Pre-Paid Legal what a ripoff company Ada Oklahoma

I would like to clear up a few things about the last few post.

MLM or Network Marketing in its self is not a scam. MLM and NM are taught in University Marketing classes as a form of marketing. It's a lot easier to use NM to market a product or service across the US than it is to open sales offices in every city.

Associates of PPL are independent associates and represent a product that is being sold. Authorized Representatives are everywhere. Cell phone companies and tools come to mind. If you buy a cell phone from a mom and pop store and the salesman lied to you about something, do you call the store you bought it at or the corporate office? If you call the corporate office and tell them they will say I'm sorry sir that is not correct, you will have to take it up with the store you purchased it at.

If a PPL associate lies, there are steps to take. You call the corporate office and report them and they will check into it. It's not PPL's fault.

We are no different then an independent insurance rep that sells for 4 different companies. If the rep lies than you need to call the office first and then call the insurance company to let them know they are lying about their service.

We are not employees who bought into the business to work. We own our business and paid a fee to sell the service. We run our business the way we want as long as we don't deviate from the requirements of PPL. Like any other business you get what you put into it.

Now about the $100 commission on a $26 plan. PPL pays up front commissions (just like Insurance salesman) for a year in advance. $26 x 12 = $312. That pays for the commissions and for the retainer of the law firm in your state. If a member cancels before the first year then the associate gets a charge back on their account based on how many months they had service. (Again, this is no different then insurance salesman).

Lastly, Some of the referral attorneys are not the best at what they do and if you use an attorney and are not happy with the service, then you need to call PPL and report them. If they have to many bad reports they will fire them and find someone else to represent PPL. It's a system of checks and balances but only if the members call the right people instead of wasting their time posting on this site.

I too went to this company because I was told that they could help me. In trying to help a friend my car had gotten repossessed.

I paid the finance company, Americredit the money before they said they would sell the car. They told me everything was find but it wasn't. They wanted to keep the car and the money and destroy my credit too.

Well that when I went to the three stooges company pre-paid legal. The attorney they recommended that I use was in L.A. and he was yelling at me saying:

"Why didn't you pay the bill, Why didn't you pay the bill what you should do now is call this company back up and speak to them nicely and see whether they will give you back your car. You don't have a case but if you want me to take it you're going to have to pay me a retainers fee that little money you paid to sign up with pre-paid legal is not enough."

I told this idiot if I wanted to speak to this company on my own I wouldn't have needed to phone him. Furthermore, I shouldn't have to fight with the person who's suppose to be representing me.

Needless to say I didn't pay any further monies to these stooges I went to a consumer advocate group and got help for $19.00 to start my case and they have been extraordinary. They not only got me my money back but they're in the process of suing Americredit and they are preventing them from destroying my credit.

No thanks to this pre-paid headache people.

I was just wondering, with the response to making $100 off of every sale, how a person can make that much money from a $36 sale? Does a person have to pay a year upfront? Do you only make the first profit, or is it a monthly profit from the monthly membership fee? Is this "representative" working out of his/her home, or his/her own office with the company title?

If Thomas paid for a whole year of service, then we are talking about a lot more than $36.

As an Area Coordinator and Corporate Trainer for this company, I have trained many people who are affiliated with PPL. I have been involved in this company for several years, and I would like to respond.

First, and foremost, the reps are not 'employees', they are Independent Associates. This term says quite a bit, as each individual business owner is required to be accountable to the standards set by the company, and can be terminated by the company if they violate those standards.

Second, the monies invested by each new Associate allow the rep to attend a four-hour training that takes place in their area. (Not all new reps will attend, which is amazing.) All trainers must be certified by the corporate office, and must attend, at our own expense, a 2-day training at the corporate office in order to train the new field reps that join this company. The company is very serious about training, and has an extensive system for the continuing education of the sales force. EXAMPLE: Try buying a McDonald's franchise without spending any money. Do they pay to work?

It goes without saying that a company of this size and nature, which chooses to use network marketing as its source of staffing, will have fans and detractors. But how can a 33-year old, New York Stock Exchange listed company be labled a scam?

For every successful associate, there are scores of unsuccessful reps. It is the 80/20 rule. 20 percent of the people in this world do 80 percent of the work. That said, I would like to point out that there are very many reps that join the company for reasons other than the intention of doing good business. Many folks see the allure of making over $100 for each $36 sale, and they wrongly assume this business is get-rich-quick. In the company's defense, how can we determine who these people are in advance? We simply cannot, and the beauty of the system is that they weed themselves out.

The fact remains that some associates will sign up anyone who is willing, and it is possible that they leave out key information when they describe the service, but there is no associate out there that is not warned in advance that this is considered unacceptable.

