Wolstenholmes!!!! Beware!!!

monicamj

Oh dear! I asked OH to organise a solicitor for house buying and this is the one he came up with! I asked him why he didn't go with a local solicitor as it would have made signing easier and he said cost and because you can get online updates! He obviously didn't feel the need to do any actual research, I'm feeling a little worried now...

silvermatter

puppy8910club wrote: »

I agree,

I went with wolthemstomes about a week ago and cancelled two days later after reading the negative feedback. Even before reading the bad posts they come across so un professional its un true!

Bunch of cowboys! AVOID!!!

Khryul Islam was the person who took my money and also laughed when i said why dont u reply to my email about refund!.

Everytime i phone the "Fiancne" team it goes to voicemail. Thats laura and Migid. So frustrating im still chasing my refund with no avail!!

DO NOT USE THESE PEOPLE!!! - ITS NOT WORTH IT!!!!!

I went with them after using another online which were so slow, but they were fantastic compared with wolstenholmes. 7 weeks on almost no contact, our estate agent never ever spoke to them. Their first excuse was lost HIPS, then she is on holiday. In danger of loosing our purchase, I switched to a local solicitor who had everything sorted in a few days. Ok it costs £400 more, but pay peanuts get Wolstenholms monkeys. Still trying to get my £300 deposit back, even the girl at the credit card company new their reputations, so they must have had a lot of claims.:mad:

silvermatter

Hi, i don't know who these charmed people who have had good service from Wollstenholmes are, they nearly cost me my purchase out of touch for two weeks, lost papers, but did not loose my deposit still hanging on to that. The thread from the person who works for them asked you to pm him, but he no longer exists. Steer clear its worth paying a bit extra:mad:

char1iecha1k

Im another person with a bad experience from Wolstenholmes. Avoid at all costs.

keiran

BEWARE!!!!! MAJOR PROBLEMS!!!!!!!!!



I have (foolish as I did not check MSE) instructed these b*******s for my conveyancing

They were entirely inept
Today I tried contacting may different people/depts - no luck
Think they've closed

Then rang Solicitors Regulation Authority, who confirm they have received many similar complaints since Fri 11 Dec 2009, but won't tell me (the innocent consumer) what's afoot

I suspect there's major problems here

Don't touch with a bargepole!!!

Also SRA is mostly about protecting fellow b******d lawyers!!

jumpexchange

We are also in a chain where someone down the chain have employed this ridiculous excuse for a company. Our long chain is presumably at risk and all our Christmases are at ruined given we should have completed and moved by now and we are still waiting for goodness knows what??? and if we go past the end of the stamp duty holiday, well I believe that the chain collapses all together.

So actionable advice is what is needed. If anyone has any for me, who is being screwed up by this company but have no direct contact with them, please go ahead,

For anyone looking for a solicitor - dont go with this company - that is clear. Go with recommendations from people you know. if you dont know anyone that has a recommendation, your estate agent will recommend, but they will get a cut - does this make their recommendation more valid. i would say go with someone local and go to their office to arrange and check them out. Ask to see thank you cards and letters from their clients.

If you have gone with this company, pull out and go with someone else before it is too late. If another solicitor can get it sorted in a few days then you will have avoided a lot of stress and you may be saving money since Wolstonholmes' actions could cost you dearly in one way or another, including losing your purchase. If you are changing solicitors late in the day, dont let searches slow you down - find a solicitor who uses the online search facility which gives responses within 10 minutes. I would also go to Walstonhomes office and demand your paperwork so far - get it in your hand even if you have to travel half way across the country to get there.

If you are selling and have an offer, before you accept it, ask your estate agent to obtain full details of the chain involved including which solicitor they are using. Check them out in the same way you check yours out. If you would not be happy to use them, then they are equally unsuitable to be in your chain. Accept the offer only on the condition that the person in the chain changes solicitor to one that you would be happy with. Present them with the evidence and hopefully they should be grateful for you saving them from stress and dissapointment.

