HSBC not using Countrywide Conveyancing for our mortgage

RavingMad

Hi

After reading all the nightmare threads about Countrywide, we opted to use a local solicitor. We instructed them just as our mortgage was doing the rounds with the underwriters.

Long story short, just found out that O'Neill Patient are acting for HSBC. Does this mean we might not face the delays associated with Countrywide?

Thanks

DVardysShadow

RavingMad wrote: »

Long story short, just found out that O'Neill Patient are acting for HSBC. Does this mean we might not face the delays associated with Countrywide?

One Ill Patient? Sounds better than Countrywide.

Oxid8uk

The buyers of my partners flat used O'Neill Patient. Straightforward sale - flat was no chain and vacant, buyers were FTBs and the property was only 18 months old so they only had a basic survey. Still took over 3 months as O'Neill Patient kept losing the paperwork. In the first month they managed to lose the entire file and then just over two months in we thought it a bit fishy when they managed to lose page 6 of a 9 page document - the page which happened to be the one that stated our preferred timescales for completion (which was no more than 2 months). Therefore they said they couldn't proceed with the purchase until they got another copy of that page. Needless to say we made sure we got it to them the same day so they had no more excuses! Although everything was in place it still took a further 3 weeks before exchange occured.

But then the buyers lender was Santander so that may well have also contributed to some of the delay!

RavingMad

Thanks Oxid8uk, I saw your posting beforehand. Hoping that as they're only acting on HSBC's behalf that it might go a bit smoother than your experience

blargh

DVardysShadow wrote: »

One Ill Patient? Sounds better than Countrywide.

beautiful :T

betmunch

RavingMad wrote: »

Thanks Oxid8uk, I saw your posting beforehand. Hoping that as they're only acting on HSBC's behalf that it might go a bit smoother than your experience

Cant see it happening I'm afraid. O'Neill Patient is one of Countrywides regular cronies, they get a lot of work panelled out from Countrywide.

Think your in for the same S**t, but with a different name on the headed paper.

RavingMad

Oh well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens

Ganga

We have just remorgaged with the HSBC, they used a firm called Shulmans of Leeds, it went so fast it was great,the solicitors sent out the paperwork,we filled in what was required and the only other communication was they were trying to obtain a redemption figure from the Yorkshire BS and we were with the Norwich & Peterborough who allthough have been taken over by the Yorkshire BS they still trade as a stand alone company.
From start to finish took about 40 days.Hope everybody else has the same experience.

Regards Alan

Cupcakes2012

Having just read Ganga's post I thought it only fair that I share my own experience of Shulmans Leeds branch... I was also assigned them through the HSBC Countrywide panel, this was back in April. When we were first assigned Shulmans we were given the name Vicky Mortimer as our contact. We then were given a tracker service where it says the person dealing with our case is Vicky Marshall. Once we got going it turned out it would actually be Vicky Morley...yesterday, with one week left to completion i emailed Vicky to check she had received my final fees, stamp duty etc that i paid last week. It turns out she is on leave (again) until our completion date and has changed her name to 'Lisa'.
The first concern here is that 'Vicky' was also on leave when the vendors' solicitors tried telling her we needed to exchange by 3rd August or the sale would fall through. Nobody was picking up her work load and as Vicky didn't let us know we needed to pay our deposit until the day before, we almost lost the sale. We tried to complain and have Shulmans pay the fee the bank charge for transferring money the same day, but the response was that the sale didn't fall through so no action was necessary. So here we are again, 3 weeks later, with Vicky on leave again and we have no name to contact in her absence. I called the office yesterday but nobody was available to talk to me. They said they would call me back but they didn't.
The next concern is obviously that Vicky Marshall throughout the process has had various names and is now 'Lisa Morley'. We have just handed over thousands of pounds to this woman...
This, on top of their incompetence everytime we asked her a question has really made us question how professional this company is. Vicky is snappy and rude on the phone, doesn't let you know when she has reveived your email, waits until you chase her for a response, doesn't seem able to answer a question that doesn't have a 'textbook' reply, doesn't let you know she's going on leave...the list goes on.
I cannot wait until this process is over!

harvey115

You should contact their manager and explain this to him, if they do not get in touch in one day call head of department and complain on that person.

You need to be firm this time and let them know its no way of treating customers.

I would suggest you get in touch with your contacts either in Countrywide or HSBC and let them know about this.

Best of Luck.

murphydog999

Don't mention Shulmans!!! What a nightmare these people are, Cupcakes story is almost identical to to mine last year. No one who you had been dealing with before was ever there, they would never pick up the phone, reply to emails, said our proof of ID wasn't good enough, then it was, then it wasn't. How do people like this get any work?

We made an official complaint, to the branch, to HSBC and Shulmans, it seems to have made no difference!!