It sounds to me like Thomas got excited because the rep was excited, and he signed up thinking the company would simply call him up, wave a magic wand, and an attorney would appear to save the day. When a member signs up for this service, they are supposed to be instructed to call the law firm EVERY time they need service. At that point, an attorney will call you back. If they miss you three times by phone, they write you a letter. After that, they cannot continue to simply call and call repeatedly. However, if you make a call into the system, an attorney has 8 hours to call you back, and the corporate office is tracking all of this. This company keeps the attorneys accountable to the services contract.

Everyone has said this is like insurance, and in several states like mine, you actually need a license to market the service. To obtain a license you must take a test, etc. Then there is continuing education...

We don't pay to work. We invest in our own businesses. And some of us actually do very well, while keeping our members best interest at heart. I can assure you that there has not been a day in 33 years that this company has opened its doors with the intention of wronging a member, and that this membership is still the best value for middle-income families to gain access to the legal system in America and to have peace of mind about Identity Theft.

The process of reporting a claim in this manner is completely ineffective to Thomas and the rest of our 1.5 million members, when you can pick up the phone and dial a toll free number, at which point EVERY SINGLE claim is investigated by the Corporate Office and the Law Firm themselves.

I hope that I could point this discussion in the right direction, and I hope that Thomas finds the help he needs in the future. I am sorry if the rep that sold you a membership did not do a great job, and I hope that if he needs us in the future he will contact the company directly.

NOTE: I am an Independent Associate for this company, and in no way do I speak as a paid representative or employee of this company.

Thanks Will, See I bought this thing from a rep that now found out that the company is no good at all as she heard it from alot of people that the company and the service from them is no good. See I had them take money out of my account to look for an attorney for me to represent me. An Attorney was never found as I never got a letter in the mail saying they did. It's just a mess I can't believe that companies like this can actually exist you know what I mean. Anyhow I just gave up on this s**t company and see that it is nothing but a rip-off company. And Salvatore he doesn't know anything about this company because he probably never bought a policy from them. You have to buy a policy from pre-paid legal to know what your talking about. And Will yes I was misinformed but found out so was the rep all that company wants is someone to lure people into that company so they can rip them off. Anyhow thanks will.

First, a "representative" is just that. Whether you met him in the corporate office as an owner or employee, or in the donut shop as a sales rep, this person IS (for all intents and purposes) the company, regardless of the selling tools he has at his disposal, and he might reasonably be expected to adhere to certain practices, not the least of which would be accurately describing the product(s) he is selling (in keeping with "truth in advertising" laws).

Second, if I returned an unused vacuum (or any other physical product, for that matter) to the establishment from which I purchased it (within a reasonable amount of time), I would certainly expect a full refund! (You wouldn't?) I believe I read that someone else here WAS refunded for the UNUSED portion of their contract with PPL.

Third, paying to work sounds like an MLM scam to me. Buying into an "employee-owned" company is borderline, at best (don't confuse that with legally legitimate employee owned companies - I'm referring to the "buy a place" in a "downline" variety). Paying for a rep's position in a PPL program stinks of scam. Union dues are not "paying to work". Most union dues are involuntary campaign contributions to "democrats" (socialists). I was a Teamster - believe me, I know.

Fourth, when using a word to describe someone's relative intelligence (or lack thereof), you might want to at the very least SPELL THAT WORD CORRECTLY, else, have that word used on you next time. (Thomas doesn't sound unintelligent, Salvatore, just misled by an unethical or perhaps even ill-informed representative)

I was also a member of pre paid legal and once I started to use ther service for a lawyer none were in may area for any close enough to have a meeting as I notified them about their service I was also denied refunds thats when I lived in big state of Tx. so therefore I resigned and stopped payment of their service. The closest lawyer was over 200 miles away.

Hello, I have to say this about Pre-Paid Legal, I signed up with them also and yes I understand fully about wanting your money back. However, as much as I would like to say that they riped me off and didn't help me, I can't, they did what they said they were going to do and when I told them I didn't need them anymore they sent me a check for the service that I didn't use for this last month of OCT 2005. Sure I got mad at them for getting me lawyers that were $10,000 over what I could pay but they did their job, and what they said they were going to do be there if I needed them and they were.
Sorry I am with PPL on this one

i will end this as no one if you understand what i mean. with automatic withdrawls out of my account i would be promised an attorney referral with representation and never ever received one.

Mark, Thomas claims that he signed up because he was told that it is a good thing to have. Would you sign up for something just because someone told you it was a good thing to have? That right there pretty much tells you about how uninteligent this kid is. He obviously didn't do any research about what he was about to purchase, not even did he just read the pamphlets. I don't know what kind of products are sold in the store you work at, but lets say vacuums. Someone buys a vacuum from your store then comes back a month later and says that he never had to vacuum his carpets so he wants his money back. Would you give it to him? Really Mark, this should be a dead issue, it makes no sense.

