Solicitor's Delaying Tactic

zappahey

Richard_Webster wrote: »

Some of the stuff we do is very technical and sometimes it is easier to seek to resolve the issues than to spend a long time on the phone trying to explain what is happening.

I can see your point but there really needs to be a middle ground. As the guy paying the bill, I expect to be kept aware of what is delaying exchange and what is the likelihood of it being resolved.

It's fair enough for the solicitor, as the professional who is doing this every day, to be comfortable that everything is in hand but, for most of us, it is an uncommon event packed full of stress. Being kept in the dark doesn't help.

I understand that the explanation time costs money but I suspect this is a case of you get what you pay for and that going for the cheapest isn't always the best move.

Just for clarity, I'm not suggesting that this is what the OP has done.

sunshinetours

Service levels and customer management skills from many local solicitors often appears lacking (from experience of dealing professionally with many local solicitors)
What some solicitors seem to fail to recognise is that recommendations should be their main source of repeat business. Unlike accountants they do not (generally) build up a portfolio of clients that come back to them for all advice time after time. Leaving clients in the dark means those clients have time to assume the worst and any action taken after that usually is too little to late

HOWEVER to balance this out, some clients (of any of the legal/accounting professions) also have a totally unrealistic expectation of what they should be getting as a service for their money. Conveyancing especially is seen as a low value service in the UK. Compare with what many EU countries pay for their property conveyancing and you will see what I mean. Pay peanuts ..... you get the idea

House moving is one of the most stressful things any individual will do so not surprising as someone else said above, things can get blown up when they shouldn't on both sides

Richard_Webster

I don't know what the solicitor could be doing. TimmyT's suggestions sounded reasonable. Following OP's further explanations aI can't think of any other reason for the delay other than that possibly she had an even more urgent and pressing case she was trying to deal with.

My point about "Exchange Date" is that it is one thing to say that you would like to exchange by a certain date, it is another to achieve that. Estate agents sometimes send out letters saying something like "Exchange Date xx/xx/xx and Completion Date : yy/yy/yy." so everyone in the chain can get all keen about those dates.

timmyt

sunshinetours wrote: »

Service levels and customer management skills from many local solicitors often appears lacking (from experience of dealing professionally with many local solicitors)
What some solicitors seem to fail to recognise is that recommendations should be their main source of repeat business. Unlike accountants they do not (generally) build up a portfolio of clients that come back to them for all advice time after time. Leaving clients in the dark means those clients have time to assume the worst and any action taken after that usually is too little to late

HOWEVER to balance this out, some clients (of any of the legal/accounting professions) also have a totally unrealistic expectation of what they should be getting as a service for their money. Conveyancing especially is seen as a low value service in the UK. Compare with what many EU countries pay for their property conveyancing and you will see what I mean. Pay peanuts ..... you get the idea

House moving is one of the most stressful things any individual will do so not surprising as someone else said above, things can get blown up when they shouldn't on both sides

conveyancers do the most important job in the whole moving process - they are the ones sued - yet they charge next to nothing. Even on this website, people want to pay even less than that, but expect top notch service.

you rarely get both. my firm you do, but so many other firms have dropped the ball and that is shocking in this climate.

what can be done - go armed with a checklist of what to ask a solicitor. I will start a new thread to make the top 20 checklist for you.

a lot of the problem is that EAs take referral fees from rubbish lawyers, so their impression of conveyancers can be from their own lawyers.

referral fees are often paid by factory firms who by definition will not provide top notch service compared to those firms who charge a bespoke price where you get a sole individual (senior person or qualified). That is a generalisation, but still is what us conveyancers always see. We groan when a facotry is on the other side of us.

sunshinetours

timmyt wrote: »

conveyancers do the most important job in the whole moving process - they are the ones sued - yet they charge next to nothing. Even on this website, people want to pay even less than that, but expect top notch service.

you rarely get both. my firm you do, but so many other firms have dropped the ball and that is shocking in this climate.

what can be done - go armed with a checklist of what to ask a solicitor. I will start a new thread to make the top 20 checklist for you.

a lot of the problem is that EAs take referral fees from rubbish lawyers, so their impression of conveyancers can be from their own lawyers.

referral fees are often paid by factory firms who by definition will not provide top notch service compared to those firms who charge a bespoke price where you get a sole individual (senior person or qualified). That is a generalisation, but still is what us conveyancers always see. We groan when a facotry is on the other side of us.

Are you a L/conveyancer or solicitor Timmy?
Excellent idea about the checklist

Radsteral

timmyt wrote: »

if only lawyers could fire clients, oh the stories conveyancers could give....

i dont know about other clients- i am not part of the heard of white and black sheep;)

I filled the online form, to instruct, so i dont get it how my surname can end up with 4 missing letters specsavers or what?


the other solicitor , was 65, had big glases but God!, i could email him and i would get an email reply in 10 minutes any time of the day.
No wonder when i bought the house he recieved a small brown envelope with thanks from me .

FlyingBrief

Just like to say thanks everyone for your inputs - gave me a great insight while trying to figure out the issues behind the headlines.

2.38 pm today was however relief hour as she rang to say that exchange of contracts had successfully taken place!!:rotfl::j

So, many thanks again everyone...and I look forward to your Top 20 Checklist, timmyt.