My

ratechaser

I think a lot hinges on what this 'telling off' actually entailed. My own job involves navigating clients through a complex process with multiple overlapping steps that have timelines that are hard to quantify -  not entirely unlike buying a house.

But I'd never ever tell them to go away and stop bothering me or my team simply because they don't understand the process. If that's what happened here then I'd be having a very direct conversation with them about minimum expectations about their professional behaviour...

camden_kid

ratechaser said:

I think a lot hinges on what this 'telling off' actually entailed. My own job involves navigating clients through a complex process with multiple overlapping steps that have timelines that are hard to quantify -  not entirely unlike buying a house.

But I'd never ever tell them to go away and stop bothering me or my team simply because they don't understand the process. If that's what happened here then I'd be having a very direct conversation with them about minimum expectations about their professional behaviour...

I wouldn't even bother doing that. I'd get new solicitors. Why waste my breath?

ratechaser

camden_kid said:

ratechaser said:

I think a lot hinges on what this 'telling off' actually entailed. My own job involves navigating clients through a complex process with multiple overlapping steps that have timelines that are hard to quantify -  not entirely unlike buying a house.

But I'd never ever tell them to go away and stop bothering me or my team simply because they don't understand the process. If that's what happened here then I'd be having a very direct conversation with them about minimum expectations about their professional behaviour...

I wouldn't even bother doing that. I'd get new solicitors. Why waste my breath?

Depends how far along you are. Cutting off noses etc not always the best approach. If this is a genuine firm rather than robo conveyancing then a firm word in the right place can get things back on track...

olbas_oil

A recent family purchase was done via Conveyancing Warehouse. This is not a recommendation (but the individual solicitor who has since moved on was really good). Nor do I know whether they still use the system, but there was a published workflow which was updated every day, and allowed us to know where were in the process, and who was waiting on whom. I can no longer login, but the system used was 'Easy Convey'. The first question I would ask any prospective conveyancer would be whether they used a system like that.
Presumably all solicitors use some sort of system to keep track of cases. Why can't they expose a view of that that to the client? Then it would be simply a normal part of the workflow, and should allow a nervous client to check every day if they felt it helped. A good solicitor should welcome a system like that, but I can see how a poor solicitor would rather not be so visible.

Sistergold

I am also feeling for the OP and agree that they can as easily have said they are still waiting for such and such, or they are still to go through his documents or they have received ABC. No need to lecture OP on how to behave and it’s truly not fair to answer with in due cos. For all the OP knows he can just wait forever and be told that his file was lost or that they have been trying to reach him but?
Once they answer they can also tell him to check again in 3 weeks or whatever they deem fit and tell him they will also update if anything comes up. 

Estate agent can also be a good source of updates.  

Ungnome

I do find most conveyancing firms shockingly outdated. I can only assume that because most people are only buying and selling a very limited number of times in their life they focus on maximum number of cases on the books rather than customer satisfaction and loyal customers. I can't think of many other business models which provide a service rather than a product which are based on the same principle.
 I dont think I would have lasted long in any of my jobs if I had taken the same attitude to fee paying customers who are paying our wages and for our offices.

  I think what most don't realise is how much time and hassle they could save themselves if they had some basic communication skills. They could easily send a standard template to their clients which they complete with just some brief updates, wouldn't take long but would save a lot of emails & complaints. Even if its not good news most people prefer to just know what is going on, would also save a lot of unnecessary delays and get cases off the books much quicker.

 Also surprises me the number who don't even follow their own offering. Ones that issue a pack saying they'll update every x days and get back to all emails within x hours, then are shocked when you're following up because its been x + x hours but they haven't responded. Don't set expectations you don't intend on sticking too.

 I know they have a high caseload but again this isn't the customers problem. If they have too many cases and don't have time to take more on they shouldn't take new people on, or should warn them to expect delays as a result. Dont take them on then be surprised when they want an update on the work they're paying for.

NinjaTune

camden_kid said:

ratechaser said:

I think a lot hinges on what this 'telling off' actually entailed. My own job involves navigating clients through a complex process with multiple overlapping steps that have timelines that are hard to quantify -  not entirely unlike buying a house.

But I'd never ever tell them to go away and stop bothering me or my team simply because they don't understand the process. If that's what happened here then I'd be having a very direct conversation with them about minimum expectations about their professional behaviour...

I wouldn't even bother doing that. I'd get new solicitors. Why waste my breath?

In 'normal times' that may be a feasible option, but these are not normal times.

I didn't bother engaging a conveyancer when we put our house on the market as I figured I'd have plenty of time to sort that out.  Wrong.  House sold on the first day we marketed it, cue me running round like a headless chicken trying to find a conveyancer who had capacity to take on the work.  Luckily the solicitors we were going through probate with agreed to take on the work as I was a current client (they weren't taking on new clients).  I had one other, totally eyewatering, quote from another conveyancing firm who clearly did not need (or want) the extra work hence the amount they quoted.  The other conveyancers I spoke to gave a flat 'thanks but no thanks, we're up to our eyeballs already'.

It wasn't especially reassuring that my conveyancer only works part time, however, I've received emails from her at 7pm on days she doesn't officially work.  She's also acting for my purchase and has contacted me to ask relevant questions/give me the results of searches etc. as and when necessary.  I've been very fortunate that I've never felt the need to 'chase' anything.  To be fair, it's been a 2 way process, e.g. me updating her about changes in the chain for both sale and purchase via info from the EAs so I think that has helped.  I also respond with info, return signed forms etc. within 24 hours - I'm a very responsive seller/buyer which helps too but not everyone is like that.  

It's an incredibly stressful time so I feel for the OP and it's a shame they don't seem to be getting a good service (at least from their side of the story).

MalMonroe

I think this is disgraceful behaviour from your solicitor. You are paying for their services! How dare he 'tell you off'!! 

Whether or not you were 'in the wrong' - and to be perfectly honest, I believe that if you are paying someone to do a job for you, you are never in the wrong - his attitude is absolutely appalling. If you aren't aware of what happens when buying a property, then this should have all been explained to you, in a polite and courteous manner, by this pig of a person at the very beginning.

As camden_kid says, get another solicitor. There ARE plenty of them about! And if that had been me, being spoken to in that manner, he'd have been sacked there and then. 

You are not missing any etiquette at all, he is! And you should tell him where to shove himself, too. We Brits are far too backward in coming forward when it really matters. Take your valuable business elsewhere.

Thrugelmir

MalMonroe said:

And you should tell him where to shove himself, too.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!  

MalMonroe

moneysavinghero said:

They are busy and dont want to be wasting their time answering questions that they don't know the answers to. Due course probably means whenever they get the information that they are waiting on from someone else, then they will update you. 

That may be the case but they could have told the OP at the very outset. To think they can talk to clients in that way is just not on.