Wills......How long to wait

[junedye64]

I sent off for 3 wills about two and a half weeks ago and I know they say it takes 21 days but is it now taking longer because of the obvious demand.

I'm looking forward to them coming next week but I know I'm going to be disappointed. :sad:

Can anyone tell me how long theirs took recently?

June

[markyb74]

Hi June,

When I ordered some recently it said that it took 21 business days (so just over 4 weeks) rather than 21 days. I haven't seen anything which says it will take longer because of the demand, did they tell you this?

Regards,

Mark

[Peter Goodey]

Can anyone tell me how long theirs took recently?

One hour, plus travel time to and from High Holborn :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:

[junedye64]

Very funny Peter :smile5:

Oh!! But you haven't included the train fare.


So I've got a bit longer to wait Mark. Thanks for telling me. I'll try to be patient.

June

[v.wells]

I ordered 4 on July 29 and not received them yet. I sent a query yesterday and received an email this morning that they had been sent this week. Apparently they are backlogged! I wonder why? :)

[junedye64]

Thanks for that Vanessa.

That means I've got a bit more waiting to do. :toetap05:

June

[Jane_Adams]

I was just coming on here to ask the same question. I ordered a will about 6 weeks ago, if not longer actually. Not received anything yet. Just checked bank account and the cheque was cleared on 2nd September.

Trying to find a contact number or email address on the HMCS website - any suggestions. No phone number listed for York on the page I'd bookmarked (was for every other office). Not got to the email bit yet, website is excruciatingly slow to load this evening.

[Degan]

Hi - I ordered a will at the end of August and it arrived on Saturday so just over a month, which I thought wasn't bad.

Degan

[junedye64]

That was good Degan, mine eventually took 6 weeks.

Perhaps they are getting better now. I hope so, I've got some more on order.

By the way, although I ordered from York, they arrived from Birmingham.

June

[Jane_Adams]

Hopefully mine will show up soon then :) I did order another one earlier in the year and was really surprised at how quickly it arrived, 2-3 weeks, so that's why I was expecting it a bit quicker.

[Kerrywood]

Glad to hear they're coming through at last.


although I ordered from York, they arrived from Birmingham.
York just handles the orders. The documents are mostly kept in Birmingham (Iron Mountain).

[nataliew]

mine is not coming through!! 6 weeks deadline passed now (although cheque cashed some time ago) - think I'll have to start looking for contact details...

[bibliojunkie]

Unless the system has changed, there is no point ringing York or any other office. Earlier this year I rang to enquire what was happening to my order because the cheque had been cashed a month previously but the wills had not arrived. I was told there was no database on which to check the status of orders. 'Please be patient with us.'

Ali

[v.wells]

Mine eventually showed up about 6 weeks after ordering. Next time I will be more patient.

[nataliew]

hurray! Mine arrived today - just over 6 weeks

[junedye64]

Was it worth the wait Ali?:smile5:

June

[pottoka]

I ordered four wills from Liverpool at the end of August. I was under the impression that it was best to order them from the Probate Office where they had been proved. About ten days later, I got a letter from them, saying that they were forwarding my request to York as they had too much to do. I'll expect them when I see them, probably for Christmas at this rate.

On the other hand, I sent for one from Nottingham in mid-September, and it arrived in just over a fortnight. :smile5: It was lucky that I didn't have to wait for it as it told me absolutely nothing apart from that the deceased left everything to his grandson, which I already knew! :sad:

Oh, there was one thing: the deceased, born in 1837 and who died in 1920, made his will in 1908, but still didn't know how to write, which I thought was rather sad.

[lizone]

Yay! Mine arrived today from Birmingham (request sent to York) and they took slightly over six weeks. One very interesting, two not interesting at all, which is not a bad strike rate.

Hang on in there!

[N@alie]

I went up to High Holborn yesterday, where they were quoting 4-6 weeks for postal enquiries or about an hour and a quarter for same day collection, both for the standard £5 fee. This was my first visit so I did not know what to expect or how the process worked, but the Department generally seemed to be somewhat short staffed and not particularly customer friendly.

I ended up waiting for nearly 2 1/2 hours and several people who were also waiting were getting quite grumpy, in fact one chap was so annoyed a supervisor was called for. Unfortunately, when I eventually got the Wills I had ordered they'd given me the same one twice and another not at all so I had to wait again for the mistake to be sorted.

Although I'm lucky enough to be able to visit Central London occasionally, I think next time I'm looking to order Wills I'll do it by post, even if it takes 6 weeks or so.

[Peter Goodey]

I suspect the heir hunting companies get the best service! If you write out an envelope to yourself, they will post the stuff out at end of business so you should receive it in a day or two.

[Kerrywood]

If you write out an envelope to yourself, they will post the stuff out at end of business so you should receive it in a day or two.
Not any longer, I'm afraid. This option is currently taking 2-3 weeks.

[bibliojunkie]

Was it worth the wait Ali

One of them was worth waiting for June. It confirmed I had the right family and various relationships. It also explained why a spinster gg aunt was able to live independently for over 20 years ‘without occupation.’ Her uncle had left her and only one of his grandchildren a small annuity. His only surviving child, a daughter, was left a much smaller one. The bulk of his fortune (c£4 million in today’s money) went to his second wife and her daughter. I would love to have been at the reading of the will given so many relatives would, I imagine, have had ‘expectations.’


