Whether in need of a refurbished house or expert legal advice, you will find yourself in situations where you have no choice but to trust that the person or team you are hiring are going to be acting in your best interests. However, even if you are doing everything right from your end, things can sometimes go awry.
BUILDING WORK
What should happen
You want some important work done on your house. You ask friends for recommendations. You do not use unsolicited adverts. You obtain at least two quotes. You sign an agreement relating to costs and timeframe that both sides stick to. The job is done on time to cost. You recommend the builder to others and use the builder for your next job.
What does happen
Builder arrives. He tells you it’s a big job and will take quite a bit of time. He tells you he’s done similar jobs before and he’s a bit of an expert but what you want is unusual. No one else in the area has the skills to do it. He tells you all the things that might go wrong. He gives you an estimate only, not a fixed price, just in case things don’t go according to plan. He tries to tell you what he thinks you should be doing rather than what you want done.
On day one his team arrive who you’ve not met. He is nowhere to be seen. They don’t appear to be very well briefed, so you have to spend time going over what needs doing again. They also seem a little inexperienced, but you let them get on with it. The work progresses reasonably but seems to take longer than you had been told it would. After a couple of weeks the head builder arrives to tell you there have been some unforeseen complications, which means the job will take longer and cost more. You’re not happy, but you just want it finished. You agree to an increase but not the full amount the builder wanted. You notice that one less worker is turning up each day since the price negotiation, which seems to be slowing the work down. Eventually the work is done – not quite as you had specified at the outset – but you want to concentrate on other things and move on. You resolve never to use that builder again.
LEGAL ADVICE
What should happen
You want some important legal work done. You ask friends for recommendations. You do not use unsolicited adverts. You obtain at least two quotes. You sign an agreement relating to costs and timeframe that both sides stick to. The job is done on time to cost. You recommend the lawyer to others and use the lawyer for your next job.
What does happen
You speak to the partner at the law firm. He tells you it’s a big job and will take quite a bit of time. He tells you he’s done similar jobs before and he’s a bit of an expert but what you want is unusual. No one else in the area has the skills to do it. He tells you all the things that might go wrong. He gives you an estimate only, not a fixed price, just in case things don’t go according to plan. He tries to tell you what he thinks you should be doing rather than what you want done.
On day one of the assignment you meet with the team, who you’ve not met before. The partner is nowhere to be seen. The team don’t appear to be very well briefed so you have to spend time going over what needs doing again. They also seem a little inexperienced, but you let them get on with it. The work progresses reasonably but seems to take longer than you had been told it would. After a couple of weeks the partner calls to tell you there have been some unforeseen complications, which means the job will take longer and cost more. You’re not happy but you just want it finished. You agree to an increase but not the full amount the partner wanted. You notice that the lawyers working on your assignment keep changing and seem ever more junior since the price negotiation, which seems to be slowing the work down. Eventually the work is done – not quite as you had specified at the outset – but you want to concentrate on other things and move on. You resolve never to use that firm again!
At Tandon Hildebrand this won’t happen. We will get you where you want to be more efficiently and without unnecessary surprises.
