Panorama - Will Writers

ukmaggie45

Just a quick note to alert you that Panorama tonight at 8.30pm is on will writers. Called "Wills - The Final Rip Off?"

I doubt it will bring up anything that folks on here don't know already, but it might be interesting to watch.

There was an item on Breakfast this morning about it, and they tried to interview 2 blokes who have since been jailed for stealing money via wills they wrote.

Sorry this is a late alert - I'm sure it'll be on BBC i-Player if you want to catch up later.

mary-op

Thanks. Was just going to put similar post up. We've already done ours but be interesting to see the pitfalls other folk might have come up against

moonrakerz

You will (pun not intended) still get people posting on here asking for the cheapest place to get a Will written !!!

SailorSam

They were worse than double glazing salesmen. how on earth can they give a quote of about £60 to someone then get them to agree to pay almost £3k, and still not get the job right.

datostar

SailorSam wrote: »

They were worse than double glazing salesmen. how on earth can they give a quote of about £60 to someone then get them to agree to pay almost £3k, and still not get the job right.

Very clever, aren't they? The double glazing crowd start high then drop the price until people are hooked. This lot manage it the opposite way round!

finance_guy

Any person or business professing to be able to write Wills should be a member of STEP (Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners) and not these flimsy Will writing bodies which have no accreditation and were mentioned in the programme.[FONT=&quot][/FONT]

dzug1

Missed the programme unfortunately- and it's not currently on i-player.

Was the point that the wills are no good full stop - or that they appointed themselves executors for which they late charge thousands? (ie just like solicitors in fact.....)

Quiet_Life

It is repeated at 01.10 this Friday BBC 1

datostar

dzug1 wrote: »

Missed the programme unfortunately- and it's not currently on i-player.

Was the point that the wills are no good full stop - or that they appointed themselves executors for which they late charge thousands? (ie just like solicitors in fact.....)

One outfit in Lincoln was simply stealing the money and 2 partners have just got 3 1/2 years apiece for it. In general, the problem wasn't the wills themselves, but the addons they persuaded people to take, like Power of Attorney, Will Storage, Executor & Trustee roles (with a 1% charge), Probate charges etc. As you say, not unlike some solicitors (and Banks!).

Farway

datostar wrote: »

O In general, the problem wasn't the wills themselves, but the addons they persuaded people to take, like Power of Attorney, Will Storage, Executor & Trustee roles (with a 1% charge), Probate charges etc. As you say, not unlike some solicitors (and Banks!).

I heard the item on Today Radio 4, where they interviewed someone from Which? about this

Unfortunately [for the reporter] the Which? spokeswoman went "off script" and slagged off banks for writing themselves in as Executor & Trustee at huge percentage rates

I found it midly amusing as the reporter tried to drag her back "on script" to slag of independent will writers and not the banks & solicitors

roddydogs

Its not getting the will written thats the problem, its if you want them to act as executor where the money comes in.......my solicitor charges £180 per hour, and cannot tell me how many "Hours" would be needed.......in other words they can take as long as they want.
If you can, nominate your own executors, preferably much younger than you, who you can trust.