Mark, Thomas claims that he signed up because he was told that it is a good thing to have. Would you sign up for something just because someone told you it was a good thing to have? That right there pretty much tells you about how uninteligent this kid is. He obviously didn't do any research about what he was about to purchase, not even did he just read the pamphlets. I don't know what kind of products are sold in the store you work at, but lets say vacuums. Someone buys a vacuum from your store then comes back a month later and says that he never had to vacuum his carpets so he wants his money back. Would you give it to him? Really Mark, this should be a dead issue, it makes no sense.

However, the person that sold the "product" is a representitive of PPL, and as the name implies, represents his company. Anything he says or does in connection with the "product" is done in good faith of the company.

Sorry , I have to disagree with you on that Mark. As members who sign up for services, they are given pamphets and even material so they can read over what they are getting themselves into.

Of the memberships I've sold, I've only said all of ten words to my members. They got all the information they needed from the materials I gave them.

The Identity Theft Shield Protection plan expalins it all in the pamphlets given to them by the associate. It explains in details what is covered, how it can be used and in the case of an identity theft, how the service will help you to get your identity back. I've never had anyone question me on "exactly what does thi entail". Its all in the pamphlets.

If the OP didn't like what he was paying for, then why did he continue to pay for it? Means that he understood what he was getting. He could have cancled after 1 month. Why didn't he?

Denny, I agree with you about the service. It is like insurance. You make very valid points. However, the person that sold the "product" is a representitive of PPL, and as the name implies, represents his company. Anything he says or does in connection with the "product" is done in good faith of the company.
I manage a retail store. If one of my assist managers tells a customer that a product does a certain thing or cost a certain amount, I am bound by that promise because a "representitve" of my company has spoken on for my company.
I believe that they owe this man his money back.

Since there was no scam ,Ibeleave this post should be closed!!Rediculous your all arguing over nothing!!lol

No service = money back?! So I guess I should call my car insurance company and demand my money back because I haven't gotten into an accident? Or I should call my health insurance demanding my money back because I didn't get sick lately. And they have crazy co-pays when I do need to use them, on top of the monthly fees!

It's more like, Thomas = Ignorance. PERIOD.

Christopher, I'd say your doing your fair share of "exaggerated comments" here. As a matter of fact PPL reps are trained to use 3rd party tools. DVD's, brochures, prerecorded calls ect.. ( The very same materials people complain about going in debt buying, and the reason there so important is) So that people are NOT misinformed.

"If a PPL rep tries to recruit you, think about this. Since when do people have to pay to work?"

Just one ex..If your a electrician, plumber, painter, carpenter, ect.. and belong to the union you pay union dues so if you want to get technical they have to pay in a since to "work" right? But they pay those "union Dues" so that they make more money compared to other people in the same profession. The Unions not for everyone and neither is network marketing. If you call your local union and ask for a plumber to come fix your sink and he has never taken an ethics course and curses in front of your 4 year old are you going to blame the union or the individual? I support the union and all my family members who are union members just so you know.. It was just an example.

Timothy, you're right. Denny is completely right in that PPL is like a form of insurance, which is the whole reason why it's called "prepaid".
However, there is one problem.

Denny said, "Then your problem is with the representative who signed you up and not with Prepaid Legal. They are the ones who did not tell you what the service provided."

The problem is with the representative but it is ALSO with Prepaid Legal because of the problem with the representative. PPL reps are known for their exaggerated comments about their "product" and furthermore, about the possibilities of huge profits as a seller. Whether it's lies about retention rates to lies about being completely covered for all legal situations, PPL is responsible for the actions of the representatives. Why? Simply because they are representatives of PPL. PPL lacks the proper training of their representatives and in fact makes money from these exaggerated comments. PPL simply recruits anyone who is willing to pay into this program. Most of these reps have never taken an ethics course and furthermore, are often misinformed themselves by other reps, letting the chain continue.

If a PPL rep tries to recruit you, think about this. Since when do people have to pay to work? And if a PPL rep tries to sell you their "product", remember that PPL makes money from people like Thomas who do not fully understand what they are purchasing. For shame.

Thomas, you have alot to learn about how American commerce works.

I'm not a big fan of PPL, but Denny is exactly right.

When you don't have any car accidents, do you ask your insurance comapny to give your money back? If you never get sick, do you ask for your health insurance premiums back?

PPL is a form of insurance. As with any kind of insurance, what you are paying for is NOT the provision of services, but the ability to avial yourself of those services should you need them.

If only the people who actually used their PPL memberships had to pay for it the cost would be dramatically higher. You pay a reduced cost solely because, chances are, that you will never need the service. THAT'S THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND THE PRODUCT!

Only in America? Not hardly. Any country that is developed enough to have insurance companies does it the exact same way.

Thomas, you have alot to learn about how American commerce works.

