Your will for £20? (Published 20/09/05)

Have you seen those ads that offer to come to your home and do you a will for £20? Doesn't that sound too good to be true? That is because it is too good to be true. All these companies are doing is using the foot in the door technique, where they prey on the vulnerable by appearing to offer more than everyone else, when in fact you receive little by way of correct service and are often left with a defective will.

Such companies often put on airs and graces in their adverts, saying they are members of some distinguished sounding body or other. This is just to hide the fact that in truth they are completely unqualified and unregulated. By responding to their ad you are effectively inviting in a high pressure salesperson who will charge you many hundreds of pounds for 'extras' before they are finished with you, and the end product they supply is usually cheap and nasty too.

Mr Black from London (not his real name) was a good example of this we came across. He is housebound with parkinson's disease. He responded to one of these ads and ended up spending £500 on things he really didn't need and which weren't done properly anyway. We sued the company for him and got him his money back. There are many more examples.

If you want to make a will or get advice on any other related issues (powers of attorney, inheritance tax, care home fees etc.) the only way to get the job done properly is to consult a properly qualified firm of solicitors. How do you know whether your advisors are properly qualified? Easy. Look for the word 'solicitor'. The adverts I have mentioned always omit this, for one very simple reason - they are not solicitors and it is a crime to say you are one if you are not. Instead they will often give themselves grand sounding titles like 'professional will writers' or 'lawyers' or 'attorneys', none of which have any legal restriction on them. Don't be fooled! Solicitors have years of experience, training and qualifications, and insurance against anything going wrong. Go for the real thing!

Properly drafted wills for the majority of folk start at under £100. If you have complex affairs you can end up spending more than that but never without your prior approval. And no pressure selling, ever. If you need advice on wills or any legal matters, Wilsons are available at Whitkirk, Horsforth, Farsley, Rodley, Thornton and Oakenshaw. At Horsforth we even open 7 days a week and in evenings too!

Keira Liburd