Terms & Conditions

DEFINITIONS
The Term, ‘the Company’, shall mean Acuity Will Writers.
The Term, ‘the Client’ shall mean you; the term ‘you’ and ‘your’ shall mean ‘the client’.
The Society shall mean The Society of Will Writers and Estate Planning Practitioners.

Procedures
Making your Will involves two meetings. At the first meeting your detailed instructions are taken, any questions that you have answered and appropriate advice given to you. At the second meeting the completed documentation is given to you to read through before signing. Any queries will be answered and full explanations given. If the Company has made a mistake this will be rectified at the expense of the Company before you sign the document, even if this requires an extra visit. You will be required to arrange for witnesses and attorneys to be present at the second meeting; you will be given full information about the witnessing procedure at the first meeting.

The Company is obliged to give you the best advice in all matters relating to your Will and in some cases this may include advice to draw up other documents or take other action which may incur further fees. In such cases full details of such fees will be given to you at the time and you are under no obligation to proceed with any ancillary services offered. However, in some circumstances you may be asked to sign a declaration stating that you are acting against the advice given. Where documents other than Wills are drawn up on your behalf ie., Enduring Powers of Attorney then providing the witnesses and attorneys are present at the attestation then the company will oversee their execution, if not then the client will be responsible to ensure that these documents are signed correctly by their Attorneys or others that may be involved in the activation of these documents. The Company will in turn supply signing instructions and if the client returns them to the Company, the Company will without charge check the documents to ensure they have been signed correctly and if spoilt the Company will agree to supply one new set of documents at one third of the published rate.

The Company is covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance up to a maximum of £2,000,000. Should the Company fail to give you any information or advice that is appropriate and/or if the Company gives you any information or advice that is incorrect and as a result you or your Estate suffers a loss the amount may be recoverable through the insurers.

Ongoing Responsibility
Where the Company offers a Will Storage Service, the Company does not accept any liability or obligation to advise you of any changes in legislation or taxation which may affect you either directly or indirectly that may necessitate a review of your Will(s). Any Will should be reviewed every three years and on occasion of any material change in your circumstances, such as divorce, marriage, the birth of children, or the inheritance of a large sum of money etc.

Disclosure of Information and Confidentiality
In order to produce effective legal documents the Company needs to be assured that you are providing full disclosure of all relevant facts and answers to all questions asked. The Company shall not accept any liability for any information not disclosed and therefore not documented which later comes to light as being of relevance and which may affect the validity or content of the Will. The Company is registered under the Data Protection Act 1984 and therefore all information disclosed to us will remain totally confidential and no details will be passed to any other parties without your prior consent.

Timescales
The Company shall endeavour to produce all documentation ready for signing within 15 working days of the first appointment or as otherwise agreed. If exceptional circumstances occur, such as illness, then a full explanation will be given and the documentation produced as soon as it is possible to do so. In any event, The Company shall produce documentation and have it available for signature within a maximum of 30 days of having the full and relevant information to do so.

Fees and Payments
Our fees are as quoted to you irrespective of the complexity of the document. The Will Writing fee is payable in full on the first appointment unless arranged by direct debit. The fees for other services may, by agreement, be paid on completion or by direct debit. You have a right to cancel this contract within 7 days from the date of taking your instructions. However if after 7 days you wish to cancel the service, the Company reserves the right to charge you for the advice given and for any work already carried out on your behalf and in accordance with your signed instructions.

If you cancel an appointment without 24 Hours notice, a cancellation fee of £25 shall be payable. If a representative of the Company arrives at your home for a pre-arranged visit and you are not at home or you failed to cancel the appointment then a cancellation fee of £50 shall be payable.

Complaints
The Company is committed to providing you with a level of service of the highest level. In the unlikely event of you having a complaint, the Company operates a complaints procedure in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Willwriters. A copy of the code is available from the Company or from the Institute of Professional Willwriters who can be contacted at Midland House, New Road, Halesowen, West Midlands. B63 3HY. Telephone: 08456 442042 or e-mail: office@ipw.org.uk.