AIBU to think this is CF at its finest?

[jukejuke]

I had to use a solicitor back in January for child contact proceedings after ds made serious allegations against ex partner not for the first time.

I paid £500 on account at the start, had 2 appointments and one court hearing. All sorted out in one hearing with the help of social services.
All communication between myself and solicitor was by email other than face to face. My mobile number and email address are unchanged.

I emailed the following week asking about payment settling the final bill. If they could send me an amount and asking how it works (do they want this in full or can I pay in a few installments)

I received an email back 2 days later saying they were preparing a final invoice and they would be in touch when it was ready.

I spent the next few weeks chasing this over the phone and popping into the office and was just told to wait and it would come. Nothing arrived so I emailed back a month later explaining I would pop in and settle the bill when invoice was ready.

I haven't received a single email call or letter between then and now and admittedly kept an eye out for an invoice but haven't actively chased it up since as about a month after this my son had surgery and I found out my 3 year old daughter had had a stroke and was diagnosed with cataracts so life changed a lot in that time and it's been a very busy year with other priorities. I knew I had paid 500 so thought maybe that covered it.

I randomly got an email today saying I note that my invoice remains outstanding. Please can you make arrangements to pay the outstanding sum of £663.04 as a matter of urgency to avoid proceedings being taken.

Is that not bloody cheeky to threaten proceedings when you've never actually given somebody an invoice and they have chased you for payment more than you have chased them? I can't afford this just before or after Christmas, I've not been able to put money away for it as I've had no idea what the amount would be despite asking. I don't know how I'm going to pay this and I'm really worried now that they won't accept installments and will take me to court with them being solicitors but I've genuinely never had an invoice to pay.

I've raked through my emails but all I've got is me chasing them to let me pay and them saying they will send one over when it's done.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Just call them tomorrow and talk it through.

Email back ..What invoice ?

Remind them you have been chasing them and have yet to receive an invoice

Can you find out how much they charge for sending an email, a 10 minute appointment, and use this as the basis of taking money off your bill, for the time spent chasing the invoice?

Blimey, that's terrible! They have left that since January?!

Did you actually owe £600 and pay £500 as well?

@HollowTalk I genuinely don't know. I've not received any invoice or information about payment.
I'm not disputing it if I owe it as they did represent me but I really don't need the stress the week before Christmas of threatened legal action for something I've never been given the chance to pay 🤷‍♀️

No, I don't blame you!

A lot of solicitors are SHIT at admin. Don’t stand for this! Call and clarify. Also make a complaint.

My solicitors were awful with admin and bills when we moved house (which I know is nowhere near as stressful). They do sound like they've been awful but luckily you've got a paper trail. I would email back and point out all contact you've had with them requesting an invoice and insist they extend the time for payment.

Don't panic for a start. It'll most likely be an automated letter.
Just email listing all the times you chased for the invoice and ask if this can be sent with full breakdown of charges that make up the 600pounds.

I’d assume it’s a standard letter churned out by some database.
By all means call them tomorrow but definitely follow up any verbal agreement by email. I think I’d just reply...
Dear Solicitor
Thank you for your email requesting immediate payment. I have yet to receive your invoice despite requests made in writing on (insert dates) and in person (insert dates). Please could you forward your itemised bill including sums already paid by return.

Many thanks,
Mrs JukeJuke

I wouldn't panic. It's entirely possible that the bill was raised on the system and then someone forgot to send it out. I'd be very surprised if they take you to court over £600, it's not a huge sum and court is a faff (even for solicitors!)

It might just be that something like their financial year end has promoted a tidy up of the admin.

I'm sure if you call them tomorrow and explain that they never sent you the bill, that you've been chasing them for it and you can't pay it now but will pay in 2/3 instalments starting in January they'll probably just accept it.

Ask for their time sheets and go through them with a fine tooth comb.

If they don’t reply to the above email within the week then write the same in proper letter and send by recorded delivery. Keeping a copy for yourself with the recorded delivery attached. It’ll be fine as you’ve done everything possible.

It's not CF, it's just an admin mistake. Contact them to get it sorted out.

I don't quite follow why not knowing what the amount was prevented you putting money aside? If you had two appointments and a court hearing, you can't possibly have thought £500 would cover everything. Did they give you their hourly rate at the outset?

Oh, I sympathise op. I bought a flat and received a cheque at Christmas from my solicitor saying hey, you overpaid, have some money back. Delighted, I spent it. They then got in touch again in January saying they'd made a mistake and that I had to send it back immediately bastards!

send email with check on top for when read ring & send special delivery stating all above details ask for hours worked & figures

It was probably just a standard email that they send out after a certain period of time has elapsed and the invoice has unpaid. To take it as an actual threat to take you to court now. It’s standard to write that. Call them up and arrange a payment plan.

Phone them and tell them what you have told us, that you chased it up lots of times and were told it wasn't ready and to wait and they never got in touch, so why are they threatening legal proceedings when they haven't been in touch with you to pay it. You can't pay what you don't know you owe and ask if you can set up to pay in instalments. They will usually say sorry and that it is a standard email they send out.