Complaints
Customer Complaints Summary
- 175 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 132 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:06/11/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Back on April 1 of this year I placed an order ($58.00) for my birth certificate to be delivered to my mailing address in order to have my drivers license renewed on the 8th of this month (June). And I have yet to receive the birth certificate from this company. I need this document delivered ASAP so that I can renew!!????
Business Response
Date: 07/09/2024
Our records indicate once we received all the necessary information from you we mailed the completed application on May 9th. Our records also indicate our check was deposited on June 6th. If there were any issues they would have contacted you directly. It is well past the delivery time and a full refund was issues on June 17th. We apologize for the inconvenience.Initial Complaint
Date:06/10/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
2-25-2024 I placed an order for a birth certificate for my son VRO1477074 in the amount of $58.00, 2-26 I was asked for more information I sent in the requested information. 4-10-2024 more information this time I spoke with them to make sure they received it, I was told they had that the certificate was given the same confirmation number and date of June 4th. I called back on that date and that is when I founded out this was not the District of ********. I asked for a refund but was denied. Crazy me went to the D.C website it said Vital records not realizing that it was the same company I ordered again. Today I was told they have no record of my order. However my bank account shows the transaction and the amount. Also it show them refunding $15.95. This is the phone number ************Business Response
Date: 07/09/2024
We apologize you are having an issue with obtaining your certificate. Your completed application was mailed 4/12/24. Our records also show our check was deposited on 05/09/24, as they process in order of receipt. You should have receive you birth certificate by now.
Our records also indicate you received a full refund of $58 on 06/17/24 as per attached.
Customer Answer
Date: 07/23/2024
I have received the product after you contacted themInitial Complaint
Date:06/07/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Paid on 3/14/24 I only 1 update on 3/14 to track the Status. I called aprox 1 month later asking the for an update they said my signature dint match even though I received no email. I resent in my signature through their help chat line because the email I received to send it to was not valid. I confirmed the recieved via phone. Said it was sent out. Called today a week later to receive a refund and was told I couldnt because it was just shipped out that day. I already took off work went to the health department and bought one because I was going to miss my vacation because of them.Business Response
Date: 07/12/2024
Dear *********,
We apologize for the delay in processing your application. I see that the *** only cashed our check on June 13st which means you should have received your documents by now. Even with the delay caused by the signature issue, this should have never taken this long and we sincerely regret this issue.
Thanks to our 100% satisfaction guarantee I do see that you were fully refunded and will still receive your documents. We hope that makes up a little bit for the disappointment.
Again, please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.
VitalRecordsOnline.com Customer ServiceInitial Complaint
Date:06/06/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Order a birth certificate on 4/28/24 still have not received it the customer service representative was very nasty and hung up on meBusiness Response
Date: 07/11/2024
Dear customer,
After investigating your case, we see that some documents supplied originally were incomplete and/or expired. Unfortunately this ended up delaying the process of your application.
Because of the delays in documenting the application, it only started processing on 6/11/2024 when our check was cashed and have been delivered by now. Even considering the original order date of 4/29/2024, the current processing times of 8 to 10 weeks would still allow for a couple more days to deliver.
Thanks to our 100% satisfaction guarantee, we provided a full refund, while also delivering the service/product.
We apologize for the delay.
Best regards,
VRO Customer Service.
Initial Complaint
Date:06/05/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On February 23, 2024, I ordered a copy of my Birth Certificate, filled out the form, had it notarized at the *********** ****************************************, and sent this to Vital Records, ************************************* *****, *******, *****. They said, by email, that it would *********** to 8 weeks to get my Birth Certificate. I have contacted them many times, and was given a tracking number:0004011016502286069510013400699, this does not work! Then I was told that I needed to pay $9.00 more for a tracking number. Then they said that the application was at the printing office, and I was told no refund is available. This is June 5, 2024, and I do not have my Birth Certificate, and I have had no Communication from Vital Records, LLC. I am concerned that my information will be out there and may lead to Identity Fraud.Can you help? Please respond to my email.Thank you, *****************Business Response
Date: 07/12/2024
Dear ***,
We apologize for the delay in processing your application. I see that the NYC only cashed our check on July 1st which means you should be receiving your documents anytime now. Even with the delay caused by the in-person notarization, this should have never taken this long and we sincerely regret this issue.
