Probate - response time to emails?

RnK136

Does anyone have recent experience of a response time to queries via email from the probate service?

After my application, it was 7 weeks before I heard anything. They asked for further information and some further forms to be completed. But they have made an error in not identifying me as an executor in the will when I am.

I asked the webchat service about it and they said to reply to the email and explain what they have wrong.

I'm just wondering will it be another 7 weeks before they respond?!

msb1234

Possibly! It seems to be taking around 8 weeks for a straightforward will to be dealt with, but once there’s an issue, it seems to add on another 8 weeks from the time they receive a response to their queries. 

Dave_5150

In my experience they didn't reply to emails, or complaints at all.

They emailed a simple query around 7 weeks after my application, which I answered within three minutes of receipt. And it still took over another 8 weeks to be approved.

As others have said it is likely the 8 weeks starts again once any query is resolved.

shiraz99

msb1234 said:

Possibly! It seems to be taking around 8 weeks for a straightforward will to be dealt with, but once there’s an issue, it seems to add on another 8 weeks from the time they receive a response to their queries. 

Just got mine through today after applying on 26 May so five weeks in all.

bunnygo

from my one experience, they won't reply or even upload the email unless you give it a kick. Get on the webchat and (politely) progress it. Their clock starts from when you reply but you can bet they will max it out.

Pennylane

Does anybody know if there is any complaints procedure re Probate Office?  It cannot be right that they just reply when they feel like it (which may be months) or not even reply at all.

Dr9

Pennylane said:

Does anybody know if there is any complaints procedure re Probate Office?  It cannot be right that they just reply when they feel like it (which may be months) or not even reply at all.

google "hmcts complaints procedure"

this forum will not let me post the link

Dave_5150

Dave_5150 said:

In my experience they didn't reply to emails, or complaints at all.

They emailed a simple query around 7 weeks after my application, which I answered within three minutes of receipt. And it still took over another 8 weeks to be approved.

As others have said it is likely the 8 weeks starts again once any query is resolved.

As already stated they didn't acknowledge, or respond to my complaint. They truly appear to be responsible to no-one.

mikeh64

After waiting 8 weeks from posting my pa1p probate form  which was up on friday 30th September 2022,  i phoned up at about 4pm on Friday afternoon , after waiting 40 minutes listening to their answer message ,( no queuing system to tell you approximate wait time)  gave up and instead sent them an email at about 7pm in the evening on the Friday to ask what the progress was. On Sunday 2nd Oct afternoon I was checking my emails and was very surprised to see an email reponse sent on saturday morning at 8.54 am with a terse unaddressed response that there was an issue with the applicants on my form. No contact details given on the email from the person who sent the email. So on Monday I then phoned up the HMCTS helpline (again 40 minutes to get thru) to ask them to clarify what I needed to put on the form for it to be correct, I might as well have been talking to a cat , the person on the other end did not seem to be able to comprehend the fairly simple question I was asking and after going round in circles for about 5 minutes she advised me to send an email and get legal advice as to how to fill out their form . On the way she said that it could be another 6 weeks before anyone responded to my email. She also revealed that my probate application pa1p form had only been first looked at on the 1st October. So they have wasted 8 weeks sitting on it for someone to look at it and in under an hour tell me there is an issue, and now I might have to wait another 6 weeks until someone looks at this again. Unbelievably poor service, terrible communication, no way to speak to the person who is dealing with your application, helpline unable to help. If this was a private company they would be bust in a month with this level of service. As someone else remarked they seem to be accountable to nobody.

RnK136

mikeh64 said:

After waiting 8 weeks from posting my pa1p probate form  which was up on friday 30th September 2022,  i phoned up at about 4pm on Friday afternoon , after waiting 40 minutes listening to their answer message ,( no queuing system to tell you approximate wait time)  gave up and instead sent them an email at about 7pm in the evening on the Friday to ask what the progress was. On Sunday 2nd Oct afternoon I was checking my emails and was very surprised to see an email reponse sent on saturday morning at 8.54 am with a terse unaddressed response that there was an issue with the applicants on my form. No contact details given on the email from the person who sent the email. So on Monday I then phoned up the HMCTS helpline (again 40 minutes to get thru) to ask them to clarify what I needed to put on the form for it to be correct, I might as well have been talking to a cat , the person on the other end did not seem to be able to comprehend the fairly simple question I was asking and after going round in circles for about 5 minutes she advised me to send an email and get legal advice as to how to fill out their form . On the way she said that it could be another 6 weeks before anyone responded to my email. She also revealed that my probate application pa1p form had only been first looked at on the 1st October. So they have wasted 8 weeks sitting on it for someone to look at it and in under an hour tell me there is an issue, and now I might have to wait another 6 weeks until someone looks at this again. Unbelievably poor service, terrible communication, no way to speak to the person who is dealing with your application, helpline unable to help. If this was a private company they would be bust in a month with this level of service. As someone else remarked they seem to be accountable to nobody.

The service is shocking.
I completed correctly on my (online) application that my name is different in the will for the reason that I am now married.
They seemed to completely ignore this and refused the application due to saying I wasn't an executor.
I rang them - as you say - may as well have spoke to our dog. Completely unknowledgeable or able to help except to say send an email explaining (again) that my name is now my married name, the will is my maiden name.
Waited almost another 8 weeks for a response to come asking what is my current name for the grant.
All of this was completed correctly in the application but they seemed unable to understand it.
All told, after 2 unnecessary queries from them, a phone call and 3 webchats, I got the grant after 4 months.

jdvhsully

We applied for probate on 31 December and are still waiting. It’s a very straight forward will, but the probate service does not seem fit for purpose.
We have emailed, gone on the web chat, answered queries (from emails they supposedly sent us) etc and are still “pending”.
As it’s my MIL will I can’t do anything as I am not an executor, so my husband and his sister are now going to be formally complaining.
What is really annoying is BIL was executor on a complicated will, and that had probate issued within 5 weeks.