ARAG Group Lousy service followed by insult to injury Des Moines Iowa

Anyone involved with this company should be aware that it operates in an environment of lies.  If you work there, beware.  If you are a client, beware.  If you need their services beware.  You have been warned.  I write this as a person who was flat out lied to by the organization. 

Again I was just researching some different companies to see if ANYTHING compares to Legal Shield and still the answer is NO!  SOOO much of this would have been covered by LS!  Thats why our tag line is NO LIMITS. NO SURPRISES. and they are the best attorneys in the country.  15 years as a member and I am very satisfied with the not only the attorney services but the custormer services.  I have used the attorneys countless times for advice, letters, reviewing my contracts, I have had my will revised 3 times and all at NO COST other than my monthly fee of $27!  I have retained a couple different attorneys for bankruptcy and audits, both of which saved me THOUSANDS.  I actually did the math, the money that I saved just using the services on 4 different occasions pays for my membership for about 500 years! LOL I will NEVER be without it! greatlegalbenefit.com/ays

I have been a member of ARAG since 2008, and can highly recommend the coverage I've had to date. I have had a few incidents that required coverage, and in all cases found ARAG to be supportive and the billing process very smooth. Phone representatives are very professional and helpful. Attorneys have been generally able and results as good as could be expected.

In one case, I was able to get the answers needed in a free initial consultation, in which the attorney took a keen interest and stayed in touch without billing. Totally extra mile.

For the other issues, I had to contact several listed attorneys before reaching the right one. Some on the in-network list claimed they did not belong there. Others didn't seem capable, or were fishing for higher fees. But the choice was ultimately mine and I was happy with the representation received. 

One small annoyance is that coverage terms have changed, with a few less services offered while the premium remained constant. That said, premiums seem reasonable, and the plan definitely offers peace of mind for many of the surprises that could cost a lot more. 

I actually did try to contact customer service for help and to report how rudely I was treated by the first person to help me. Turns out that several of the customer service people were already talking about me to eachother and in turn the others were all rude to me too and actually argued with me even more.  Bottom line is that I did try and got more frustration in the process. I don't  feel like I could ever call there again.  I just chalk it up to bad experience, waste of money and won't renew ever and would certainly never recommend ARAG to a friend or colleague.

As ARAGs Director of Customer, Im sorry to hear that your experience with ARAG did not live up to your expectations. Id be happy to talk to you to see if we can rectify the situation- just call our CustomerCareCenter at 800-247-4184 and ask for Angie Ballantine.

I too experienced a very similar situation with ARAG, especially the part about the customer service.  I was treated very rudely and was given a very uncomfortable challenge when trying to get access to the attorney resources.  I have seen a difinite decline in service and after my last encounter, I was treated so badly and was left so upset that I will not renew again.  I agree with the sentiment "if it seems to good to be true, it usually is" as I feel it applies with regard to what I have experienced with ARAG.  My company offers this benefit so I am going to issue a complaint with HR.  My biggest issue was the way I was treated and denied access to a plan I paid a lot of money for.  I was left with the feeling that the company tries to minimize the service to members to save themselves money and in turn make it extremely difficult to use the plan. 

I was with ARAG with years through my employer and you really have to shop around for an attorney. You can choose in-network attorney's for "covered expenses" or go to an outside attorney and submit for reimbursement.

In a recent issue I was forced to move due to landlord failure to maintain the property. I needed a lawyer to provide guidance in how to write a letter for personal property damages the landlord caused. I clearly stated I didn't mind paying the contractual reduced fee for any added or incurred expense.

The second fold was that when I moved, the movers did some damage to the stairwell and the landlord was all "up in the air" about it. I needed to address this issue and wasn't sure if I should get quotes for repair from the landlord and submit to the movers insurance carrier or how that would work.

So, far n the past 2 weeks I have called 4 out of the 12 attorney's and for some reason they are not interested in returning calls.

An out of network attorney is going to charge $750 for the initial consult. Of that I will get back $240 (out of network benefit) and if we go to court they will reimburse $1,800.

Like I said, the insurance is just a policy and they can't force the attorney's to honor the agreement. But if there are enough complaints, and you do involve the Bar association they will drop the attorney from their referral base.

ARAG by far is the best because you have the options.

When I left my company, I joined Pre Paid Legal and it was a real scam. I was essentially stuck with one attorney who was a complete incompetant - no out of network benefits. I had a credit card company calling alleging I owed money on an account I never opened. The company refused their mailing address for a formal dispute letter to be sent. I had to go on line and find a physical mailing address and the FedEx overnight including the formal dispute letter requesting information about the bill I allegedly owed was marked refused/return to sender.

The attorney was lazy, they had a "call center" take calls and not answer questions. They refused to leave messages stating what they needed and refused to communicate via email. I would tell them my meeting schedules at work, and requested calls before or after that time to discuss the issue and they refused this request as well.

When I canceled the plan, they refused to cancel and I got some wierd letter saying they would review my application to cancel and see if I was "approved" to cancel. They also refused to honor their 30 day money back guarantee.

With all legal service plans, you have to be careful and ultimately it is a reflection on the attorney, not necessarily the plan.

If you get a snotty customer service rep, ask for a supervisor. Keep going up the corporate ladder.

A legal services plan is the only way I could ever afford to uphold my civil rights. I could never afford the thousands in legal fees without it.

The term "bar association" probably means something different in each state.

While the term sounds like a social club for lawyers, in Arizona the State Bar is an agency of the Judicial Branch of state government. It is the body that licenses and disciplines lawyers. And yes, they actually do disbar attorneys.

When I suggested contacting your local bar association I was thinking of whatever body regulates lawyers in your state. Since my language was rather imprecise, I can understand how you would interpret that the way you did. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Since you have a new attorney to deal with the first one, he can advise you as to whether to pursue any sort of bar complaint.

Thanks Larry. I hired a new attorney at my own expense who is outraged at the entire debacle and advised me not to pay a dime to the old atty, he's contacting him personally as we speak and I expect some relief soon. As far as contacting the bar association, I appreciate your input, but my view is that it would probably work as well as contacting the AMA about a lousy doctor, which is to say it would be be about as effective as a Jew going to Gestapo headquarters to complain about a n**i..

I once belonged to a different pre-paid legal plan. I needed a lawyer and they referred me to an old geezer who had "wino" written all over him.

Why would a good attorney get involved with one of these plans? Answer: A good attorney won't. The ones who participate in these plans are the halt, the lame, and the desperate. Steer clear of these plans as almost no one ever is satisfied with their attorney.

Lawyer regulation seems to vary considerably from one state to another, so I have no idea what recourse you may have. I would strongly suggest that you file a complaint with your local Bar association regarding the first lawyer's handling of your case.