Read what MNers thought about Beyond’s online will writing service

[AbbiCMumsnet]

This activity has now closed

This is the feedback thread for the users that tested out Beyond’s online will writing service.
This was open to MNers with at least one child who live in England or Wales.

Here’s what Beyond have to say:
“Without a will, the state determines what happens with your kids and assets, whether you’re married or not. So, a will is vital for parents, and Beyond make it simple and affordable to get it sorted online. In 15 minutes, you can protect your family with a legally-binding will - without ever having to leave the house. It’s perfect for busy mums and dads. Trusted by 1,000s of UK parents, Beyond’s easily updateable online will service lets you protect your family, choose guardians for children and pets and leave personal messages for your loved ones.”

Testers please answer the following questions:

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?
• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?
• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?
• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?
• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?

Selected testers will be required to leave their feedback on a thread on Mumsnet and fill in a short survey. Everyone who leaves the required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where 3 x MNers will win a £100 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw.
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

[SeekingShade]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?

Yes and no. Whilst it was very simple and easy to use it didn't have all the options I'd've liked, e.g. what happens if my husband and I die before children are 18? can I leave things in trust to them? can I leave a life interest in my property?

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?

It's actually worse since I've thought about all this stuff but I don't think the will covers it properly.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?

It would be more so if it was a one off fee rather than a subscription.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?

It's cheaper than a solicitor but much more expensive than a basic will writing kit which I think it is the equivalent of

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?

probably not

[kungfupidge]

Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?

yes very the website was easy to navigate as well.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?

yes

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?

i love the fact that as my life changes as everyone does i can easily update online with a few clicks

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?

i think the price is fair for peace of mind.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?

yes definitely to have that security and peace of mind is wonderful i would recommend highly to friends and family

[littlemouse15]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use? very simple, you just click through the options and fill in each section.
• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind? yes, I've been considering a will for a while as I've Just turned 30. mostly to have my choice of guardians in place for my son.
• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future? yes, I stupidly put the wrong DOB for my mum! I could simply go back onto the site and edit it, then reprint. luckily I hadn't had it signed yet but it still would of been dimple enough.
• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service? I think its good value because its so easy to go back and edit at anytime.
• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families? yes, 100% simple to use and great peace of mind, the fact you can go back and edit is a major bonus too.

[TooMuchCheesecake]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?
  

Yes very straight forward and easy to use.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?
  

Yes definitely.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?
  

Yes it is.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?
  

Very good value for money.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?
  

Yes, in fact I have already recommended it to my mother.

[doctorboo]

Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use? Yes very easy

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind? Yes. Although it has raised questions as to who my husband would prefer to give guardianship of the children to!
  
• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future? Extremely, I’ve already been back in to edit it.
  
• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service? It seems to be an average price
  
• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families? Yes definitely.

[caseythemum]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use? So easy, it was straightforward and only took around 15/20 minutes to complete.
  
• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind? Definitely
  
• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future? Yes, especially as I am currently pregnant. It advises to only update when a new child is born rather than when you’re pregnant.
  
• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service? I would say okay value, considering it only took 15/20 minutes to set up and it was all online however I do appreciate there are lawyer and admin charges involved.
  
• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families? Yes, I will be recommending to my own family members.

[64sNewName]

I misread the thread title as 'Beyoncé's will writing service'

Me too!

I’d totally take Beyoncé’s advice on anything though 👍

[JustSeven]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?
  

Honestly it was ridiculously easy! No difficult legal jargon, great that something so potentially complicated can be done online in just a few simple steps.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?
  

Absolutely. It’s something we’d been meaning to get round to doing for a while, it’s a relief to know if the worst happened things would be taken care of.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?
  

Yes, circumstances change so knowing we can easily update if brings peace of mind. I think £10 a year is a very reasonable price for being able to update it easily.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?
  

I don’t know what a solicitor would charge, though I imagine it would be a lot more! To be able to both write wills for £135 certainly seems reasonable though.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?
  

Yes, and I think more would if they knew how easy it is.

[chrisrobin]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?

It was very simple to use, it took me approx 15mins to complete the form. It was written in plain English so easy to be sure that I had filled it in correctly. My only issue was with not knowing how to add my DH so he could do his. A sentence at the start saying you can add a partner's will once you have done your own, and that they would be emailed a link,would help with this. I did use the online chat function to ask and got a swift and helpful reply.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?

