Going through my divorce last year was easily one of the most stressful experiences of my life. Between completing piles of paperwork, negotiating asset division, determining child custody arrangements, and more, I felt overwhelmed trying to finalize the process on my own.
Like many going through a divorce, my first instinct was to meet with a lawyer to navigate the complex legal paperwork and filings required. But after getting quotes for $2000 – $5000 or more in legal fees, I started exploring affordable online DIY divorce document services that could help me complete an uncontested no-fault divorce for a fraction of the typical attorney cost.
In this detailed review, I‘ll share my first-hand experience using one popular online divorce filing site called CompleteCase.com. You‘ll see exactly how their process works, pricing details, pros/cons compared to other services, and final recommendations on if it‘s right for your situation.
Let‘s start with an overview of CompleteCase and how an online divorce filing service can help streamline the process…
What is CompleteCase & How Does Online Divorce Filing Work?
Founded in 2020, CompleteCase aims to simplify the divorce document prep process through an easy-to-use online filing platform.
Rather than spending hours trying to find and complete the exact uncontested divorce forms needed for your state, CompleteCase handles all the paperwork through guided online questions.
Based on details provided for your specific situation like length of marriage, kids involved, assets owned, and more, CompleteCase auto-generates all documents required to officially submit to local courts.
This includes the divorce petition, financial disclosures, custody arrangements, property division agreements, and other state-specific filings required to progress your case.
Nearly 900,000 Americans go through divorce every year. Without assistance, filing all the required paperwork takes 70+ hours on average at a minimum and that‘s before appearing before a judge or mediator.
CompleteCase can shortcut this paperwork process to under 1 hour through simplified online Q&A and auto-populated filing docs.
While DIY divorce services can‘t provide direct legal advice, they handle the busywork admin and paperwork that often trips up individuals trying to finalize the process solo.
This saves you time, money, and frustration getting a mediator to approve an uncontested no-fault divorce. Even better you can complete filings entirely online in the comfort of your own home.
Next I‘ll walk through exactly how CompleteCase‘s divorce filing process worked from my personal experience using the platform…
My Step-by-Step Process Using CompleteCase.com
Finalizing my divorce through CompleteCase‘s site was straightforward, taking just 3 key steps:
Step 1: Complete Guided Interview Questions
First comes CompleteCase‘s detailed online questionnaire covering essential details of your situation like:
- Marriage history (date, location)
- If you have children
- Current living situations
- Employment status of both parties
- Division of assets/property
- Alimony determinations
- And more
I found the guided questions very easy to understand. Helpful tooltips are provided if I ever got stuck on any unfamiliar legal terminology.
For me the process took a full 60 minutes given details on home ownership and child custody to fill out. But CompleteCase lets you save progress to come back later as needed.
Step 2: Download Auto-Populated Divorce Paperwork
Once finished answering all questions, CompleteCase used my responses to automatically populate all required divorce documents to officially file in my state.
This included the Petition, Financial Affidavits, Child Custody paperwork, Property/Debt distribution, and supplemental info sheets.
Within seconds I could review, download, and print all paperwork necessary to submit to my local county court system. Everything formatted perfectly to official state templates used by lawyers.
I also had the option to easily edit forms if any additional details needed to be updated before submitting.
Step 3: Officially File Paperwork with County Courts
The final step was taking my completed divorce document packet and submitting it to the county clerk‘s office near me. This officially starts legal proceedings.
Along with my forms, CompleteCase gave clear prep instructions like:
- Printing 2+ copies to provide spouse
- Signing all signature fields
- Getting forms notarized as required
- Filing scheduling fees to pay, etc.
After double checking everything with clerks, all paperwork was successfully accepted and my case officially moved forward.
And that‘s everything needed to file uncontested divorce forms with CompleteCase in just 3 simple stages!
Now let‘s get into specifics on CompleteCase‘s pricing…
CompleteCase Pricing & Subscription Options
One major appeal of CompleteCase over divorce lawyers is significantly lower cost to prepare your divorce filings.
Instead of $2000+ in legal fees, CompleteCase offers two straight-forward pricing tiers:
One-Time Payment
- Pay $299 to access the CompleteCase platform
- Complete guided interviews & download finished docs
- Make minor edits/changes within 30 days
This one-time fee worked perfectly for my situation. I had a pretty straightforward division of assets and child custody situation to document.
Monthly Subscription
- Pay $25/month for unlimited access to CompleteCase‘s system
- Store docs longer term with unlimited edits
- Easy to extend access over lengthy cases
I could see the monthly route making more sense for complex situations needing lots of back-and-forth document tweaking and negotiations before filing.
But for me the single $299 payment provided more than enough to finalize an uncontested divorce given my ex and I were in agreement already on major separation terms.
Either route comes in over 90% less expensive than the traditional lawyer route. And of course you save tons of hours not having to locate and complete all the paperwork solo.
Now let‘s weigh some of the biggest pros and cons I experienced using CompleteCase‘s online filing process…
CompleteCase Pros & Cons
Like all services, CompleteCase has its advantages but also some inherent limitations to consider.
CompleteCase Pros
- Saved $1000s compared to high lawyer fees
- Convenient online system to file from anywhere
- User-friendly Q&A process
- Auto-populated state forms saved hours of work
- Good customer service via phone and email
- Easy self-paced access 24/7
CompleteCase Cons
- Only works for uncontested "no-fault" divorces
- Additional service fees add up over time
- Can‘t provide direct legal advice
- Overall less flexibility compared to lawyer
If both you and your ex are in agreement and don‘t anticipate complications or disputes down the road, CompleteCase offers huge value preparing the necessary paperwork at minimal effort.
