ITC Legal Services - Avoid Them

bakerboy98

I was at a do with a finance guy the other day and we got chatting about the legal market. He told me that a probate company was looking for his company to put some money in. He wouldn't say who it was but sounded like itc.

Sounds like the owners of itc will make millions and the bereaved will get even more badly treated (if that is possible) if the money men get involved.

Looking at the threads feels like now is time for some action. This is a big public interest story covering lack of regulation of legal services, close tie ups between banks and unregulated probate companies and abuse of bereaved.

We should:

-contact the papers and make them aware

-contact watchdog

-contact rip off britain

-contact the law society


I also like the idea of getting a respected lawyer involved who could perhaps act as a spokesman for the campaign. Don't know who that would be but sounds like Eric has someone in mind.

If we don't act soon then it will be too late.

portlandboy

bakerboy98 wrote: »

I was at a do with a finance guy the other day and we got chatting about the legal market. He told me that a probate company was looking for his company to put some money in. He wouldn't say who it was but sounded like itc.

Sounds like the owners of itc will make millions and the bereaved will get even more badly treated (if that is possible) if the money men get involved.

Looking at the threads feels like now is time for some action. This is a big public interest story covering lack of regulation of legal services, close tie ups between banks and unregulated probate companies and abuse of bereaved.

We should:

-contact the papers and make them aware

-contact watchdog

-contact rip off britain

-contact the law society


I also like the idea of getting a respected lawyer involved who could perhaps act as a spokesman for the campaign. Don't know who that would be but sounds like Eric has someone in mind.

If we don't act soon then it will be too late.

Hi,
As you rightly suggest, action must be taken to make people aware of the unregulated actions of companies that operate in the probate and will writingf field.
Many of the people who have posted here have contacted BBC's Watchdog, with no response. The Mail has run a few stories recently on the subject recently and the Law Society have received many complaints about ITC and similar.
However, there is quite a lot happening behind the scenes due in part to the experiences on this thread. There has been interest in some of the problems posted from some very influential people. At the moment it is awkward to be specific regarding this but, rest assured, the results will be open for all to see. And I know that some people are indeed using "respected" lawyers to get their point heard.
People voices will heard and rules will be changed:)

angrygirlie

bakerboy98 wrote: »

I was at a do with a finance guy the other day and we got chatting about the legal market. He told me that a probate company was looking for his company to put some money in. He wouldn't say who it was but sounded like itc.

Sounds like the owners of itc will make millions and the bereaved will get even more badly treated (if that is possible) if the money men get involved.

Looking at the threads feels like now is time for some action. This is a big public interest story covering lack of regulation of legal services, close tie ups between banks and unregulated probate companies and abuse of bereaved.

We should:

-contact the papers and make them aware

-contact watchdog

-contact rip off britain

-contact the law society


I also like the idea of getting a respected lawyer involved who could perhaps act as a spokesman for the campaign. Don't know who that would be but sounds like Eric has someone in mind.

If we don't act soon then it will be too late.

All the above are in hand. Be patient. In the meantime we must all continue our personal campaigns, bang our drums to bring as much attention to this company as possible. Keep posting, keep telling the horror stories and little by little this forum will do some work, reach the unassuming public until the big boys start taking the lead. I will not ever let this drop as what I have experienced with ITC will stay with me until the day I die ..... They will not ever be pardonned by me

angrygirlie

eric_the_half-a-bee wrote: »

My natural inclination in these things is action rather than words, and I have been racking my brains for lawful (and none too onerous) ways to "get busy".

Unfortunately all I could come up with was for our pooeld resources and experience to research the "good guys" in this same field (if there are any) and then have some sort of league table so that we could point folk to the helpful ones, rather than repeating what we already all know (sadly to our cost) about the rogues!

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I found this site - even if its only for that "thank god its not just me" moment - but I dont see much mileage in whingeing and wound-licking over and above a little solace to those already stung.

For example, Daily Mirror the article metioned in an earlier post <sorry the site wont let me post the link> mentions "Adam Walker, from Final Duties, who has been campaigning for statutory regulation, says: 'It's farcical. Anyone can set up a will-writing or probate service. I could recruit a tramp and he could be in business tomorrow."

He seems on the face of it to be a bloke who'd be "on our side" - has anybody had dealings? Would I have been better off going to (or "being found by"!!!) them? etc are the sort of things I'd want to know if I was an un-stung newcomer reading this for advice

rick

Behind the whingeing and wound licking is action being taken by many on this forum. Do what you have to do to get someone on board. Many ligits out there are more than happy to help stop these unregulated companies immorally practicing. You'd be surprised if you tell the story to those in some positions of power. It's easy for the individual to think that nothing will happen if they tell x or y about this company, but if we all tell X and y about whats going on, someones ears will listen and they may do what they can with their knowledge and ability, to bring it to the publics attention.

eric_the_half-a-bee_2

angrygirlie wrote: »

Behind the whingeing and wound licking...

Perhaps those phrases sound a bit harsh...All I'm saying is lets stop the chat and start the action, even though I'm 100% empathetic to any "whinger" or "wound licker" after all, I have "been there" too!

angrygirlie

It seems that ITC have had to listen to so many complaints and I can only presume the powers that be have maybe played a part here but.......
The Bereavement Advice Website now is adorned with the itc logo and states that the BAC is provided by ITC. Also the 'ABOUT US' write up has now been re written so it actually lets the reader know that The Bereavement Advice Centre is supported by ITC Legal services and was...

'established in 2007 through a partnership with ITC'.

This has only been changed recently so it appears that pressure has been applied to the BAC/ITC to come clean.(Trading Standards?)
And now for all of us that were not so privileged to this information at the time, but the website NOW also states that 'ITC is commited to providing Bereavement Advice Centre as a free at the point of access service. We take considerable care to be transparent about this relationship to all caller'

That's positive for the new callers but not for those thousands of us that were not given this information before itc decided to come publicly clean about their funding/ownership.

This change to the information on the BAC website is good news but now I hope that ITC will also advertise that they are not a regulated probate company, they retain the interest accrued on the estates they administer, they misuse the word professional and their transparent fixed fee is totally misleading. (dare I go on?!)
Ah well, Rome wasn't built in a day so keep up the fight all you forum participants, keep spreading the word and more changes WILL come.

portlandboy

Good news at last Angrygirlie but hopefully just the beginings of ITC's operational changes, eh? Well at last the fog seems to be disappearing slowly. Maybe they've had a call from a "very interested party". As you state, there is much more room for ITC to improve it's practices but change takes time and a little "push" here and there, doesn't it?
Hehehe!

bakerboy98

There is a programme about abuse in wills writing sector on Panorama tonight. I have sent a note to Panorama. Surely we can get them to engage on the probate sector too.

portlandboy

bakerboy98 wrote: »

There is a programme about abuse in wills writing sector on Panorama tonight. I have sent a note to Panorama. Surely we can get them to engage on the probate sector too.

Thanks for the heads-up. The posts that I and another contributers have previously added regarding things "moving along" (but have not been able to disclose) include the making of this programme. I hope that all contributers are able to watch tonight as it should include some of the problems recorded on this thread. Although it probably won't mention ITC directly, It should be well worth watching, I hope.

cp3go

Hi guys, I saw your thread mentioned on the Healthier Matters blog and thought I would look it up. Don't know if you know about the post because it' was posted today http://healthiermatters.com/uncategorized/uk-probate-services-477
The probate situations seems quite dim in the UK at the moment, glad I haven't come across it just yet.