Absolutely. It is something that, due to my DH working away during the week, was difficult for us to get together and do. We would have had to sort our wills during DH's holiday time, which is precious and busy family time for us. It was always at the back of my mind that we hadn't sorted guardians for the DC.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?

It is a good idea to have it updatable as life can change quickly, however the update cost of £20/year for the couples wills seems a bit steep. I would be happy to pay £10/year but £20/year would be too much and I would probably wait until changes were needed and write a new will instead.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?

£135 seems like a good price to sort a set of couples wills, particularly as ours are not complex so we don't need the extra face to face legal advice that solicitors would likely provide.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?

Yes I would, particularly as I have seen family members feud over an intestate estate. The online quick service, that could have been sorted in hospital, would have saved a lot of heartache and ill feeling.

[Thorgod]

Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use? Yes it was extremely simple and clearly set out.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?

Certainly. I've had my second child recently and I've been feeling anxious about having no provision for the kids of I die.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?

Yes that's a great feature.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?

It's a major attraction - I had been putting it off partly due to the cost

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?

Yes definitely. I feel confident its legal, comprehensive and clear - and for a great price!

[wizbitismynizbit]

I found it very easy to use but there were certain areas that I wanted to add more details such as what I wanted to happen to my child if both my husband and I passed away while they are still a minor and a way to add more comprehensive detail with regards to assets I hold, not just an addendum at the end that is not legally binding.

I have been putting off making a Will as it is something that I didn’t want to think about but having used it and how easy it was it has definitely given me peace of mind.

I like the fact that I can update it at any time in the future.

I think it is good value for money and I would absolutely recommend the service to friends and family.

[WilmaJean]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?
  

Extremely easy to use. You are guided every step of the way and it takes about 15 minutes to complete. I even managed to do it on my phone whilst being used as a toddler’s climbing frame!

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?
  

Definitely. My husband and I have intended to write our wills for the last three years, but it just hadn’t happened. To be honest I had no idea it could be done so easily.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?
  

Yes. Especially as setting it up was so easy in the first place. It’s also good to know we don’t have to use a solicitor etc.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?
  

I was impressed that the cost for. Couple of £135 (£90 single). You can then choose to pay a yearly fee to update (£20 for a couple) or not and pay a one-off fee.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?
  

I definitely will. There is also a £30 referral incentive which is a bonus!

[Kit30]

Sort it's so long. So many misgivings about this I could write an essay.First up, I couldn't find a GDPR statement on the website.
They say the will contents are encrypted and they can't see them so how do they check what's in it ? You don't get any advice at all so there's no way the will can* be tailored to you (one size doesn't fit all) and, my understanding is that many of these will writers aren't regulated* - if something goes wrong there's no redress except against the company. Do they give details of their insurance or regulatory controllers?
I don't like the fact that they charge a 1/3 more for storing the will than the fee charged by the government's own central depository which is accessible online. I don't like the fact that there's a standard clause appointing them as executors - completely unnecessary if you have family/friends to act and a way of getting fees in the future. What happens if the company doesn't exist when the will needs to be dealt with?
I don't like the fact that they don't have any checks at all on someone's capacity to make a will, of if they're under duress,
Full disclosure, I have personal experience of a very similar service. My DM was referred to a will writer by her financial adviser. They were also doing powers of attorney for her. She isn't particularly well off, her house is her only asset and she'll need to sell if she needs care in the future. They were quite happy to send out documents for her to sign and parts of documents for me to sign as a witness, They didn't seem to understand why I wouldn't 'witness' a document I hadn't even seen. she's since had a will done by her local solicitor and it does exactly what she wants with complete transparency. The advice they gave her was really helpful. You can do the powers of attorney online yourself and DM solicitor suggested we do this to save costs but still checked it over for her with no charge.
You can get wills done for fixed fees during national will week by a qualified, regulated, fully insured solicitor.
Lots of assets (eg joint property, pensions) aren't in your 'estate' anyway and very few people need to set up a trust fund. Wills can be expensive to administer but only if you've got family trusts as opposed to money being 'held in trust and you'd have to have millions!
Look at the Law Society website for info and links, but start with Martin Lewis here
www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/free-cheap-wills/

[Kit30]

Sorry don't know why bits are in bold!

