Warning - do not use wolstenholmes solicitors

isayoldchap

isayoldchap wrote: »

Hi Everyone
Please don't shoot me down in flames.
Some posters are saying they will have to pay a new solicitor fees and then try to claim these back.This could amount to more than they paid Wolstenholmes.

I was advised by LCS that it is not absolutely sure whether I would get back all the fees and even whether Wolstenholmes insurers would pay the difference.
This appears to be a grey area.As Wolstenholmes charged me 179 plus vat to buy and the same to sell,I just need the registration with the Land Registry/Inland Revenue to be completed and any remaining deeds etc.

I also put this to my new solicitors that I just appointed sighting that it will be important for me to pay the lowest charges to actually complete.I was even prepared to shop around.
So they came back to me (this is where you are going to shoot me down............)
They said they will not be charging me any fees and they will claim all the money back from SRA/LCS for me.
They said they feel we have gone through enough problems and don't want to make things worst.
I can if I wanted to pay the Stamp duty and Land Registry again but I have decided to just submit my compensation claim to the SRA through their office.(Please note I am not using 'Fridays' firm who are saying they will check for free with the Land Registry.This is completely different.)

I am due to post my application form and as soon as I get confirmation in writing from my new solicitors I will put their names up on the site.
I know it may sound unfair to some at this stage but I must get it through stage one of the processing first.

I was thinking about using my House Insurance Legal Policy to make a claim against them all if there were problems getting any outstanding money back including all the intrest I am claiming for whereby Wolstenholmes not only asked my mortgage company four days too early for the advance costing me intrest from 4.39%-5.14% whilst the money was earning them intrest in their account but also for holding a large cheque in their accounts for over three weeks after the completion and then they sent it to the address we had moved from.Even LCS have advised me by letter that it is unclear whether any of this would be compensated.SRA Claims Management are even cautious what they say on the phone 01926 487015.We will see

Just an update to my previous post
I have only just prepared all the photocopying and running around and have despatched the papers to the new solicitor (who said they would not be charging me).Further papers have also been sent to LCS.I will return to the forum once they take on my case and put this in writing.

bear.1973

Hello,

Thought i would share this with the forum.
I was recently asking for advice, see previous posts, on finalising post completion of my property.

I recieved a call today out of the blue from DWF, they confirmed they had my file, that it was a bit of a mess, however, there only seems to be the post completion work missing.

They offered to send it internally to there legal department in Leeds, who will check it over and finalise the work. Providing nothing else flags up on my file as being incomplete or incorrect, they will apply to SRA for extra legal work and LR fees in full, they do not require me to send in any payment up front.

They confirmed they would do all the paperwork to SRA re: compensation etc, all i have to do is confirm in writing to DWF that i wish them to proceed and supply copy of ID (passport & utility bill).

I have happily instructed them to proceed, as it takes a lot of pressure off the situation.:)

Hopefully, this will be the end of it for me.:j

Will keep you posted.

flemingscarpets

My sister in law is using this company to sell her house aswell. Surely they must have to treat some or there clients well. I cant seem to find anyone has had a good experience with them???
Gill

Dobloyerdosh

Well we finally completed sale and purchase last Friday (12th) thanks to our buyer finally using a local long established solicitor who, although they knew the file was definitely at DWF decided not to wait for it to arrive, started from scratch and did all the work in 4 weeks flat. Our legal work had been completed in the middle of November again by a long established firm of solicitors whose charges were probably LESS than Wolstenholmes. Do not pay online legal companies any money up front thinking you are getting a good deal. The number of posts on this firm of rip off merchants proves it.

sue276

An Update.....

Hi for those of you who have given me advice over the last few months I thought I would provide an update on my situation. Got our £20k back last week. New file has been created from scratch and new solicitor has now paid my estate agent and stamp duty. Property is finally registered in my name and was happy (Cara at the SRA was excellent).

