Countrywide Conveyancing/HSBC - avoid like the plague if you want to complete

Yorkie1

@mischief, nothing you can do apart from wait.

Your buyer can try to complain but you are not the client of HSBC and therefore they will ignore you.

On a more general note, see these two letters from conveyancers in this week's Law Soc Gazette. The revolt continues!

http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/opinion/letters/don-t-bank-loyalty
http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/opinion/letters/no-hsbc

littlemonkeywolf

Were on our 3rd version of the TR1 form for Countrywide now... So not only annoyin us but also having to keep getting people to witness it etc... 2 in the space of a week surly isnt right...

oh and they have the deposit money and fees paid now.. they best not demand any more money from me now with these further changes... or else :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Onto the 10th week of what should have been a 28 day repossession exchange.... and oh joy Easter will be the next excuse for it not being done. :mad:

mumps

We were selling my late mother in laws house, no chain and had a cash purchaser. Great we thought, estate agent recommended Countrywide. What a nightmare, not only were they slow, lost documents but they were also rude. We were dealing with two women, both claimed that the other one was their assistant. I phoned the day before completion to check everything was OK and was told I shouldn't be wasting their time. Next morning I was out with grandchildren and they phoned my husband demanding to speak to me, don't know why as he was the vendor but I had done most of the chasing, he eventually got hold of me and I phoned only to get a load of abuse. I eventually hung up as I was so mad, was prepared to lose the sale rather than put up with anymore from her. Worst experience I have ever had and I have bought and sold a few houses.

rach1968

Well, we have exchanged yesterday...thank god! At least there's an end to this and we won't have to live out of boxes much longer. Worst experience i have ever had when moving, ridiculous carry on. My estate agent won't deal with anyone taking a mortgage out with HSBC now, think others should take this tack. Good luck to the rest of you.

kingstreet

mumps wrote: »

estate agent recommended Countrywide

AFAIK only Countrywide estate agency members recommend Countrywide Conveyancing, so your "recommendation" was one of self-interest, not of concern in ensuring you were going to get the best service and/or charges.

baggage55

PatzyG wrote: »

Hi new to this forum but we are having exactly they same problem. The people we are buying from are going through HSBC, there is only us and them and they are moving to an empty property. All contracts were signed and work completed at the end of February. Our seller's solicitors sent all the paperwork to Countrywide over two weeks ago, heard from them once last Friday, completed their request by fax and have heard nothing since. I would be interested to know who I could 'hassle' at Countrywide. Our completion date was originally meant to be tomorrow. So very fed up with these incompetent people!!

Hi, Sorry, only just had time to go back to the forum (we finally moved on 28th March). The person who e mailed my husband in response to his contact is : [EMAIL="Paul.Creffield@countrywide.co.uk"]Paul.Creffield@countrywide.co.uk[/EMAIL]
If it's not too late for you it's worth a try as I can't believe it was just coincidence that things got moving once he was involved. Regards, Caroline

jonas123

Hi all,

Still having a nightmare. One of my solicitor's clients was buying off someone going with HSBC/Countrywide. They had exchanged and arranged a completion date, but when it came to that date, HSBC never transferred the funds!

They're now in the process of suing the buyer for their 10% deposit due to non-completion. I believe he said that as HSBC aren't legally obliged to send the money through, they haven't got a leg to stand on! Just another warning.

Suety

I too have found myself a victim of the Countrywide farce. Using my own solicitor I had never heard of Countrywide until I enquired why it was taking so long to draw down my mortgage. This was at the end of February. Countrywide asked my solicitor for some additional information to what had already been provided, this was speedily sent but from March 6 no further contact from Countrywide has been made. This is despite daily phone calls from myself and my solicitor and numerous faxes, continual promises that the case handler will contact my solicitor within the next 24 hours never happen. I do not believe I will ever get permision to exchange contracts. So yesterday instead of my usual phone call to HSBC I phoned First Direct instead and made a new mortgage application. I feel better now than I have for weeks. I'm going to have to rent for a while which isn't good with a young familly and dogs but at least now I know what I'm doing. I believe the only way to show HSBC what a huge mistake they've made with Countrywide is to vote with my feet and take my business else where.

steevo_h

I faxed HSBC on the 22nd asking them to intervene because I didn't want to miss the stamp duty deadline. That was a Thursday, the following Tuesday 27th I got a call from HSBC saying they had discussed my case with countrywide and countrywide had made a list of excuses but basically trying to say they had been waiting for me to do stuff not the other way round - a pack of lies! The girl who called me from HSBC told me countrywide had informed her they could have everything done by the 29th. On the 29th nothing happened and they said the 30th march or the 2nd April.

So on the 30th yesterday they said it will be the 2nd or 3rd of April. It beggars belief, their attitude is appalling and no business that inept should be able to survive. What are they doing that is so difficult that they can't even give a clear account of what they are doing and when they can get their job done. I have never in my life dealt with a company as incompetent as countrywide. And the fact that HSBC force you to use them is a disgrace. They say they give you the choice, but if you use your own solicitor, countrywide still step in for HSBC to ruin what would otherwise have been a smooth and stress free transaction.

betmunch

Yorkie1 wrote: »

On a more general note, see these two letters from conveyancers in this week's Law Soc Gazette. The revolt continues!

http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/opinion/letters/don-t-bank-loyalty
http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/opinion/letters/no-hsbc

Love it!

Surely HSBC must be aware of all these things happening and realise they need to back track on this decision?

Or do they just want to push all their mortgage business through First Direct? I bet the First Direct Sale Team are loving it!!!