What is the difference between a skip trace and process serving?

A skip trace looks for a current address and related contact details. Process serving delivers papers to an address you already put on the order. They are separate jobs with separate prices. A skip trace does not include attempts at a door, and a serve does not include a search of records. Ordering one does not start the other.

Rockstar Process Serving is licensed and bonded in San Diego County. Skip tracing is ordered per person. Basic is $50. Comprehensive is $200. You get a full refund if the search returns no results. There is no refund when the search returns addresses that turn out to be out of date, and there is no guarantee a current residence exists in the data. Call 619-399-3278 if you are not sure which search fits the name you have.

What a skip trace returns

Skip tracing is sold per person. The basic search is $50 and looks for addresses, phones, emails, and relatives. The comprehensive search is $200 and adds employment, vehicles, licenses, criminal history, property, judgments, and business affiliations. Both are research products. Neither one hands papers to anyone.

If the search returns no results, the fee is refunded in full. If it returns addresses and those addresses are old, the fee stays charged. The report can be empty of a usable home even when a person exists. That limit is part of the product. Do not plan a hearing around an address until you have decided you want attempts made there.

What process serving needs from you

A serve needs a person and an address you are willing to have attempts made at. Standard process serving is $150, with the first attempt within one to three days and four attempts total. Same day is $195 and next day is $175, with the same four attempts and a faster first try. Rural outlying towns are $45 more and three attempts. Extra-rural addresses are $100 and two attempts, and you should call before ordering those.

The server goes to the address on the order. If that address is wrong, the attempts still count against the budget for that job. When they are used up without service, you receive a declaration of due diligence, not a new address. The how many attempts guide spells out the counts. An order placed after 5pm PST starts the next business day.

Using an address the search turned up

You can order a skip trace and a serve in the same checkout, but the serve should name an address you already want used. If you are waiting on the search, order the skip trace first and add the serve after you pick an address. Rockstar will not choose which of several old addresses should receive an attempt, and will not promise that any listed address is where the person lives now.

Email service at $60 and mail service at $60 or $75 also need an address you supply, either an email or a mailing address. They are not substitutes for a skip trace. If the papers name a business, the what to include in an order guide shows where the person, the role, and the address go on the job.

How to order each one

Both products are on the order form. Add a skip trace once per person. Add a serve once per address. A second person at the same serve address is $40 on same day, next day, and standard only. A second skip trace subject is another basic or comprehensive fee, not that $40 add-on.

The FAQ has the short version of the refund rule. Use the contact form when the name is incomplete or you need to ask whether comprehensive is the search you want. Call 619-399-3278 Monday through Friday, 7am–5pm PST. Office staff can describe what each search includes. They cannot promise a current home will be found.

Service attempts are also made outside of these office hours.

Do I need both a skip trace and a serve?

Only when you need both jobs. A skip trace searches for an address and contact details. Process serving delivers papers to an address you provide. Basic skip tracing is $50 per person and comprehensive is $200 per person. A standard serve is $150 and includes four attempts. Ordering one does not include the other.

What happens if a skip trace finds nothing?

If the search returns no results, you are refunded in full. There is no refund if the search returns addresses that turn out to be out of date. There is no guarantee a current residence exists in the data. A serve is a separate order once you have an address you want used.

Does a serve include a search for a new address?

No. Attempts are made at the address on the order. If that address is wrong, those tries still use up the attempt count. When the count is exhausted without service, you receive a declaration of due diligence. A skip trace for a different address is a new order.