Dutton Gregory Solicitors - Chandler's Ford - Eastleigh

Hannah R.

I highly recommend Tom Whatley at Dutton Gregory if you are looking to purchase your first property. He responded to all queries very quickly and provided us with reassurance when it became a bit too stressful. The purchase was very swift considering it is a leasehold. Thank you Tom 🙂

Jay B.

Was pushed into using DG by my estate agent as they apparently have acted for buyers in the same development, but I would not recommend them to others. I was hardly ever able to get through to anyone on the phone (in fact I didn't manage to speak to my conveyancer at all during the whole purchase process), and they were exceptionally slow to respond on email. When I did get an email reply, it was more often than not incomplete and/or unclear. On top of all that, their prices are very much towards the top end of what I have since seen is available elsewhere.

Hannah M.

Lucinda worked for us on our sale and our purchase. She was very human, she had a sense of humor, and was very calm, kind and understanding whilst being professional. She explained what we needed to know at each stage and listened to what we wanted.

Having a larger firm was brilliant as I knew that someone would be available to us if we needed them. But as they are not too far away, I was still able to pop in with documents when I needed to. When I called in a panic as Lucinda was not around, her colleague had already dealt with the issue! I also loved the app which explained the stages of the sale and purchase, as it meant I didn't need to ask all the time what the next steps were.

I would recommend Dutton Gregory for conveyancing to anyone, and especially Lucinda!

Lewis

I instructed Dutton Gregory for the sale of my flat in June 2023 in what should have been a relatively straight forward sale with zero chain either side, however the process took almost 6 months due to sheer incompetence and horrific communication on the part of Sarah Sams, partner of the firm no less.

To summarise:

1. There was one “challenge” during the whole process with the flat being a shared ownership with recent cladding replacement. Some information was required from the housing association, rather than pick up the phone and request this, Sarah argued with the buyers solicitor for weeks about the need for it. This delayed the sale by about 2 months until I got involved and started making calls to the HA myself. It was promptly resolved after this.

2. As part of this, I had to stump up £100 to request council documents to speed up the process. This would not have been needed had Sarah requested the correct information at the beginning. Dutton Gregory refused to cover the cost when I suggested they do.

3. Sarah was on leave regularly throughout the process and never had the courtesy to directly inform me, or make arrangements for cover.

4. Emails would take 2-3 weeks to get responded to, in the end end I was on the phone every day demanding a response, which was time consuming and stressful.

5. Sarah would never take my call, and never return it despite requests. She would opt to email instead. This happened countless times which I found incredibly rude, especially from a partner of the firm.

6. They have an app which is supposed to update you on progress, this is used at the very start then never again.

The reason they get 2 stars, is because their customer service lady was very helpful once I learned who she was, and she was able to assist in getting me to the right people. It’s just a shame I was not made aware of who she was in the first place.

Overall, the experience with Dutton Gregory was awful I cannot recommend them. Perhaps other solicitors in the firm are better, risk it at your peril.

Murray C.

Solicitors are not generally known for their attention to customer service. But when handling my conveyancing, Dutton Gregory reach a new low, tarnishing the reputation of all solicitors everywhere.

Dutton Gregory handled my conveyancing in Nov 2021. My solicitor went on holiday not once, but twice, at crucial points in the process, including two days before exchange. Nobody contacted me to tell me this - I found out that my buyers were ready to exchange from my estate agent - and everyone seemed surprised that I should expect it.

A simple email would have done, explaining that my solicitor was away, when she would be back and who was handling my file in her absence. It's not rocket science, it's easy. Instead, I was left with urgent and important legal questions and nobody to answer them.

Let me repeat - I found out that my buyers were ready to exchange from my estate agent! Not the solicitor that I was paying over a grand to handle the legal side. She didn't even know, because she was on holiday!

When I complained, I received a haughty email from Sarah Sams, a partner at the firm, offering no apology, defending and justifying everything that had happened, and saying, "... it is not possible not [sic] notify all client’s [sic] individually when a member of staff is due to take annual leave."

This is such obvious nonsense that it beggars belief that anyone would write it. It would take less than 10 minutes to send an email to a list of clients.

The problem isn't just that this wasn't done, it's that nobody at Dutton Gregory thinks it is worth doing.

Sarah Sams' email displays the root of the problem at Dutton Gregory perfectly. It comes from the top. Nobody cares about customer service there - they don't even know what it is.

So this dreadful vacuum where customer service should be isn't going to get better, because the partners at Dutton Gregory cannot see it.

As a result, they provide a lazy, complacent service, accompanied by an arrogant, high-handed manner.

If you make the mistake of using them, expect the bare minimum, low interest in your situation, late responses or no reply at all to emails and messages, and your solicitor disappearing without notice with no cover.

###### UPDATE 2023 #####

I thought it worth adding that subsequently I've moved again, and this time my legal affairs were handled by a solicitor in Bath.

They were absolutely superb, providing a stark counterpoint to the dreadful customer experience at Dutton Gregory by providing a really personal, sensitive, attentive service to customers.

Interestingly, the solicitor handling my case went on holiday, just like the one from Dutton Gregory did. However, my new solicitors managed the "impossible task" (if you believe Sarah Sams) of emailing me beforehand to let me know she was going away, and telling me who would be handling my case in her absence.

When I called with a question, the person covering for my solicitor had the file to hand, knew all about my situation, and was able to swiftly answer my questions, reassure me and take the necessary action.

Dutton Gregory would do to take note!

Meanwhile, if you're considering using Dutton Gregory for your conveyancing, PLEASE DON'T!

Sophie W.

Extremely professional company, Neeta who was our allocated solicitor was extremely helpful throughout and had swift communication. We will definitely consider using Dutton Gregory again should we require the same services.

Mary P.

We recently used Dutton Gregory to do the conveyancing when selling my late mum’s house. They provided a professional and efficent service and kept us updated throughout a particularly tricky sale. They really did help us get through what was a very stressful time.

Sarah-Louise H.

I was recommended Dutton Gregory by the Sales team in a new development where I purchased my flat. Well what can I say! BEST SERVICE EVER!! I dealt with Paige throughout the whole flat process who was an absolute star! Nothing was ever too much for her and I had a lot of questions. Paige was so friendly and ever so helpful. The turnaround was so quick. I was in my flat within 8 weeks of reserving it. I would honestly recommend Paige, Emily and Gareth and will be coming back here in the future.