My

TripleH

I sent an email asking for an update after hearing nothing for nearly 2 months (we are awaiting answers from vendor solicitor) and was told I'd get a response the following week as the solicitor dealing with our purchase had completions to do at end of that week. I emailed a week later when I had not heard anything and got an email saying they were awaiting information still. I may well message in a fortnight if we still have had no info but will then leave until after Christmas. That's life at the moment am afraid
It might be better to send a message with "if I don't hear back I assume nothing has changed since your last update" and also include "please let me know if there is anything I need to to / have ready".
Remember also just because everyone else seems to be working slow doesn't mean you shouldn't aim to turn round any requests / answer any questions within a maximum of 48 hours yourself. In this climate if you drag your heels I suspect the focus will switch to those clients who do what is asked of them asap as that is how the fees will be generated.

steampowered

I am with the Op.
If the solicitor / conveyancer is waiting for search results, why can't they just say that. Instead of giving a vague response which leaves the client with no idea of where things stand.

Surrey_EA

camden_kid said:

Surrey_EA said:

camden_kid said:

princeofpounds said:

Exodi said:

I have a lot of sympathy for conveyancing solicitors.

I don't.

I totally understand that the financial incentive is to process huge volumes of work, and not to communicate at each stage of the process. They don't get paid for it.

However, their communication skills are frequently awful, and OP's situation is a prime example. Their replies were vague and dismissive, and the ultimate response was borderline rude (or even plain rude depending on what the 'telling off' actually involved). If they had expended an ounce of effort into explaining their replies, the OP would never have felt like they needed to resort to multiple enquiries.

It would not be remotely hard for them to craft and copy-past a number of replies that would address most of these queries, even if they cannot give a definitive answer they could actually address some of the underlying concern. For example; 'We expect your searches to be back soon, but that could be a matter of weeks rather than days. Please be reassured that we will contact you as soon as we can progress your file, but for now we are waiting on third party services, which is totally normal in a transaction. You do not need to contact us, we will contact you.'. I'm not claiming that's the best reply ever (far from it!), but you get the idea.

Nor would it be hard to set fair expectations of communication at the outset. Particularly with FTBs they are dealing with people who have never been through a transaction, which is the most important of their lives to date. A simple paragraph would explain that housing transactions can take months, that regular updates are not useful if the file has not progressed, that the firm will be in touch at certain milestones so enquiries are unnecessary etc.

Part of the problem I think, apart from the lack of incentive and customer service ethos, is that they don't really like to explain to clients that the transaction can take ages, they are often waiting on other parties, and they are doing nothing with your file more often than something.

Certainly it's not hard to communicate with them promptly when they are angling for new business or chasing up money, when they have to...

If I was the OP; if it was early in the process, I would sack them. If not, bite your tongue and consider making a formal complaint afterwards, emphasising that the only reason for multiple enquiries was the multiple dismissive responses. The Law Society has a conveyancing protocol with the following obligations:

https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/en/topics/property/conveyancing-protocol

"Agree at an early stage how you will communicate with all others involved and respond promptly to communications."
"Maintain high standards of courtesy and deal with others in a fair and honest manner"
"Ensure that you have managed and covered timing and other expectations and linked transactions such as chains appropriately."

Of course you may not have the energy when you get to that stage. The easy alternative is simply to name and shame them online in reviews.

At a minimum a solicitor should update you once a week, even if it's to say there's no news.

It is not uncommon for each solicitor to have around 150 files on the go at any one time. If they gave weekely updates they would need to average 30 each day, or roughly four an hour, taking a typical business day. 

That doesn't leave much time to get any actual work done.

150 files on the go - maybe that's why there are so many complaints about solicitors. But I'm not in a position to judge their business model, just saying.

Yeah, it's not ideal! But unfortunately there has been such downward pressure of conveyancing fees over the past 20 years this is the only realistic way of making any money.

DayDreamerandGeneralWaster

It's very difficult. They are very busy. I suspect they don't know what due course means either and are clearly fed up with having to take time out of their day to tell you they don't have anything to tell you. 🤦‍♀️ It's a shame they felt the need to share that with you though. Don't take it personally ⚘

Thrugelmir

fleur8 said:

DayDreamerandGeneralWaster said:

It's very difficult. They are very busy. I suspect they don't know what due course means either and are clearly fed up with having to take time out of their day to tell you they don't have anything to tell you. 🤦‍♀️ It's a shame they felt the need to share that with you though. Don't take it personally ⚘

I understand. Many of us have professional
jobs and are under extreme stress. I couldn’t imagine ever speaking to my “clients” in that manner and I’m pretty sure my job is just as busy, if not a bit more than theirs. 

