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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

..to want to visit Countrywide Property Lawyers and beat the Solicitor with a big shitting stick?

63 replies

KazzaRazza · 23/04/2012 17:52

I am in the process of selling my house. I accepted the offer in the middle of January. My buyers are first time buyers and I am moving in with my parents until I find somewhere to buy, so only 2 people in the chain - simple you would think, if only.

My buyers opted to use Countrywide Property Lawyers and we are supposed to be exchanging today with completion set for Friday. A representative of CPL confirmed on Friday, by email, that all enquiries were answered and would be requesting the mortgage funds. We have now been advised by a different representative, as the one from Friday has swanned off on her holidays for a week, that they can't exchange today as they are not happy with the info supplied regarding an extension that was built 10 years ago (before I moved here and my Solicitor didn't have a problem with it when I bought the place), oh and they didn't request the mortgage funds on Friday.

CPL have had the paperwork for weeks. I have already moved my DD and animals to my parents and am currently surrounded by boxes as the removal firm are booked for Thursday.

So, my question is as above - AIBU to want to visit CPL and beat the Solicitor with a big shitty stick?

OP posts:
Nelly000 · 17/05/2013 20:36

Nope, don't care how bad they are, they can't be as bad as Latimer Lee who are acting for the people we're trying to buy off. Almost 15 wks since we made the offer and counting. No chain at either side. 8 weeks and counting to answer a query that arose on the searches.

Seriously OP, hope it gets sorted for you soon... It's horrible.

SybilRamkin · 17/05/2013 21:03

Use a large, nail-studded stick.

Or alternatively disembowel them with a spoon.

Flossyfloof · 17/05/2013 21:27

YA defninitely NBU. I made a complaint about them this week. Bloody cowboys.

Flossyfloof · 17/05/2013 21:28

Mind you, my first solicitor is doing time for murder. There is one common factor...

Ladyflip · 17/05/2013 21:29

YANBU

I'm a solicitor and have done a lot of conveyancing. I almost refuse to act when I see them on the other side. Do not be convinced by your agent's spouting to use them. The agent is paid by CPL to use them.

ReindeerBollocks · 17/05/2013 21:36

If they are really that bad can you not report the firm to the SRA?

My mum used a firm when selling her house that were diabolical, and literally a week or two after her sale completed (months after it should have done I may add) they were shut down by the SRA due to professional incompetence.

Please report them, they are disgracing a whole profession of good conveyancing solicitors.

Wallison · 17/05/2013 21:38

Oh they are truly shit. And they are shit for the other side's solicitors as well. Don't imagine that just because you are a solicitor dealing with the file that you get preferential treatment - it's just the same call centre with no-one who makes decisions being contactable at all as it is for the customers. They are a fucking nightmare, as are all of these tick-boxy conveyancing by numbers call centre wide boys.

Wallison · 17/05/2013 21:40

Just noticed that this is an old thread that's got bumped up. I'm sure the OP has moved now (probably only just) but hope things work out for you, buckleymichael.

Springforward · 17/05/2013 21:48

I know it's an old thread but honestly, these people deserve it, 10 years ago they were the reason a 2-house chain I formed took 16 weeks to complete while I kipped on a relative's sofa, having moved from one end of the country to the other for work.

Nelly000 · 17/05/2013 22:20

Blush I didn't realise it was old. Oh the shame!

SerBrienne · 17/05/2013 22:26

I wasn't that thrilled with them, I must say.

Alisvolatpropiis · 17/05/2013 22:57

YANBU.

Notorious wankers whether you deal with them in a professional or client based capacity.

LessMissAbs · 18/05/2013 00:39

To be fair, your solicitors could have failed to provide the information which the buyer's solicitors have been asking for, and also overlooked it when you purchased. When you bought it, there should have been a letter of comfort provided by the Local Authority at least and possibly an insurance policy, though perhaps things have tightened up since then due to mortgage lenders being more strict.

But agreed, they are not the best.

CouthyMow · 18/05/2013 01:26

Wouldn't a big SHITTY stick be better? (Shitty in the literal term of being covered in shit? Then not only is he getting beaten with a stick, he's getting covered in shit too..)

ilovechips · 18/05/2013 07:47

Yanbu. Used them almost 10 years ago and can still remember my rage at their utter uselessness, an uncomplicated 3-property chain took 5 months to complete, and they charge more than others for their shitty services as well...

KenAdams · 18/05/2013 08:11

Flossyfloof mine too! I wonder if its the same person! We lost out on a house because of him.

rundontwalk · 18/05/2013 08:21

Used them once,never, never, NEVER again. A catalogue of errors (some huge), different person every time we rang, totallly unprofessional in all aspects of their service. Can you tell I wouldn't recommend them?!

Seabright · 18/05/2013 08:24

CPL are NOT solicitors, that's one of the reasons that they are cheap. They have some Licenced Conveyancers working for them, but mainly, as far as I can tell, it's unqualified people that do most of the processing, with referrals to the Licenced Conveyancers every now and again.

When I know I have CPL on the other side I know I need to add at least £100 to my quote, to try and cover some of the extra work I will be doing to cover their inabilities. So my client ends up paying more, because the person on the other side choose to use a cheap firm which is paying a referral fee to the estate agent who talked the the other side into using them.

BTW, they are owned by the same business as the Mann & Co, Mann Countrywide and Gascoigne Pees estate agents, amongst others.

Fuckwittery · 18/05/2013 08:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Seabright · 18/05/2013 09:12

There will be NO solicitors there, not even supervising. CPL is a firm of Licenced Conveyancers, not solicitors. Solicitors cannot work for Licenced Conveyancers, they are regulated by a different body.

That's part of the reason CPL are cheap.

CheshireDing · 18/05/2013 09:47

I know this is an old thread but needed to make my point anyway.

There are Solicitors working at CPL. I used to work there too, unfortunately when you have shit people at big companies everyone gets tarred with the same brush. I enjoyed working there.

The problem with conveyancing is also that you have to carry such a huge caseload it is extremely hard to respond to things in a timely manner.

I have definitely worked at worse companies.

Alisvolatpropiis · 18/05/2013 10:44

seabright there are definitely solicitors working at the firm. I know two solicitors personally who work there.

Fuckwittery · 18/05/2013 23:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mimisrevenge · 19/05/2013 06:23

We used their mortgage services. Never again. They mis informed us over a number of things and we nearly lost the sale and purchase of our house. The day before exchange we were asked for an additional £11,000 to be produced within 24 hours. This was just one thing in a catalogue of errors. We were able to get the fee waived. Small mercy- I was 8 months pregnant at the time.

Weightlessbaby · 24/06/2013 18:53

We accepted an offer on our house on 26 March (using a Countrywide Agent). We are going through CPL and our buyer is using their Mortgage broker. Today we discovered that our buyer STILL hasn't had a complete mortgage offer. We only found this out by phoning his broker ourselves as CPL and our Agent kept telling us different things and obviously didn't have a clue what they were on about.

We hope (need due to relocation) to exchange by end of July but I'm really not convinced this will happen.

[Incidentally, I found this thread by Googling 'Countrywide Property complaints procedure' - it was the first thing that came up!