Part of being a trademark attorney is helping others to make sound business decisions. Much of my site is devoted to speaking out against DIY trademark services for this reason. While I think that they are a waste of money, I understand if you are skeptical. After all, what attorney is going to support his competitors? However, I do say that I would rather people file their own trademark applications than use one of these services. But why not consider another point of view? Let’s look at some LegalZoom trademark reviews to see what their own customers think of its services.
I am taking these LegalZoom trademark reviews from various review sites as I found them at the time of writing this post.
Recurring Charges for Trademark Services?
I would not use LegalZoom again. I dislike organizations that add services that you do not expressly request and you must OPT out/cancel it to stop billing. It preys on the likelihood of a user missing the little notes and circular references to said fees/services and not catching in time or at all. It seems so unethical and walking the edge of legit. I did not expect it from a company such as this. BUT greed knows no bounds. I do not even want Legal Zoom to finish the TradeMark concern I started. I do not trust them now.
Nobody likes unexpected charges like these. That is why I offer almost all of my services on a flat-fee basis. You know what the cost is up front, and don’t have to read through a “terms of service” agreement or any such nonsense. I’m not sure what the recurring charge was in this case, but LegalZoom does have monthly fees to speak with an attorney. You shouldn’t have to pay LegalZoom to reserve time speaking with an attorney. I offer free initial consultations. And you don’t have to go through another company and put down credit card information to get me on the phone.
No Legal Expertise In Trademark Applications
LegalZoom unlike the name implies has no legal expertise in processing trademark applications. I paid a premium to use LegalZoom to process my trademark application. After about a month I receive a letter back from the USPTO. When I contacted LegalZoom they told me that they had no legal expertise that I should consult with a trade mark attorney. Basically leaving me to fend for myself. Then I filed a complaint with them and they never contacted me back. This is a **** poor operation from top to bottom. I would advise you to find an actual trademark attorney to file your application versus using this incompetent company. So buyer beware this company has no legal expertise or any sense of the word customer service. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY FOR TRADEMARK APPLICATIONS.
These are the kinds of LegalZoom trademark reviews I hate reading, because I feel sorry for this person. He wasted money on a service that does not provide legal assistance with the cost of a trademark application. He would have been better off saving his money and filing the application himself. However, the best option would have been hiring a trademark attorney in the first place. What if his LegalZoom trademark application has mistakes? It may be subject to challenge even if it registers. Going to a trademark attorney up front would have been the best option.
Worst Site Ever!!!
Worst site ever!!! Don’t do it!! Long holds no one returns your calls. They constantly hang up on you. I had a hold on my account that I couldn’t resolve because no one on their end fixed the problem. I am filing a dispute with my credit card company because these guys aren’t even returning calls for that. Wasted a lot of my time and will NEVER go to them again
We all hate dealing with bad customer service. And that is what you get with LegalZoom trademark services. Personally, I hate that part of my brain is dedicated to storing different hold music that I’ve heard over the years. Well if you call me, you won’t be put on hold because I’m not sure which button of my iPhone that is. And I return client calls promptly. These customer service problems tend to be exacerbated when dealing with large organizations. In my practice, you deal directly with me, though.
Take the Money and Run
I paid $693.00 towards a trademark application(…) I understand the process takes a long time so I have given it some time. It has almost been 10 months and I contacted legal zoom to check the status. Come to find out… they didn’t even process the application(…)
I spoke to the rep and said “This is crazy… I would not just pay $693.00 then leave it up in the air for 10 months.” Do you know what her response was…. “Mam it happens all the time.” NO… IT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME IF YOU WERE A GOOD COMPANY AND FOLLOWED THROUGH WITH ORDERS INSTEAD OF JUST STEALING MONEY FROM PEOPLE.
I wanted a full refund and guess what I was offered… 50% back. Get this… they were going to take 50% of the filing fee that was going to the government. They wanted to take 50% of the money that wasnt even supposed to go to them to begin with, instead it was supposed to go to the government to process the trademark. This company is only in business because they steal money from their customers. I would not use them again and trust me when I say this you are better off going somewhere else.
This is a doozy of a LegalZoom trademark review! I had to cut this down a little for brevity’s sake. But please visit the link and read the whole thing. It looks like the LegalZoom trademark team thought they needed more information to file her application. But instead of contacting her to get the information, they decided not to file her application. She had already paid, too. So if she hadn’t called, LegalZoom would have kept her money without filing her trademark application.
Conclusion
These customers learned the hard way (as countless other LegalZoom reviews demonstrate) that this service is not competitive with attorneys. They are very limited with what they can do, because they are not a law firm. However, these LegalZoom trademark reviews indicate that they manage to mess up even the limited scope of services that they do provide! I’ll say it again: you are better off filing an application yourself than hiring this company. Filing yourself does come with its own risks. But at least you won’t be spending addition money for a service that adds zero value to the process. That is, if they don’t take your money and then not file your application.
Don’t End Up Writing the Next 1-Star LegalZoom Trademark Review
If you would like to work with a trademark attorney that can give you legal advice on your trademark matter and provide you with personalized and professional customer service, please call me at (480) 360-3499, email me at kevin@yourtrademarkattorney.com, or complete the contact form found on this page to schedule your free initial consultation today. I look forward to speaking with you.