How much of your working day are you prepared to allocate to non productive activity though?  Do you charge your time to clients in 5 minute segments every hour of the working day?  With questions asked if you don't hit a certain level of recoverable time at the end of the month. 

camden_kid

Thrugelmir said:

fleur8 said:

DayDreamerandGeneralWaster said:

It's very difficult. They are very busy. I suspect they don't know what due course means either and are clearly fed up with having to take time out of their day to tell you they don't have anything to tell you. 🤦‍♀️ It's a shame they felt the need to share that with you though. Don't take it personally ⚘

I understand. Many of us have professional
jobs and are under extreme stress. I couldn’t imagine ever speaking to my “clients” in that manner and I’m pretty sure my job is just as busy, if not a bit more than theirs. 

How much of your working day are you prepared to allocate to non productive activity though?  Do you charge your time to clients in 5 minute segments every hour of the working day?  With questions asked if you don't hit a certain level of recoverable time. 

Keeping a paying client up to date is non productive? It's a service based industry. If I didn't keep my colleagues, boss and company up to date regularly I'd be out on my ear in no time.

Caramac

DayDreamerandGeneralWaster said:

It's very difficult. They are very busy. I suspect they don't know what due course means either and are clearly fed up with having to take time out of their day to tell you they don't have anything to tell you. 🤦‍♀️ It's a shame they felt the need to share that with you though. Don't take it personally ⚘

It is very difficult, I know it frustrates me at work having to assure people I am doing my job rather than actually doing my job.  

I deliberately didn’t chase my solicitor over the sale of our house, and mistakenly assumed because the buyer’s solicitor was pushing for a earlier completion date everything was in order. It was only when we chased up early in the week we were due to exchange/complete we realised there was a problem. 

in_my_wellies

When I appointed a solicitor for my mothers home I was told not to contact them as work would be done behind the scenes and everything would happen quickly at the end. Unfortunately I believed this and didn't contact them for 9 weeks. I was concerned that I hadn't been sent anything to sign or complete. 

I rang them only to get an answering machine.  After leaving 5 messages I received a call from a different solicitor introducing herself and starting the process. When I queried the timing she was very embarrassed. When I received communication her Ref. No. was 00000008 so I presumed from this she was newly appointed and I was her 8th client. If they were short staffed I can understand but I wish they had been honest with me at the start.  

Progress was still slow and in the end the estate agent was my friend - I never thought I would say this but she earned every penny. She was the contact between the buyer, their solicitor, the management company, the leaseholder and my solicitor. All emails were shared so my solicitor could not play the blame game and keep passing the buck.  

When I queried the bill she said I was lying and the management company were too. I got a refund (£3600). I'm still waiting for £500 retention fee to be refunded, due at the end of July. Once again she is blaming the buyers solicitor. I'm hoping my call directly to them this week will prompt some action. 

Thrugelmir

camden_kid said:

Thrugelmir said:

fleur8 said:

DayDreamerandGeneralWaster said:

It's very difficult. They are very busy. I suspect they don't know what due course means either and are clearly fed up with having to take time out of their day to tell you they don't have anything to tell you. 🤦‍♀️ It's a shame they felt the need to share that with you though. Don't take it personally ⚘

I understand. Many of us have professional
jobs and are under extreme stress. I couldn’t imagine ever speaking to my “clients” in that manner and I’m pretty sure my job is just as busy, if not a bit more than theirs. 

How much of your working day are you prepared to allocate to non productive activity though?  Do you charge your time to clients in 5 minute segments every hour of the working day?  With questions asked if you don't hit a certain level of recoverable time. 

Keeping a paying client up to date is non productive? It's a service based industry. If I didn't keep my colleagues, boss and company up to date regularly I'd be out on my ear in no time.

How much revenue do you directly generate for your organisation?  

Thrugelmir

fleur8 said:

Thrugelmir said:

fleur8 said:

DayDreamerandGeneralWaster said:

It's very difficult. They are very busy. I suspect they don't know what due course means either and are clearly fed up with having to take time out of their day to tell you they don't have anything to tell you. 🤦‍♀️ It's a shame they felt the need to share that with you though. Don't take it personally ⚘

I understand. Many of us have professional
jobs and are under extreme stress. I couldn’t imagine ever speaking to my “clients” in that manner and I’m pretty sure my job is just as busy, if not a bit more than theirs. 

How much of your working day are you prepared to allocate to non productive activity though?  Do you charge your time to clients in 5 minute segments every hour of the working day?  With questions asked if you don't hit a certain level of recoverable time at the end of the month. 

I’m not sure that answering your client’s question is not productive. 

You wouldn't last working in a fee based environment.