Mark
Unprofessional, slow, and disorganised - Avoid
Extremely disappointing experience with this firm. I instructed them on a straightforward residential purchase (no chain on either side, and no mortgage). This ultimately fell through after around seven months, during which I experienced prolonged delays, a lack of meaningful progress, and absymal communication. In particular, there was a period of around six weeks where my file appeared to make little or no progress, followed by an internal transfer which was handled poorly and resulted in further delays and frustration. Throughout the transaction, I found communication and ownership of the matter disappointing, and I was left chasing for updates rather than feeling that the transaction was being actively managed. Another recurring frustration was being given explanations about the complexity of the matter and delays relating to cladding, management information and other outstanding issues. I appreciate that leasehold transactions can be complicated and that some matters are outside a solicitor's direct control. However, these are precisely the sorts of issues I would expect a firm specialising in residential conveyancing to be experienced in dealing with. Instead, they often seemed to be presented as reasons why progress could not be made, without any clear timeline for resolution. The purchase eventually had to be abandoned while we were still waiting for outstanding management information and responses to enquiries, with no clear or reliable timeframe for exchange. Following this, I was initially presented with an abortive fee. After raising a formal complaint about the service I had received, the firm offered a £200 reduction, which I ultimately accepted. While I appreciate that the reduction was made, I don't think it changes the fact that the overall service fell well below expected professional standards and what I would expect from a firm that advertises itself as experts in residential conveyancing. My experience was unnecessarily stressful and time-consuming, and I would not use this firm again. I strongly recommend avoiding them for residential conveyancing.
Poole Alcock Review Administrator
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback Mark. We are sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. We understand how frustrating it must have been to experience delays and communication issues, particularly on what should have been a straightforward purchase. We take all feedback seriously and are disappointed to learn of the concerns you have raised regarding progress and communication throughout your matter. We would welcome the opportunity to review your experience in more detail and better understand what happened. Please contact us directly so that we can investigate your concerns and discuss them with you further. Thank you again for bringing this to our attention. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to help improve our service.
