Pardon Scams: Who Can You Trust?

Pardon-Scams-CanadaPardons Services Ent. MB in Winnipeg has served the community for over 25 years. We have always operated under the same name because we take pride in the quality of our work and the trust we have built with our clients. In that time, we have seen a lot of companies come and go. Over the years we have also seen some practices that you the consumer, should know about.

Pardon Scam: Offer Time Payments but Delay Processing

In order to get your business, we have seen some companies offer time payments that unfortunately come with a hidden delay. What happens is while you are making your monthly payments, the company sits on your paperwork until you have paid them enough money to begin working on your pardon (record suspension) application. You end up waiting for extra months, even a year or more, without understanding.

Pardon Scam: Fast Pardons & Extra Fees

The parole board website explains very clearly that there is only one queue for pardon applications and nobody can jump the line. Not everyone knows that, and some companies will offer a faster pardon service for an extra fee.

There is another version of the expedited pardon (record suspension) scam. A company will offer faster processing claiming that they have some special internal system that will get the application and required criminal records, finger printing etc. completed in an “expedited” manner. Realistically, processing a pardon quickly and efficiently for all customers should be the goal of any company offering pardon services regardless of the fee paid.

Pardon Scam: Cheap Pardons (Record Suspensions)

The promise of a cheap pardon is not uncommon. The truth is that whenever we have compared fees the range is a matter of $50 to $100 dollars difference between the most expensive and cheapest company. The fact of the matter is competition keeps the prices competitive.

The reason some companies will advertise a cheap pardon is that they will often leave out fingerprinting fees, record fees, the pardon application fee and sometimes introduce more of their own fees. The truth is that every company has the same fees to pay and that is reflected in the actual cost of the service.

Who Can You Trust?

Pardon Services Ent. MB in Winnipeg offers free and most importantly, thorough, consultations in regards to what can be expected for a Pardon application from start to finish. You can be sure that you will understand exactly the costs, and timeframe associated with your application after a conversation with us. If you are Pardon shopping, we urge you to not fall victim to another companies sales tactics and stick to the following rules.

We recommend looking for companies that have been in business for at least 5 years and successfully processing pardons (now record suspensions) during that time. Yes, we have seen companies that have simply added on a pardon service to their existing company that has no experience but claim they were in the pardon business for as long as the company has existed.

We also suggest you check the company’s online reputation including BBB rating, Google reviews, Yelp reviews and even just Google Search the company name with the word “complaints”, “scam” etc. The search results might surprise you when you compare them to the “official” review sites.  One question to ask as well is if the company has operated under a different name. While re-branding can be an honest effort to market a company more effectively, it can also be a way to dodge a history of bad reviews from angry customers.

Free Pardon Eligibility Consultations

Pardons Services has always offered free private consultations to anyone seeking a pardon. The consult can be in person or over the phone. For an honest assessment of your pardon eligibility, call Mitch at (204) 453-0099 or fill in the form on this page.