Information and Alerts
Alert Details
This business has 2 alerts.
Government Actions
STATE OF WASHINGTON vs LLPS, INC.,
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a court order for Labor Law Poster Service to stop contacting and accepting payments from Washington businesses. According to the lawsuit, Labor Law Poster Service and its owners violated the state Consumer Protection Act more than 300,000 times over the course of at least eight years. It also asserts their conduct violated a 2016 permanent injunction and a 2008 resolution with the Attorney General’s Office, both of which prohibited the company from sending deceptive letters. Ferguson’s lawsuit seeks full restitution, plus interest, to all Washingtonians harmed by this deceptive conduct. It also seeks civil penalties for every deceptive letter sent and civil penalties for each of the violations of the previous court orders. The case is scheduled for trial in January 2025. Read the full court order here: https://agportal-s3bucket.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2024_01_08Complaint_wExs.pdf?VersionId=c.uv01Wi02zan76adjugl_vgFR54d.T2
Alert
The BBB advises caution when dealing with this company. BBB suggests that company owners contact their own state Attorney General's Office, Corporation Bureau, Secretary of State or similar government office to confirm what, if any, annual forms are required to be submitted and the procedure to do so. Typically, the required forms are available at no cost or on-line, and in some states, there is no requirement to submit annual corporation minutes.
Important Information
Additional Info
Based on information in BBB files, this company solicits businesses in all 50 states. The company's letterhead is (state) Labor Law Poster Service. According to information provided by complainants, the company sends unsolicited mailings to businesses outlining State and Federal laws that require employers to post various Labor Law Posters at work sites. The correspondence also lists possible ramifications, such as criminal and civil penalties and large fines, if the correct posters are not displayed in the work place.
Even though the correspondence does state that Posters may also be available free from the issuing governmental agencies, complainants state the letter appears to be from a government agency and the tone of the letter is somewhat threatening.
In October 2012, the company notified the BBB that they were now utilizing the business name of Corporate Records Service.
Corporate Records Service appears to be marketing in numerous states and is using mail drop addresses only. The actual location of the company is in Lansing, MI.
According to information provided by complainants, the company sends unsolicited mailings to businesses outlining State laws that require businesses to file an "Annual Minutes Records Form." For a fee of $125, the company states they will complete the required form for the businesses. According to complainants, in some cases, the form in question is not required to be submitted with the business' State office.
Even though the correspondence does state that Corporate Records Service is not a government agency, many recipients state they believed the material was from a state office.
In December 2014, the BBB became aware that the company is now using the name Council for Corporations and the company name is prefaced with the State in which the solicitation is being sent, i.e. Michigan Council for Corporations. It appears that the company is marketing this name in numerous states as well and using the same mail drop locations used under the Corporate Records Service name. The actual location of the company is in Lansing, MI.
As with Corporate Records Service, complainants report that the company sends unsolicited mailings to businesses outlining State laws that require businesses to file Annual Minutes. Council for Corporations send an "Annual Records Solicitation Form." For a fee of $125, the company states they will complete the required form for the businesses. According to complainants, in some cases, the form in question is not required to be submitted with the business' State office.
Even though the envelope in which the material is sent states "THIS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT," the cover letter includes ""Please note: The preparation of annual corporate records does not satisfy the requirement to file the annual report either required by (State) code (specific code number is listed) or set forth by the (State) Corporations and Associations Law. The annual report and instructions may be found on-line," and
the 2014 Annual Records Solicitation Form states "(State) Council for Corporations is not a government agency and does not have or contract with any government agency to provide this service. This does not fulfill the (state) annual report filing requirement," recipients regularly report that they believe the material to be from a state agency and that they are required to complete it in order to be in compliance with their state laws.
The BBB advises caution when dealing with this company. BBB suggests that company owners contact their own state Attorney General's Office, Corporation Bureau, Secretary of State or similar government office to confirm what, if any, annual forms are required to be submitted and the procedure to do so. Typically, the required forms are available at no cost directly from the State office involved or on-line, and in some states, there is no requirement to submit annual corporation minutes at all. The BBB's file contains a pattern of complaints in which complainants state they received labor posters and a bill from the company even though they did not order the posters. In some cases, the complainant received a call from the company asking to verify their address before receiving the posters and bill. The BBB advises caution when dealing with this company. BBB suggests that company owners contact their own state Attorney General's Office, Corporation Bureau, Secretary of State or similar government office to confirm what, if any, annual forms are required to be submitted and the procedure to do so. Typically, the required forms are available at no cost or on-line, and in some states, there is no requirement to submit annual corporation minutes.
Customer Complaint
In October 2012, the BBB began receiving inquiries and complaints from businesses nationwide concerning Corporate Records Service. According to consumers, the company is sending out an official looking letter informing the recipient that their respective state requires
an "Annual Minutes Records Form." For a fee of $125, the company states they will complete the required form for the businesses. According to complainants, in some cases, the form in question is not required to be submitted with the businesses State office.
Many complainants indicate that the materials appear to be official and misrepresent that they are from a government agency.
The company has responded to these claims by stating "The state does deem it necessary for corporations to retain certain documentation regarding annual corporate meetings including corporate officers, directors and shareholders. Our company offers document preparation services to assist companies in fulfilling these requirements. No company is required to use our service or pay any amount of money to our company, although they may choose to. Our order form does clearly state in bold print, we are NOT a government agency and that we do not have a contract with the government to provide our service."
Service Area
- USA
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