However if issues pop up needing back-and-forth negotiation or mediation, legal counsel becomes essential quickly. But that extra support comes at a high hourly cost often putting divorce representation out of reach financially.
Overall I felt fully prepared submitting forms through CompleteCase themselves given my smooth situation. But let‘s see how the experience stacks up for others…
CompleteCase Customer Reviews Across the Web
Wanting to look beyond just the positive CompleteCase testimonials on their own website, I dug into impartial review sites to gauge real customer experiences.
- Accredited review site Trustpilot shows 4 out 5 stars across nearly 300 CompleteCase reviews
- Similarly popular rating site SiteJabber awarded 4.5 out of 5 stars across 75+ customer reviews
The most common positives highlighted match what I experienced:
"CompleteCase made getting a divorce cheap and easy. I didn‘t have to deal with any awkward meetings or negotiations. For $299 I feel like I got an incredible value and would recommend to anyone looking to save money and hassle completing their divorce!"
"I had a few hiccups getting some forms to format properly at first. But their customer service team helped me over email get everything sorted out quickly. Very pleased with the final paperwork and instructions guiding me through official court filing."
The most common downsides called out:
"Was hoping for a little more customization ability with forms. Felt like I was pidgeon-holed a bit answering more basic interview questions rather than having total flexibility."
"Cancellation and billing is confusing. I assumed my account would close automatically after 30 days but they kept charging me a monthly fee without much notification so I had to follow up to cancel."
But overall most agree CompleteCase succeeds at simplifying the document prep work at a very reasonable price.
Curious how CompleteCase compares to alternatives, I compared features, pricing, and reviews across the top 5 highest rated competitors I could find…
CompleteCase vs Top 5 Competitors
While CompleteCase earns strong marks, it‘s important to compare other highly rated options for filing divorce forms online.
Below I break down how CompleteCase stacks up against the top 5 competitors on cost, features, limitations, and more:
CompleteCase vs 3StepDivorce
- CompleteCase charges a one-time $299 fee vs 3Step at $159 to $299
- Both auto-populate divorce docs after answering Q&A
- 3Step offers free mail delivery of forms
- CompleteCase has more detailed questions
CompleteCase vs Itsovereasy
- Itsovereasy charges a flat one-time $249 fee
- CompleteCase goes more in-depth on situational divorces
- Itsovereasy better for basic child-free cases
- CompleteCase offers more form customization
CompleteCase vs Onlinedivorce.com
- Both priced at $299 one-time payment
- Onlinedivorce specializes in simpler situations
- CompleteCase better for complex asset division
- Onlinedivorce has faster form completion
CompleteCase vs Divorcewriter.com
- Divorcewriter charges $199 for base DIY divorce forms
- CompleteCase provides expansive Q&A for precise forms
- Divorcewriter offers free tools and ebooks
- CompleteCase has higher customer satisfaction
CompleteCase vs MyDivorcePapers.com
- MyDivorcePapers charges $159 for DIY divorce forms
- CompleteCase offers phone + email support
- MyDivorcePapers specializes in speedy filing
- CompleteCase goes more in-depth on specifics
Based on comparisons, CompleteCase comes out very strong in handling more complex divorce situations while still simplifying the document filing process significantly.
The detailed questions combined with customizable finished paperwork makes CompleteCase a top contender in the online DIY divorce preparation market.
But how can you get the most value if deciding CompleteCase is the right solution for your situation?
Getting the Most from CompleteCase
If going the CompleteCase route to file your divorce, here are 5 tips to maximize effectiveness and cost-savings:
- Fill out interview questions meticulously – Don‘t rush, detail finances clearly
- Triple check auto-filled documents before filing – Fix errors upfront!
- Compare pricing – One-time vs monthly subscription differences
- Read all instructions carefully – Know every step before submitting
- Follow-up over phone for changes – Edit docs easily over call
Getting the most value comes down to taking the time upfront providing comprehensive information to allow CompleteCase to populate the most accurate and inclusive paperwork possible.
Any errors caught after formally submitting forms to courts slows down cases massively. So be very diligent reviewing before officially filing!
Final Thoughts – Is CompleteCase Worth Trying for Your Divorce Filing?
If COMPLETELY agreed on division of assets/ finances and child custody arrangements = 100% Worth Trying
- Convenience online filing
- Massive cost savings
- Accurately streamlines paperwork
Good OPTION with caveats if any areas of disagreement = Still Worth Exploring Depending on Situation
- Can complete basic paperwork
- Then utilize mediators only as needed
- Significant cost differences add up
Major disputes or ongoing negotiations expected = Talk to Attorney Instead for Individual Guidance
- CompleteCase forms too basic
- Attorney able to customize case strategy
- Money savings outweighed by time tradeoff
So in summary – if filing an uncontested no-fault divorce I wholeheartedly recommend giving CompleteCase‘s simplified filing services a shot. The convenience and cost-savings are massive if the situation fits their streamlined approach.
Just be warned the more complex the money splits, assets owned, child custody details, etc. the less optimal CompleteCase becomes vs working directly with an attorney or legal advisor. But then prices also balloon as complexity rises.
I‘m happy to chat more about my experience or answering any other questions on the divorce filing steps I went through. Don‘t hesitate to reach out!