[dottyaboutstripes]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?

Yes, it was easy but now that's made me feel nervous, as though it was somehow TOO easy!

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?

I certainly feel relieved that I've finally made a will after talking about it for quite some time.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?

Yes. I'm sure this must be standard though, surely?

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?

It seems on par with other online will writing that I've seen.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?

I'm not entirely sure. It's certainly easy but like I said, the fact it's so easy seems a bit strange for something which is so important!

[lottietiger]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?

Yes but I did use live chat throughout!. The reason I had to use chat as it didn’t explain when and how the mirror will for my partner would be done, (right at the end), and how to add in about your estate going to your son if you partner dies (its automatic). Live chat were really quick and helpful and guided me through the questions but it would have been helpful to have a quick overview at the beginning. Otherwise it was super quick to set up.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?

Yes definitely, we aren’t married so its always been a worry to me not having a will. It was one of the things that was always on the “ to do” list!

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?

Yes definitely, £20 is a reasonable price to pay. Circumstances change all of the time, so it’s very reassuring to be able to change as and when.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?

Yes I thought it was good at £135 for a couple not as cheap as some I have seen but it was quick and easy.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?

Yes definitely. It was a reasonable price, simple to do and there was live chat back up if you needed it.

[Monr0e]

Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?
I found it very user friendly and straight forward to use. I did however find it not so straight forward to clarify how assets were to be left to children other than saying to the children of my partner

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?
  

Definitely, it has been something I have been putting off for a long time and I am pleased it is now completed.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?
  

Yes

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?
  

I found it comparable to other services I have heard of

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?
  

Yes, especially when the situation is quite clear cut and staightforward

[JC4PMPLZ]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?

Very easy - almost too easy. I would have liked more prompts to get me to think about things that are assets or important things to bequest that I have forgotten. I guess that is my look out though. I am sog lad I have done this and this really was the best way to do it, as otherwise I would have put it off forever, as finding time to visit a solicitor would never have happened. Also, it makes me realise how simple it all is really, but how much pain it can cause if you omit to do it and die without your wishes known.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?

Yes, it has. It is important to think about these things,which I have put off for far too long. It is useful to get it down in black and white.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?

That is of course reassuring. Circumstances change. It is easy to access and easy to change, I assume. It is at least a good basis for now.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?

Seems like decent value. I am always surprised by the cost of legal services. This shows how simple it actually is and demystifies it all.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?

I would recommend it as a straightforward, basic service. I guess if your affairs are very complex, it might not be sufficient, but if it is just a question of percentages and naming guardians etc, it does the job. I used the online chat service- it was efficient and useful, so that was emboldening.

[rozzers]

Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?

So easy - I started the process on mobile, fully expecting to finish it on the laptop but there was no need as the site was fully mobile friendly.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?
  

Definitely - as part of an unmarried couple with a child, I've always wanted that extra security; knowing my little boy would be looked after if the worst happens.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?
  

Definitely - as we get older, I'm sure our choice of guardian will change and we'll have more assets (hopefully!) So good to know we can make changes when needed.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?
  

Part of what has previously put me off completing a will had been the cost - I didn't realise it could be done for as little as £90. Great value for money.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?
  

I already have!

[IJustPeedInTheMaintenanceBay]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?
  

Incredibly easy, surprisingly so. Was genuinely boggled when I reached the end so quickly.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?
  

Absolutely, we have been meaning to make our wills for ages and it's just one of those things we didn't get round to even though we knew how important it was. Now I know it's something I can happily tick off the to-do list

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?
  

I really like that aspect as I didn't really think much about what I needed to include beforehand and I kinda feel it was so easy that maybe I raced through it and didn't get something right or overlooked something. If I realise that I have I can just go back and fix it! Brilliant!

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?
  

Great value for money, it might not be the most comprehensive and detailed will but I think it's a bargain for having that legal peace of mind in place with very little faff

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?
  

I would with the warning that the output is a bit basic - I love that it prompts you on the sections you need to include. I'd have liked to be able to expand some of the options with more detailed notes or information though (such as assets).

[FionaJade]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?

Yes we found it so simple to use.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?

Yes we have now assigned guardians for our children if something were to happen to both myself and my husband which gives us peace of mind that they would be cared for.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?

