Warning - do not use wolstenholmes solicitors

thestoof_2

Well, this is my story .

Instructed them on the 30 / 11 / 09 to handle my first time buy.
Got attracted by the small price.

Been in touch with somebody at their birmingham office ( xxxxxx )
It's was kinda difficult to get in touch with her at time, but she would eventually get back to us.
Last week friday 11th dec, in the morning , we called to find out what was the deal , as the date requested from the seller was coming soon ( deadline 23rd dec ), she told us that everythihg was ready, that she was going to send us the contracts in the afternoon, we should read them, sign, and that once this was done, we should be able to sign / exchange the following monday or tuesday.

Nothing happened on the friday, we tryed to call on the saturday, nobody answered.
-We tryed again ALL DAY monday, left many messages, emails, didn't manage to get to talk to anybody before 16h, That person told us that xxxxxx was sick, that she would be in the next day and that they were experiencing "phone probs".
-On tuesday, we called again ( still no answers from xxxxxxx ), and this time, we got to speak to her assistant ( yyyyyyyy ) , she told us, that they all got fired, that the office was closing before Friday , and that my files will be sent to their head office in manchester. Obviously, we were supposed to sign the very same day, so it's wasn't an option. We asked her to send us our papers, wich apparently can't be done.
We had to get a new solicitor, that would handle our files, to help the completion and finalise everything for us. yyyyyyyy manage to send our files to the new instructed solicitor the following day ( yesterday ).
Hope was still there, till our new solicitor called, and told us that ABSOLUTLY NOTHING has been done so far, and that he needed to start from scratch !!!

Now, we can't make the deadline, we've pretty much lost the flat.
I'm reporting them to the SRA (solicitors Regulation Authority, I've got in touch with the LCI ( Legal Complaints Service ), and I will see from here.
Still unable to speak to someone from wolstenholmes solicitors.
I am not sure what else to do. I am disgusted.. No communication so far, not a phone call, not even an email.


Ps :Sorry for my poor English, this isn't my first language.

EDIT : Strangly enought, XXXXX decided to finally call after seeing this message (only took 5 days)
I was unable to keep my cool on the phone with her, so my partner call her back, and apparently it's against the law to mention people's name(Can anybody confirm this ?? ).Not that I trust XXXX, but I don't want to be in more trouble thanks to them, So I have removed the name for the time being. Seem like they are actually reading ( answering ??) thoses posts.

KB1_2

Contact SOLICITORS REGULATION AUTHORITY (consumer section) 0870 606 2555 OPTION 4

(Will not let me post the link here).

Register your complaint

suttonjon

Just wanted to let people know that you can get your cash back, i today received all of my £526 back into my bank account.

Thanks Jacky, your help in getting it sorted was fantastic.

Hope the rest of you can get something back, I understand from the person i spoke to that some of the staff at the Birmingham office are trying desperatly to get cash and paperwork back to people before the end of Friday which is when they have been told they have a job until.

I know that this doesn't excuse all of the probs that we have been having with Wolstenholmes and the probs that many of you are still having but it does show that they aren't all bad eggs.
Don't get me wrong I still 100% support the complaints to watchdog and the law society.

VHB2009

12345678910 wrote: »

All

Wolstenholmes LLP is STILL trading and will continue to do so. It should also be noted that this firm has been here since 1818. For those ignorant of the Administration or Insolvency process it is clear that this company is not insolvent, indeed far from it. We have notified all regulatory bodies of the large number of unfounded potentially defamatory and ill-informed comments about this practice. We should also add that we are continuing to exchange and complete on a large number of transactions with satisfied clients.

I believe you can only report comments to be defamatary if they are untrue.....Exactly which comments can deemed to be defamatory??
As for continuing to exchange and complete transactions, give us a break!
I believe you must be ignorent of the term Fraud, as this company appears/appeared to be working fraudulently, promising a service which they very obviously had no intention of delivering.

Israfel

Can someone with a better understanding of the law please explain to me how these people are not legally and financially responsible for the deals they've ruined. If you don't complete on the completion date for whatever reason I beleive you're made financially responsible for that happening and are charged for it yet they've ruined many deals as we can read through the pages and the worst anyone here can do is make a legal complaint. That can't be right. Surely negligible behaviour like this is illegal

Librachick

I personally spoke to Imran Hussain yesterday. He informed me that the company is not in administration, only the Brum office!! I asked to speak to my advisor, but he was very busy and could not come to the phone, they have lots of work to do before today when they are doing lots of exchanges!!

He verbally agreed to send my title deeds, signed contract and refund my monies within the next two days.

I will let you know what happens.

Brucer2244

Librachick wrote: »

I personally spoke to Imran Hussain yesterday. He informed me that the company is not in administration, only the Brum office!! I asked to speak to my advisor, but he was very busy and could not come to the phone, they have lots of work to do before today when they are doing lots of exchanges!!

He verbally agreed to send my title deeds, signed contract and refund my monies within the next two days.

I will let you know what happens.

Please give me the telephone number you contacted Imran Hussain on i am anxious to read him his horoscope in relation to £450 and the deeds to my property.

hoverdonkey

We are dealing with the Manchester office and after a few days of the techincal difficulties message, finally spoke to someone and were told five days ago that they have sent our file to another firm in Manchester. They said this firm would be in touch, but a week later, no word and we have no idea which firm it is.

I now cannot get hold of anyone to find out which firm has our documents and file. It's utterly ridiculous.

Anyone suffered anything similar and have a clue where they might be? TIA

psyurmh_2

I am in the same boat. What has been the most successful way of getting your money back? I am owed £150 for the Sale and £300 for the Purchase.

Nobody is responding to any emails, letters or phone calls. Does anyone have an address or number they have used where they have been successful in getting their money back?

Many thanks peeps.

cakinwande

Someone has mentioned that a "Jack" has helped them get their £526 back. Can we have some contact details for him please?