Warning - do not use wolstenholmes solicitors

Horrified_Solicitor

anotherproblem wrote: »

From a conversation I had yesterday with the LCS I am under the same impression about whether or not WH insurence will pay out. It did not feel very hopeful to me.

This is where it gets a bit complicated. The basis of the qualifying insurer scheme set up by the Law Society is that the insurer has to pay out whatever the circumstances. If the solicitors have lied their heads off to get insurance then that's a matter between them and the insurer. Motor insurance for third party claims works in much the same way.

However, this system has never been tested in really extreme circumstances where the insurer is looking at staggering payouts. At least one of the qualifying insurers has a bad reputation for trying to avoid liabilities. It might try to argue that it had relied on the SRA to monitor the firm properly....................

Brahan_seer_3

Horrified_Solicitor wrote: »

This is where it gets a bit complicated. The basis of the qualifying insurer scheme set up by the Law Society is that the insurer has to pay out whatever the circumstances. If the solicitors have lied their heads off to get insurance then that's a matter between them and the insurer. Motor insurance for third party claims works in much the same way.

However, this system has never been tested in really extreme circumstances where the insurer is looking at staggering payouts. At least one of the qualifying insurers has a bad reputation for trying to avoid liabilities. It might try to argue that it had relied on the SRA to monitor the firm properly....................

My understanding is that they had already had one monitoring visit in June or thereabouts. I would love to know what the outcome of that was and why the SRA did not intervene sooner.

Horrified_Solicitor

rfsp wrote: »

Yes you are right! i have received a letter today from Gordon LLP (They are appointed by SRA to assist DWF) that they have found my file...

I hope eveyone doing well! Has anyone caught up in this mess completed the registration?

This gives an indication as to the sheer size of the intervention. DWF is a large firm and had a hundred staff working on it, but these were insufficient. The volume of calls has meant that a call handling firm has been appointed and (highly unusually) another firm of intervention agents brought it to assist.

No one seems to have realised just how big WH was.

Catwoman8950

rfsp wrote: »

Yes you are right! i have received a letter today from Gordon LLP (They are appointed by SRA to assist DWF) that they have found my file...

I hope eveyone doing well! Has anyone caught up in this mess completed the registration?

Can't find "Gordon LLP" listed on the Law Society website. Can you give more details? Just interested to know who is involved in all this. Does anyone know where the latest 1000 files were being kept that DWF have just found?

Horrified_Solicitor

Catwoman8950 wrote: »

Can't find "Gordon LLP" listed on the Law Society website. Can you give more details? Just interested to know who is involved in all this. Does anyone know where the latest 1000 files were being kept that DWF have just found?

Try http://www.gordonsllp.com/ Their phone number is 0845 273 3080

pacree

Horrified_Solicitor wrote: »

This gives an indication as to the sheer size of the intervention. DWF is a large firm and had a hundred staff working on it, but these were insufficient. The volume of calls has meant that a call handling firm has been appointed and (highly unusually) another firm of intervention agents brought it to assist.

No one seems to have realised just how big WH was.

It looks like WH was being run like a Pyramid Scheme, when I first got a quote from them, I said "I'd think about it." But their call centre chased me up with two calls before they tricked me into using them.

After talking to DWF (last week) I've been led to believe that after taking my £450 deposit WH did not progress the case at all. There are probalbly a lot of files like this.

Pyramid Schemes are run by criminals, and what worries me the most is that my Personal details and Bank details are on the WH computers. Copies of this information could have gone anywhere prior to the intervention. If I'm suddenly the victim of Identity Theft in a few months time I've no way of proving WH were the source and I'd be most displeased with the SRA.

robtheboywonder

I have just received my letter from DWF, however as WH had not progressed very far with my case, though they had my deposit (£450), I decided 4 weeks ago to use another solicitor and reclaim the deposit from Mastercard. This is also being dragged out with MC suggesting I should make a claim through DWF and making other silly suggestions. As the original agreement was with WH surely DWF need not to be involved? Any other experiences with people claiming from their credit card?

