Where is JT?

Unfortunately I recently had a death in the family and used the Co-op funeral service to deal with the arrangements. The funeral was well organised but the Co-op have done something which I feel is unacceptable and I see as operating unethical business practices. The Co-op sell themselves as being ethically guided but as far as I can tell from this experience they are nothing but modern day grave robbers.

So what happened?
After the family member’s funeral service I received a phone call from the Co-op Legal department. I hate getting sales calls as you can see from my other posts on the blog; this crossed a line. Selling me legal services after a death in the family; what a cheek! I asked the person on the phone how they got my details and was told the Co-op Funeral Service had passed my details on. If this wasn’t bad enough the information I was being told on the phone was incorrect and close to what is allowed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. After checking with my solicitor I was quite shocked at the price I was quoted and the incorrect information I was being told as part of the sales process. I think the person doing the selling had been reading a few too many fairy tales or had little / no understanding of the law. How can someone with no legal experience advise correctly on legal matters?

I have since been told by other people and become extremely concerned about approaches made by the Co-op legal department, at a time when people are extremely vulnerable.  Other people have been charged a large sums for unnecessary work.

How can you avoid this happening to you?

• Most high street law firms will charge as little as £400 + vat & disbursements to administer an estate under £75,000. The maximum you should have to pay is £1,400 + vat & disbursements.
• If an estate is more than £75,000.00  a law firm at the beginning will determine exactly where you will stand on costs.
• You should not have to sign a power of attorney as you could lose control over the estate administration.
• If you use a local law firm you will be able to continue to act in your own capacity and control what is happening. A faceless call centre that the Co-op use would be a nightmare.
• Your firm should advise you if you need a grant.
• Your firm should not be incurring an extra costs but occasionally this is required when something usual has to be deal with. In this case they should be fair and explain all costs up front before any work is carried out.
• A firm who deals with this work on a regular basis will have experts on hand to deal with every aspect of the estate.
• You will be able to meet your solicitor in their own office and quite often the initial meeting will be free.

 I have tried to write a very simple article to explain the dodgy Co-op legal service and a guide to help you get through a tough time when dealing with the estate of a family member. It is my experience that Lawyers / solicitors don’t always deserve a bad reputation but by using a local firm you will get excellent service and value for money.

 JT’s Judgement - “The co-op are nothing but modern day grave robbers who need to sit back and decide if this really is the way to deal with people suffering family bereavements!“

I have only experienced of the sales practices of the Co-op but I would love to hear from anyone who has fallen into the trap of taking them up on their legal services.