Warning - do not use wolstenholmes solicitors

amazelucy
amazelucy Posts: 82 Forumite
edited 5 July 2009 at 9:04AM in Mortgages & endowments
Hi All

I just wanted to vent some frustration and let you all know please never even consider using Wolstenholmes Solicitors LLP!!

They are acting for the sellers of our house and they are the most dreadful, disorganised solicitors I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. They leave their assistants to do EVERYTHING and you can never ever get hold of the actual people. Our fantastic sollicitor has had to explain in minute legal detail each and everytime she has needed something! She has even had emails back saying "we dont understand".

Our estate agents informed us they had never dealt with them until recently and have suddenly dealt with them 4 times recently - apparently because they offer a cheap online deal!!

Please everyone - it is not worth saving a hundred quid for all the stress and hassle this bunch of idiots (who must have bought their degrees online) will cause you when buying or selling a house.

Thanks

Lucy
«134567132

Comments

  • amazelucy
    amazelucy Posts: 82 Forumite
    Just an update..... they have got more and more incompetent! We are due to exchange today so fingers crossed.

    But we would have moved in by now if it wasnt for them!

    So PLEASE DONT USE THEM!
  • siliconbits
    siliconbits Posts: 389
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    I am also with them right now... On the buyer's side. Actually I hope I am not buying your house.
    :rolleyes: Links are a man's best friends.com
  • amazelucy
    amazelucy Posts: 82 Forumite
    I am also with them right now... On the buyer's side. Actually I hope I am not buying your house.

    How have you found them?

    Dont worry i'm a buyer too - they are the sellers solicitors
  • IHS88
    IHS88 Posts: 74 Forumite
    Wolstenholmes Solicitors LLP! Oh my they're rubbish. I was suckered
    by their cheap prices and received absolutely terrible service from their solicitors.

    Their website (BestConveyancingQuotes.co.uk) makes all kind of promises but
    frankly next time I'm not going to choose a solicitor based purely on price.

    Pay peanuts, get monkeys! Stay away at all costs I say.
  • naz7372
    naz7372 Posts: 12 Forumite
    Hi all,

    Hopefully you won’t all shoot me down straight away, but I’m from Wolstenholmes and wanted to take this opportunity to apologise for the service each of you have received. I’ll be honest with you, I’m new to the company and I, along with a number of new staff have been brought in to help resolve any issues and really make improvements to the client experience.

    I appreciate that most of you have not been happy with Wolstenholmes Solicitors, hence the reason why you’ve posted here, but we really want to make a change and improve the service we deliver to our clients…starting with you.

    I know a lot of you have left messages/voicemails and if your case still hasn’t been resolved please can you PM me with details and I will try my best to get things moving as fast as possible for you.

    Thanks,

    Nazma
    ***I no longer work for Wolstenholmes so can no longer help with any complaints...thanks to all that PM-ed me and good luck to anyone with an ongoing issue***
  • cakinwande
    cakinwande Posts: 148 Forumite
    edited 5 September 2009 at 2:45PM
    Sorry for the repeat in postings but I really want to warn people what they are getting themselves into when dealing with Wolstenholmes.

    Wolstenholmes solicitors Review - I dont believe for ONE SECOND that the people @ Wolstenholmes care about the job they are doing because one, this many people would not have the same negative opinion.

    When I was informed that there had been a change in staff (even though I had to call to find this out) I was ever patient. My property is a shared ownership one so myself and the housing association were constantly frustrated with the lack of action from Wolstenholmes.

    I have made an official complaint to Legal Complaints Service and I suggest others to the same: http://www.legalcomplaints.org.uk/ho...ontact-us.page

    My official complaint:

    "Complaints
    The Legal Complaints Service deals with complaints about the service that solicitors in England and Wales provide to their clients.
    The poor service complaints you are raising are as follows:-
    • · Delay – There has been a general delay in progressing your case. Very little work has been done despite you, your partner and your father all regularly contacting the firm to instruct them to execute their duties.
      · Failure to inform
        • 1. Two months passed from initially instructing the firm after speaking with your solicitor Ms J Lowe. You later found out Ms Lowe had left the firm but the firm had failed to contact you to inform you of this. The only correspondence you had from the firm during this time was a copy of their terms and conditions and an interim bill for £201.25.
          2. You have only received two phone calls from the firm over the last four months.
      · Costs information deficient
        • 1. The interim bill you were sent which totalled at £201.25 for professional charges on 12 May 2009 was invalid as you later found out from Mr S Daly that no work had been done on your case during the first two months the firm had been instructed.
          2. You received a cheque for a refund of £112.00 on the 17 August 2009 but no invoice was attached so you do not know what you have paid for. You asked Mr Daly to send you an invoice for the costs of services but you are yet to receive this.
          3. You have been informed by your new solicitors that they had e-mailed Ms Anderson at Legalbrokers and they advised Wolstenholmes had cancelled the searches they needed to conduct. Therefore you have paid £188.00 for searches to be carried out which have not been done.
      · Failure to respond – You made several attempts to contact Mr Daly for further updates on your case but found it very difficult to speak with him. He provided you with very little information and at times did not return your phone calls.
      · Failure to follow instructions – On numerous occasions you have asked the firm to e-mail information across to you but they have failed to do so. The firm have failed to carry out the searches which you have paid for."
    Read other poor reviews here:
    http://www.touchwarrington.com/business/list/bid/6489328
    http://www.tijarapages.com/details.asp?bid=2146598514
    http://www.freeindex.co.uk/profile%28wolstenholmes-solicitors-llp%29_126951.htm
    http://www.solicitalawyer.co.uk/city-Cheadle/1816271-lawyer-Wolstenholmes.html
  • Conrad
    Conrad Posts: 33,137
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    amazelucy wrote: »

    - apparently because they offer a cheap online deal!!


    Lucy


    As I often say to all the uber bargain hunters , that's the price you pay for always expecting others to work for nothing!

    I warn clients about these conveyor belt outfits, but as ever some are drawn to 'cheap' like moths to a lamp.

    The other big no no right now is Abbey - thier service worstens by the week, but people just can't help themselves because, you guessed it, they're cheap (yes yes, I know the odd person has a 'lucky' good experience, but that's irrelevant in terms of the typical Abbey experience)
  • naz7372
    naz7372 Posts: 12 Forumite
    Hi again,

    As I said before, if anyone still has an ongoing problem please PM me details and I will try my best to get it resolved asap.

    I'd like to stress again that we do take complaints very seriously and although you may not see it, behind the scenes we're working really hard to put processes in place and correct any past mistakes.

    Thanks,

    Nazma
    (on behalf of Wolstenholmes)
    ***I no longer work for Wolstenholmes so can no longer help with any complaints...thanks to all that PM-ed me and good luck to anyone with an ongoing issue***
  • naz7372
    naz7372 Posts: 12 Forumite
    Hi moongate,

    please remember this is a consumer forum, and perhaps not the best place for you to vent your personal frustrations about your ex employer.

    for anybody that's interested, please look up Wolstenholmes on the Law Society website and you will be able to see a list of partners at the firm
    (I would post a link but as a "new user" on the forums I don't have permission to do so!)
    ***I no longer work for Wolstenholmes so can no longer help with any complaints...thanks to all that PM-ed me and good luck to anyone with an ongoing issue***
  • dear Nazma

    just letting people know how it really is.
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