Legal advice services Avis 59

Very poor advice and of no real help whatsoever.
I could have read a law text book to obtain the same advice.
Already my faith in WHICH has begun to dissolve and this recent experience has confirmed that the organisation as whole, needs to up their game to remain credible.
Especially as it's services are paid for by subscription!!

This is the 2nd time I have tried to use Which legal services and this is the 2nd time I have been robbed off.
I have now cancelled my legal membership and took be honest I am thinking of binning Which altogether

I am the executor for my Mum's estate and had a few questions about it. I didn't want to instruct a solicitor (which would cost thousands - and they wanted to take over everything) as I understood mostly what I needed to do. I did have a few questions during the process though - and this service was fantastic for that. Called on time and gave me clear guidance. I'm very pleased!

I paid for an annual subscription to the Which Legal Advice Service after having used Which for many years in a consumer capacity. I had a couple of legal issues I wanted advice about. The first issue was fine and they gave me some quite generalised advice on employment law (in all honesty, I had already found most of this on the internet but I can see it being helpful for people who aren't quite so good on a computer).

The second issue I requested an appointment over was probate for my father in law. I booked the appointment but then got a call the following morning to say they could not give me advice on probate because I was not the executor of the will. I explained I was doing it on behalf of my mother in law who is elderly and recovering from a broken hip, and that I simply wanted some fairly general advice about the process. I was told they could not do that, despite me being a close family member. When I asked why, I was told it was against the law. I'm not sure what law it is against, particularly since I only required some general advice and as I understand, they are a legal advice service!

Essentially, my £70 odd quid that I spent on this has been a waste of money. I would advise you to avoid and spend the money on a proper solicitor (or do some research yourself online). Disappointing since I always valued the advice from Which and thought them to be a helpful and trustworthy company.

It is vital you do not trust this service. Self opinionated, self conceited, full of their own statutory creeds, greeds and needs. No interest in what you and / or your child urgently require to resolve your case immediately, instead of 25 years later. Defined as not worth their while, and prefer to present cases that act against the correct law, and prefer to provide services that are so inhumane and barbaric you would never believe. They also define themselves as a charitable organisation, when in fact they are totally opposite. And should you wish to make payment, whether voluntary, brainwashed to believe they are a charitable organisation, or placed under extreme pressure, they add a daily interest until all costs, particularly if you have a house with profit, again which they refuse to allow you to sell as a joint decision holder, particularly during occasions if you need to protect your child from the opposition, and yet still want payment regardless. An insult against women and children in particular, regardless of our careers and professions, having no regard or respect apart from themselves, including desparations for a preferred Psychiatry assessment, rather than against those that do commit the crime in more ways than one. No regard, no respect for anybody apart from themselves, and how much money they are going to make from your case, if they can be bothered to hear it in the first place, instead and instead of. A delibarately aversion to ensure the oppositions can have their cases heard first, with a duplicated and quadrupled application that they prefer to represent their charges. Usually against the ones who apply, but never against the oppositions. Oh unless it suits with a suitable gambling aid according to them. Again, no regard, no respect for anybody apart from themselves.

Don't use this service they only give you generic advice they say they can't be specific on your case and you need to consult a solicitor anyway! Use citizens advice bureax they are more helpful and free.
I did a search about my case on one of the popular AI tools the advice was more detailed and succinct, than Which. They advertise they have lawyers they are usually legal clerks not full qualified to give broad advice. You have take you own notes no follow up email is sent so why pay £9 and a joining fee? I can't believe this service is branded as a Which company more like a back street lawyer who just care about taking your money.

Shockingly bad and completely ruined my perception of Which? as an organisation.

Advice was next to useless, ended up paying for 3 years because I was UNABLE TO CANCEL. The website simply doesn't work for cancellations and couldn't get help.

The only way I could find to stop paying them was to change the payment method to a virtual card and then freeze the card so the payment couldn't go out!

It's crazy that Which? of all people would not make it easy to cancel their service and effectively stole £200 from me because I wasn't able to cancel!

Really disappointed and expected so much better from Which?

Somewhat helpful to give basic advice and that is all. They refuse to look at the documents! Membership cancellation process is excessively complicated!

