Probate : 16 weeks and counting

ArGee68

KSS1991 - I hope I am wrong but I wouldn't rely on the 3 week promise.  My case has been escalated as well but I was told I had to wait 3 weeks before I could chase again, and then I would have to chase every 3 weeks thereafter.  There was no promise that it would be processed in 3 weeks.   

Hopefully your sellers made an online application so there should be no need for it to be scanned into the system.  However nothing will happen until someone finally picks up the case and remember they may request more information which will delay it further.  There are many of us waiting and hoping that we are the lucky ones that finally get processed but the backlog is growing by the day so it's a lottery. 

I wish you good luck.

lisyloo

If you do probate online you still need to send in an original will by post.

they check is a wet signature and not tampered with so it HAS to be snail Mail.

you won’t have to do this if you don’t have a Will of course.

w600lys

Hi, I’m in the same boat aswell. Applied early November 22. Heard nothing from them. Chased up twice now to escalate with the same old bull story “takes 3 weeks”. 

KSS1991

@w600lys wow. I wonder if the escalation can be passed on to the manager or something like that? I see now their 'escalation' to 3weeks is literally meaningless. Very appalling service.

Sarahspangles

Maybe three weeks is the interval in which they don’t want you to re-chase.

oglop

Sarahspangles said:

Maybe three weeks is the interval in which they don’t want you to re-chase.

my solicitor actively got told that if she tries to chase again, my case will be put at the back of the queue

so, yes

"stop hassling us to do our job or we will punish you"

a brilliant government service...

edit: it's been 9 months now......

lisyloo

Sarahspangles said:

Maybe three weeks is the interval in which they don’t want you to re-chase.

It’s understandable that they don’t want to divert resources to continually having to answer question about progress. That’s just going to slow them down even more.
but we all know that this is a result of people not being able to find any progress or status information or have any recourse whatsoever.
i think my recourse would be via my MP who would give me an audience and follow it up.

oglop

Yeah, especially as myself and many people here were told it will definitely be granted after 3 weeks, then they turn around and say "yeah, not really" after the 3 weeks are up. I can't think it's anything else than incompetence 

oglop

ArGee68 said:

I've just received a reply from my MP's office requesting permission to use my data in order to assist with my case.  Lets see where this leads.........

I just got this reply from my MP, after I tried to follow up his previous email:

"I appreciate that any sort of delay is frustrating, but it is far too soon to expect to have heard anything further from the Probate Office in relation to the enquiries that I made on your behalf last week.

The average response time for most organisations is 20 working days, and it would seem appropriate to wait at least this length of time before making further enquiries."

It's like a pisstake at this point. I mean, I don't understand. They have a phone number? And it should take a month to reply to an email? I've already waited 36 weeks...

junebaby

I’m at 20 weeks now. Have written to my MP a week ago and no reply as yet. 

If MP’s have to wait 20 Working days for a response it fills me with despair!!