So there’s a lot of confusion around having your documents served. Here’s just a few things (totally not a comprehensive list!) that will help keep you safe and make sure your document serving/filing experience goes smoothly:
- KNOW WHAT “SERVICE” IS: “Service” doesn’t mean “make sure the other person gets it”. It means providing the documents to the other party in accordance with the procedure outlined in the Rules of Service. If the Rules say that sending it by regular post is acceptable, then if the wind picks up the mailbox and drops it into Lake Ontario? Not your problem! You did your due diligence, it’s up to them to prove they never got it. This, by the way, is why the important stuff is never (ever!) sent regular post.
- KNOW WHAT A “PROCESS SERVER” IS: A process server is absolutely not a “courier”. I use that description for the sake of simplicity, but there’s a lot more involved. Essentially, a process server is a professional witness that the rules were observed and the documents were received by or are reasonably expected to be received by the intended recipient. The process server will provide you with an Affidavit of Service that you file with the court (or you can pay them to file it on your behalf; some process servers include filing as part of the fee – they naturally charge more) in order to prove that the other party has been duly notified. Here’s the thing: under the rules of the judicial system, anyone who files an Affidavit with the court can be asked to come in and testify. That’s the real reason for the fees: when I know that the possibility is there that I will be called to come in and sit around half a day waiting only to be told I can go, then yeah – that’s built into the fee structure, as well.
- CHECK THE REVIEWS: don’t just click on the top search result. It’s not up there because of merit. It’s up there because someone paid way too much money to get it up there.
- ASK QUESTIONS: don’t just ask “how much?” and leave it at that. Ask them how long they’ve been in business. Ask them if they are registered with any accrediting agency such as the Better Business Bureau. Ask them what the price includes. Ask them what you get back. Ask them what happens if the service or filing fails. Ask them about their most memorable service. Ask them what their favourite dessert is. Really get to know them and if you’re not 100% confident, then move on to the next.
- BE SKEPTICAL: By that same token, if the company you’re talking to is quoting a price far lower than other companies, you need to find out why. There is no way anybody is making money by quoting half or a third of the price of competitors. Prices land in a range for economic reasons and, unfortunately, process serving is not a regulated industry so there’s no governing body to turn to if someone dumps your documents in a trash bin and pockets your twenty bucks (hint: I couldn’t afford to drive my car if I only billed twenty bucks per service!).
- GIVE THEM THE CORRECT DOCUMENTS: If you are serving documents, you *must must must* (must!) serve the exact same document you filed with the court. If you filed a claim with 32 attachments, then you serve your claim with 32 attachments. Not 35 (because you remembered something you forgot) not 0 (because you have visions of dramatically producing your evidence in court to the astonishment and dismay of the Defendants – this is Real World Canada, not American Hollywood). If you’ve messed up the documents, fix them before you serve them otherwise it adds a whole new level of complication.
- USE THE CORRECT ORIENTATION: when you’re scanning your documents to issue online using an office scanner, make sure you’re not feeding them in horizontally. Horizontally-aligned documents will come back missing the seal and the file number. That’s kind of a big deal because when the process server tries to file documents to move your case forward, the clerk will likely reject them. It also makes it virtually impossible for the opposing party to respond in a timely, meaningful way – this is not a clever strategy, by the way: it’s dodgy af – if your case is solid, you don’t need to pull stupid pet tricks and if you have to resort to shady tactics, then shame on you!
- KEEP THE ORIGINALS HANDY: you’re going to need to bring in a hard copy of the documents you filed online to your settlement conference if it’s in person (and not on a Zoom call) because you might need it. It would also be wise to bring two extra sets of copies in case the Judge wants the original to be filed or your opposing party doesn’t have theirs. It looks good when you have the professional courtesy to provide them readily with a copy on the spot.
- LIMITED COURTHOUSE OPERATING HOURS: Even though covid is no longer a thing and is just part of life now, the counter is still operating on limited hours (Mon to Fri, 9-11am and 2-4pm; no, nobody knows why). Because of this, please do not tie up the counter quizzing the clerk about how to fill out your papers, how to serve them, what happens next, where you can get a lawyer, etc! The clerks are there to answer questions about your case (when is the next court appearance, has the other side filed anything, etc), not to provide you with your law degree! If you have questions about how to proceed, that’s why paralegals exist. If you do have to ask the clerk questions, write the answer down – don’t ask her fifteen times because it was complicated and you can’t remember.
- KEEP THE ORIGINALS: You file a scanned copy online (ideally, assuming you didn’t file the original over the counter); you keep the original, you make a copy for your records, and you provide a copy to the other side. This way, everybody is on the same page and has the exact same material (see #3).
- KEEP YOUR DOCUMENTS IN PRISTINE CONDITION: Do not leave them lying around to get scuffed up, coffee-stained, and dog-eared. Keep them in a folder or envelope somewhere you’ll remember. When a process server files shabby-looking documents, no one ever considers that that’s how they got them and it looks bad on their professionalism.
- LISTEN TO YOUR PROCESS SERVER: If your process server tells you “hey, I think I see a problem, here….” then listen to them! Don’t get all uppity. You’re in their bailiwick now and if they’re telling you a back page is mandatory, then just print the stupid back page. Don’t dismiss it with “yeah, whatever”. If your process server tells you “This claim was issued over six months ago and it’s too late to serve” then you need to look up the potential consequences because here’s the thing: *you still have to pay the process server for work done* even if the case is subsequently thrown out. If your process server tells you “The current tenant, Joe Blow, says the Defendant moved out six months ago”, yeah, we’ll leave it behind if that’s your instruction but we can’t give you an Affidavit of Service because it’s not been served. The most we can do is give you an Affidavit of Attempted Service and then you will have to explain to the judge why you instructed the documents to be left somewhere the person doesn’t even live.
PRO TIP: instruct the process server to capture and record car makes, models, and license plates; any signs or identifying features of the property; and the description of people with whom they spoke. Some higher-end process servers provide this as a matter of course, others will quote it as an “add-on” service. - PAY YOUR PROCESS SERVER: This happens all too often, where a price is agreed upon but buyer’s remorse sets in once it’s done (often because “that was too easy” or “I could have done that myself if I’d known it would be that easy”). We set our prices based on making money. We’re not in this for charity. We have businesses to run so that we can feed our families. We have overhead (I pay about $40 a day just in fuel, for example). This is why we require payment up front. Also note: it’s a bit silly to try and rip off someone who has access to literally every lawyer in the district!
- LEAVE REVIEWS: Most process servers are small businesses. There’s a few really big companies out there, but they are generally not advertising on Google. That should be one of the questions you ask – “What size is your company?” or “How many people work in your company?”. Once your service is done and completed, leave an honest review. Honest reviews are the lifeblood of small businesses – it’s the only way we can compete against corporate marketing budgets.
Follow these tips and you will not end up ripped off and frustrated.