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Payment of legacy from will

23 replies

Sptownmama · 16/01/2017 08:29

Hello there

I (along with several family members) have been left money in a will. Everyone else has received their cheque, I have not as they did not receive my verified ID documents in the post. I have now faxed these documents and they were received By them on Friday afternoon. I have asked for an electronic transfer of funds rather than cheque. How long is this likely to take now that they have my ID documents? Thanks in advance for any replies.

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unfortunateevents · 16/01/2017 08:48

No idea. I think you need to phone today and find our from whomever is making the transfer - solicitors? Also, are you sure they will accept faxed documents as proof?

Sptownmama · 16/01/2017 08:56

I don't see why faxed documents wouldn't be acceptable? It's just the same as receiving by post surely. They are the same documents. Maybe someone else knows?

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Sptownmama · 16/01/2017 08:56

And yes it is from solicitors

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HelenDenver · 16/01/2017 08:59

They may well not be able to do an electronic transfer. I'm pretty sure I've received legacies by cheque. It's an extra precaution on their part that your bank will have its own checks on you when paying in cheques.

A fax may well not be enough. Ring today and find out. You may need to send certified copies and they can tell you which certification they would accept. This is to do with money laundering regulations - the person certifying verifies they have seen the originals.

HelenDenver · 16/01/2017 09:01

People who can certify are people like lawyers, accountants, JPs.. but the firm will have its own list of acceptable signers.

Sptownmama · 16/01/2017 09:11

I have had them certified and faxed the certified copies through. I paid to have them certified by another solicitor. They asked me if i wanted an electronic transfer or cheque and told me the fee for transfer will be £40 so am assuming it will be via chaps.

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unfortunateevents · 16/01/2017 09:15

So if they have confirmed they can do an electronic transfer and you have asked for that presumably that is how they will do it?! It is now after 9 a.m., far better to phone them up and check direct with them!

HelenDenver · 16/01/2017 09:17

They may need you to post the certified originals.

If you've paid the bank fee then I'd expect transfer today.

Just give them a ring and check they've got what they need though - if not, you can have the docs in registered post to them for tomorrow!

Sptownmama · 16/01/2017 09:29

Have tried to call 3 times and nobody EVER EVER picks up the phone. I google searched if faxed certified ID documents are acceptable and the money laundering act states that faxed copies are not prohibited. Hope this is true.

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Sptownmama · 16/01/2017 09:34

Have also emailed the probate solicitor and her assistant on Friday and today to see if the docs were accepted and neither has responded. Is this service the normal level of service or am i expecting too much? This is a significant sum of money that they have had since November in their account.

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unfortunateevents · 16/01/2017 09:40

No-one answers the phone at the solicitors? What kind of company is this?! If you emailed on Friday, I think it would be within an acceptable range or response time if they answered you today. I have recently been through probate (twice) and learned that the timescales are not necessarily the same as I was used to through my dealings with solicitors for work-related matters!

Are you saying that probate was granted as long ago as November?

HelenDenver · 16/01/2017 09:41

It's crap that they haven't specified if faxes will be ok.

Sptownmama · 16/01/2017 09:42

It was granted at the beginning of december and everyone else received their legacies last week.

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MrsBertBibby · 16/01/2017 09:51

FFS, you failed to get the documents they needed to pay you out until Friday afternoon, and you're kicking up a fuss before they've even switched their phones on on Monday morning?

You sound like a bloody nightmare.

Sptownmama · 16/01/2017 10:01

I didn't fail to get the documents to them they were lost in the post. And I am not kicking up a fuss at all I am just asking if anyone knows how long it could possibly take? I haven't been rude to anyone of gone off at the solicitor I just asked if having no response for over a week to 3 phone calls and then an email sent on Friday is usual for a solicitors office. But thanks for your response anyway.

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LillyLollyLandy · 16/01/2017 10:03

Agree that if you only provided your documents on Friday afternoon then you can't expect this to be done immediately - they need to verify these faxed documents and then arrange payment. Could be another couple of days.

Sptownmama · 16/01/2017 10:06

Thank you. Not at all expecting it to be done immediately. Just sometime this Month would be great. Once again i add i did not fail to get them the documents i actually sent them in in november. They did not contact me to tell me they hadn't received them until everyone else received their payment.

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HelenDenver · 16/01/2017 10:21

It should definitely be this month OP!

Sptownmama · 16/01/2017 11:18

Update to say they have just called and said electronic payment has been set up and I will receive it tomorrow. Also apologized for not letting me know sooner that they had no received the first lot i sent in. So bow we know that faced documents are ok. Thanks for the replies.

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Sptownmama · 16/01/2017 11:18

*now

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kath6144 · 16/01/2017 18:56

Glad you got the response you wanted Op.

My DC were beneficiaries of a cousins will 2yrs ago. Following final payment in Feb, my DD was the only under-age beneficiary, so we were asked to take over control of her money.

It took from Feb to end of Nov to get the money!!! To say the solicitor was incompetent was an understatement. Emails would get answered after a month, phone calls - well if we got through to him he would discuss, but invariably it was his secretary who would 'pass the message on'.

I actually posted on here in April/May time, asking if I should make a formal complaint. I was v close twice, but each time he got his act together just in time.

The final payment was a cheque, despite him having made an interim payment electronically to a trust account we had opened specifically to receive the money. The cheque had my DHs name on, despite the trust account only being in my name (impossible to get a trust acc for a 16yo with both parents named, almost impossible to get one at all, by 16 they are expected to manage their own money. But cant receive an inheritence)

I told the solicitor before we opened the account that it would only have my name on it. Still he put both our names on the cheque. Grrrr. Fortunately the bank accepted the cheque.

One of the other beneficiaries has a common name, but slightly different spelling. It was wrong in initial correspondence, she told the solicitor (a lady who was replaced by man above when she went on Mat leave). Both her payments had wrong name on cheque.

Whilst this was going on, I was also sorting my mums estate and selling her house. We used different solicitors, but in same town, across road from ones above. The difference was like chalk and cheese.

Sptownmama · 17/01/2017 12:39

Well I didn't get the money. The 'forgot' to hit send on the transfer. Apparently they now have sent it but i will get it tomorrow. Do not know why I an being charged for a chaps transfer when they are blatantly using a free bank transfer. So annoying.

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Sptownmama · 17/01/2017 12:41

Kath that sounds just like this firm. Incompetent! My Dc's are also major beneficiaries and I am awaiting cheques to pay into trust fund accounts. Hope they don't mess this up also.

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