VitalChek

Overall I did not have a great experience. I needed my son's birth certificate by a certain date to get him on my insurance. The order took way longer to process than the 5 to 10 business days listed. What was more frustrating was I couldn't get a straight answer on where it was or what the updated timing was. It was really difficult getting a hold of someone at Vitalchek. I ended up ordering a second one because it was so unclear when the first one would come.

The document came safely and quickly (though it was only in a carboard sleeve, not in a well protected or padded envelope, and had no "do not bend" message), but the shipping cost was not advertised until after I had already submitted the order. I would have just gone to get it in person had I known it was going to charge me nearly an extra $20 for expedited shipping (which I had no option to deselect). It just would have been nice to see a price summary before paying, so I wouldn't have spent an extra $30 (with the shipping and convenience fees) to order online. Some parts of the online form (specifically for marriage certificate) are also unclear - ex. For "legal name", should I put my maiden name or new name? Which is my legal name at this point, since I'm actively ordering the certificate I need to change my name on my legal documents? Increased clarity would be helpful. Otherwise an easy and quick process.

I was looking for a long form birth certificate, was unable to determine if that was what I was ordering. Received a short form birth certificate...Not what I wanted

I used VitalChek to order my father's death certificate and experienced significant issues with the service:

1/4/25: I placed my order and selected UPS Next Day Air ($19) for expedited shipping. I also completed the required notarization to verify my identity.
1/6/25: VitalChek shipped my order via UPS Next Day Air.
1/8/25: I filed a claim with UPS because the package went missing. (Note: When a claim is filed, the sender receives the refund.)
1/8/25: I emailed VitalChek to inform them of the claim and received an acknowledgment email from them stating there was a delay and a claim had been filed.
1/10/25: The package was delivered.
1/10/25: I immediately contacted VitalChek requesting a refund for the $19 Next Day Air fee.
1/17/25: I followed up with VitalChek, as I had not received a response.
1/26/25: As of today, I have still not received any response or refund.

I am extremely disappointed that VitalChek is ignoring my request for a simple refund of the $19 UPS Next Day Air fee. This is a basic and reasonable request, and it's frustrating that they have failed to address it.

Based on my experience, I would not use VitalChek again in the future, and I would caution others against using their services as well.

Shouldn't have to pay more than $8 total for a document I'm required to have. Otherwise, it arrived quickly and without issue.

Filling out the forms for my birth certificate was a breeze. Certs arrived about a week later, but there was an error. I contacted Vitalchek. They responded a couple days later, addressing me by a different name, asking for some information I had already provided. I sent the information and waited another week. Hearing nothing, I contacted them again for a status. They responded that, essentially, I had to take care of it myself. I contacted the city of Buffalo directly and all is now well. This was far easier than using Vitalchek. Bottom line is I paid for a service I didn't receive. Vitalchek went through the motions, but didn't deliver.

I ordered July 26,2024. They said it would take roughly 15 days, if not sooner. A month later, I finally checked and they had no status update. Apparently, they themselves have to request a status check, only AFTER you request one, to the county in question. Cook County, Illinois. For another month, I had to wait on status updates and they could not get a hold of them, saying they could only send status checks on Mondays, for whatever reason. I would think a third party website would have their own internal option for checking status. Still no word. I eventually had to request a full refund. How can they not have a better working relationship with one of the biggest counties in the country? And they absolutely did not care either way. If I had needed this immediately, or even in few months, I would have been horribly disappointed. It is so lucky that I am working ahead by a year.

They have a monopoly when it comes to Vital Records like birth certificates, so they can price gouge. Why can't these records be ordered directly from the state? Answer: Everybody profits but the consumer. The government, whether it be federal or state, etc. already sticks it to us in the form of taxes. Chances are they're getting a kickback from this company as well. That's why they're doing it this way. On the plus side, the process was pretty easy/simple and delivery was timely. Speaking of delivery, that's a big part of the overpricing. They will either send it by regular mail and you take your chances, or it's UPS Overnight with a big price tag.

This company may be on of the worst I have ever dealt with. Just read the reviews. The fact that TN allows them to represent them for records is absolutely stunning. I am just stunned that this is allowed to go on.