ComplaintsforLaw Office of Brian E. Thompson, PLLC

• Initial Complaint

  11/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Myself and my minor daughter, ********** ******* hired Thompson Law Firm to represent us for a car accident we were in on May 29,2022. Thompson Law Firm received my settlement offer from insurance on 6/6/2023, however did not present the offer to me until 08/25/2023. I was promised payment from the settlement would only take a few weeks after the offers were received and accepted. I accepted and signed the offers the same day they were presented and then was given the run around upon time of payment. I was told week after week that the checks would be ready when in reality they hadn't even deposited the checks from the insurance. So, I had to then wait for the checks to clear. It wasn't until I left a bad google review late September that someone actually took the matter seriously. That is when Katlin of Thompson Law reached out to me and assured she would get our checks prepared to be picked up. On 10/3/23 Thompson Law said I could come pick up the checks for myself and my daughter. Upon driving 1.5 hrs away to *************, they only had my check prepared and were unaware that I was expecting a second check even though they were part of the same settlement. Thompson Law said they would reach out to me when my daughter ****'s check was ready, however they did no such thing. On 10/9/23 they mailed the check to an old address, with the envelope addressed to my minor child's name even though I had stated on 5 different occasions that I did not want anything to be mailed. Due to the parcel being addressed to a minor, the post office was unable to forward to my forwarding address and returned to sender on 10/13/2023. I have reached out to Brian Thompson and Katlin several different times to ask for them to reissue the check as it was being returned. Katlin told me there was nothing they could do and I had to wait for them to receive it back. I called again today 11/2/23 and was told I shouldn't worry about my minor child's check as there is nothing they can do.

  Business response

  11/13/2023

  To our understanding this matter has been resolved but we will respond to the Complaint. Also, this Complaint appears to be outside of what the BBB handles, this is a complaint about a delay in services (not an allegation of deceptive advertising, predatory sales, telemarketing fraud, pyramid schemes, identity theft, computer trespass or damage to personal property). However, to address the complaint, there was some miscommunication and confusion that took place. This complaint stems from how long it took a client to receive compensation in a personal injury case. personal injury cases take a while to resolve and are not quick things. In personal injury cases, many people think once an offer is made by an insurance company that the offer can be presented and settled right away. That is a common misconception. Once a final offer is made that number doesn't mean anything, because expenses come out of that money. People really want to know what their net amount will be in their pocket. Without knowing the final medical bill amounts, expenses, costs, etc., there's no way to give a client the net amount they'll get in their pocket. Even if we receive bills in the mail, the amounts can change thereafter. We must get confirmation which can take 30-60 days per provider. The same with health insurance payments. If a health insurance carrier makes a late payment, or reverses a payment, that changes all figures in the settlement. Thus, we must take time to properly confirm all expenses and costs to give clients an accurate estimate of what their net recovery. Thus, yes, offers aren't presented the day they're received from insurance companies because at that time telling a client a gross settlement amount would be misleading without being able to tell them what their net (take home in pocket amount) is. Second, once the client is met with and presented with the net amount, they sign the net settlement estimate sheet. At that time, the sheet is sent with a note that states, "As discussed, we are sending you your settlement sheet for signature. Once you sign it, we can typically get your settlement check in 5-7 weeks."The term "typically" is critical. Typically, is used because there are many moving factors. Sometimes the insurance company doesn't send the check right away, sometimes they address it incorrectly, sometimes it's made payable incorrectly, etc., We also then go in and negotiate a client's medical bills down on behalf of the client, which we did here, which puts more money in a client's pocket. We also, try to squeeze the insurance to offer a little more. Finally, once the settlement check arrives we have to deposit the check and let it clear. After that, there are additional steps too, that we won't further detail, as I think the point is made. The point is, "settling" a case is not a quick and fast thing, there are many small steps that aren't well known to the public. There was a little miscommunication because my staff was rushed and multiple hands were in this file trying to get everything too quick for this client. This is a process that can't & shouldn't be rushed. We must protect our clients and make sure all their bills are paid. We must try to reduce how much they have to pay to the medical providers by us negotiating their bills down. We must protect them from insurance companies that claim they have to be reimbursed when it's not true. We must do many things which takes time.  As a last item, this check was mailed out to the client but the client moved and we were never notified. The check was supposed to be returned by USPS but USPS failed to return the package. Thus, a stop check was initiated and a new check will be issued to this client. The client is aware of all this and this matter has been resolved. The client also updated the Google review from 1 star to 4 stars. We are sorry this occurred and we will strive to provide a more clear understanding of the little in between steps that are not well known. We know how serious clients need money and strive to work as diligent as possible, while not taking shortcuts, or skipping steps. We wish this client and the family all the best and are always available to meet with or speak with.

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