I'm not a big fan of PPL, but Denny is exactly right.

When you don't have any car accidents, do you ask your insurance comapny to give your money back? If you never get sick, do you ask for your health insurance premiums back?

PPL is a form of insurance. As with any kind of insurance, what you are paying for is NOT the provision of services, but the ability to avial yourself of those services should you need them.

If only the people who actually used their PPL memberships had to pay for it the cost would be dramatically higher. You pay a reduced cost solely because, chances are, that you will never need the service. THAT'S THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND THE PRODUCT!

Only in America? Not hardly. Any country that is developed enough to have insurance companies does it the exact same way.

Then your problem is with the representative who signed you up and not with Prepaid Legal. They are the ones who did not tell you what the service provided.

Again, Like auto/life insurance, you pay a fee so that "In CASE" you need legal help, or in the case of IDT, there will be people there and the SERVICE there to help you. However, you could go for a time without ever requiring the services afforded by the program ( did you take advantage of the Will Program offered by the Legal Program of PPL ? That in itself is worth the monthly fee which would have been less if you were to go to a lawyer on your own to have one drafted for you. Its never to early to have a WILL written up ).

did you bother to read over the documentation about both the legal plans and the IDT? DID you understand what each program was about? The books given to you by PPL explains it clearly.

Then your problem is with the representative who signed you up and not with Prepaid Legal. They are the ones who did not tell you what the service provided.

Again, Like auto/life insurance, you pay a fee so that "In CASE" you need legal help, or in the case of IDT, there will be people there and the SERVICE there to help you. However, you could go for a time without ever requiring the services afforded by the program ( did you take advantage of the Will Program offered by the Legal Program of PPL ? That in itself is worth the monthly fee which would have been less if you were to go to a lawyer on your own to have one drafted for you. Its never to early to have a WILL written up ).

did you bother to read over the documentation about both the legal plans and the IDT? DID you understand what each program was about? The books given to you by PPL explains it clearly.

Then your problem is with the representative who signed you up and not with Prepaid Legal. They are the ones who did not tell you what the service provided.

Again, Like auto/life insurance, you pay a fee so that "In CASE" you need legal help, or in the case of IDT, there will be people there and the SERVICE there to help you. However, you could go for a time without ever requiring the services afforded by the program ( did you take advantage of the Will Program offered by the Legal Program of PPL ? That in itself is worth the monthly fee which would have been less if you were to go to a lawyer on your own to have one drafted for you. Its never to early to have a WILL written up ).

did you bother to read over the documentation about both the legal plans and the IDT? DID you understand what each program was about? The books given to you by PPL explains it clearly.

Then your problem is with the representative who signed you up and not with Prepaid Legal. They are the ones who did not tell you what the service provided.

Again, Like auto/life insurance, you pay a fee so that "In CASE" you need legal help, or in the case of IDT, there will be people there and the SERVICE there to help you. However, you could go for a time without ever requiring the services afforded by the program ( did you take advantage of the Will Program offered by the Legal Program of PPL ? That in itself is worth the monthly fee which would have been less if you were to go to a lawyer on your own to have one drafted for you. Its never to early to have a WILL written up ).

did you bother to read over the documentation about both the legal plans and the IDT? DID you understand what each program was about? The books given to you by PPL explains it clearly.

I signed up for it because a representative told me it would be a good thing to sign up for it. I had the legal program also where if you need an attorney they would find you one. Well i never got one to represent me or help me so i want my d**n money back. Like they say "only in america".

Thomas, you are not making sense.

IDT is like insurance, you are paying a service to keep a monitor on your credit history, so that if anything happens, they are there to help you to solve any problems that may arise. Like any service industry, that money you pay per month, you are buying a service that would alert you to anything odd with your credit history.

Do you get your money back if you never used any part of your Car Insurance policy? No. Same thing.

If you didn't need the IDT program, why did you sign up for it?

Again, you're missing a lot of facts from your report, and until you post what really happened, all we can see is that no rip off occured, and someone who failed ot understand what they signed or agreed to.

It didn't help me cause I did not get any services at all they just took my money and that's it. The Identity Theft I never needed never got the money back on that either. I expected to get some services but never got any as in legal help so I expect my money back. What do you mean timeframe.



No Services=Should Get Money Back



If you have someone take money you expect services right well they took money out of my account that has been now closed and I want to have my money back as they never helped me.

You are reporting against this company, but dont provide any facts.



IDT program is available to those who want the added protection and means to clean up your creidt history should you experience identity theft, and providey with legal help should your identity be compromised by someone stealing it to further their interest ( ie convicted of a a crime because the person had a DL issued in your name )



So how did this plan not help you? YOU dont say. What part of the IDT did not work out? What were you trying to fix? What is the timeframe?



A lot of "facts" are missing. You dont state what is the real problem.