Regarding your personal information, you can rest assured that we take our customers personal data very seriously and that we adhere to strict industry standards. We are SOC2 and HIPAA compliant, standards that dictate highly demanding requirements.
Thanks to our 100% satisfaction guarantee I do see that you were fully refunded and will still receive your documents. We hope that makes up a little bit for the disappointment.
Again, please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.
VitalRecordsOnline.com ****************Initial Complaint
Date:06/02/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I ordered a long birth certificate, completed the application and printed the form with signature and submitted that. I was informed the signature did not match the signature on my ID. I went to look at the signature on my DL (which is hard to match because its made on a signature capture terminal) but I redid it making it match my DL signature and was informed the signature still didnt match. Now Ive wasted 5 weeks and the application still isnt complete. I need a refund and Ill figure it out with the state office. I wish I had done that to begin with.Business Response
Date: 06/03/2024
I am unable to locate this order in our system. I need the email address or phone number used to process this application, or the order ID number.Initial Complaint
Date:05/28/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Vital Records Online promises to provide a 3-5 day service for Apostille authentication for legal documents at an all-inclusive rate of $159.00. I paid this amount on May 10, 2024 and immediately sent my document. I followed their instructions exactly and sent the original birth certificate to them. When I heard nothing after the **** confirmed delivery on May 15, 2024, I contacted them on May 20, 2024 and asked for an update. They claimed there was no order on record. I sent them their own order confirmation as well as credit card info for tracking the payment that they had already received. They did not respond to multiple emails asking what happened to the order. The customer service person was very rude and insisted she simply had no record of the order even though they had collected the $159.00 from my credit card. I finally found someone who did confirm that they had actually received the order and had processed it. Already, ten days had passed and they fraudulently promise a 3-5 day turnaround. After 18 days, I was shocked to find that all the documents were returned to me unprocessed with no Apostille. The ********** of ***** of ******** had rejected the Application because VRO did not process it correctly. I lost all that time and I lost $159.00, which they have not refunded. Worst of all, they never did have the professional decency to respond to my many complaints. Such behavior is the definition of corporate malfeasance and fraud: *************** services that they do not know how to perform and collecting money for those services and then refusing to provide a refund is not acceptable business practice and violates FTC guidelines.Business Response
Date: 05/30/2024
We apologize the Letter of Exemplification was skipped in the processing of your Apostille application. We have processed a full refund.Customer Answer
Date: 05/31/2024
Complaint: 21772165
I am rejecting this response because:I have contacted my credit card company twice to determine whether a refund was actually processed. They have received no refund attempt from Vital Records Online despite their claim in their response that they had processed a refund. This merchant has been dishonest repeatedly throughout this time. For example, they first claimed there was no order received despite having charged my credit card. Next, they represented themselves as capable of processing Apostille legalizations within 3-5 business days, but they failed to process it correctly at all despite having the documents for much longer. And, finally, they have not responded directly to any of my many emails requesting that they fulfill their contractual responsibilities or provide a refund.
For these reasons, it is insufficient for them to simply claim to the BBB they have already processed a refund with no evidence of doing so, particularly when there is no evidence from the credit card company that they have done so.
I am requesting written documentation that the refund has been processed including transaction numbers and/or documentation of confirmation from the credit card company that the refund has been processed. This is a basic request for accountability due to the fact that their claim of processing a refund does not match with the credit card company's data.
I also would consider it prudent for the Better Business Bureau to monitor whether this business is operating in ways that do not comply with FTC regulations given that they have repeatedly failed to do so with me.
