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Report: #182971

Complaint Review: Prepaid Legal - Ada Oklahoma

  • Submitted:
  • Updated:
  • Reported By: Plainfield Connecticut
  • Author Confirmed What's this?
  • Why?
  • Prepaid Legal prepaidlegal.com Ada, Oklahoma U.S.A.

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I acknowledge some of the rebuttals on this website choose to call true criticisms of Prepaid legal "bashing", but the reality is that it isn't bashing. I'm simply posting this to tell the truth in as comprehensively detailed a fashion as possible.

PPLSI does offer a good legal service plan in and of itself. Unfortunately, it's money obviously comes form its associates, who either need to enroll in the plan and maintain it to stay associates or sell 6 plans within a quarter, which by PPLSI regulation, is nearly impossible to do. The terms of the associate agreement are various and many, and are never spelled out clearly to you until such time as you agree to the terms of it and actually get the cd with the pdf file in the mail.

First, the PPLSI agreement requires that you not give out any information about the provider law firm to a prospective enrollee until they have actually pruchased the plan. This may violate "state and bar" regulations, and for whatever reason, it leads me to believe something about PPLSI is illegal or questionable at best. They also kindly request that you not contact any state insurance agency as it may ruin any "good standing" they may have in that particular state. For whatever reason thay ask that, it would be good to know about it before you agree to be an associate and pay the fee.

PPLSI also has stringent guidelines for advertising your "home based business" and all ads must sent to the corporate office for approval before you actually run them in any media of any kind. Website guidelines forbid you from using any URLs, links or web pages containing the words "court, law, legal, justice, attorney, lawyer, defense, defender, Pre-paid, prepaid, affordable, advice, docket, aide, paralegal, legal, IDT, ID, identity, shield, theft, Kroll, protect, name, any derivitive or the Pre Paid Legal Services, Inc., name or any subsidiary (including initials)" This strictly limits you to markting this as a home based business opportunity with any advertising you do online. You are also bound to not provide, sell, or solicit any other product or service aside from PPLSI products and services per the associate agreement.

Tha agreement also states that if you have a group or are within a sales group of 300 or more, PPLSI may dictate commission precentages of its own choosing for sales. According to the associate agreement which you never see until you sign up, PPLSI also may terminate any associate agreement at any time for any reason by 30 days notification in writing. PPLSI, through the associate agreement, also gets the right to change commissions and incentives at any time for any reason without notifiying associates. They also reserve the right to not inform an associate of their associate status. PPLSI also can choose, per the terms of the contract that you sign, to not accept any applications for associates that you attempt to recruit or plans that you attempt to sell. If you terminate your associate agreement, you stop making commission on the plans you sold and would otherwise be entitled to. PPLSI also spells out, very explicityly that it can terminate your agreement immediately for any reason at its own discretion for any action or statement the associate makes.

The associate agreement further inserts many clauses completely availing PPLSI of any responsibility for what their associates say or what PPLSI may itself do or misrepresent. It's a relationship of minimal overhead and phenomenal profit due to the convenience the associate agreement. Again, you never see the associate agreement in its entirety until you enroll as an associate.

Also, my wife responded to an employment ad, which led us to PPLSI. We were encouraged to use two training websites. Employment ads and training sites for PPLSI are strictly prohibited and grounds for immediate termination per the associate agreement. The unfortunate reality is that PPLSI wants the advantage of a large sales force and captive market without all the corporate responsibility and full disclosure of a normal insurance company. Further, they'd like to have employees to do this, but they simply aren't willing to be responsible for their actions or provide benefits and insurances.

The same goes for Kirby, a publicly traded company which has been in business for more than 30 years, whose sales and MLM practices are equally an aberation. The argument that it is publicly traded and has been in business for decades means that they either sell a good product, run a good scam operation, or both. To be fair, it's both.

Given the misrepresentation and near complete lack of disclosure of the agreement we were bound by, which I duly terminated, I have no problem giving my name upon request. In fact, PPLSI marketing has failed to remove the URL for the website with my wife's name, even though this was clearly requested of them. Two days ago, it was to be removed "within 24 hours", and it still remains active. I plan on using my ability as a freelance writer and author to communicate this to the world in a very detailed, comprehensive fashion so as to spare others the experience my wife and I have had. Thankfully it was less than a hundred dollars, but this still has consequences on a collective economic level as well as being a bad and increasingly common example of business. That just makes life harder for all of us and makes the self employed even more unfairly frowned upon than they currently are.

Daniel
Plainfield, Connecticut
U.S.A.

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This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 03/23/2006 05:16 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/prepaid-legal/ada-oklahoma/prepaid-legal-pplsi-ripoff-dishonest-mlm-ada-oklahoma-182971. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
0Author
4Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#4 UPDATE Employee ..inside information

This is an amazing company and more that worth checking out

AUTHOR: Christine - (United States)

POSTED: Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Hello, my name is Christine Z.,

I am going to say that this company is far from a rip-off.  I am still very new to the company, going on 4 months now. I started out with no skills whatsoever.

