itemised Bill

[jayzee1444]

Hi I received a bill for services provided.The bill had a breakdown of the work and then an additional column for postage telephone calls that came to £160.I dispute this part of the bill and made a request for it to be itemised as well. I received a reply to say in the company's opinion this was a not a high amount for the work involved(I can account for 2 telephone calls and 4 letters about 3 pages each) but to resolve the matter they would deduct £25 from the amount.The request for itemised billing and proof of calls receipts etc was ignored and I was threatened with court action if I didnt pay.I paid the amount but was wondering if there is any legislation or European directive that states I can demand a breakdown of how costs such as envelopes, headed paper, telephone calls are adding up. I would say this is at least £100 overcharged.

Thank you for your help.

[strangewayofsavin]

Re: itemised Bill

Hi Jayzee, if you go to the Utilities section of the forum and read Cinders sticky.

[jayzee1444]

Re: itemised Bill

Hi Strangewayofsavin,

Thank you for your quick reply,I've read the sticky,I think I need to be clearer, my bill is actually from a solicitor, it has been reviewed by complaints but I still didn't get the itemised breakdown I was looking for.I was wondering if there is any European legislation that I can refer to as I am taking it to the next level of the complaints proceedure and I want to have some kind of consumer legislation to refer to.

Thanks

[Paule]

Re: itemised Bill

Is there a 3rd Party involved?
ie you are suing someone, in which case the solicitor will be making calls/writing to them as well.

Can I ask what type of case it was, ie accident, finiancial etc.

Have you got a list of the standard fees they charge as it will usually be on there what they charge for the various people rates & item fees

[jayzee1444]

Re: itemised Bill

Hi PKea,
Thanks for your reply.

It is a civil case that involved writing two letters and issuing a civil bill (x2), the letters have never been sent so apart from emailing the barrister nothing has been sent to the third parties.I am aware of how much paperwork has been done.

I have a breakdown of the fee but these items of outlay are seperate and I feel the amount is excessive and cant seem to get the amount itemised.

[Tools]

Re: itemised Bill

Have they included the time spent in preparing the letters in the £160 or was it just for the postage of them?

If preparation and drafting of the letters has been included then dependant on their content the amount does seem to be about the going rate, depending on what level of expertise and position within the firm the person doing the letters was.

Also, can I take this opportunity to thank you for your subscription and upgrade to V.I.P membership as your donation is much appreciated to help keep the site operating.

[jayzee1444]

Re: itemised Bill

Hi Tools,

Thank you for your reply.Well in the breakdown of fees I paid a significantly higher amount and it covered drafting of letters amongst other things so I think that is the preparation bit. It appears that this heading Items of Outlay is just for postage, telephone calls etc as far as I can make out.I am not getting anywhere wanting this broken down and I was wondering can firms charge whatever they want for these items and not be obliged to give a breakdown if there is a query as to the amount, thats why I was wondering about European Consumer legislation.

I would also point out some work had to be redrafted due to spelling mistakes by the firm and putting wrong names and wrong information in the original drafts but I wasn't expecting to be charged for the company's mistakes.However even including this extra work I can't see how the amount adds up.

After I paid the bill (luckily registering the payment) I received a letter from them with the wrong date (wrong month)adding £700 onto the bill and threatening to take me to court unless paid.I presume the date and the amount were spelling mistake on the bill, as I had registered the bank draft and it had been signed for I just put it down to incompetence but dealing with this firm has been stressful and I suppose at this stage I feel I have been ripped off and don't seem to have much comeback.

Anyways I think this site is great I'm really glad I could sign up.

Thanks

Jayzee1444

[Tools]

Re: itemised Bill

It sounds as if they have been extremely lacking and if you feel you have a genuine complaint I suggest you try http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/choosin...me.law?=lshome

Let us know if they are of any assistance, if not then we can have a rethink.

[Paule]

Re: itemised Bill

I posted some info on a thread here a while back which showed various fees and earners rates.

I will try and find the info for you.

PKea

[Paule]

Re: itemised Bill

This is the breakdown of fees of another user fo the site.

They may make it easier for you to understand how they get to their figures







Hope this helps

PKea

[Glenn UK]

Re: itemised Bill

The law society regulates solicitors and has a complaints seciton

http://www.legalcomplaints.org.uk/ho...tors-bill.page

it includes complaints about bills and is a free service.

Perosnally i would have asked them to justify it and upon their failure to do so would have refused to pay that element.

JMHO

Glenn

[jayzee1444]

Re: itemised Bill

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your replys they are really helpful.I will be taking the complaint further.

Glenn uk I did think about that course of action, I did refuse to pay that part of the bill and they reduced it by £25 but still would not itemise it.They then threatened legal action and as I didnt want to go to court or end up paying costs and to be honest I didnt want the hassle as dealing with them has been incredibly stressful so far,I decided to pay the amount and then look at what possible solutions are available when I am not under the pressure of court action.That is why I was looking if there was any relevent legislation that I could rely on as it appears companies can do this if they want and unless the law society forces them to itemise this part of the bill there doesnt seem to be any legal requirement for them to do so.
Thanks again.

Regards

Jayzee1444