Quick Wills, Probate and Divorce services to be investigated by CMA

As reported in recent days by mainstream media, firms offering ‘quickie’ will writing services and divorces are being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) following numerous complaints.  The CMA intends to examine online divorce services which have become more popular since lockdown as well as complaints that vulnerable customers were pressured into signing up for Will writing services.  There are now many alternative companies to traditional Law firms where Wills are advertised as much cheaper, however, whilst these alternatives to conventional Law firms can be more convenient, the advisor may not be a solicitor and the companies are not always regulated and costs have been reported to spiral from the initial quote.

Following Covid online divorces have become popular, being promoted as a faster and cheaper alternative to the traditional process. However, CMA has received complaints of being misled about how easy this process is, the poor quality of service and the costs involved.

Prepaid probate plans are also coming under investigation by The CMA where people have paid set fees upfront for dealing with their probate leaving their families to believe that they will not have to pay towards finalising their affairs, sadly this is now always the case with some people being old plans which are unnecessary.

Sarah Cardell, the CMA chief executive said “That’s why it’s so important that we investigate, so that people can select the right legal service for them for divorce, Will writing and probate, with confidence.”

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