Aaron
Completed in the end, but a very difficult process getting there
I'll start off by saying we managed to exhange and complete on our sale and purchase, but the chain was very close to collapsing. Our "team" Vanisha and Jodie, started off with solid communication. But over the course of the 6 month process, communication became more and more difficult. We would rarely get email replies to seemingly simple queries ("is there anything we can help with? Have there been any updates?"). We would receive replies with spelling mistakes, contracts with my partner's name spelled incorrectly, and more. Trying to reach either of them by phone was difficult and we resorted to passing on messages. Overall, communication was poor. From our point of view, it wasn't clear how our case was handled. Queries would be left hanging for weeks and we would have to chase our solicitors - and other solicitors in the chain! Sure, this might not be unheard of, but considering the amount you pay for their services, you end up doing some of their work for them. On that note, I resorted to contacting other parties in the chain directly to speed things up (e.g. requesting documents, management packs) or contacting the council directly to resolve queries (e.g. section 106 documents). We would also receive communications at the end of the week, last thing on a Friday, when we can't do much to action queries - essentially wasting time as little can be done over the weekend. The result of this was a very, VERY stressful legal experience during an already stressful, life changing time in our lives. Buying/selling a house is already difficult as it is and I find it difficult to recommend Bishopsgate for the legal part of this process.