Sincerely,
***************************Business Response
Date: 06/03/2024
Refund Transaction Letter
We would like to notify you that Adyen has refunded the transaction below:
Adyen Reference: S2NGR72PH3WH23X3 Original Transaction Date: 2024-05-10 Payment Amount: USD ****** Card Type: Credit Card Refund Adyen Reference: ND2MMDR9MWK8MMF6 Refund ARN: *********************** Refund Amount: USD ****** Refund Date: 2024-05-30 Card Number: ****** *** 8548 Merchant ID: *************** Merchant Name: VITAL RECORDS SERVICES Authorisation Code: 07159Z
Initial Complaint
Date:05/28/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 05-07-2024 I ordered a copy of my birth certificate in order to receive social security benefits. I was told by them the turn around time was approximately 2-3 weeks. I paid $54.99 for the certificate. I checked with them today 05-28-2024 and they said it will now take ***** weeks which is unacceptable. i want a better resolutionBusiness Response
Date: 05/28/2024
Our website and the New ********************** website indicates the processing time for applications is ***** weeks. Lately, we have noticed a much longer delay and they are averaging ***** weeks. We did not receive a copy of your ID and revised signature until May 13th and your application was mailed to the ***************** on May 14th. Applications are processed in order of receipt. We cannot circumvent the processing time of the state.Customer Answer
Date: 05/29/2024
Complaint: 21767233
I am rejecting this response because: they lied to me and told me the turn around time would only be 2-3 weeks. then they said ***** weeks. there is no excuse for this misinformation. I would never have placed an order if I knew it would take this long
Sincerely,
*******************Business Response
Date: 05/30/2024
We have refunded our service fee of $29. We have paid the $30 fee to the ***************** and your application will still be processed there is no way to stop it once the ***************** has it.Initial Complaint
Date:05/25/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Order ID: *****************************: On February 6, 2024 we submitted and paid $147 US for an all inclusive package requesting a California Death certificate which was to be, as stated by your email, 2-4 business weeks plus mailing. We requested a corrected form which was received on Feb 7 (.65c2aaf0fe77f3137c3fe562_packet.pdf). We completed , notarized & sent the package to you via ****** On Feb 14 we first received an email that you had not received all the required information. A follow up email from you then stated to disregard previous as you had everything you needed, it would be reviewed and submitted. Great, we were under a time limit to produce a birth certificate for closure of deceased ************** distribution. After 8 weeks of seeing nothing our time was up and we were able to use the deceased passport as validation. On April 25 we received an email from VRO requesting a notarized form again. We respond by asking why as it should have been submitted some 8-9 weeks prior. Auto reply said we would be contacted. Then we received an email that it was submitted on April 26 to ********** , without customer service even contacting us to provide an explanation as to why it was never submitted. Had they done so we would have declined the submission as we don't need the birth certificate anymore...ever! Throughout this process we spent over $200 with notary and ***** for nothing. Since the fault is due to VRO incompetence in service we requested a full refund of the $147. We received an email requesting us to call them. Three attempts were made resulting in being on hold for aprox. 45 minutes per call before we hung up. On May 20th the birth certificate was delivered however it is a waste of paper. Total time waiting 13 weeks 5 days.Business Response
Date: 05/30/2024
We apologize for the delay in processing your application. We have issued a full refund.Customer Answer
Date: 05/30/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
*********************Initial Complaint
Date:05/22/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I placed an order for a single birth certificate on 3/1/2024. After about 6 weeks I sent a follow up email asking for tracking information on my document and was told they do not have the info but to keep waiting. They have you file complaints on their website and I unfortunately did not screenshot so I do not have exact dates. I waited another 3 weeks and emailed again asking for an update or a refund and was told they cannot refund as it was too late after my order. This company is purposely having people wait 8-10 weeks minimum before they can even ask about their documents and then providing no follow up and no refunds for a service not provided. To pay $74 for something you never get is absolutely ridiculous. I am asking not only for my issue to be resolved but also that this company provide either tracking updates to their clients, better ETA, or provide refunds after 60 days.Business Response
Date: 05/28/2024
Processing times vary by state. Our web page provides you with theses processing times, which you can see without processing an application. I see on April 1st we advised you of the 8-10 week processing time.
Your package was received by the ***************** on March 11th. However, we can see it is way past the expected time frame and we have processed a refund for your application.
TRACKING NUMBER 271803344566
DELIVERED TO Guard/Security Station
SHIP DATE 3/7/24
STANDARD TRANSIT 3/11/24 before 5:00 PM
DELIVERED 3/11/24 at 8:59 AMCustomer Answer
Date: 05/29/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
******* *******
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