Solicitor charging for enquiries regarding their own error?

ydrol2
ydrol2 Posts: 69 Forumite
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in Consumer rights
Hi,

A friend is executor for the estate of a deceased relative.
One of the beneficiaries received a letter from the solicitor managing the application.
The beneficiaries details on the letter were wrong - wrong name and DOB - this was the solicitors error as they have a definitive list of all beneficiaries.
The beneficiary called to clarify details.

The executor has since discovered that the solicitor has charged for handling the enquiry regarding their error.

Assuming it was not a simple "mistake" - that's illegal right?
How serious is it?

Comments

  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
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    It's not "serious" or "illegal", but they shouldn't be charging for the time. I presume we're talking about a trivial amount in the context of the overall job?
  • DoaM
    DoaM Posts: 11,863 Forumite
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    What's your definition of "trivial"? The handling of this error will have been billed at 30 minutes as a minimum ... this is probably £75 (guess). In terms of an overall charge of £1k+ it may seem trivial, but as an amount of it's own it isn't. (IMHO)

    OP - have you raised it as a formal complaint with the company?
  • stragglebod
    stragglebod Posts: 1,324 Forumite
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    Just challenge it when the bill comes. It'll probably just be a routine 6 minute attendance and a routine letter out/in.
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
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    DoaM wrote: »
    What's your definition of "trivial"?
    Well, it's not "serious", is it?

    Solicitors record their time spent on everything, billing is done at a later stage - if this is genuinely done simply by "time and line" (rather than by reference to the value/complexity of the estate) then yes it may have added to the fee, but that would be due to oversight rather than some nefarious plot by the solicitors, and I can't imagine they'd kick up a fuss about removing it from the fee.
  • ydrol2
    ydrol2 Posts: 69 Forumite
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    Thanks all - they will challenge it - There is a larger issue re perception of solicitors stretching out proceedings but this could just be a simple oversight
  • LadyDee
    LadyDee Posts: 4,293 Forumite
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    Ive done billing for Solicitors, and it's just a matter of counting letters in, letters out, attendance notes, memos etc. the person who actually billed the file would not have read everything to find out what each piece of paper referred to. Just bring the matter to the solicitor's attention before launching into formal complaints and they'll probably just adjust the bill.
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