Will Writing Services Ltd - Good VFM or a Con?

missinthy

Hi there,

I recently decided to do make a will, as I have not done one ever and being in my 50's with a seperated husband I thought I'd get one done incase the old arteries popped or my car exploded or something. I saw a booth/stand for WSL-Ltd in my local shopping centre and decided to give them a try - turns out WSL's standard will service is £110 for a single will which includes a home visit to go over the persons' needs/finances and to produce the will. I dont think that's too bad a price compared to solicitors' fees.

However, WSL also promoted a Lifetime Service which I unwittingly signed up to based on their "advice" without giving it as much thought as I should have (the will writing advisor person was extremely good). The Lifetime Service does three things -

1) WSL store the will in their super safe vaults that have all the bells and whistles you can think off,
2) they have a probate service whereby the executors of a will will have legal advice from a WSL expert legal advisor who will guide the executor through the probate service, and
3) the lifetime service allows the purchaser (me) to change their will or get a new one for free an unlimited number of times for the rest of their life.

I would just like opinions on whether that £850 is worthwhile or good value for money for the service they provide. WSL-Ltd are part of the Society of Will Writers and apparently this lifetime service is guaranteed by that Society (not sure how legitimate they are) so if they fail then its no loss to me as my service would still exist.

The storage facility is a desired option for me since as mentioned I have a seperated husband who has effectively been written out of any inheritence (although he sometimes resides at my address - bit of a strange seperation I know, but keeping it safe is slightly important), and I'm not sure whether the probate service is that important as although I have only a basic understanding of the difficulties of probate my executors and sole inheritors are my children, so surely it shouldn't be that difficult on the face of it - though the way these guys made it sound it could cost an arm and a leg in legal fees.

WSL have already taken a month's payment (the £850 is spread over 10 direct debit payments) even though they havent issued the final copy of the will yet, so if this Lifetime Service is a gimmic then I could still cancel without taking too massive a hit in terms of writing off amouts lost.

Any advice would be very much appreciated,

PS their website looks a bit poor:

http://www.wsl-ltd.co.uk/

DawnW

OH and I did this, though with a different company, some years ago. It wasn't a con - they have since updated the will, but the company has now changed hands (for the second time, I think) and now want to do everything over the phone. Each time we get the will documents back from them there are errors in spelling, grammar etc and they have to be returned for correction, and I do not trust their advice. I am now considering writing off the money we paid and getting a local solicitor to draw up new wills. It was less back then than the figure you quoted, about £350 for the lifetime thing. I now think it was a waste of money that I could ill afford at the time, even though it was not a con as such, and they are still contactable and quite pleasant. Not sure how businesses like that will survive in the current economic climate and what would happen to the wills if they went under?
I would avoid, and get a local solicitor to do it, one recommended by a relative, friend or neighbour.

mike56

Greetings,
I, also, would be very interested in any advice given in response to missinthy's posting as I've recently been contacted (cold called) by WSL. My wife and I have been meaning to make a will out for some time especially since our daughter turned 18 a couple of years ago. I've never heard of WSL but of course they sounded pretty clued up on the phone. They charge a flat fee of £150 for mirror wills but I don't recall any mention of a lifetime service and certainly no mention of £850 or anything like it. Presumably this comes as part of the persuasive hard-sell when their advisor comes a-calling to discuss one's financials.
As (in my opinion) our affairs are very straightforward, our main asset being the house and not a lot else, I've even wondered if the cheap and cheerful solution might be to complete a DIY will on-line, pre-computer this would be a form bought from the stationers, as this would cost a mere £20 or so. The snag here of course is that one lacks the comfort factor of a discussion with a knowledgeable (hopefully) expert in the subject.

Just realised missinthy's posting is a year old not a month old, so hopefully, someone out there can give some good opinions pretty soon, please!

Baggysdad

I would urge you to dismiss the DIY/on line option. You might consider your affairs to be simple - and you might be right. But you might not be.

Best talk to an expert - after all, if you make a hash of your Will, you won't be able to come back and put it right.