Thanks N@alie for the information regarding waiting times at High Holborn. I will be in London next week and was planning to nip into the office but will not bother now.

Ali

[mfwebb]

I guess I had better stop watching the post then :frown5: They'll arrive when they arrive.

I only sent for mine on 3 October and the cheque was cashed on 11 October.

[Chasing Caseys]

I went today and found the man there to be very helpful and patient, but one particular member of the public, a man who was there around 10.30 was increadibly rude pushed in front of people waiting to go through security and a smile definitly would have injured him and yes he was there heading for the seventh floor.
My only slight gripe was that is wasnt made clear nor was i told when i paid that i had to hand the forms back to the man at the desk. When i paid it looked like they scan part of the form and i thought that was it.
I decided not to wait the hour and a half but to go back to work and return to pick them up before they closed. Obviously as i didnt hand the forms back i had nothing to pick up so i will go back on Tuesday.
One thing i would say to anyone thinking of going in person is to get to get there early as it started to get really busy as i was leaving around 11.30.

[Janett]

I posted my order on 2 September and received the Will on 21 October. Sadly it didn't give me any information I wasn't expecting but somehow Grandmother seemed a little closer. Does that make sense?

[Jane_Adams]

Apologies if I'm duplicating what has been said elsewhere....

Still waiting for my will that I applied for sometime in August. Just looked on Probate website which says:

"Due to a significant increase in the volume of search requests there is currently a delay in the processing of search applications at York Probate Sub Registry. We are taking steps to rectify this and apologise for any inconvenience this delay may cause. Information regarding the length of time we are currently taking to process applications is given on an automated message on the telephone number 01904 666778."

Called that number which as of today (27 October) states that they're currently working on requests received 6th September, and that if your cheque was cashed BEFORE that date to call 01904 666783.

Just spoken to a lady there who took the information I applied for and said they'd look into that 'urgently' and send out another copy in the 'next few days'.

So if you know your cheque was cashed BEFORE 6th September, it's worth giving them a call :)

[LittleSpark]

I ordered 3 Wills from York on 6th October and they arrived this morning from Newcastle Upon Tyne.
This is the first time I have ordered any and am absolutely thrilled with the info they contain, even down to saying who the daughters married! Since their names were Elizabeth & Eliza White who disappeared after the 1851 census I have never been able to find their marriages.
So whoopeee - I am chuffed to bits. :clap:

Sheila

[Ms Tarfgi]

Well I ordered two wills on 20 Oct and they arrived today, SEVEN working days later!!!!! Has the backlog cleared or am I just lucky?

[arthurk]

:taz: Mrs K is still waiting for one ordered on 26 September, so we're not terribly impressed that they seem not to be dealing with them in the order received. |shakehead

Arthur

[Jane_Adams]

:taz: Mrs K is still waiting for one ordered on 26 September, so we're not terribly impressed that they seem not to be dealing with them in the order received. |shakehead

Arthur

Have to agree with this. I ordered mine some time in August, cheque was cleared on 2nd September, I'm still waiting (and have placed second 'urgent' request via phone (as instructed by automated line). Automated phone line said they were "working on requests received on 6th September" - this is clearly not the case.

But well done to those who have managed to get their requests through quickly! I'm just jealous! I tell you, this blooming thing better have something useful on it! :lol:

[Ms Tarfgi]

Well my request seems to be bucking the trend! perhaps somebody put it on top of the pile when it should have gone on the bottom! But I'm not complaining.

[Jane_Adams]

The will I've been waiting for since August has finally just arrived - the resent one, not the one they originally sent (if they ever did).

Unfortunately doesn't tell me anything of any use other than he was still loaded when he died!

[arthurk]

Called that number which as of today (27 October) states that they're currently working on requests received 6th September, and that if your cheque was cashed BEFORE that date to call 01904 666783.

The same message was still being played a couple of days ago (ie around 2-3 Nov), but now it says they're working on requests received on 4th October etc etc. So have they just had a blitz on them, or have they shunted a load off into a basement, never to be seen again? :frown2: (Or do they only update the message once a month?)

Arthur

[AnjaliUK]

Hi, obviously everyone on this thread has already ordered a will. I have a few from TNA Online and other sources, but not any from the Probate Calendar. Could someone tell me how to go about ordering by post and how much it costs? Thanks.

[Kerrywood]

Could someone tell me how to go about ordering by post and how much it costs? Thanks.
The Probate Subregistry in York handles the postal ordering service for wills, but the webpage with the full details seems to be down at the moment.

http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/1183.htm

However, the details are also given on this page, halfway down.

lawontheweb.co.uk/Probate (put www. in front)

The cost is £5.00, whether you order by post or over the counter at a sub-registry (which can be quicker).

[mfwebb]

As I ordered mine on 3 October (cheque cashed on 11 October) I'll start watching the post again with some expectation :drool5:

[Mitch in Notts]

Currently 2 weeks from receipt at York to postmark at Newcastle.
Though I supplied date of will so didn`t need a search doing.

Mitch

[Zen Rabbit]

I too am waiting for a will. Which given the current speed of this shoddy organisation isn't going to be anytime soon. If they were a private company they would have gone bust by now.

[Zen Rabbit]

I take that back. Will arrived today along with apologies for being late. Thank you HMCS :)