How to Complain about the Probate Registry

URGENT – the Probate Registry Service is currently DIRE,

please sign our Probate Petition for improvements and draw it to the attention of your MP:

Click the link to sign the petition and please ask others to sign it. It will have no effect until 10,000 signatures are received, but there is time!https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/644554/ The Key request is for 4 weekly progress updates by text or email.

I will be looking for personal case studies of how this has affected families – please email st***@*********************co.uk with a phone number. Please remember that your whole family will eventually suffer if the Probate Complaints Petition doesn’t bring about any improvements – the more signatures, the better – and ask your MP to support it – only Parliament can brig about real change in support of us battered voters.

Probate Quotes                    Probate Disputes

My probate petition:

  • Make the Probate Registry more customer friendly.
  • No information for 16 weeks after submission, bills can’t be paid, whilst beneficiaries pester executors and increase professional fees.
  • So please acknowledge applications and update by email, text, or post every 4 weeks.
  • Have a nominated individual or small team dealing with each case.
  • Answer the phone (there would be fewer calls with automatic updates).
  • At the present moment, “problem” cases are apparently being dealt with 9 months after submission – and the issue may be a simple clerical error.
  • SADLY, dealing with the probate registry is a further twist of the knife for the already suffering bereaved.

Incidentally, a recent survey showed that just 1% of executors found the process easier than expected, and 99% did not. 

The Customer Service Journey at the Probate Registry needs a severe shake-up, with clients being automatically kept informed. In private enterprise, heads would have rolled long since. But you can complain about the probate registry service, and you can suggest improvements. But only MPs can force those changes through, so make sure yours knows about the Probate Petition.complain about the probate registry using the Probate Petition.Always remember that the staff at the Probate Registry did not make the decision to permanently close most offices or get rid of so many experienced senior staff who are now being replaced with staff new to the Department.  As I understand it, the miscalculation was so bad that the Registry will end up with more staff than it had before the cutbacks, perhaps due to issues with the computer system which sometimes gets things wrong. As you are not even allowed to talk to them asking if your case is going OK for 16 weeks, when it may be sitting somewhere being ignored, or the wrong email address may have been emailed with a query.Have you checked that probate hasn’t been granted?  If it has, you will eventually be able to get a copy Will (if there was one) and Grant.Learning how to complain about the probate registry is one thing. Still, as individuals we are going to make no difference – but combining and using the Probate Petition gives us a real chance of making change actual happen – and this time, for the better. 

This is the formal Probate Registry complaints procedure:

Items in italics are my comments.If you are NOT the executor, then this is unlikely to be a way to complain about matters and my experience is that the Registry staff are generally unwilling to engage even with executors if a professional submitted the application.  They are positively not allowed to give information to third parties such as beneficiaries. I understand that the Registrar considers that professionals have access to information on all cases submitted online.  That does make it VERY expensive to chase professional executors for information they may not have, and at least will involve 5 touch points – your call, their secretary’s action, the lawyers’ email, the registry reply (if lucky), and conveying that information to the client. At a minimum that is 5 units of time, typically 30 minutes costing on average around £150 including VAT.  Usually, for no response.So, wait 16 weeks, then email co************@*********ov.uk with case reference if you have it, if not then date of death, full name of deceased and date the cheque was cleared, wait 10 days for a reply, then email again copying in your MP.  Only then continue reading:

Probate Registry Complaints procedure

How to raise a complaint or give general feedback about the service The Probate Registry (part of His Majestys Courts Service) provides:


Make a complaint if you’re unhappy with the Probate registry service

You might want to make a complaint. Our complaint process looks at how your case was handled by our staff. We’re not able to change the decision in your case or investigate how a judge or magistrate acted towards you.To complain about the Probate Registry service:

  • complete our online Probate Registry complaints form
  • speak to a member of staff in our buildings and we’ll record your feedback (unlikely to be much use with the difficulty in getting through to 0300 303 0648)
  • contact our courts or tribunals by email, phone or in writing – I recommend emailing co************@*********ov.uk and copying in your MP.

We aim to respond within 10 working days.

Review

If you’re not happy with the reply to your complaint, you can ask a senior Probate Registry manager at the office to carry out a review. You should explain why you’re not satisfied. The manager will aim to respond to you within 10 working days.

Appeal against the Probate Registry’s Review

If you’re not satisfied with the senior manager’s review of your complaint, you can appeal to the Customer Investigations Team. The manager who reviewed your complaint will give you their contact details. The Customer Investigations Team will take a fresh look at the way your complaint has been handled. They will aim to respond to you within 15 working days.If you remain unsatisfied at the end of the HMCTS complaints process, you can also ask your member of Parliament to refer your case to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

If you’re unhappy with the result of your case

If you’re unhappy with the result of your case, you can appeal the decision, for example, if you think the decision was incorrect. You might want to seek legal advice if you decide to do this. You can find out how to appeal a decision with the judiciary on GOV.UK or through your legal representative.

Give feedback on the Probate Registry Service

To tell us how we can improve:

We’ll not be able to write back to you, but we want to hear if we can improve.

Say thank you to the Probate REGISTRY (the Government Department, not us!)

To tell us we’ve done something well:

We’ll not write back to you, but we want to know if we’ve done something well. We can make sure it keeps happening and learn from your feedback.

That is the end of the Justice Department’s complaints procedure.

Now sign our Probate Petition!

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