By The People Document Preparation Center - Simi Valley, California

Robert Roper

I've gone in to By the People for notary public services twice now, and I've been glad I did both times. An appointment is necessary, but the knowledge Marian brings to the table far surpasses what you'll get from a clerk at the UPS Store.

My latest visit was to notarize a US Treasury form that said it could be certified either with a financial medallion stamp or by a notary. Since medallion stamps are more of a hassle (and my bank has no local branches in the first place), I made an appointment with Marian to notarize the form. Unlike the folks at UPS, she was familiar with the type of document I was notarizing and even discussed with me a few options I could try if it turns out that the notary stamp isn't sufficient. Another benefit of going to By the People is that Marian was authorized to stamp my form directly, unlike the notary at the UPS Store, who was only entitled to stamp the form with a "See Attached Document" stamp, and I believe that might make a difference in having my form accepted.

The process of setting up an appointment is amazingly easy -- not only did I get a response from the online inquiry form, but the response came the same evening I submitted it saying exactly when they had availability. Those online WordPress forms are so often a black hole with no response that I'd have been happy to even be acknowledged at all, much less be able to make the appointment that evening without having to pick up the phone.

My two experiences at By the People for notary public services have both been stellar, and I would highly recommend them should you need a document notarized. They'll be at the top of my list of people to consult should I ever need more complex legal document preparation services in the future.

Daniella Weston

Scam! My mom paid the women who works here for a service and she hasn’t heard back since. Multiple phone calls and voicemails over almost a month when she was supposed to get back to us after a couple days is not just terrible service but a fraudulent business. We are now running out of time to send in the paperwork she was supposed to prepare and not sure what to do now. DO NOT go here!

Jenny Fontana

Marion is such a great help. She’s very good at her job and is always there when you need advice. She’s a blessing to me and was a great helped when my dad past. I have recommended her to others and will be back to do our trust .

Jan Daly

I have been using them for several years and always referred to them as a 5 star service. As a repeat customer, I needed my Trust Amended as I am going through a major surgery. The owner responded to me immediately when I called, assuring me we would have everything done within days. She even volunteered to come to my home to help expedite the process.
Then came the excuses. It is now 4 months since my initial contact. All calls have gone to voicemail and nobody got back to me. I have had 1 email asking me to please wait a few more days as there was a personal family matter she was dealing with. Then came nothing. Wow! I can't even begin to express how disappointed and frustrated I am with" By The People" and the owner Marian. I am going to go to their competitor "We the People" to get this taken care of so that I can keep my family protected if something happens to me. They may have just abandoned their business in Simi Valley. I will update this review if I ever hear from them again.

William Gavid

Let me start off by saying that if you want low cost document preparation service that this is the place to go, but remember you will get what you pay for! If I could give less than 1 star I would have. They very are unprofessional, slow to work on what you pay them to finish and do not
get the it right the first time. Also they never return phone calls. What a great way to run a business not! Do not use this company! Pay a little more and get your work done right the first time.

Kim Galbraith

I went here to get some legal documents amended and had a great experience. Everything was handled very professionally and quickly, which was exactly what I expected after walking in off the street and meeting Marian. Could you do the same thing with online services? I don't think so, I went that route before and it didn't get the right outcome and the customer service just wasn't there for me. For around the same cost you can get your paperwork done right and have someone guide you through the process.

William Fuentes

I used service for some trust paperwork two weeks back I paid in cash for the service requested that same day I was not given an indication off completion however the changes requested were simple and not complicated I was asked to leave both off my trust documents which I did and are not in my possession I have starting last Friday left 3 seperate phone messages since office only open for appts each message I have been more direct however I have not received one single message back it’s s bit concerning when you don’t have your legal documents especially a trust which is your estate plan and the service that you hired for their service does not follow up on a simple phone call I will give it a few more days and if I am not contacted then will be forced to take other action

Peter Barrett

I had questions which Marion answered without pause. She advised me to read a section of my living trust so as to not make a trip to the office unnecessarily. She was so helpful. Highly recommend this office.