Open Law Limited

Open Law completely failed to provide us with a satisfactory service when dealing with the sale of our property. There were so many problems, here is just a short summary:

Poor Communication - After frequent misunderstandings, I realised that after each phone call I had to ask our conveyancer to send me clarification by email. Our solicitor never once emailed to communicate how much progress had been made, so throughout the entire process we were completely unaware what stage the conveyancing had reached.

Poor Attention to Detail - Our conveyancer forgot to attach Forms to his email to the property management company, creating an additional and wholly unnecessary 6 week delay.

Incompetence - Our conveyancer was asked to make an amendment to the sale contract by the buyer's solicitor, but did not realise that he needed to do this, as he thought our signature on the original contract would "cover any amendments". I had to call him twice to explain to him that it really is necessary for him to amend the contract to progress the sale. I appeared to be doing his job for him and was shocked at the level of incompetence.

Poor Telephone Connection to Open Law - the telephone switchboard did not work properly, as on 3 occasions I called the company, was placed into a waiting queue of about 15 minutes, but when I finally reached the front of the queue, I was simply cut off with the message "I'm sorry we could not talk to you today, call back again". Well, what is the point of waiting 15 minutes in a queue if I'm going to be cut off anyway - just tell me that you cannot cope with the number of calls in the first place. As this was an urgent call to clarify what we needed to do to avert losing the sale, we were extremely stressed and angry with Open Law and the complete lack of telephone communication

Poor Service - I sent an email to the Customer Care Manager complaining about the complete breakdown in communication with Open Law. I explained that we needed to communicate with our conveyancer urgently, as the buyers were on the verge of pulling out, but that we were unable to get through to the company. There was no response at all.

Continuing delays caused High Stress levels - the buyers informed (via their solicitor) that their patience was running out, and that if they could not conclude the transaction within one more week, that they would pull out of the sale. This caused us a great deal of stress, as we were afraid of the whole sale falling through. The buyer's solicitor emailed our solicitor again and I also attempted to call Open Law 5 times in a row, but despite waiting in a queue 15 minutes every time, I was cut off at the end of the waiting time.

In summary, we were shocked at the level of gross incompetency, poor communication, lack of communication and the resulting very poor service of Open Law - they do not seem to care or be aware of how poor a service they are providing, and do not seem capable of doing their job to a satisfactory standard. Do not use Open Law if you want any kind of service or competence.

It is very difficult to describe exactly how bad my experience with this firm was. Started with them in late March and by August we had made virtually no progress at all. Very poor communication. Left messages, sent emails, wrote letters. No response. Rarely answered the phone. I had to threaten them with the Law Society to get anyone to respond. Mistakes with the paperwork. On one occasion, to cover up the fact they hadn't done something I'd originally been told was being done, the solicitor said I'd asked for this task NOT to be done - which was simply not true. It has been the most stressful experience of trying to buy a house I have ever been though. I gave up in the end and am now with another solicitor. Thanks to this lot I am now having to pay the stamp duty on the house I am buying because we will miss the deadline. There isn't even a chain - just one house. I have nothing to sell and there is no upward chain either. Two months on and STILL they have not sent my file to the new solicitors. I've had nothing but fob-offs and silly excuses from everyone from the office staff to the Director.
I cannot recommend this firm to anyone under any circumstances.

This review is for a different branch.

Writing a Will when you are terminally ill is very difficult. Lisa guided us through the process and was exceptionally kind and empathetic. The appointment which we dreaded ended up a very positive experience.

This review is for a different branch.

My house was sold on the 25th November to a cash buyer with no chain. It completed on the 27th March. This was due to a catalogue of incorrect email addresses, paperwork not attached to email, no confirmation of documents sent. Just complete incompetence. We delt with the Rebecca Danby Team and it was just rubbish. They continuously spelt my name wrong. I’m surprised my buyer didn’t drop out. I feel like I did all the work to get this through.
Avoid this company if you need your house to go through in less than 4 months.

This review is for a different branch.

We instructed Matthew @ Openlaw, St Albans to act for us when selling our property in Feb 2020...Clearly these were uncertain times due to the CoronaVirus outbreak and how that might effect our ability to exchange and complete our sale. During the whole process Matthew provided exceptional service by keeping me updated regularly and always came back to me within an hour or so if i called or emailed him. He remains calm and professional at all times and even managed to control my emotional outbursts during the more stressful elements of the sale...All of which resulted in us exchanging contracts 1 hour before the government imposed lockdown.

In short if you are looking for someone that goes above and beyond what you have come to expect from Solicitors...Matthew is your man....he gets things done and keeps you informed at all times.

Thank you Matthew...Although we have moved to Norwich now, we will definately be using you for all future property buying and selling as we trust that you care as much as we do and get things done without excuses.

Many Thanks

Gary & Julie