Dear Paul,
Please accept our apologies for the delay in acknowledging your review. It is our aim to respond promptly to all of our client reviews, although I was sorry to learn that your comments appear to have been missed at the time of posting and have not been acknowledged in a timelier manner. While I am also very sorry to hear of your disappointment, I would like to thank you for taking the time to share a thorough account of your experience, which has enabled us to investigate the circumstances of your complaint and address the matter fully.
In the first instance, I am sorry to learn that an administration error led to problems banking your cheque. Valued Estates has a thorough process in place to ensure any administrative discrepancies are picked up at the earliest opportunity, although I appreciate that on this occasion these processes may have fallen short of our usual standards and will have contributed to disappointment in the service you were provided as one of multiple beneficiaries to the estate in question.
As with every estate we manage on the behalf of bereaved loved ones, Valued Estates ensures appropriate settlements are distributed directly and individually to all beneficiaries as applicable, following a final summary of estate accounts.
Where day-to-day management of a given estate and its accounts are duties typical of the appointed executor(s), Valued Estates provides weekly updates as agreed with the named executor(s), to ensure a smooth, convenient and fully informed administration process. Upon completion of the final statements, any remaining distributions can then be made to named beneficiaries as directed.
I note that the protracted sale of a retirement property created additional work that had not been anticipated at the outset. Very occasionally, an estate may require further attention than initially envisaged.
In this case, our final fee was agreed in dialogue with the estate executor, although Valued Estates is committed to providing a complete and transparent fixed-price service based on the work involved, and is formed by our years of experience in probate and estate administration.
I understand that another review related to the service provided on this occasion is available publically with a 5* satisfaction rating, although please do be assured that your experience has been wholly taken on board regarding areas for clarifying communication availability between involved parties and improvements to the delivery of feedback.
Despite the delay in our response to the matter, for which I offer our sincerest apologies, I hope this is of help to clarify the circumstances in this case.
If you have any questions at all, please do not hestiate to contact us. Kind regards - Gemma, Team VE
