Very unsure of a Financial Service (including Probate) I've been offered

BooJewels

I think that @Malthusian has said just about the same as I was about to - the best you could hope for is that you lose a bit of money and no actual harm is done - the worst is pretty unthinkable - it could spell a whole world of hurt for your heirs.

I think a very big swerve is in order.  If you want to make or change your arrangements, please see an appropriately qualified and certified professional.

I'm bamboozled as to how they're suggesting sorting probate in advance - it might be funny if it wasn't so alarming.

DancingBadger

My sister and BIL used a will-writing firm in Bristol.  My sister died earlier this year; I'm her executor and I declined their services to obtain Probate (her estate isn't complicated).  

Recently my BIL received a "standard" type letter from them with his address, date, etc written in, which stated the documents which they'd sent to him for signing hadn't been returned.  He had no idea what they were talking about, and the date they said these supposed documents were sent was the day after my sister died. I took a copy of the letter and emailed the company for an explanation.  The owner of the company responded and stated my BIL had wanted to change his will as his wife had died.  I emailed him back and pointed out their letter stated they had posted the revised will on the day following for my sister's death and that it was highly unlikely changing his will was the first thing on my BIL's mind back then.  The answer I received was lies, inaccurate information, and an implied threat all rolled into one sentence:

I have checked and it was to remove his wife as she was in care and his will left everything to her and would just be taken to pay care fees which is what will happen if he does not sign the will we changed. 

I can only think he was annoyed at the loss of the £3,000 plus his firm would have charged for making the Probate application and was trying it on in an attempt to drum up more fees from my BIL.  

BIL has since had a new will drawn up by a solicitor.

I'm sure there are very ethical will-writing companies out there, but as with everything else in life, it's a case of buyer beware.

angelinamay

Thank you all for your advice here.  I've just been through the brochure he left, it's the 'Platinum Plan' that he's putting forward. Well as soon as the word 'Platinum' was spoken, I knew it would be the most expensive somehow... and it appears it is. 

I emailed him earlier asking that he email me the PowerPoint presentation he run through when here.  He eventually (after i called the office..) emailed back and said 'Sadly I am not able to pass on the powerpoints but I have left you with the brochure which should cover the plan off' - as it does, but I wanted to see the CHARGES.  He's gonna phone this evening, and I will be cancelling tomorrows appointment, which was to be in the evening when my partners here with me. 

Malthusian

Nobody in the history of door-to-door salesmanship has ever handed over hundreds or thousands of pounds for a product worth a tenth of that because they flicked through a really slick PowerPoint presentation on their computer. I'm not surprised he declined to just email it.

What you're asking is bit like telling a magician that you're too busy to watch their act so maybe they could just email you to tell you what card you've picked. If he's not there in person the magic ain't gonna happen.

DancingBadger said:

I'm sure there are very ethical will-writing companies out there, but as with everything else in life, it's a case of buyer beware.

#NotAllWillWriters

The problem is that without the regulatory structure you have no way of ensuring that the random unregulated dude is ethical. The problem with any professional advice service is that if you were fully capable of differentiating between good advice and bad advice you probably wouldn't need it. (Especially at the basic level of relatively simple estates that a will writer would be able to handle.)

If someone claims to provide a thorough and ethical will writing service the question is why they don't simply take the legal qualifications and register with the SRA.

A will writer would invariably respond to this with "we don't need to be regulated because we're ethical", which is the "good chaps" defence (good chaps don't check up on good chaps to check they're being good chaps) and is garbage.

angelinamay

I cancelled the appointment, and told him to 'leave it with me' and I'll be back in touch possibly in the new year   He seemed happy with that, 

Thank you EVERYONE that's responded to this, I am grateful