Solicitors blanking us - Slater and Gordon

[mareep]

I'm at my wits end, we went with a big conveyancing firm, all was going fine until our solicitor left 2 months ago. We've heard from our new solicitor once and then she repeated steps done by the first solicitor.

Other than that in two months we've only had out of office replies. We've left numerous escalation messages with their client team. We are meant to be completing next week (already pushed back once) and I don't know what to do, we've not exchanged.

Anyone got any ideas or contacts as our escalations are going nowhere?

Are you still with Slater and Gordon? My seller was last year and they were utterly useless, beyond dreadful, didn’t even respond to emails, no answers to basic questions, staff changed all the time and seemed to be staffed by people with little or no legal training. It got so bad, with such a delay, the whole chain threatened to pull out unless my seller engaged new solicitors. He did and the whole thing was done in about 2 weeks! My advice would be to go with a good local high street firm, ask on a local Facebook site for recommendations. Incidentally I found out after we moved that my seller was planning on paying Slater and Gordon about £400 for the whole thing which explains partly why they were so awful. In my experience conveyancing is usually at least £1k.

Managing partner. Then the law society. That will make their ears prick up.

Their executive leadership team have their contact details on their website. You could try emailing the CEO or similar. But as you’re pressed for time, it might be simpler to switch solicitors.

Annoyingly we were recommended them by another solicitor who had no problems with them.

Already tried emailing their CEO, but no tangible updates. We may have to look at what our options are. Everything seems done, we are a lot of pushing got a draft contract from our paralegal.

Terrible company to deal with - I was trying to access my late fathers will for 10 months before they miraculously produced it - following another solicitor writing to them and getting the legal ombudsman involved! Good luck!

Slater and Gordon have been teetering on the verge of insolvency (due to endless class action suits against them) for a couple of years so there is a risk they won’t get much better. I would start the formal complaints process as hopefully it will get them responding to you.

I got quite a bit of money out of Slater and Gordon in refunds after they demonstrably lied to me while conveyancing. Awful company. Cut your losses, move, and refuse to pay anything.

@Porridgeislife, do you not mean the case against Quindell? The Australian class actions aren't linked to the U.K. arm as they parted company a while ago.

I used to work for SGL (not conveyancing) and it was always a bit worrying that it could go pop at any time. It's the same old story though: too much work, not enough - underpaid - people.