Within three weeks I was able to promote to the next level without a single problem and with lots of support from all of my mentors.  Within the next couple of weeks, I was promoted again by just following the system. It is extremely easy to do if you do what has been put into place. I got paid daily as promised and all my bonuses as well. 

There are many people who don't do well because you try to do it your way or don't do anything. You will have to put some effort into the system, but you are never alone here. Your mentors are always there to help you.  So get educated on the company and the way we work. We are a team-based business, not a solo business. If you work it right, you will have great success guanteed. 

Also, I have 5 kids and work a full time job. I am here to make extra money and have a family legacy that lasts for my kids. No other company can offer you that. Can they? People in this business have been around for over 20 years and are still doing it. We are 50 years strong and not going anywhere anytime soon. The market is ready for you to find your legacy.

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#3 Consumer Suggestion

Youve Got a TON of Homework Tonight

AUTHOR: JasmeenB - (United States of America)

POSTED: Sunday, February 28, 2010

The most common reason for negative experiences in an MLM is the failure to do the homework before clicking the box that says, I AGREE.

Starting up a home-based business is a serious decision that will affect lives and families in many ways.  With this in mind, the criteria for selecting a particular parent company must be more analytical  than liking the product.

Learn how to evaluate any MLM opportunity with a critical mind and save years of failure and frustration.  www.FreeSuccessin10Steps.info

The information is available and it's free.  No one has to learn the hard way.

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#2 Consumer Comment

It IS a scam!

AUTHOR: TiffanyDanielle - (United States of America)

POSTED: Monday, February 22, 2010

I answered an ad for employment for what I thought was an accounting job. I got an email back from this guy that told me I had a very impressive resume and that I should to go to this link, watch a video, and then call him. Biggest mistake ever!

While I think the actual service they offer can be valuable, if it is real, I think the thing they are really after is trying to get you to pay the fee to become an associate. After a dozen calls and emails, the guy finally convinced me to sign-up, even though I told him every time I talked to him that I had NO selling skills.

Of course I have never been able to get anyone signed up, which is fine, no one held a gun up to my head. I pay the monthly fee for the insurance, no problem. But then, after three months, they hit my account with an additional charge. I called to ask why and I was told it was for my PPL email account. Well since I have 5 FREE email accounts, I said that I didn't want or need that and asked if they could please cancel that and refund my money. I explained that 1. Both me and my husband are unemployed and 2. I was never notified that I was going to be charged for anything like that.

I was told OK, and that I would be refunded for everything but the $10 set-up charge, which I was slightly disgusted by, but happy to get the other $20 back.

A month later, the credit still wasn't posted and when I called back they told me since I had not called within 10 days of the charge, I wasn't eligible for a refund. I begged, I cried, I did everything I could think of to no avail.

I filed a report with the BBB, and then all the correspondence started sounding very hostile and was filled with outright lies. They claimed that they could prove I had used the service and that I had signed something stating I understood that I would be charged. They claimed that I had used the service to sign someone up, even though I hadn't even applied for or been granted the license you need in Texas to sell ANY kind of insurance. I tried to explain that the person that signed me up signed someone up under me, that he had used that as an incentive to get me to sign up with him, and that I had never used it personally, but PPL basically called me a liar.

Bottom line, I ate the $80 to become an associate by my own free will. I was forced to eat the $30 email fees because they are shady people that are only out to take your money.

RUN far away from this company and don't look back!

P.S. I have emails and the BBB report as proof, so I don't need any high ranking associates trying to discredit me!

This whole thing is a SCAM!

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#1 Consumer Comment

Thanx for the info....The consumer is also at risk.

AUTHOR: Bob P. - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, July 31, 2009

I responded to that advertisement for legal services. The guy who contacted me and took my info also tried to "recruit" me. As you stated, he NEVER told me exactly what I should expect as "service" although he did tell me that if I wasn't satisfied, I "PAID NOTHING" and would be "REFUNDED" any monies paid.

I tried to cancel my membership the same day I spoke to him since the firm he refered me to WOULD NOT take my case. He never answered my call or returned them, I made two calls. 4 days later the charge showed up on my account. I called again and got his answering machine.

I tried to get in contact with him through the website he gave me, which is just the PPLSI site and I was kicked back to him. I NEVER recieved services, literature or any documentation of any kind. I called again and got no response or return call.

I sent him a nasty E-mail where I AGAIN demanded to be removed from the program. Since I got no response from him, I called PPLSI direct. They were also very cold and calculated. It seems you can't just CANCEL, you have to jump through hoops, which I did juast to get cancelled. Submitted the "cancellation waiver" and again got billed.

They say they never got my first cancellation so I sent them another. NOW they tell me I cannot be refunded any money without sending a written request that THEY will review and determine what, if any, monies I will get back.

I have filed a complaint with the BBB in their state of business as well as a complaint with the other state and federal agencies.

They cliam they are protected by Federal law andf can keep any money they get from you no matter how they got it. I disagree! Since I NEVER got any services, the agreement is null and void and NO MONEY should have changed hands.

The requirements they set forth to cancel and recieve refunds is a crock of dung. That, in and of itself, is a violation of simple law. No service, no payment. Wait until they have to use their own lawyers to defend them.

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