As far as WSL go, my only advise is NEVER, EVER pay for anything which is not going to be delivered before you pay for it. If they (or any other business) cease trading, they won't be able to deliver whatever you have paid for.

If they want payment on the day/night for the Will, before they have typed it up (what if they do a moonlite flit?), show them the door.

If they want you to pay for lifetime (whose lifetime, yours or theirs?)anything, show them the door.

If they want you to pay for advice on administering your estate (how can you and they be sure you will be in business when you meet your demise?), show them the door.

But the reality is that they can't much profit on a Will at £150, so they'll do as much as they can to part you from more of your money. So be prepared for some tough negotiating and a long night.

mike56

Thanks a lot Baggysdad for that straight-forward advice. Think I'll probably scrub round the long night and seek advice elsewhere. You don't go as far as recommending a positive course of action but it looks like it points towards DawnW's conclusion that a local solicitor is the best answer.

Baggysdad

General wisdom on this forum seems to be to use:

a solicitor who is a member of Solicitors for the Elderly or the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
or
a Will writer who is a member of the Institute of Professional Willwriters.

Trixie102

I used the Will Writing Company Ltd (different from the WWS Ltd I think) and found them to be very good (well as still here not sure what after service they provide!!!).

We got a will first drafted from them about 10 years ago and have up-dated it since without any problems to include our son, so was quite big changes. Always very helpful when phone and documents always well presented. They keep a copy of our will in their secure store and also did our power of attorney. I think at the time there was a charge of £10 a year for this service, but no mention of a lifetime service.
Just took a quick look at their web-site and appears as if they were the founders of the Institute of Professional Willwriters too.
I have recommended them to friend's and they found them very good too.

bnsimpson1

I used WSL some years ago to write my will and was very impressed with the service. Their advisor explained everything to do with trustees and guardians for our children, which is what we were the most concerned about. I recommended my mother to them and she did her will with them too. She also took out the Lifetime Service mentioned by Missinthy, and when she passed away I received some great advice from them regarding getting the estate through probate.

Hope this helps.

Wrenflies

WSL, based in Brentdord, is a con in my experience. Their representative had visited a 92-year-old friend of mine who suffers from dementia. This person from WSL had written a cheque of £980 and made my friend sign it. A copy was provided by the bank to the Financial Attorney so we know she did not write the cheque herself. We are in the process of trying to recover the money, notify Trading Standards and take legal action against this company. WSL legal team is fighting the case and refusing to admit that what they did was wrong. It is disgraceful the way WSL took advantage of a vulnerable old lady.

Lugh_Chronain

Anyone who is thinking of making a will or knows anyone who is may want to read the Free and cheap wills guide.

Some points mentioned in the guide include:

A number of trade unions including major ones like the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), the NASUWT teachers' union, the Fire Brigade Union and Unison offer free or heavily discounted will writing services to their members – so if you've got your union card they're worth checking.

Alternatively a few employers may offer will writing as part of their legal services. Do check exactly how it works though, if it's just filling in a template letter you may be better with the full solicitor-drafted options below.

And:

If you're on a low income, have little savings and are either over 70, disabled, have a disabled child or are a single parent, you may be able to get help writing a will through the Legal Aid scheme.

The scheme helps those who wouldn't normally be able to afford legal advice.

Do bear in mind the following as well:

While every effort's been made to ensure this article's accuracy, it doesn't constitute legal advice tailored to your individual circumstances. If you act on it, you acknowledge that you do so at your own risk. We can't assume responsibility and don't accept liability for any damage or loss which may arise as a result of your reliance upon it.

jh2009

A solicitor will charge may actually charge a similar fee to do a will, eg £100-150, but most will store it long term for free (as they are hoping for the business long term). You should never nominate a third party to be an executor as you're tying your future family to using that firm. Better to leave it open so the family can make the decision themselves to use an external firm.

Companies like WSL can be set up by anyone, and will writers are largely unregulated. Its a massive risk using one of these firms. The £100 will service they offer is a loss leader, designed of course to sell other services that a proper solicitor will provide free or would not recommend.

So who would you prefer to write a will: a professional solicitor established in the community, or a salesman sent by a rep hovering around a shopping centre?