ITC Legal Services - Avoid Them

Scully38

angrygirlie wrote: »

Oh my goodness. WE HAVE TO STOP ITC. A friend of mine has closed her account at Barclays due to their 'behaviour' Maybe more people should as a protest for allowing this bank to refer unaware clients into the net of ITC.

Both my parents and I were in Barclays, my mom and dad died a few years ago, luckily appointing a solicitors firm locally to deal with their estate due to my not being well, and my sister being a money grabber. They dealt with the probate and house sale at a total cost of £4300 including EA fees of £3777.

I'm still with Barclays, but after reading this, come tomorrow morning, i'm canx my account with them and will explain that i'm cancelling my account of 25yrs because of their association with ITc.

Sorry to hear all the terrible problems everyone has had, thoughts and prayers are with you.

McCaz

We cancelled our file with ITC less than a week after the cooling off period.

We sensed something wasn't quite right after:
a) we were not informed of the full estimate of fees (apparently it isn't important to mention when asked "if that is everything?" that VAT is NOT included!
b) My Grandad's original Will, Mortgage Deeds etc were not returned as promised and flimsy excuses given for this.
c) we saw the less than encouraging reviews on this and similar sites.

My aunt spoke to the case manager and asked for the documents to be returned because she intended to cancel the file (she sent the letter to cancel by recorded post 6 days after the cooling off period) and was immediately met with hostility. She was told that no documents would be returned until their "fee" was paid although no details of this could be given.

My aunt became increasingly exasperated with the excuses of the case handler and asked me to contact her instead.

I called and could not speak to the case handler but was given the same excuse that the documents could not be released because "Admin will not allow it". I asked for a call back from the case manager that afternoon to explain the situation but unsurprisingly got no response.

I called the following day and spoke to the case handler and gave her the full details of our complaint
a) sign up agents were unproffessional and misleading.
b) documents not returned.
c) terrible customer service.

She confirmed that they had received the cancellation letter and an instruction to the finance department was made to draft the final bill.

She could not explain to me what the bill would contain and became flustered when I asked how they could quantify work undertaken when they do not charge an hourly rate.

She kept referring to the T's and C's but agreed that grieving people, who they would be dealing with by the very nature of the business, are unlikely to be in the frame of mind to trawl through small print and so salient terms should be made clear from the outset.

I was promised a bill and that my complaint would be sent to senior management.

Imagine our surprise when instead of a bill, all 3 executors received the power of attorney form (dated the day AFTER the cancellation letter was received) and an estimate for the full charges.

The estimate coincidentally was based on a valuation of my Grandad's property being half of what it actually is.
When I have later questioned the case manager on this she has stuttered over it being an estimate based on the figures WE gave the AGENTS. Strange, considering an estate agent had already valued the property and the agents were made well aware of this.

Anyway, I have again called and asked what is happening and spoke to a woman who tried to fob me off by telling me that our case manager is away for two weeks so I should call back in mid-september. She did reluctantly look into it for me but she was rude and said that the letters sent out were standard, she could not explain why standard letters were still being sent after cancellation nor what was happening with this bill.

We are still waiting for this bill, I dread to think what the cost will be if it is taking a week to draft but needless to say I will not be paying it!

If you do enjoy hearing people squirm, ask your case handler the following:
- Are they regulated?
- How they work out a fee for an incomplete file if they base their fees on the final sale of the estate. This was particularly fun because she kept mumbling "finance team" and "bill" repeatedly.

timmyt

if you dont use a 'solicitor' firm then you have only yourself to blame, applies to everyone.

if not on Law Society directory then good luck, the law should be interpreted by solicitors who go through the most legal training

John_Pierpoint

I expect you would say that about conveyancing too? A room full of clerks with a part time solicitor? Charges that were much the same as the Estate Agent's rake off? Nothing like having a good union behind you?

Though signing up the bereaved to a small print contract does not look good, even by double glazing standards.

Scully38

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

I expect you would say that about conveyancing too? A room full of clerks with a part time solicitor? Charges that were much the same as the Estate Agent's rake off? Nothing like having a good union behind you?

Though signing up the bereaved to a small print contract does not look good, even by double glazing standards.

Totally agree, when people are at their most vulnerable, there's nothing worse than vultures circling and telling the bereaved how hard work it is to gain probate and what a nightmare it is to deal with sols at a time when you're just not coping.

angrygirlie

timmyt wrote: »

if you dont use a 'solicitor' firm then you have only yourself to blame, applies to everyone.

if not on Law Society directory then good luck, the law should be interpreted by solicitors who go through the most legal training

Dear Timmy,

I think , If you consider a few facts about how we got ourselves into the situation of using ITC.
Firstly, I do not know if you have ever had the experience of dealing with the death of a loved one for the first time. It is something that one cannot be prepared for (even if in my case, my mum was terminally ill and although, we knew she was going to die, this fact did not make the actual 'death' more deal-able with) Your whole emotional being is thrown totally out of what is your normality.Even getting out of bed in the morning is a new fight for co ordination of brain, limbs and emotional motivation or willing.

