[S]ADVOCACY Professional Corporation Reviews (%countItem)
[S]ADVOCACY Professional Corporation Rating
Address: 222 Spadina Avenue, Suite 276, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5T 3B3
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+1 (647) 360-7192 |
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I hired Ms. for legal services in February of 2018. Ms. indicated that she would provide timely legal services as this was a rather urgent situation. I paid a substantial retainer fee and a 1 hour consult fee and was advised that any unused time from the consult fee will be added to the hours I paid for with the retainer. Ms. office significantly delayed the procedure every step of the way and failed to communicate with me in a timely manner. When I complained about the delays and the negative impact their unprofessional behaviour was having on my case, the office indicated they had sent documents on my behalf and would send me copies of the documents. The matter that I hired Ms. for remains unresolved. I had requested a breakdown of fees and hours spent on the case and my emails continue to be ignored. I still have not received the paperwork in question, which I was told I would be provided with for my records. It is unclear what I actually paid for. This has been a truly disappointing experience as I hired Ms. knowing that she is inexperienced, but trusting her word to fight diligently for justice for her client. What I got was an official email sent on my behalf that contained a spelling mistake, delays, unclear text messages from her assistant, ongoing lack of reply to my numerous requests for information that is my right as the client, and complete lack of professionalism.
Product_Or_Service: Legal services
Order_Number:
Explanation of Charges I would like for the business to explain what I paid for, provide a refund for time not used and to provide copies of all documents sent on my behalf.
I am sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction with our legal services. We appreciate your position, and hope that the following explanation can put your concerns to rest.
You paid $150 + HST for a 1-hour consultation on February 21, 2018. The consultation lasted approximately 50 minutes, and we offered to carry over the additional 10 minutes to your retainer. You were subsequently charged a block fee of $500 + HST for a letter and up to two hours and 10 minutes of follow up correspondence. There was also a one-time office administration fee of $175, and a law student fee of $100. Tax on these amounts brought your total bill to $875.75.
On February 21, 2018 we received the documents from you which were necessary to begin writing the letter. A letter was sent to you for revision on February 23, 2018. You replied on February 27, 2018 detailing extensive revisions. The draft letter took longer than usual to revise, as we wanted to make sure the content reflected your numerous expressed preferences. The finalized letter was provided to you on March 17, 2018. During the period prior to your receiving the final letter, our office updated you twice via email, ensuring we would get it to you shortly. The letter was mailed on March 19, 2018.
We got the go-ahead from you on April 2, 2016 to follow up with the individuals' supervisor, as we had not received a response from the letter. This was done through written correspondence on April 6, 2018, as well as by phone on April 13 and 16. We received a response from the supervisor on April 17, 2018 and forwarded this to you. We explained the next step would be to submit an FOI request, which would not be included in the block fee. You decided against taking this next step with our office.
Your complaint indicates you paid a "substantial retainer fee and 1-hour consult fee." As noted above, the unused 10 minutes was carried over to the block fee. However, the follow-up correspondence included in the block fee only applies with respect to that specific task. The block fee covers up to 2 hours and 10 minutes of correspondence stemming from the letter that was sent. In your case, the next step was to file an FOI request. This does not count as correspondence following the letter, but rather, as a separate next step. Accordingly, the final response from the supervisor marked the end of the block fee services.
Whereas our hourly rate for legal services is $150 + HST, we offered a highly competitive and affordable block fee rate of $500 + HST for the letter and correspondence. Please note that actual time spent on the file exceeded 4.5 hours.
We sincerely apologize for the slight delay between February 27 and March 17, 2018. However, the delay between March 17 and April 17, 2018 was outside our control. Furthermore, we will strive to avoid similar issues in the future by sending a formal closing letter at the conclusion of block services. Your block fee of $500 + HST covered the letter, revisions, and correspondence with respect to the letter. It did not include services extending beyond the final response from the supervisor. This appears to have been the source of confusion, and we regret any inconvenience caused as a result.