Getting arrangement/survey costs back from Woolwich?

Claremac

Just had my house purchase fall through due to (in my view) delays by the Woolwich and incompetence by their surveyor. The survey was conducted so badly that a second review survey was done without charge. Even Customer Services at The Woolwich admitted that "it doesn't look good" when discussing what had happened!
I have written to them with full details, backed up by a letter from my solicitor to say that she was ready weeks ago.

My question is whether anyone else has had any luck with getting arrangement/survey/solicitor's fees back in similar circumstances? If you have, do you have any tips please?

minimike2

Hmm, sounds like fault may lie with Ekins (The company Woolwich use for surveys). What exactly was the problem with the first one?

I take it the vendor has pulled out die to the delay? How long ago did you put your offer in?

Claremac

Hi
No it wasn't Ekins. Not particularly keen to post the name of the company! The first survey had 9 points of immediate action which, on review, they changed to 2. We knew that there was something not right when we went back to view the house after the first survey (with a view to pulling out due to the appalling survey) and finding that some things they said were plain wrong e.g. dangerous wiring under the stairs and downpipe discharging onto the ground, neither of which was true.

The vendor did pull out due to delays. The offer was accepted at the beginning of June! We are in rented so no chain below and they were buying from someone with no chain above so we all thought that it would be very quick.