We are four leaseholders in a Victorian house which was converted to 3 flats plus a basement/garden flat. We had a horrible managing agent but got the RTM last year. We hired a new managing agent. We are just four people trying to manage a place on our own with the help of a managing agent who will follow our instructions unlike the previous agent who saw as as cows to be milked and invented all sorts of overcharged jobs to do so they could have a nice commission.

We are not a commercial company. We have no profits. I joined which legal and booked an appointment. They cancel it the day before the appointment saying they don't advise RTMs and we should look for a solicitor. Well, if we could afford a solicitor we wouldn't join which legal to begin with.

It's disgraceful that Which, the self proclaimed champion of consumers, sees a RTM as some sort of company when we are really just consumers like everybody else.

We are somehow survivors from a bad business relation. But which will not advise us. The hipocrisy of it is shocking. RTMs were created so consumers could make their own decision instead of being under the rule of awful managing agents.

The lady assigned to me barely listened to what I had to say and kept cutting me off when I was speaking. She wasn't interested in going into the details of my situation and just gave generic 'advice' that I already knew and is widely available for free on the internet. Such a waste of time and money. I ended the call early and didn't ask all the questions I wanted to ask because the conversation wasn't going anywhere. No point speaking if I keep being cut off. It's not worth the money or the time in my opinion. There are so many other better and free options available online.

First, the number I called last time I used the service simply replied 'This number not in service'! No forwarding number . . . nothing. So, had to call home to get kids to fire up laptop at lunchtime where they found:

Second, the outfit that castigates utilities etc. for pushing people willy-nilly online and peering and poking at tiny screens is now doing it itself. Indeed, when I finally discovered a number and called it was suggested strongly in the poor lady's scripted replies that I use the website!

Thirdly, all I required was an authoritative view on how long a gas hob should last before exploding (as ours had) before I tracked down the retailer. Simple preparatory info . . . but, no. I was presented with a list of information requirements which I was in no position to answer away from home (or inclination as it was timewasting). In my view a consumer lawyer should be able to answer a simple question of principle . . . what is the legislative / precedence position on reasonable life of this class of item? I was not going to get anywhere especially as the suggestion was that I ask the manufacturer!

Which is becoming institutionalised and sclerotic. m It is high time that the same rigorous critique and testing be applied as Which itself is supposed to be expert at / in when assessing the goods and services of others.

Just take a look at the other reviews of Which? services. Maybe part of the malaise that seems to be afflicting many of our institutions.

I have been with Which Legal Services for over a year now. I can honestly say that their service has been beneficial. I have found that the information given has significantly helped my case for employment difficulties and consumer issues. I would highly recommend Brendon for employment enquiries he, is an excellent legal advisor and is clear in explaining legal terms. I would highly recommend using Which Legal Services for anyone requiring advice and support. You also have the option to ask for a preference of legal expert to talk to.

They used to be good years ago, but I haven’t been that impressed lately, as I detect a lack of expertise, unfortunately. Hence, vague and questionable answers that leave one none the wiser.

Limited scope relating to help options that is not made clear when you join, would not recommend. I cancelled after initial call - waste of money!

I subscribed to the Which? magazine legal advice add-on in November, assuming the quality would reflect the magazine's reputation. However, my experience has been disappointing. In April, when I first attempted to schedule an appointment, it was arbitrarily rescheduled without my consent. After rearranging my schedule for the new time, the appointment was then cancelled at the last minute. On my third attempt to secure a 30-minute consultation, no one called at the designated time. When I called to inquire after a 12-minute wait, my call coincided with their return call, causing further complications. Consequently, I have requested a full refund and cancellation of my subscription.

I tried to get help several times from them but never got anything relevant. As a landlord in England, a legal service in Wales is completely pointless. The other times they said that they would need to read the document but that it was not part of the subscription. The fee is now hiked by 50% (!!!) so I am cancelling the subscription.

