When it comes to investing in precious metals, it’s critical that you do your homework to ensure you’re working with a company you can trust.
Today, we’ll investigate any pending Birch Gold Group lawsuits or outstanding complaints.
The truth is, even the best companies can fail to live up to their customer’s expectations once in a while.
But when misunderstandings become common or a firm fails to respond, that should give us pause before doing business with them.
And while Augusta Precious Metals is our #1 Gold IRA pick, Birch Gold Group is a great choice for smaller contribution amounts.
#1 Recommended Gold IRA Company in the US (With the lowest fees and strongest reputation!) |
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So let’s take a closer look and see if there’s anything that might stop you from working with BGG.
David Weinberger vs. Birch Gold Group
This first case was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on August 30, 2018. Mr. Weinberger alleged that Birch Gold Group committed civil rights violations, which the company denied.
On January 7, 2019, he filed a motion to dismiss.
Although the court status is “other,” it appears that this case has been resolved since the docket shows that scheduled meetings were not held after the plaintiff filed his request for dismissal.
Walter Mitchell vs. Birch Gold Group
Filed on June 1, 2022, Mr. Mitchell also alleges that Birch Gold Group committed civil rights violations.
Six months later, he filed a request for dismissal, which was granted by the Los Angeles Superior Court on December 2, 2022, with prejudice.
This means that Mr. Mitchel can’t file a future case against the company for the same violations.
Birch Gold vs. Stephanie Alexander
On April 30, 2018, Birch Gold Group filed a personal injury lawsuit against Stephanie Alexander; Gordon & Rees, LLP.
After the initial complaint and response by Ms. Alexander on July 22, 2019, we haven’t discovered any further filings recorded on the docket.
The Orange County Superior Court shows the status as “not classified,” so a settlement could have been reached outside the courts.
Christopher Moore vs. Birch Gold Group
This next case involved a labor dispute and was filed on May 15, 2017, by Mr. Moore.
He alleged that this firm failed to pay his wages on time.
A settlement was reached and approved by the court on January 4, 2021.
Richard Stites vs. Birch Gold Group
In another labor dispute, Mr. Stites alleged that Birch Gold Group gave him a wrongful termination.
The case was filed on May 28, 2020, in Los Angeles Superior Court.
A settlement was reached, and Mr. Stites filed a motion to dismiss on July 1, 2022.
Curtis Davis vs. Birch Gold Group
This case appears to be the only one filed by a BGG customer, Curtis Davis.
Mr. Davis submitted a claim on July 7, 2020, in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging six causes of action against the company:
- Fraud and fraudulent concealment
- Negligent misrepresentation
- Negligence
- Unfair business practices
- Breach of express warranty
- Unjust enrichment
On April 9, 2021, Birch Gold Group filed an unopposed motion to compel arbitration of the plaintiff’s claims and dismiss the case in favor of arbitration or stay the proceedings pending the completion of it.
The LA court granted this request due to the lack of opposition and ordered the claims to arbitration.
In addition, it stayed the action pending the outcome of the arbitration.
The last record we discovered in our investigation shows that the court ordered the parties to file a joint status report seven days before a status conference was scheduled to be held on January 10, 2022.
However, we couldn’t find any record of this status report or a final disposition for this case.
Birch Gold Group’s Insurance Claim
There was also an insurance claim filed by BGG in US District Court in the Northern District of Illinois on December 28, 2020, against the underwriters of insurance policy N1944678.
Specifically it was against the Chubb Underwriting Agencies LTD, Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s of London, and Talbot Underwriting LTD.
This lawsuit is a civil case, and the plaintiff alleges a breach of contract.
Although there isn’t much detail online, the most recent filings show that the court denied the defendant’s motion to dismiss the case based on lack of jurisdiction.
As of this writing, the status shows “not determined by the court.”
Birch Gold Complaints
Now, let’s talk about Birch Gold Group complaints filed by.
More than lawsuits, complaints can give us greater insight into how a company resolves customer issues.
We’ll look at Birch Gold Group BBB page, TrustPilot and other watchdog sites.
A slew of recent complaints without any response can be a red flag that the company is no longer trustworthy, and it may be best to avoid doing business with them.
However, the opposite is also true.
Even the best companies will sometimes have unhappy customers. How they respond and work to resolve those issues is what sets them apart from the competition.
TrustPilot
Birch Gold Group currently has a 4.6/5.0-star rating on TrustPilot based on 153 reviews.
The overwhelming majority are five stars, though we did discover two one-star reviews. Both of these are by customers claiming they lost money by investing in precious metals even though the spot prices increased.
There are no guarantees when looking at investments, and it’s essential you do your own research.
The firm also explains this on their website with the following disclosure:
Birch Gold Group offers no opinions or advice regarding how much, if any, of a customer’s investment portfolio, retirement, or otherwise should be allocated to precious metals. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns, and Birch Gold Group makes no representation or guarantees regarding precious metals or other investment performance.
Business Consumer Alliance
Birch Gold has been a member of the BCA since November 14, 2011, and maintains a AAA rating.
We found only one complaint against the company within the past three years on their website.
A customer filed a complaint on August 26, 2020, stating they wanted to change their order the day after finalizing it but were told they couldn’t.
Furthermore, they said they had yet to receive their coins from the order placed at the end of May.
The company responded within a week, stating they apologized for any misunderstandings.
Furthermore, BGG indicated that they had been in contact with the customer and had resolved all issues to their satisfaction.
Better Business Bureau
Birch Gold Group has been an accredited member of the BBB since November 14, 2021, and has maintained an A+ rating with 4.74 out 5 stars.
Now…
Even though the overwhelming majority of reviews are positive, we did discover ten complaints filed in the past three years, with three coming in the past 12 months.
The 3 recent ones involved a confusion between the spot price and purchase price for gold and silver coins.
In their responses, BGG apologized for any misunderstanding and then worked diligently to resolve the issues.
In two of those three complaints, they are happy to report that the customer is satisfied with the resolution.
In the final complaint, Birch Gold states that after multiple attempts, the customer has refused to respond and is misrepresenting the facts of their purchase to the Better Business Bureau.
They comment that they have provided copies of the documents signed by this person to the BBB, and rather than contest his claims, they hope he will contact them so that they can resolve his issue.
Is Birch Gold Legit? (The Verdict)
So…
Is Birch Gold Group a legitimate company, or is Birch Gold Group a scam?
After reviewing the lawsuits and complaints involving this gold IRA firm, we don’t see anything that raises any red flags about doing business with them.
Rather than complaints, the overwhelming majority of reviews give BGG five stars for their excellent service, easy process, patience, and taking the time to answer one’s questions.
Furthermore, many customers say they wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to friends and family.
And when misunderstandings arise, the company works hard to respond to and resolve any issues.
In fact, they have a 100% response rate with both the Better Business Bureau and Business Consumer Alliance.
And the one unresolved complaint appears to be on the customer’s end rather than any failure by Birch Gold to resolve the issue.
Lastly, the fact that this firm is being endorsed by Ron Paul himself, is also a good sign.
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So while Augusta Precious Metals continues to be our #1 choice, Birch Gold Group would be a good alternative for any of your precious metal needs.
(Especially if you aim for smaller Gold IRA contribution amounts.)
#1 Recommended Gold IRA Company in the US (With the lowest fees and strongest reputation!) |
Highlights:
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Our Rating: |
Now, we’d love to hear from you:
- Do you have any Birch Gold Group complaints?
- Would you like a full Birch Gold Group review from us?
Share your thoughts and experience in the comments below!