Solicitor won't Release my cheque for RTA claim

jillkc68

I have phoned again this morning but guess what? The receptionist has no clue what's happening and will ask the solicitor to ring me back. Yesterday when I rang TWICE the solicitor was allegedly on the phone with the court looking for answers. Although the receptionist said he would ring me back after the phone call he didn't. I am being led to believe that the delay in payment is due to an issue with the court but if this is the case then why aren't they returning my calls to explain what the issue is. To me this is suspicious. I will give the solicitor until this afternoon to phone me and if he doesn't I will send him an email stating that I will be want to commence the complaints procedure. Following this I will ring the receptionist and ask her for a general email address so that I can send the same email to this address also.
This solicitor I have known for years as he dealt with other legal matters for me. Then half way through dealing with my RTA he was 'bought over' by another solicitor as he had 'financial issues' that had caused him to lose his business. This is why i am so suspicious of why I am blatantly being ignored! BTW his fee has already been factored into it and what I have been quoted is mine.

stragglebod

jillkc68 wrote: »

I will ring one more time tomorrow. If there is nothing forthcoming from that call I will ring the senior partner. I don't expect to get speaking to him and so i will leave a message informing him that a complaint is being progressed and I will be leaving a bad review on every site I can link to his company's name!!!

So giving you advice on what to do was a complete waste of our time?

Manxman_in_exile

jillkc68 wrote: »

...

This solicitor I have known for years as he dealt with other legal matters for me. Then half way through dealing with my RTA he was 'bought over' by another solicitor as he had 'financial issues' that had caused him to lose his business. This is why i am so suspicious of why I am blatantly being ignored!...

Probably not relevant, but was he a sole practitioner previously? Do you know how many partners there are in his current firm - is he/she one of them?


Your suspicions are probably groundless, but you might want to check what sort of reputation they have.


It may be different in Norn Iron, but I was surprised when you said you'd never received the customer "care package" referred to in earlier posts.

jillkc68

To stranglebod... I did follow advice. I stopped ringing frequently. I emailed the solicitor directly for an update but received none. . I didn't go to the senior partner and today I made an appt to see the solicitor. I did state I would be progressing a complaint considering that after 9+ weeks I still havent received an update. For the record the receptionist told me today I should have received my money 4 weeks ago and she had no clue of why the solicitor hasn't contacted me. I will post one further update after my appointment with the solicitor because at that point I hope to have some answers!

jillkc68

Hello.... My update today is that the solicitors receptionist rang and cancelled my appointment this afternoon. Apparently the solicitor isnt coming in today and tbh this didn't surprise me. I have now phoned the senior partners practice who, by the way, bought over this practice when it was going bust and I have informed everyone that I am progressing a complaint to the law society. I then got a call from my solicitor and he shared some very personal information with me which he attributed to why I have been treated so abysmally. He said he had filled a form in wrong 3 times and this is why the court won't release my money. I don't believe any of this bull***T btw because a solicitor with over 20 years experience would not fill the same form in wrong 3 times. I then rang the senior partners practice back and informed the secretary about the phone call and the alleged form. I have told her that I am sure the senior partner won't want me making a complaint as his name will also be involved. I told her someone needs to adderss this immediately or my complaint will go ahead

warby68

Please please stop doing things over the phone - put it in writing, with a timescale, then escalate. Conversations don't really exist once they are over, letters and complaints procedures do.

Undervalued

warby68 wrote: »

Please please stop doing things over the phone - put it in writing, with a timescale, then escalate. Conversations don't really exist once they are over, letters and complaints procedures do.

Exactly this ^^^^^^^

jillkc68

Yes i shall do that. I will compose a letter today and send it to both practices. I also have emails that I sent and a record of how many times I have Contacted my solicitor by phone. Hopefully the senior partner will address it now as I doubt he wants his company named in a complaint.

jillkc68

Still no money. Even though I went to the solicitors office and signed a form so that a BACS payment could be made straight into my bank account, I received nothing. I rang my solicitor and he said the court had decided to post the cheque instead. Still no sign of my cheque. Apparently it will be arriving next week. Im at my wits end now with all of this nonsense. I honestly thought I had it sorted by going to the office and signing the forms etc

DigForVictory

Is there any chance they could legally be in doubt as to who you are - have they taken & certified copies of your driving licence & passport etc?

Most legal firms won't hand over amounts over £500 without ensuring they are complying with money laundering regulations ie checking you are who you say by evidence of ID. It doesn't take long & this paper you signed may well cover it but be aware of it as a possible last minute delay that is wholly legit, but still frustrating.