Internet Divorce
It is natural to shop around for the cheapest price, especially for services you don’t really want to have to pay for at all, such as car repairs, and yes, divorce.
Is it possible to buy a divorce on the internet?
Some firms advertise a service of this nature. In reality, most simply offer a DIY kit, which requires the client to complete a number of complex forms and deal with the Court themselves.
We act for many clients who have attempted the “£99 internet divorce” route, to their cost. The adage, that - you get what you pay for - is very true. The first trap that most people fall into when using an internet company is that they believe the £99 fee is the bottom line price.
Wrong - the extras, which the client gets charged for, are all the basis costs of a standard divorce, like filling in forms. Extras are hidden in the small print (for example, court fees alone are £340.)
The second trap even more people fall into is the suggestion that a “£99 divorce” will solve all their financial problems, and give them a clean break from their spouse.
Wrong again. The divorce will just end the marriage, it won’t end the financial ties between husband and wife. If a £99 divorce could do that, would celebrities be making headline news slugging it out in the Courts? The answer to that one is clear.
The third trap is that the divorce will just happen, online, with no input from the client.
Wrong. The client does all the work.
Of course if any problems arise with the papers the client submits to the Court, the client has to deal with the questions the Court will fire back at them. If you ask for help in answering questions online – you will have to pay for the answers.
Thus, what may seem a cheap option usually is usually ‘anything but’.
If I had a pound for every time a client told me they wished they hadn’t tried the online solution…
Please see our Fixed Fee Divorce page.