In my case, I was given a brochure at The Local Authority Registrar office when registering my mum's death 4 hours after she died as I was numb and felt I could not face doing it the next day when her death would start sinking in. The brochure was for The Bereavement Advice Center which offers advice on all aspects of bereavement.
As the brochure was from The Registrar Office, and as I had serious problems with a co executor of the Will, I was unable to consider the ins and outs of probate, so I called The BAC and after explaining my predicament, they recommended me ITC Legal Services.

Point one.... As new to this process of death, bereavement and what the legal process of administering and estate involved, the word 'Legal' to me indicated Legal people = Solicitors. When in grief, you do not look at fine detail and possibly 'google' the meaning legal.

Point 2..... The BAC told me how ITC legal Services were The UK's largest Probate Company and cost 50% less than the high Street solicitor as ITC only specialist in Probate. Again, I had no reason to feel I was being mislead, as The BAC had their brochures in The Local Authority Registrar Office,so I believed I was being given good and
Impartial advice. When grieving, doing market research to charges is not at the forefront of your mind. (When things went seriously wrong I discovered The Bereavement Advice Center WAS ITC)

Point 3..... At the start , I was communicating with a 'legal advisor at ITC as I asked them to interpret the Will into laymans terms because, again, although I am of average intelligence, I needed clarity on exactly what the will was and was not saying due to some conditions in the Will. I was sent a translated Will from the Legal Dept. How could I have not know that Legal does not equal the umbrella of solicitor. It was only when things were so so bad, (about 6 months in)I contacted The Law Society to make a complaint and found out then, that ITC were not a firm of solicitors.

Point 4... If a big financial company like Barclays or The Halifax refer/recommend a client onto their 'probate service' eg as stated on The Halifax brochure for Bereavment Advice...

"We can put you in touch with our Probate
Service, which we provide in partnership with
ITC Legal Services, the largest probate provider in
the UK. You’ll get help and support every step of
the way; they’ll do all the legal and administrative
work and explain everything simply, avoiding any
jargon. You will be kept informed throughout
the process and will be looked after by your own
case manager.
Our Probate Service is competitively priced with
easy-to-understand fixed fees.
We can come and see you in your own home to
let you know how we can help."

.... Can you can honestly say that we are to blame and should of known better?

So please Timmy, If anyone on this forum had had the gift of foresight this forum would not exist!. No individual was ever totally clear that ITC Legal Services are not solicitors. Only when the problems start have we discovered they operate unregulated and that ITC Legal Services instruct solicitors to carry out what work only solicitors can do. ITC live off of the vulnerability of people like us on this forum. Thats why we are shouting about it HERE and NOW
I do not believe anyone took the ITC option knowing the company was not regulated and only wanted to save a few quid, It is quite the unfortunate opposite

Scully38

angrygirlie wrote: »

Dear Timmy,

I think , If you consider a few facts about how we got ourselves into the situation of using ITC.
Firstly, I do not know if you have ever had the experience of dealing with the death of a loved one for the first time. It is something that one cannot be prepared for (even if in my case, my mum was terminally ill and although, we knew she was going to die, this fact did not make the actual 'death' more deal-able with) Your whole emotional being is thrown totally out of what is your normality.Even getting out of bed in the morning is a new fight for co ordination of brain, limbs and emotional motivation or willing.

In my case, I was given a brochure at The Local Authority Registrar office when registering my mum's death 4 hours after she died as I was numb and felt I could not face doing it the next day when her death would start sinking in. The brochure was for The Bereavement Advice Center which offers advice on all aspects of bereavement.
As the brochure was from The Registrar Office, and as I had serious problems with a co executor of the Will, I was unable to consider the ins and outs of probate, so I called The BAC and after explaining my predicament, they recommended me ITC Legal Services.

Point one.... As new to this process of death, bereavement and what the legal process of administering and estate involved, the word 'Legal' to me indicated Legal people = Solicitors. When in grief, you do not look at fine detail and possibly 'google' the meaning legal.

Point 2..... The BAC told me how ITC legal Services were The UK's largest Probate Company and cost 50% less than the high Street solicitor as ITC only specialist in Probate. Again, I had no reason to feel I was being mislead, as The BAC had their brochures in The Local Authority Registrar Office,so I believed I was being given good and
Impartial advice. When grieving, doing market research to charges is not at the forefront of your mind.

Point 3..... At the start , I was communicating with a 'legal advisor at ITC as I asked them to interpret the Will into laymans terms because, again, although I am of average intelligence, I needed clarity on exactly what the will was and was not saying due to some conditions in the Will. I was sent a translated Will from the Legal Dept. How could I have not know that Legal does not equal the umbrella of solicitor.

Point 4... If a big financial company like Barclays or The Halifax refer/recommend a client onto their 'probate service' eg as stated on The Halifax brochure for Bereavment Advice...

"We can put you in touch with our Probate
Service, which we provide in partnership with
ITC Legal Services, the largest probate provider in
the UK. You’ll get help and support every step of
the way; they’ll do all the legal and administrative
work and explain everything simply, avoiding any
jargon. You will be kept informed throughout
the process and will be looked after by your own
case manager.
Our Probate Service is competitively priced with
easy-to-understand fixed fees.
We can come and see you in your own home to
let you know how we can help."

