Any success getting part of the conveyancing refunded?

bylromarha

Brief synopsis

Moved into our new house...one solicitor for selling-highly recommend them www.fidler.co.uk £250 fee and legalities the same cost as everyone else.

Another solicitor for buying, we were offered a sweetner by the builder if we used their recommended firm...this local comapny were a pain in the backside to put it mildly. They lied to us repeatedly, never returned phone calls/faxes/emails, didn't return our substantial credit balance for a week even though they were bugged continually about it by us, still owe us the interest on the money...which they say is very unusual for us to ask for and have never heard of before.

All in all, appaling service. I've written to them asking for £100 of their £350 fees to be returned, which I think is fair and reasonable considering how much time and money we have wasted chasing them. I addressed it private and confidential to a partner of the firm and informed them that we've taken informal legal advice about this (which we have). Going on previous experience, I know the letter will be ignored, so want to get another letter ready to post recorded when they don't get back to me within 7 days as requested.

What should I put in it? Any ideas? And even if we don't get the fee reduction, how do I get our interest payment returned as this is our money?

BTW the sales office are having the same problems with the solicitors, as have other buyers on the new estate, but the builders are going to continue to use them so no threat to be made there

BarmyBubba

Threaten to report them to the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (theclc.gov.uk). Might put the wind up them.

Bossyboots

BarmyBubba wrote:

Threaten to report them to the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (theclc.gov.uk). Might put the wind up them.

No, the partners are solicitors and as far as I can see are trading as such. Therefore it would be the Law Society Consumer Complaints department.

First off though, they must have a complaints procedure which you would be expected to have followed before going to the Law Society. There should be a named partner to handle this and they are obliged to respond. That doesnt mean they will of course.

As to whether interest is payable to you, that will depend on the amount held and the length of time they have it and just at the moment I can't find the page on the Law Society website that gives the scale. I think in your case though, as they were surplus conveyancing funds which should have been clear on the day of completion and which would have been clear funds, they should have sent them to you on completion. It is not reasonable therefore for them to argue that they have acted within the scale.

bylromarha

Just to let you know. Sent 2 letters to solicitor, no response. Sent the third to the other director telling them I was going to the law society. Finally received a response ( 5 days after the deadline I gave them) and have been offered the £100 fee reduction I asked for + £50 to cover interest costs.

All we really wanted was their agreement we've had awful service...which we've got! Happy I don't need to think about it anymore.

Mr_Proctalgia

I just wanted to echo what the OP stated - I have recently used Fidler and Pepper for a sale and two purchases - Excellent sevice and cheap to boot - Well recommended.