Ross's Will shop - Ipswich

Peter Hollier

I was referred to Ross Coates by Millennium Legal.

It's been two weeks since completion and they still haven't settled my old mortgage.

This has been an appalling experience from start to finish. You initially get allocated a 'team' to work on your case. despite this, I received initial communications from both Team RK and Team 1, so immediately responses got missed, or didn't get responded to. Also, every time you try to contact them, they take at least 5 days to reply to your email. Phoning any of the contact numbers is useless, because they refuse to answer their phones.

I was allocated to Remersh's team, and every time I tried to move things along, I was told that if I wanted to 'expedite' my process, then I'd have to pay additional charges. This was despite me being offered a fixed price service and them being aware of my timescales. They were incredibly pushy in trying to get you to supply card details over the phone, which I found to be suspicious.

After a couple of months of frustration, things started to move a little better when my case was handed to Graham, who was providing a summary of my search findings. However I was then passed to their Kesgrave office (although my case files didn't arrive until two weeks later), and was then dealing with Stephen.

Stephen was contactable, in so much as he did answer his phone, but the whole feeling you get from this company is that you are a burden to them, rather than them providing a service to you at what is a really stressful time.

Due to particular circumstances, I had to arrange completion with Lucy who was incredibly helpful, given that she hadn't set eyes on my case when I was completing three days later, however the completion statement was incorrect, causing me to have to go through it with her prior to agreeing the final amounts.

I wish I could articulate better just how horrible a process this has been. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it has made me feel unwell, and has caused me sleepless nights. I've dealt with at least four different contacts during this process, all of the time without notice that my case handler was changing.

We finally completed on 10th June (following an initial end-March target), and I am still awaiting payment of monies owed to me from the sale process, and I today received notification that I am still being charged for my old mortgage due to them not settling the redemption payment on completion day, instead they have sat with the money in their account, while I continue to be charged.

There is absolutely no chance at all I would ever recommend their services to anybody in the future. It has been traumatic, unduly stressful and unprofessional.

Avoid them at all costs.

Louise McLaren

Extremely unprofessional. They told me a date for my house exchange but I didn’t hear much from them. When I called them three days before the exchange they said their system was down and they would call me back. They didn’t call me back so I called them a day before my exchange date. They told me the exchange is no longer happening on that date. Poor communication. They gave me a new exchange date for six days later. I received a poorly worded email two days before my new exchange date to say the exchange isn’t going ahead. They were very quick to pass the blame onto the other solicitors in the exchange. Thankfully I hadn’t paid out for a removal service. If I had I doubt I would have been compensated.
*Update* They asked me to transfer my funds over ready for completion. The exchange and sale didn’t complete until 6 months later! I hope they pay me the interest they accumulated on my £200,000.

Claire R

"I aim to respond to all other emails within 5 -7 working days, however, this will not necessarily be possible in all circumstances." This is the standard auto response you get if you email and it has sometimes been longer. I dont believe that this is a satisfactory timescale for emails on a house purchase to take to reply to.

Additionally, I was concerned when Ross Coates requested the transfer of funds for the property purchase before the completion of searches, without providing detailed information on interest rates, why they needed them so early or the process for reimbursement should the purchase not proceed. Unfortunately, obtaining answers to these fundamental questions took several weeks.

Other challenges have included needing to request the searches three times before receiving a copy, and initial documents being issued with my title and name misspelled.

Watch out for additional charges, we were charged a buy to let fee, we were buying a property to live in, over £200 of charges for them to allocate funds.

Further paperwork errors including wrong name on contract, incorrect address on TR01 on the final paperwork.

Then there was an amendment to the TR01 that they made without telling us first or getting agreement or supplying a copy. We found out on an a call by accident and when we were sent a copy there was no attachment!

We were told on a call that we hadn't called that morning despite having a log of the call on my phone and the office manager was very rude and implied I was lying.

There are many more minor incidents but please do not use this company.

Sophie Colella

One star is too good for this company. I have never experienced such a bad service. They don’t ever pick up the phone, you can call all day no one will answer! They don’t respond to emails and take over 7 working days to respond to anyone. They don’t give the information required to the other solicitors, so everyone is chasing them and there is no response.

It’s the worst service I have ever received in my life absolutely shocking and so sad you can be treated this way. I really hope this firm gets closed down so one goes through what I have. They may be cheaper but as they say you get what you pay for. I made a huge mistake and lost my buyers because of them that has cost me so much financially and emotionally.

Please please don’t make the same mistake as me!!!!!!

Anais

No response for weeks. Incompetent staff who don't have any decency to acknowledge emails and concerns. Decided to pull out of purchase and staff did not even realise until a few weeks later despite multiple emails and calls made. Would not recommend.

Rose Marie

Excellent firm to deal with. Team RK have been fantastic. I can't believe the negative reviews which is why I felt I wanted to leave my review. I have always found the team to be very efficient and professional with no setbacks. A great firm to use.

Noel Haynes

* Update * Estate Agents Fees paid 24th April and statements received 29th April.

As of today 2 weeks on , the outstanding mortgage on our sale property has still not been cleared, our estate agents are chasing their fees and claiming breach of contract and they have overpaid us equity on the property, this is despite accounts department PROMISING the mortgage was being paid via a rare phone call Tuesday 23rd April .

On Monday the 29th we will be paying the mortgage on a property we no longer own.

Every single professional body involved in this transaction, from the buyers solicitor, the mortgage brokers, the estate agents are urging us to report this company to the Law Society and the SRA and we will be exploring every avenue including police reports and recouping costs , as on a personal note dealing with this awful company has made my partner mentally ill and be signed off work.

Now before the team at Ross Coates try and bury this review for "harmful & illegal content " What i would like is, Monday 29th send us a COMPLETE and correct statement and breakdown of the fees, immediately clear our outstanding HSBC mortgage with the sale funds you are sitting on, tell us how much we owe YOU as you've overpaid us and finally as a gesture of good waive your fees.

You are acting illegally retaining these funds and are in breach of all professional conveyancing standards.

If we do not hear from you by midday we will assume the funds have been taken fraudulently and will be alerting Ipswich Police.

(I will not be removing review as asked previously, and will update it when successfully resolved)

If you value you sanity do not engage with this company for conveyancing, they do not understand the process or their commitments .

Elaine Brown

Initially staff were friendly and helpful but then things went downhill.. One member of staff lied on a couple of occasions saying emails had been acted on when they wasn’t. Never answer the phone, impossible to get hold of anyone. What should have been a straight forward conveyance and should have taken 8 weeks, took 12 weeks. Would not recommend, awful frustrating experience.