STEP 1:   You fill out our online forms
STEP 2:   We send the company a demand letter
STEP 3A:   The company offers to settle

or…

STEP 3B:   We generate your filing documents
STEP 4:   We file your arbitration
STEP 5:   Your case administrator is appointed
STEP 6:   Your arbitrator is appointed
STEP 7:   Your pre-arbitration meeting
STEP 8:   Your arbitration & decision

Step 2 - We Send The Company A Letter

We take the information that you've submitted and put it in a hard-copy letter (that's right - old fashion snail mail) to the appropriate company. We tell the company that, if they haven't sent you an offer to resolve your issue within a certain amount of time, your claim may escalate to a consumer arbitration.

Step 3A - The Company Offers To Settle

At any time after we send the company a letter, it can offer to resolve your issue. They may send the offer to you through radvocate, or may contact you directly by phone or email. If you accept an offer at any time, then congratulations! Please let us know by signing in to your radvocate dashboard, selecting the claim and clicking “It’s Resolved!”.

Step 3B - We Generate your Arbitration filing documents

If the company has not offered to settle within the waiting period, then we'll give you the option of escalating your claim to consumer arbitration by automatically generating and submitting the form documents of the American Arbitration Association. We'll use the description of your claim and request that you provided (in your own words or the form you've chosen). We'll also use your contact information. We will default to requesting a "documents only" arbitration - which means that you won't have to show up for a meeting or phone call to discuss the issue. If you would like to request an in-person or telephone hearing, please contact us at claims@myradvocate.com to let us know.

Step 4 - We file your consumer arbitration

After generating your filing documents, we will file them instantly with the American Arbitration Association to start your arbitration. We will also send a copy of the documents to the company to tell them that the arbitration has been filed. In some cases, the American Arbitration Association will require you to pay a filing fee of $200 - and the company will usually reimburse you for this. We may offer to pay the filing fee - if you accept, we will be entitled to any reimbursement of the filing fee.

Step 5 - Your CASe Administrator Is Appointed

The American Arbitration Association will appoint someone to manage the administrative matters for your claim, including getting documents filled out and scheduling appointments (if any). The case administrator will also ask for identifying information of everyone involved in the claim. In that same communication, the company will be issued a bill for administrative costs of the arbitration (usually a few thousand dollars). 

Step 6 - Your arbitrator is appointed

Your claim administrator will notify you that an arbitrator - the person who will act like a judge for your dispute - has been appointed, and will give you two weeks to object to the appointment.

STEP 7 - The pre-arbitration meeting

This is where all of the parties - you and the company - and the arbitrator have a phone call to discuss how the arbitration will take place. If you are having a "documents only" arbitration, you will set the dates on which the documents are due. If you requested an in-person or telephonic hearing to argue your claim, then you will set a date for the hearing. Your claim administrator will schedule this meeting.

Step 8 - Your arbitration & decision

Your arbitration will take place in the manner that you agreed to in your pre-arbitration phone call. Radvocate is not an attorney, so cannot be present or represent you in your arbitration; however, Radvocate will provide you with self-help materials that you can use to understand the process and win your claim.

AMERICan arbitration association Links

• AAA website for self-represented claimants

• AAA Consumer Arbitration Rules

• AAA homepage

• AAA "Steps Of The Consumer Arbitration Process"

• AAA Consumer Due Process Protocol