sent an E-Mail to ************************************** with 39 bank statements and a summary page attached. After 2 weeks with no response, I called for an update and was told that they had 15 days (not counting weekends) to address my issue. To date, 45 days later, I have not had any contact from them. I am a senior citizen and feel like Legal Shield is trying to scam me.Business Response
Date: 05/11/2023
Dear Ms. ********:
This letter is in response to the above referenced individuals’ complaint.
Upon receipt of this Better Business Bureau Complaint, we have reviewed the membership file. The email Ms.
****** sent was unable to be located. She may send them to **************@legalshield.com or she can call
into Member Services at ************ between 7 am – 7 pm CST. If Ms. ****** did not receive an automatic
response when she sent the email, it was not received by PPLSI. I will note in her membership file to have her
transferred to a supervisor so the issue can be resolved more quickly. If Ms. ****** would like for a customer
service representative to call her, she can let us know here and we will have that done, however, the quickest
way would likely be to call Member Services. I apologize that this is taking so long to resolve, but we need
more information in order to prevent future drafts from occurring as the draft isn’t linked to her LegalShield
membership.
Should you have any further questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact our office.
Respectfully,
**** ****
Staff Attorney
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.Initial Complaint
Date:04/28/2023
Type: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 canceled my membership with this company literally three years ago and just found out that they have been charging my credit card this entire time. I havent been able to reach anyone and no one is responding to my emails. Literally fraudulent charges on their part. I would like reimbursement.Business Response
Date: 05/04/2023
Response is in attached document.Initial Complaint
Date:04/26/2023
Type: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.
Legal Shield was purchased by myself under another persons name for legal issues we were both facing. Many times we called for legal services and was repeatedly directed to "discounted lawyers" instead of the promise of the membership fee covering these things. After many months of this happening again and again, we both felt it a waste of money to continue and cancelled the services. 5 months later I discover Legal Shield has been taking money out of my account every month even though it was cancelled. I am now told that only ONE person is on the account and I cannot cancel even though it is coming out of MY bank account. Also told that they require a letter to be sent to confirm cancellation or they just keep billing but THIS information was NOT given upon the cancellation 5 months ago. In order to prevent MORE of my money from being stolen by Legal Shield, I will have to go get a new bank account and deal with all the headaches THAT entails. At this point Legal has stolen $150 in fees after they were told they no longer had permission to take my money AND they have cost me another $30 in an overdraft fee, the only reason I caught this blatent theft of my limited funds.Business Response
Date: 04/27/2023
Response is in attached document.Initial Complaint
Date:04/24/2023
Type: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.
4/23/2023 I was a customer of ********************************************* for 30 years. They switched to Legal Shield. I have ************************************************************** ten years on 4/15/2023. They raised my rates without telling me years ago. The law firm never got back to me either with a simple question. I called customer support on the above date and was hung up twice by a customer support rep. ****** the law firm, and after keeping me on the phone for an hour the woman grilled me and told me not to call anymore. I was then sent to the cancellation department who assured me I could cancel but was given an email that is out of service. It's a farce clearly as I was offered yet another phone call with a supervisor. Four phone calls in and no refund or cancellation. By law, they had to let me know of the increase in price and they have to cancel upon request yet they told me to call my bank and "try" to block them. Seriously. Wasted hours of my time and no money and no cancellation, and no way to get in touch with them as the reps all are told to just keep transferring people obviously since the email is undeliverable. This is MLM and it is now very obvious. I want a refund on the overcharges and a cancellation immediately.Business Response
Date: 04/27/2023
Response is in attached document.Customer Answer
Date: 04/27/2023
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. The email that is provided by the company is not the one provided by the rep and the first rep hung up on me. Their emails were never sent to me initially as I have a different email than when I signed up. I will accept this only because they also did not inform me that there are no attorneys active in my area for the last two years. I was one of their first customers when they were PPL and LS never updated their files. I had given notice in writing but their process to do so was three phone calls and then an email that bounces back. But I will accept this as there are no attorneys here and no monies should be taken from anyone when Legal Shield was aware that the attorneys here had all bailed from the program. It is ***** to put on a stop payment and a rep should not have to suggest that at all.
Sincerely,
*******************************Initial Complaint
Date:04/20/2023
Type: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.
Legalshield would not delete my account after emailing/calling them five times. Thus, I have been continuously charged a membership fee that I should not have.Business Response
Date: 04/24/2023
Response is in attached document.
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