.... Can you can honestly say that we are to blame should of known better?

So please Timmy, If anyone on this forum had had the gift of foresight this forum would not exist!. No individual was ever totally clear that ITC Legal Services are not solicitors. Only when the problems start have we discovered they operate unregulated and that ITC Legal Services instruct solicitors to carry out what work only solicitors can do. ITC live off of the vulnerability of people like us on this forum. Thats why we are shouting about it HERE and NOW
I do not believe anyone took the ITC option knowing the company was not regulated and only wanted to save a few quid, It is quite the unfortunate opposite

I agree totally, when you know certain banks and you've been with them for years, you've never had to use a solicitor before or haven't in say 40 years. You also know they have a legal department to draw up your will etc... Wouldn't you trust them timmyt? Instead they're using an unregulated firm, which you wouldn't expect from a well known corporate body. In your desperation and sheer grief of losing someone lose. The last thing you expect is to be hustled by the very banks that have assisted you with wills, insurance etc.. You don't expect to be conned! Most people take things as read and with a lot of people who are unfamiliar in dealing with solicitors take on face value that when someone stipulates on their heading 'Legal services' that, that is what they're getting, good legal service. People don't look and are probably not aware of the fact that solicitors should be regulated. It's probably never even entered their mind.

centretap

timmyt wrote: »

if you dont use a 'solicitor' firm then you have only yourself to blame, applies to everyone.

if not on Law Society directory then good luck, the law should be interpreted by solicitors who go through the most legal training

Yet another post from you praising those 'fine upstanding' solicitors.

Anything to declare timmyt?

Do a spot of soliciting yourself do you?

angrygirlie

McCaz wrote: »

We cancelled our file with ITC less than a week after the cooling off period.

We sensed something wasn't quite right after:
a) we were not informed of the full estimate of fees (apparently it isn't important to mention when asked "if that is everything?" that VAT is NOT included!
b) My Grandad's original Will, Mortgage Deeds etc were not returned as promised and flimsy excuses given for this.
c) we saw the less than encouraging reviews on this and similar sites.

My aunt spoke to the case manager and asked for the documents to be returned because she intended to cancel the file (she sent the letter to cancel by recorded post 6 days after the cooling off period) and was immediately met with hostility. She was told that no documents would be returned until their "fee" was paid although no details of this could be given.

My aunt became increasingly exasperated with the excuses of the case handler and asked me to contact her instead.

I called and could not speak to the case handler but was given the same excuse that the documents could not be released because "Admin will not allow it". I asked for a call back from the case manager that afternoon to explain the situation but unsurprisingly got no response.

I called the following day and spoke to the case handler and gave her the full details of our complaint
a) sign up agents were unproffessional and misleading.
b) documents not returned.
c) terrible customer service.

She confirmed that they had received the cancellation letter and an instruction to the finance department was made to draft the final bill.

She could not explain to me what the bill would contain and became flustered when I asked how they could quantify work undertaken when they do not charge an hourly rate.

She kept referring to the T's and C's but agreed that grieving people, who they would be dealing with by the very nature of the business, are unlikely to be in the frame of mind to trawl through small print and so salient terms should be made clear from the outset.

I was promised a bill and that my complaint would be sent to senior management.

Imagine our surprise when instead of a bill, all 3 executors received the power of attorney form (dated the day AFTER the cancellation letter was received) and an estimate for the full charges.

The estimate coincidentally was based on a valuation of my Grandad's property being half of what it actually is.
When I have later questioned the case manager on this she has stuttered over it being an estimate based on the figures WE gave the AGENTS. Strange, considering an estate agent had already valued the property and the agents were made well aware of this.

Anyway, I have again called and asked what is happening and spoke to a woman who tried to fob me off by telling me that our case manager is away for two weeks so I should call back in mid-september. She did reluctantly look into it for me but she was rude and said that the letters sent out were standard, she could not explain why standard letters were still being sent after cancellation nor what was happening with this bill.

We are still waiting for this bill, I dread to think what the cost will be if it is taking a week to draft but needless to say I will not be paying it!

If you do enjoy hearing people squirm, ask your case handler the following:
- Are they regulated?
- How they work out a fee for an incomplete file if they base their fees on the final sale of the estate. This was particularly fun because she kept mumbling "finance team" and "bill" repeatedly.

Also make them squirm with "Trading Standards"

DZL187

timmyt wrote: »

if you dont use a 'solicitor' firm then you have only yourself to blame, applies to everyone.

if not on Law Society directory then good luck, the law should be interpreted by solicitors who go through the most legal training

ITC are on the law society, you do have to search for organization rather than solicitor though, which would cause alot of people to think they were reputable.

With that said until recently the company I work for wouldn't release any information to ITC without express permission from the executors named in the will/next of kin due to their reputation.

I can personally think of a number of cases where they had amended the beneficiary's instructions so cheques were issued in their name instead, and where, despite knowing about plans still being open and them being named on probate, they closed their case and refused to act as executors.

While the timescales do seem to have improved in general we do have quite a few claims from 2009 outstanding that are being 'dealt with' by ITC.