Complain if you have had a bad experience. I understand that you can only complain about your own solicitor so I for one will be strongly encouraging whoever it is down the chain that is using Wolstonholmes to make a complaint.

If there is a way I can complain too, I will do it. This terrible company is causing totally unnecessary heartache and stress to so many people it is ridiculous.

OK, rant over - but my problems continue and I see no end to them yet.
JE

amdangerous

I can only back up all that has been written here. We have been using the Wolstenholmes Birmingham office as conveyancers for the sale of one of our properties. First mistake.

In brief, the service has been next to non-existant. The complete and consistant failure to return telephone calls to myself, and the purchasers solicitor (even on the supposed day of exchange!!!!!!!!!) has contributed towards the sale of our property falling through more than two months down the line of a daily battle to move the process towards completion.

Any information we needed to provide the purchasers solicitor (Kash Tutter & Co, Derby - also avoid like swine flu, an absolute nightmare to work with, in our opinion - they want guarantees on life for the next 20 years before they advise the purchase of a property) either myself or the estate agent had to obtain and pass on to the relevant parties. We did just about ALL of the work the solicitors should have done. With our eyes closed.

To add to this, I have left two answer machine messages with Mr Jonathan Atkin (Head of Conveyancing) and two with Helen Murgatroyd (Head of Complaints) for Wolstenholmes, and guess what... no response from them either...

I have just discovered the Birmingham office closes for good on the 18th of December. Hardly surprising.

I expect the rest of the company will follow in due course. Be warned - whatever you save in conveyancing fees, you will spend on your phone bill doing the work yourself. And at the final hour, when all is due to go through, your solicitor will not be available, and your sale/purchase will probably fall through.

I SO wish I'd read this thread before instructing them. Now, for the battle that will be getting my money back, all in line with their 'No completion, No fee' guarantee... We'll see.

cakinwande

You have to make a formal complaint to Helen Murgatroyd and then contact the LCS http://www.legalcomplaints.org.uk/home.page. They have been dealing with my case for a couple of months as there is protocol they need to follow.

Please use and post this thread for information. The threads have been merged: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1792897

NickHowe

I am using them to buy a house. Through the Birmingham office. They've not been bad, although have required chasing. I'm due to complete Friday, and have spoken to my solicitor there. They found out on Monday that the office shuts on Friday. So, Wolstenholmes Brum is no more. Everything transferred to Manchester. Staff given a weeks' notice, which doesn't seem fair on them this close to Christmas.

Fingers crossed and breath held that it'll all go through.

I wouldn't use them again, tho. I'll pay more, and expect more, to be honest.

aatyeo

Wolstenholmes - Birmingham office has ceased trading

This firm is not worth the hassle and I am appalled with the way I have been dealt with. Our first assigned solicitor in Birmingham was apparently fired (hence why nothing in our case was done for the first 2 weeks) but I am positive that Julie Thomas must have had sence to walk from the company. Our second solicitor seemed to be quite helpful and was at least contactable until this Monday 14th Dec. A simple email to say that the company had ceased trading as of this friday 18th Dec greeted me in my email inbox. How very kind!!!! Pure panic, tears and the worse amount of stress i have ever experienced was however recitified within an hour by a very professional company here in my home town Taunton. I called Porter Dodson Solicitors, Blackbrook, Taunton and explained my situation that my exchange and completion was due to take place on Dec 22nd. We signed our new contracts yesterday Dec 15th and today, Wednesday 16th, Porter Dodson have untangled the mess and I have just received confirmation that we are ready to exchange. I can not thank them enough and I only wish I found someone local in the first place and paid a little more. At least I should be able to sleep tonight, no thanks to Wolstenholmes!

Luckily for me, Wolstenholmes gave me some notice and Porter Dodson were able to rectify the situation. If they hadnt of course my Christmas would be slightly less exciting.