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Read the contract you signed with them very carefully indeed. Identify any breaches, see if you can quantify any "consequential losses" you have suffered as a result of these breaches - eg. - have had you to pay more tax, have you not had access to the probate monies and had to borrow, how many phone calls and letters have you had to make and how much did they cost
how much less would it have cost you to have used a solicitor in the first place ?
all these are useful as negotiating levers
i was in exactly the same position as you several years back, and i did my mums probate myself - it took me just a few weeks - and it cost £150 (if memory serves me) for the probate and a bit of postage and additional death certificate fees.
these companies prey on the vulnerable and distressed
reject his offer and ask for a lower fee - a much lower fee
going to the small claims court is a 50/50 game.... and its not too stressful, you and the judge and other party are in a small room with 3 tables, you give your story, the other side tells theirs - judge decides.
Each time i have been to SCC, judges have been exceptionally courteous and went out of their way to be polite and helpful to me (as claimaint)
what would your dad want you to do ?
good luck
Excellent advice - thanks. Especially appreciate the last line - good point..... :T
2010 - year of the troll
Niddy - Over & Out :wave:
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Hi, i have just been reading about the disputes regarding ITC Legal Services and would like to tell you that i am getting no joy from them, my father died Dec 2008 and my sister was named as executor, she went with ITC and since that day i have recieved 1 letter from them naming me as a benificiary. I have to See my sister for any information from this firm as when i ring them they will not disclose any details to me. Probate went through in May this year but still no response. Apparently they are dealing with the sale of the property which has had a sold sign on it since probate but no date for completion. Where do i STAND.0
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First time poster, long time lurker.
I'm currently in dispute with ITC and have been for 3 months (I rejected their first offer), but to anyone wishing to use them check the small print. They claim a fixed fee service (1%), but the T&C's have a clause that, to paraphrase, says 'we can charge what we want'. I'm disputing the fact my bill is twice as much as expected. They of course hold onto the estate while the dispute is ongoing!0 -
Hi, i have just been reading about the disputes regarding ITC Legal Services and would like to tell you that i am getting no joy from them, my father died Dec 2008 and my sister was named as executor, she went with ITC and since that day i have recieved 1 letter from them naming me as a benificiary. I have to See my sister for any information from this firm as when i ring them they will not disclose any details to me. Probate went through in May this year but still no response. Apparently they are dealing with the sale of the property which has had a sold sign on it since probate but no date for completion. Where do i STAND.
As your sister is the named executor in your father's will I guess that it would be quite normal for ITC to only give out information to her. When we were dealing with them both myself and my wife were named as executors so they were able to deal with either of us. Your sister will most likely have to get really blunt with the receptionists who take your calls to get any satisfaction from ITC. My advice is to keep phoning them on their freephone number (0800 013 2014), daily if you can and make a nuisance of yourselves and demand replies within a timescale (I was giving them 1 hour to call me back each time). I'm still waiting for the "compensation" to be paid in full as they paid some and didn't pay all that their CEO agreed to on the phone. And I'm still waiting for my original documents to appear in the post, along with the remaining money.
Good luck with the rest of the case but, bearing in mind that ours took 18 months to end without the sale of property, I reckon you've got some way to go yet.
Watch this space though because although I have removed the name of the CEO from my previous post (at his request) if I don't get my money very shortly I will be adding it again, along with his phone number, so that you can all speak to him and tell him about your complaints. (And I know he has read this page, so be warned Mr T)Note to Self: When posting, remember to keep within "forum rules" to avoid upsetting other "interested parties"0 -
HawkinsBoots wrote: »First time poster, long time lurker.
I'm currently in dispute with ITC and have been for 3 months (I rejected their first offer), but to anyone wishing to use them check the small print. They claim a fixed fee service (1%), but the T&C's have a clause that, to paraphrase, says 'we can charge what we want'. I'm disputing the fact my bill is twice as much as expected. They of course hold onto the estate while the dispute is ongoing!
I'm sorry to hear of this but I'm also glad to know I'm not the only one. This is exactly the same treatment as I had. I asked who gets the interest on the estate value while they "hold" it but apparently there is none earned!!!
And yes they do charge what they want. Our "Fixed Fee Service" bill consisted of:
A fixed fee 1.5%
+ Disbursements
+ Director's signature fee
+ Probate application fee
+ Conveyancing fees for property
+ Legal & public noices charge
+ Probate application swearing fee
+ ITC taxation review charge
+ ITC power of attorney fee
and then
+ ITC "PROFFESIONAL" charges (and this is almost a trading standards complaint in itself, because they're deffinitely NOT proffesional in the slightest)
+ VAT
So the "fixed fee" service is clearly a very loose term at best.
Hope your next offer is more acceptable, and please see the final paragraph on the previous post as it might help you too shortly.
Regards,Note to Self: When posting, remember to keep within "forum rules" to avoid upsetting other "interested parties"0 -
Thanks PortlandBoy.
The only concession I seem to have got from them at the moment is to change their marketing material and remove the 'comparitive' graphs that show a 'fixed cost' (which doesn't exist due to 'extras'). Although I have yet to see proof. So once my dispute is settled I shall be an anonymous caller and see if they have done as promised.0 -
Well it looks like i am going to have to sit back and face the agonising wait for things to move on as apparently i have no power to change things, i can let you know that i have requested a interim payment from them just to see there response and upto now they have not even replied. Watch this SPACE.0
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Well it looks like i am going to have to sit back and face the agonising wait for things to move on as apparently i have no power to change things, i can let you know that i have requested a interim payment from them just to see there response and upto now they have not even replied. Watch this SPACE.
I did that too. I didn't take up the option once I found out that an interim payment (of assets that were rightfully mine) would cost me an extra £250 for ITC to process!!! So that might be one of the reasons they hold on to your money for so long!
Being in their clutches is like being a fish in a net. You'll get out eventually but only when they're ready to let you go.Note to Self: When posting, remember to keep within "forum rules" to avoid upsetting other "interested parties"0 -
In my previous post I wrote:
"Watch this space though because although I have removed the name of the CEO from my previous post (at his request) if I don't get my money very shortly I will be adding it again, along with his phone number, so that you can all speak to him and tell him about your complaints. (And I know he has read this page, so be warned Mr T)"
Well folks, today I received my money in the post. It only took 2 days from me adding my last post till I received it, but 2 weeks since the CEO promised me it. I wonder whether it was the phone calls or the paragraph above that did the trick? [TEXT DELETED BY ABUSE TEAM]...Note to Self: When posting, remember to keep within "forum rules" to avoid upsetting other "interested parties"0 -
This has made me realise how good my solicitor was. I was executor of my fathers will and had no idea that i could apply for probate myself. She talked me through it and explained how much it would cost if she did this for me. She saved me a lot of money and it was so simple to do myself.0
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