Horrified_Solicitor

robtheboywonder wrote: »

I have just received my letter from DWF, however as WH had not progressed very far with my case, though they had my deposit (£450), I decided 4 weeks ago to use another solicitor and reclaim the deposit from Mastercard. This is also being dragged out with MC suggesting I should make a claim through DWF and making other silly suggestions. As the original agreement was with WH surely DWF need not to be involved? Any other experiences with people claiming from their credit card?

I would take a very firm line with Mastercard and tell them to refund the money to you.

homelessmat

Some positive news.
For those not aware of my position (I posted it over 6 weeks ago now - but will recap!) I had instructed WH with respect to my purchase in Aug 2009. I was a cash buyer (although had funding from a mortgage) and living in rented accomodation. Contracts were exchanged in Oct 2009, with a completion of 22nd Dec 2009. The delay was at the request of my seller's who live abroad for most of the winter. Due to the delay, 10% purchase price (from my pocket) was paid via WH to the seller's on exchange. The balance was paid by myself and the bank well in advance of the 22nd December completion date, but on 22nd December nothing happened and no contact could be made with WH. Bear in mind that WH assured me that once contracts were exchanged, it was virtually unheard of for a completion not to happen, so I gave notice on my rental property to terminate on 24th Dec (i.e. Xmas Eve). I then became aware of this forum and the intervention. Facing the very real prospect of being homeless I managed to negotiate a temporary extension to my rental for 2 weeks, however after that expired put all of my furniture in storage and became fully homeless. For the last 4 weeks I have stayed with friends and family in spare rooms on sofa's etc, and on the occassions that I've had my daughter, stayed in a hotel. I contacted DWF and instructed a new solicitor, however my original WH file could not be found (and as far as I know, still hasn't). I had to pay upfront for this additional legal advice and also, as my file could not be found, had to pay for them to reconstruct it, firing off the necessary searches again and paying £500 to the seller's solicitor to send over their half of the file. At this point DWF asked for an application to the Emergency Compendation Fund and asked my seller's for the amount required to complete. Not only did it now include the 90% completion money, but also the interest owing at the contract rate not just for my purchase, but also my seller's onward purchase. They also included figures of £1700 for additional legal fees, abortive removal costs, £1000 distress for their clients, claims for flights that their clients had to re-arrange. The SRA took one look at this and said that they would only pay the 90% completion amount, my stamp duty and the land registry fee. The seller's solicitors remained adamant that they would not complete without me personally taking liability for the breach and paying, on completion, an additional £5600 (that doesn't include the storage costs, my legal fees, my hotel costs, etc, etc). At this point it looked like the deal was off, however my solicitor appointed their litigation expert and finally we reached agreement that I would pay the contracted interest, their abortive removal fees and the cost of issuing the notices to complete. I transferred this money yesterday, DWF transferred the 90% + Stamp Duty + Land Registry fee today, and I'm happy to say that exactly 6 weeks and 2 days since I was originally intended to complete, I have now completed!!! I am just totalling up my additional expenditure in this and it is approaching £8000 that I will hopefully be able to claim back off the LCS as a consequential loss. That doesn't even include any kind of figure for emotional distress or the days that I have had to take off work to sort this whole thing out. It is still a long journey before I can put this behind me, but the road starts here and I have purchased my house. I'd like to thank everyone on here for their invaluable support and advice over the last few weeks. I'm sure I may still be calling upon it and hopefully be able to share my experiences with any of you, if you encounter similar problems. Now, how do I change my username?

mjmal51

homelessmat wrote: »

It is still a long journey before I can put this behind me, but the road starts here and I have purchased my house. I'd like to thank everyone on here for their invaluable support and advice over the last few weeks. I'm sure I may still be calling upon it and hopefully be able to share my experiences with any of you, if you encounter similar problems. Now, how do I change my username?

No, keep the name, at least we will know who you are. Good to hear your news as I think you were one of the worst cases on here. I am still waiting for the SRA to let me know about the £11,000 that WH took from me and did not pay out, but at least I had a house to keep warm in through those cold Dec/Jan days.
Let us know how the LCS claim goes, that will be my next step after the SRA. You surely have a claim for distress!