WBW Solicitors incorporating Beviss & Beckingsale

This firm of solicitors and more specifically Stephen Fisher Crouch were instructed to act for my husband in a long standing farm dispute.
My husband was offered a no win, no fee agreement by the firm.
If you need something worked on efficiently do not employ Stephen Fisher Crouch, he brings a whole new meaning to last minute, this was throughout the case but I particularly remember on one occasion being on a boat to France at 6pm and being called by Stephens secretary Carole because all of the properties were being valued starting at 8am the next day and Stephen Fisher Crouch had forgotten to tell us. I said that it wouldn't be possible as most of the properties were tenanted and she told me not to shoot the messenger. Stephen Fisher Crouch also forgot to tell us that he had agreed to over £4,000 being paid to the valuers for that days work without our knowledge.
After several years of lengthy litigation and an unsuccessful all day mediation appointment both Stephen Fisher Crouch and Emma Northover tried to push us into a deal which would mean paying Beviss and Beckingsale over £180,000 and my husband leaving with considerably less than when the case started several years before.
BE WARNED, if you are offered a no win no fee deal by this firm their interpretation of success is 1p above what you already own, you will then be charged a 100% increase in the firms fees, eg approximately £440 per hour, per solicitor. We were then told that we had to accept the offer that was being made as it was part of the conditions of the no win, no fee agreement.
At this point we refused and my husband went directly to the other party and brokered a deal over several days. The agreement was written out by hand and a map attached.
We were very relieved that the matter was finally coming to an end and went the the High Court in Bristol the following week to get the order written up and agreed by a Judge.
Stephen Fisher Crouch read the agreement through which had been written out by the other sides solicitors, he said there were a few amendments and we trusted him to get the agreement right.
A few weeks later when we started trying to implement the agreement we started to realise that it was badly flawed and didn't even include a map, it also tied up all of the property so that none could be sold until the death of one of the parties which meant that we couldn't pay the solicitors bill. The basis of this agreement had been written out in hand by the parties, it was Stephen Fisher Crouch's job to make it legal in a time of great stress for us both, but he couldn't even do that.
I made a complaint about Stephen Fisher Crouch to the partners at Beviss and Beckingsale and asked to know why there was no map attached, when the hand written copy had a map attached, he replied that we had all spoken about it and decided that there was no need to add a map, this was not true.
The dreadful agreement that Stephen Fisher Crouch agreed to on our behalf that day in the court has had long standing consequences, it failed to even include the property address in question, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. When I made my complaint I was told that the firm would sort out these mistakes if we were to put a further £30,000 on account with them, needless to say we did not. We had to borrow money to pay their bill as the agreement meant that we could sell nothing at all and the firm employed aggressive tactics to obtain payment.
In my opinion Stephen Fisher Crouch is incompetent and should be struck off.
I would be interested to see why these other reviewers left one star reviews below.

Professional, polite and accurate, cannot be foulted.

Thank you for helping me buy by house.

Supports and gets things done

I am writing this review in response to the review Brian Lock made. Brian and I are devorcing. Beviss and Beckingsale are representing me therefore Brian is not a client of theirs!
I am more than happy with the the work they are doing for me and do not agree with anything that was stated in his review.
I was actually unaware and not at all happy that my name has been used in this way and send my apologies to Beviss and Beckingsale as I have been a client of their for many years and have always found them to give the very best service.

They are brilliant. Easy access to help, really friendly. I have used them several times mainly in Axminster but also the Honiton branch.
I always recommend them to friends and family and they are also impressed with the level of efficient service

Appalling service; senior partner neglected my conveyance and has to disinstruct himself

Excellent service all staff very professional and friendly nothing is to much trouble

Brilliant firm old fashion values and customer service friendly and helpful