Elite Legal Services commits time, scheduling, administrative resources and, when applicable, field resources when an assignment is submitted. Except where required by applicable law, fees paid to ELS are non-refundable as described below.
1. General Refund Policy
Except where required by applicable law, payments for services ordered from Elite Legal Services are non-refundable. Submission of an order authorizes ELS to begin intake, document review, scheduling, routing, administrative processing and other work necessary to perform the assignment.
Payment is for the professional services, time, travel, attempts, administration, technology and resources associated with an assignment—not for a guaranteed outcome.
An unsuccessful service assignment, inability to locate the subject, refusal to answer, apparent avoidance of service, incorrect or outdated address, or inability to complete service does not entitle the client to a refund.
2. Process-Serving Fees
Process-serving fees compensate ELS for accepting, preparing, scheduling and performing the assignment. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, standard service includes up to three strategically timed attempts at the address included in the order.
If service is successfully completed on the first or second attempt, no refund or prorated credit is due for unused attempts. The fee is for the service assignment as a whole and is not calculated on a per-attempt basis.
If the subject cannot be served after the included attempts, the original service fee remains non-refundable.
3. Client Cancellations
A client may request cancellation of an assignment by contacting ELS as soon as possible. A cancellation request does not automatically create a right to a refund.
Because work may begin shortly after an order is received—including document review, data entry, routing, scheduling, research, communications or dispatch—fees may be considered earned even when a field attempt has not yet occurred.
Cancellation requests received after an attempt, travel, filing activity, retrieval activity, research or other substantive work has begun are non-refundable.
4. Rush, Same Day, Immediate, After-Hours & Weekend Service
Expedited-service charges compensate ELS for prioritizing an assignment, altering scheduling and committing resources on an accelerated basis. Rush, Same Day, Immediate, After-Hours and Weekend service fees are non-refundable once the assignment has been accepted and prioritized for expedited handling.
Expedited service does not guarantee that the recipient will be present, located or successfully served within the requested timeframe.
5. Incorrect, Incomplete or Outdated Addresses
The client is responsible for providing accurate service information. Attempts made in good faith at an address supplied by the client are billable and non-refundable even if the address is later determined to be incorrect, incomplete, vacant, outdated or unrelated to the intended recipient.
If additional location research is requested, separate skip-tracing or research charges may apply.
6. New or Additional Service Addresses
Unless expressly stated otherwise, a process-serving fee applies to the address included in the order. If attempts have begun and a new or additional address is provided, a new service fee or additional-address fee may apply before service continues at the new location.
Payment for the original address is not transferred or refunded solely because another address is later identified.
7. Court Filing & Delivery Services
Court filing and delivery fees are non-refundable once ELS has begun processing, travel, submission or delivery activity. ELS does not guarantee that a court or clerk will accept a filing.
A rejection caused by document content, formatting, missing information, filing requirements, unpaid court fees, client instructions, local rules or another matter outside ELS's control does not entitle the client to a refund of ELS service fees.
8. Document Retrieval & Skip Tracing
Document retrieval fees are non-refundable once research, retrieval, travel or records-request activity begins. The absence or unavailability of a requested record does not itself create a right to a refund.
Skip-tracing and location-research fees are non-refundable once research begins. Results are based on available data and are not guaranteed to identify a current or successful service address.
9. Court Costs & Third-Party Fees
Court fees, certified-copy charges, records fees, postage, courier charges, governmental fees and other third-party expenses are non-refundable once paid, advanced or incurred by ELS.
10. Duplicate or Erroneous Payments
If a client believes the same invoice or order was accidentally paid more than once, the client should contact ELS promptly. Verified duplicate payments or clear payment-processing errors may be corrected as appropriate.
11. Assignments Declined or Cancelled by ELS
ELS reserves the right to decline, suspend or discontinue an assignment for safety concerns, unlawful or improper instructions, conflicts, inability to perform the requested service, nonpayment or other reasonable operational concerns.
If ELS elects not to perform an assignment and no substantive work or non-refundable third-party expense has been incurred, ELS will address any payment consistent with applicable law and the circumstances of the order.
12. Billing Questions & Payment Disputes
Clients with questions about a charge or assignment are encouraged to contact ELS promptly so the assignment history and payment can be reviewed. Nothing in this policy limits any non-waivable rights a client may have under applicable law or the rules of the client's payment-card issuer.
Call 859-444-7777 or email [email protected] with the client name, case or assignment information and the charge in question.
13. Related Terms
This Cancellation & Refund Policy is incorporated into and should be read together with the ELS Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Terms & Conditions →
Privacy Policy →
ELS may update this policy prospectively. The effective date displayed at the top identifies the current version.