Appalling experience with amateurs from begining to end, I was misled into taking a service which is not fit for purpose. In other words, Which Legal mislead people by charging them for a service in which they have no knowledge or expertise. They wasted my time and money. I booked 5 separate appointments on 5 separate matters listed as areas of law in they claimed they can advise on, some of the appointments were even booked by the telephone receptionists themselves as they confirmed Which Legal can advise on these areas. But at the end, it was all lies because none of the advisors were able to help with any of the questions: I was first booked with a 'Money/Banking' advisor but he could not help and said to book an appointment with the 'legal team', which I did, but then the 2nd advisor from the 'legal team' said he could not help either and that it was 'beyond his remit'! For the other 3 appointments, I received the same response, namely that 'it is beyond their remit'. I soon realised that Which Legal is a scam as the 'supposed legal team' is made of inexperienced 'advisors' who hardly scratch the surface. When I raised my concerns with one of the receptionists and said that it was better with the free Citizen Advice Bureau (CAB), he got annoyed and retorted that Which Legal is 'better and quicker than the CAB', but that's not true because whenever I called the CAB, the process is much easier: I call and wait few minutes before speaking to a CAB advisor, but with Which Legal, you have to fill-in a form, then book an appointment a few days later within a time slot of 3 hours (it's like booking for a plumber), BUT THEN, when the advisors call you, they never do so during your appointment so you may miss the call. And when they call within the timeframe, they dont wait for you to pick-up the phone and they don't call back either! Yet, to cover themselves, they send you an email pretending they provided you with advice and 'thank you for the appointment with the advisor' when in fact there was NO telephone advice with NOBODY! Can you find a more dishonest and misleading company than that!? That's not all: I figured out that they collect personal information about you/us and store it for their own benefits, and who knows what they do with it! In other words all they do is storing information, taking money for a sub-standard service and waste your time. How did they end up having 4 or 5 stars??? I will surely seek legal advice about their misleading practices and hidden agendas collecting/storing personal information.

I bought subscription for a year as I thought it would be worthwhile for the problems I am currently facing. However, I was told that they do not help review legal documents. This was not made clear enough when I signed up but it also seems pointless to me to have a legal service that does not help you with legal documents. If it was cheaper I don't think I would care as much. On top of this, I've been told I might not get my refund if I cancel service now because I've already had one session with the legal team. The Ts&Cs state that if you're within your 14 day cooling off period and have already had some sessions, the cost of the sessions will be deducted from your refund. I was told today that I'd have to wait for a callback which will now be next week. Quite upsetting considering they are a consumer goods governing body. :-/

In 2021 i took out a will and other services with this company i have got copies of all paper work but no originals i have called this compamy on numerous occasions requesting to send my paper work to me and all im get is we are busy leave details but no one gets back to me i would like my original paper work if i had passed away imagine what my family would be going through to get my will this is disgusting

Which? Legal services used to be very efficient. As far back as 2015, I sought help after a hotel stay that went wrong and they advised me on what sort of letter to write. This had the desired outcome and the money was refunded. The Lawyer who helped me was so pleased when I rang him up to tell him. In 2018, again the Lawyer I spoke to was very helpful with her advice. By 2020, however, the team members had changed and service level dropped and it remains thus to the present year, although a female lawyer did assist me a few months ago, but then never followed the matter up with me. I asked them for help with various things after that and the advisor was so rude that I said a few choice words politely, but firmly, to him and hung up. I asked to speak to his supervisor, but he refused the request. Lawyer who rang was not much better and then it turned out that he was merely a Paralegal and not a qualified lawyer at all. He can only practice Law under the Alternative Business Structure system. In addition, they told me the issues I rang up about were not in their remit and advised me to pay for independent legal advice or go to Citizens advice. Awful way to treat a customer. In May of this year, I rang them up for advice and an appointment with Lawyer was booked for the 17th May, which was the next available appointment. I pointed out that I would be out all day and could not guarantee that I could get back home in time to take the call. Wherefore, I suggested that they ring me on my mobile and they agreed to do this. So, I am out all day and don't get back until after 6pm, only to find that they rang me and left a message on my landline phone. They never tried to call me on my mobile. So shortly after that, I went online and requested a callback from Which? Legal Team service. Never got the call. My partner is now going to cancel the subscription for Which? Legal services, as it is clear it is not worth paying for. It is a mystery how these cases featured in the magazine happen as I was told that they don't accept documents by E-Mail, only advise, not represent clients - unless you pay them to write a letter. They don't reply if you send them an E-Mail - yet they say that their lawyers are only a phone call or E-Mail away. What is the point of that when I ring up, but can't speak to a lawyer there and then as I am forced to make an appointment for someone to call me? I certainly wouldn't use them again. I have had better results in my searches for answers, on-line, and drawing on my acquired knowledge of Consumer Rights Law.