Yes we can easily update our will as and when needed.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?

I don't have any experience of the price of making a will and it does seam a lot to me but I have nothing to compare it to so it may be a good price or not.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?

Yes I would, it was quick and easy to do. However as it is done online I don't know for sure we have done it all correctly due to not having an actual person there to discuss it with.

[Aster24]

Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?
Extremely easy to use. I accompanied a friend who was getting a will a few years ago and it felt like a chore travelling there, answering all the questions etc. This was easy to do from home. None of the questions were taxing and it was very straightforward.

Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?
Yes! I bought a property last year and I am a single mother. The service allowed me to dictate who should inherit my home and possessions, as well as appointing guardians for my daughter should anything happen to me.

Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?
Yes, situations and people change so it’s good to know it can be changed/amended whenever needed.

How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?
I believe an individual will costs £90 so the service is significantly cheaper than using a solicitor. To be honest the convenience of it makes it worth paying for.

Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?
I already have! I told my siblings and my parents about it and they are looking to use it themselves.

[KittyKat88]

Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?
Yes, as soon as I started it, I felt relieved that the questions were all straightforward and simple to answer
Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?
I've wanted to write a will for a long time, and I did feel satisfied and happy once I'd completed it.
Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?
Yes, it is good to know that I can make changes in future. I did note that there is a £10 annual cost (after 1 yr free access). I'm not clear what happens if I don't continue and subscribe for the update service - does the will get removed? Can I leave it 5 years then pay £10 and make a change when I need to? I'll have to re-read the FAQs
How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?
It was good to undertake this trial with Mumsnet (thank you!) which meant I didn't have to worry about the cost. I think, though, it is very reasonable compared to using a solicitor, but I haven't researched any other 'similar' companies to compare prices. However, the ease of using Beyond's service is definitely a plus point!
Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?
Yes - it is an efficient, fast and simple way to complete a will, and gives great peace of mind once the job's done!

[MuddlingThrough1724]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?
  

The input of information was simple and the online forms were clear and easy to use. It was unclear that when doing joint wills that my husband would do his seperately by following a link when I had finished inputting mine.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?
  

Writing wills had been on our to do list for a long long time and it is a relief to have ticked it off our list for now. The main peace of mind is in having formalised our wishes for gaurdianship of our daughter, though we had discussed this with the nominated people already.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?
  

It is, though for us, I can't see that we would have much need to update it other than to add the names of any future children or name any new assets we might acquire. I think for us, any updates beyond this will (which only offers fairly basic options) would likely require us to go to a solicitor as despite our situation and wishes for our assetd being very simple we would want to include details to cover a few more circumstances (e.g. if one partner were to remarry and have further children after one of us dies) and whilst at the solicitors we would consider things like living wills.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?
  

I would say it is ok, though the service only realy allows for very simple circumstances and simple eventualities. Essentially it is an online template that you print and get witnessed, so there isn't much justification for a £135 fee for a pair of mirror wills that you print and get witnessed yourself if I'm being really honest, however, if you are time poor and having the basics covered is better than nothing, it is a price in think many would pay.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?
  

If they have no will, don't already have a solicitor and are time poor, then yes, we would recommend it in order to get the basics covered. I think if you had more complicated circumstances or assets beyond bank accounts, a pension and the family home then we would say see a solicitor as they will be better placed to advise as well as write a suitably detailed will.

[Bringmewineandcake]

• Did you and your family find Beyond's online will writing service easy to use?
  

It was incredibly easy to use. I had one issue on the “add a partner” page as I don’t have one I wanted to include, but it didn’t take more than a couple of minutes to fix.

• Do you feel that it has helped your peace of mind?
  

It has helped my peace of mind. At least now I know I have a will sorted, if anything happens to me my wishes are recorded rather than people guessing what I would want.

• Is it reassuring to know you can easily update it any time in the future?
  

This is very reassuring. I expect my finances and responsibilities to change a bit over the years so it will be good to be able to update my will very easily.

• How do you rate the value for money of the will writing service?
  

It didn’t feel worth £90. I think because it only took a few minutes to complete and you’re doing it all yourself, it’s not something I’d consider paying £90 for.

• Would you recommend Beyond’s will-writing service to other families?
  

Yes I would because of how easy it was to use. But I don’t know how Beyond is different to any other online will writing service.