We did the forms online, ourselves. No problems. You can stop and save at any time and retrieve and continue later. You can't lose by trying as it only costs money when you send them off for authorisation; that means you can give up if things get too difficult without it costing you anything, so nothing to lose trying.
The problem is you are open to accusations of impropriety if you dont take the full legal route. Much as I hate putting money into their pockets sometimes it does pay.