| Subject: |
[milton-chat] Free Wills leaflet - Caveat Emptor |
| Author: |
Tim Steele |
| Written: |
2005-03-16 11:22:15 |
You may recently have had a leaflet through your door advertising "Hundreds
of Wills FREE".
The leaflet is identical in design to one used by Morgan Cooper Law although
the company name is Inheritance Advice UK.
Morgan Cooper Law charged over ?500 for a pair of "free" wills, didn't
honour their cooling off period and collapsed with the directors nowhere to
be found and the police called in to investigate fraud. They didn't have any
legal qualifications and it's not clear whether any wills they did produce
would have been valid.
whois on inheritanceadviceuk.com gives Melanie Sexton, 181 Wisbech Road, Ely
CB6 1RA (01353) 668522. This address is owned by Ely Business Centre who
rent out small units at a month's notice - see www.e-space-ely.com/
Will writing firms are not covered by specific rules or legislation in the
UK so anyone can set up in business to do this.
You should be aware that by inviting a representative of any company to
visit your house you are then not covered by the protection of the Distance
Selling Regulations. Also, it's wise to pay for goods and services wherever
possible by credit card as you can then use the Consumer Credit Act to
recover your money from the card issuing company if things go wrong.
The usual advice is to get wills done by a solicitor for peace of mind or if
your requirements are very straightforward there are software products and
even "write your own will" kits available.
Tim