Was happy until this morning when DWF called to say they have found my file and are sending it to my new solictor. This would have been useful a month ago before she re-did all the work!!! And they then say that they are offereing a post completetion service that is funded by the SRA. I was so cross - the SRA advise us to get a new solicitor and pay for that solicitor and now on the day that all the work is done they phone to say they have the file and will do the work for free!!!!! God knows who they think will take up this service surely most people will have already appointed a new conveyancer, rather then waiting for them to take over a month to find my file and offer me a service!!! I cannot believe we werent offered this when we first submitted our claim!!

Anyway i am going to focus on the good - have got my money back, have paid correct people and am finally the registered owner on my house!! Just have to submit the claim for the soliciter fee's and I will be all finished!

mjmal51

sue276 wrote: »

An Update.....



Was happy until this morning when DWF called to say they have found my file and are sending it to my new solictor. This would have been useful a month ago before she re-did all the work!!! And they then say that they are offereing a post completetion service that is funded by the SRA. I was so cross - the SRA advise us to get a new solicitor and pay for that solicitor and now on the day that all the work is done they phone to say they have the file and will do the work for free!!!!! God knows who they think will take up this service surely most people will have already appointed a new conveyancer, rather then waiting for them to take over a month to find my file and offer me a service!!! I cannot believe we werent offered this when we first submitted our claim!!

Anyway i am going to focus on the good - have got my money back, have paid correct people and am finally the registered owner on my house!! Just have to submit the claim for the soliciter fee's and I will be all finished!

Good that you have got your money back, seems that the SRA have only just appointed my investigator after 3 weeks so will call her tomorrow.
This new DWF service is annoying as I asked them if they would do this many weeks ago and like many others I was told to appoint a new solicitor. Just spoke to the SRA general enquiry and they were not aware DWF are now offering this service.
So am now waiting to find out when I will get my £11k back and then what the procedure is for claiming the money for the new solicitor.
Did the investigator say that the new solicitor is going to be funded by the SRA or is it an LCS claim?

isayoldchap

isayoldchap wrote: »

Just an update to my previous post
I have only just prepared all the photocopying and running around and have despatched the papers to the new solicitor (who said they would not be charging me).Further papers have also been sent to LCS.I will return to the forum once they take on my case and put this in writing.

I can now assist the forum as to which solicitor's office is actually helping Wolstenholmes clients and will be working without a charge directly to the client.
It's Gordons solicitors based in Bradford.
They fully understand the inconvienience suffered and will not be charging to do the work.They will of course make a direct claim to the SRA.

I apologise if I have not given this information earlier.

LCS also have asked to see my file but I am a little concerned that things will be held up.I have asked Gordons to get cracking

rfsp

isayoldchap wrote: »

I can now assist the forum as to which solicitor's office is actually helping Wolstenholmes clients and will be working without a charge directly to the client.
It's Gordons solicitors based in Bradford.
They fully understand the inconvienience suffered and will not be charging to do the work.They will of course make a direct claim to the SRA.

I apologise if I have not given this information earlier.

LCS also have asked to see my file but I am a little concerned that things will be held up.I have asked Gordons to get cracking

Yes it is very late now!

If i had known this a week ealier then i shouldnt have asked Gordons LLP to transfer the file to my newly appointed local solicitor.

Anyway thanks!!

Yvn4jan

Good News - have received my money 2 weeks ago, file received by my new solicitor, (which contains both my purchase and sale info!) and should be moving in on 18th March. A stressful time, but for me the SRA, particularly Cara were wonderful. My contact at DWF was also very good, although having to get my mortgage company to authorise that they were happy for the file to be sent to my new soliticitors, when they had already sent a new offer to my new solicitor, did smack a bit of "Beauracratic obstacles!".
As has been previously mentioned in the thread, the interest rate for compensation was very low, 0.33% when I could have been earning 3.3%, however I'm just pleased to get my money back and be able to complete my purchase.
Good luck to everyone in their resolutions

happy_to_help

has anyone got a successful phone number or e mail address for this company?
Thanks