Solicitor = Useless

Tlg1991

We sent you forms back to our solicitor for our house purchase, first of the forms had mistakes every where and some of it i couldn't even understand. we ended up taking it to our mortgage broker as they sent his forms he needed to fill out to us as well for some reason and he helped us through it.

So they got out forms back and rang us yesterday asking for the deposit payment that they requested with the forms. We 100% put a cheque in the envelope, the girl on the phone was new at this place and put us on hold about 5 times each time asking silly questions "where do you live" "are you the client" baring in mind this is after they rang us and we missed the call.

anyway we said the cheque was in the envelope when they finally asked what they was was ringing for in the first place and she said "oh yeah, I've got it now thanks" later that day someone else rang us from there and said they need our deposit. we told them they already have it and this women told us no they don't, the girl threw the envelope away with the cheque in. I can't believe the shocking service from a so called professional company, i have never dealt with solicitors before so I have nothing to go by but surely this is not what normally happens. I am just glad i didn't put cash in the envelope. so now they are pestering us for the money that we did / did not send.

Let_Us_See

Like any occupation there are good and bad solicitors.

It would have been far easier to transfer the funds into the solicitor's account electronically.

Pennywise

Tlg1991 wrote: »

I can't believe the shocking service from a so called professional company, i have never dealt with solicitors before so I have nothing to go by but surely this is not what normally happens.

Yes, there are good and bad in any profession, but there do seem to be a higher proportion of incompetent solicitors firms', perhaps because of lack of competition and that they know your likely to stick with them half way through a house transaction, so unlikely to move elsewhere.

I had a shocking firm when I bought my office. I was buying it from my immediate neighbour who I'd been renting it from for years, so I knew the property (as I'd already occupied it), and we'd agreed everything, so it was just a simple case of the solicitors drafting the contract and registering with the Land Registry - no borrowings needed, so just about as simple as it could get. The first draft contract was riddled with howling mistakes - referring to "flat" instead of "office", referring to adjoining premises "next door" when in fact the only adjoining was above (a maisonette), they put in the wrong price, they put in the wrong percentages for shares of insurance and maintenance with the maisonette above, they even got the address of the office wrong, and the map of it's outside land was also wrong (all despite all this having been laid out clearly in writing by myself and the seller when we first instructed solicitors).

Then, when we came to have our wills drafted, we used another firm, and I had virtually drafted our wills, i.e. who gets what in which circumstances (i.e. if a dies before b etc), so it just needed to be incorporated into the legalise documents. They fouled that up too and their draft would have left our assets to the wrong people.

In both cases, it was lucky that I studied law and am happy and confident to read through legal documents - if, like a lot of people would have done, I'd assumed they were right and just signed them, I hate to think of the consequences.

Trouble is that they employ the cheapest/youngest staff they can get away with and then clearly don't check properly what's being done. The actual qualified "solicitor" allocated may only spend a few minutes on your case, leaving a hierarchy of part-qualified and trainee clerks to actually do the work.

footyguy

And like most services you procure, you pays your money and you takes your choice.

If you are not happy with the choice you made (and are paying for!) ditch & switch

Tlg1991

Let_Us_See wrote: »

Like any occupation there are good and bad solicitors.

It would have been far easier to transfer the funds into the solicitor's account electronically.

Yes i understand. and also i would have paid electronically but they charged for that so was just as easy to send it with a cheque.

footyguy

By sending the deposit by cheque, the solicitor will not be in a position to exchange until it has fully cleared - so another 6 working days.

And like a solicitor would accept ca. £15k in cash in a (brown?) envelope :cool:

footyguy

Tlg1991 wrote: »

Yes i understand. and also i would have paid electronically but they charged for that so was just as easy to send it with a cheque.

Who would charge you?

It would only be your bank, but you can pay electronically without charge but the amnount may have been above the tranaction or daily limit, so you may have need to transfer the amount in more than one transaction and possibly over a number of days.

Or the charge is about £20... How much was the deposit???

Tlg1991

footyguy wrote: »

By sending the deposit by cheque, the solicitor will not be in a position to exchange until it has fully cleared - so another 6 working days.

And like a solicitor would accept ca. £15k in cash in a (brown?) envelope :cool:

15k? no it was the deposit for the solicitor fees £150 and then the rest later. just to do the searches and stuff. not our house deposit.

BJV

We have been waiting since the 2nd of July for one document from the sellers solicitors. They have apologised and said that they thought that they had already sent it. We where supposed to get the keys the last week in July. Last week we where hoping to exchange and complete (same day) this Friday. I call my solicitor every day and still no document. We will be lucky if we get the keys next Friday.


I just keep thinking that eventually it has to happen and I am not going to get myself upset any more when scheduled dates move again and again.


Don't think that the problem is our solicitors instead it is the sellers who I think must be the same as yours! Incompetent!

footyguy

Tlg1991 wrote: »

15k? no it was the deposit for the solicitor fees £150 and then the rest later. just to do the searches and stuff. not our house deposit.

What bank do you use that charges you for an electronic transfer of £150 (but doesn't charge for you writing a cheque)???

Tlg1991

footyguy wrote: »

What bank do you use that charges you for an electronic transfer of £150 (but doesn't charge for you writing a cheque)???

it was on the solicitors forms under the methods they would accept payment. there was 3 options. cash, cheque and bank transfer (charges will occur) i can't remember if it stated how much but the option for a cheque was there. i don't actually have cheque with my bank so used my partners mums cheques and transferred the money into her bank. now she is on holiday so that money is in her account somewhere lol (obviously i can use other money)