Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess PLLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 1 complaint in the last 3 years.
- 1 complaint closed in the last 12 months.
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Initial Complaint
Date:08/29/2024
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.
Dear Better Business Bureau,I am writing to file a complaint against Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess PLLC, a law firm based in ******, **********. I believe they have engaged in unethical billing practices and charged me excessive fees for legal services.Overview of the Issue:I hired Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess PLLC in June 2023 to establish two LLCs, obtain EINs, and draft various legal documents. Despite the relatively straightforward nature of these tasks, the final bill exceeded my expectations by a significant margin.Specific Concerns:Excessive Billing: The law firm charged me over $12,000 for services that I believe could have been completed at a much lower cost.Lack of Transparency: The fee agreement did not clearly outline the scope of services or estimated fees.Unreasonable Charges: The firm charged exorbitant amounts for tasks that should have been relatively straightforward, such as drafting operating agreements and filing for EINs.Template Usage: I suspect the firm used templates for many of the documents, yet they charged me as if they were creating them from scratch.Inconsistent Billing: The billing for similar tasks, such as the two operating agreements, seems inconsistent and potentially excessive.Supporting Evidence:I have attached copies of the invoices, communication with the law firm, and other relevant documents to support my claims. Attempts to Resolve the Issue:I have already voiced my concerns to the law firm and attempted to negotiate a fair settlement. However, they have been unresponsive to my concerns and continue to pursue payment of the full amount.Request for Action:I request that you investigate this matter and take appropriate action against Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess PLLC for their unethical billing practices. I believe that their actions are a violation of consumer protection laws and should not be tolerated.Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Business Response
Date: 09/06/2024
Mr. ****** complaint states that he engaged the firm to establish two ***** obtain EINs, and draft various legal documents. This misrepresents the scope of our services as requested by Mr. ************ In addition to forming two LLCs in **********, we layered the entities and connected Mr. ***** with a Registered Agent to maintain his personal anonymity as requested. When drafting the Operating Agreements, we did not use templates. Our contracts are the work product of attorneys who have spent several years establishing tried and tested contracts. In addition to forming the ***** our work included connecting Mr. ***** with a Registered Agent, drafting two custom Operating Agreements, and obtaining EINs. We also drafted the following: two sets of Banking Resolutions, a ********************************* Agreement, and a Subcontractor Agreement. As customary with legal services, these agreements took multiple drafts to complete and involved various exchanges between Mr. ***** and our attorneys. At no point during our representation did Mr. ***** ever complain about the quality or quantity of work presented to him.
In response to Mr. ******* assertion that our fees were inflated, it should be noted that while our legal teams record all time worked on cases, we also review the billing ahead of generating an invoice to ensure that the client is being billed appropriately and is not paying for duplicative efforts or work that took longer than it should have taken. We "no charged" or credited $2,607 of our team's billing that should not have been passed on to Mr. ************ Additionally, as a courtesy, we issued a one-time credit in the amount of $486, which was a 10% discount to the July 2023 invoice. DFPB is careful to ensure that it is billing clients appropriately and after another review, we are confident that our billing was accurate and appropriate and should stand.
We are disappointed that Mr. ***** doesn't see the value in the services we provided. Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess is committed to delivering high-level services to all our clients and to ensuring our billing practices are fair and ethical. We hope that each client feels confident in the work product and counsel they receive.
Customer Answer
Date: 09/11/2024
Complaint: 22215863
I am rejecting this response because:
Thank you for your prompt response to my complaint. I appreciate you taking the time to address my concerns.
While I acknowledge that your firm provided quality legal services, my primary concern remains the opacity of your billing practices. I believe that the fees charged were excessive, particularly considering the relatively straightforward nature of the tasks involved.
Regarding the registered agent service, I understand that it was an additional service, but I believe that the cost should not have been so substantial. Many registered agent services are available for a fee of $99-$199 per month, which does not justify the significant portion of the overall bill.
I am also concerned about the lack of communication regarding the rising costs. It would have been beneficial to have a discussion about the billing as the fees accumulated to better understand the scope of work and potential costs.
Regarding the operating agreements, I find it difficult to believe that both agreements took 2 hours each to draft. While I understand that the first agreement may have required more time due to the initial setup, the second agreement should have been a relatively simple matter of updating company information.
To further support my claim, I have attached a Loom video demonstrating that I was able to file for an EIN in just 5 minutes. Additionally, I have included a video showing the process of creating an LLC using WASOS, which took approximately 5 minutes. Even if these times were tripled, they would still be significantly shorter than the time billed by your firm.
Please note that I have already raised these concerns in October 2023 and have attached the relevant emails. Despite my repeated attempts to resolve this matter, I have not received a satisfactory response.
I hope that we can resolve this dispute amicably and professionally, without me having to retain legal council for involving the Washington State Bar . I believe that transparency and fair billing practices are essential for maintaining trust between clients and legal professionals.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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