Larger companies miss a trick

B

uying a new kitchen and having it installed is always rather exciting. As a lawyer there is however, that brooding worry that litigation will flow from the project and that it will all go horribly wrong.

As a legal aid lawyer I could not afford one of those named 'designer' kitchens, and most people advised me to buy the units and get them fitted by a local builder. I decided to compromise and bought all my units from Homebase and paid to have them installed at the same time. What could possibly go wrong a large company employing quality assured builders sporting every quality mark known to man?

Day one was okay. They ripped out my old kitchen with gusto, dumping it in my gardens and making rather too much mess.

?But it was still okay. Things were happening, progress was ?being made.
?for at least two weeks, ?possibly longer.

Day two was bad. The builders stopped work. They said that one of the walls was damp, a downpipe was faulty, a gutter was leaking and a dodgy old bread oven needed its chimney capping. They could not proceed and I would have to sort these 'additional' matters out myself. They were only kitchen installers and could not touch the guttering or pipes. All rather horrific. What was I going to do?

I was left with no kitchen, no sink, no cooking facilities and no washing machine. Homebase were letting me down badly. Surely they could have sorted out the problem? They are a huge company which employs thousands.

Instead, I've had to employ my own surveyor and builder. The project been delayed

I reflected on what I would have done with a client in similar circumstances. Generally I provide a comprehensive service. For example, we recently made a will for a client. Sadly she died soon after. We applied for probate which was contested. We dealt with the contested and later litigated probate action. A property needed to be sold. We dealt with that.

We had a team of four different lawyers and legal executives working on the project. A wills specialist, a probate specialist, a litigation solicitor and a conveyancing solicitor.

Small firms have the advantage of flexibility. We are also proud of our reputation for customer service. We like to say 'yes' rather than 'no'. When a client has a problem we like

to solve it rather than compound it.

the Homebase regional sales director however, was the complete reverse. He seemed completely inflexible and had little idea of customer service. He could have supplied another builder immediately to have resolved the problem. He

?chose not to. Challenges arise ?as a matter of course in ?building works.
?of this.
?with the problems that get thrown at me.
?more difficult.
SJ

The same is true of most legal work. Small firms cope with all

I have been taught to deal

I look for solutions rather than tell the clients they are on their own and without support. In my world, the computer says 'yes'.

Niche practices survive on the basis of their customer service and ability to adapt quickly in difficult circumstances.

Larger firms and especially the middle range find it

As did Homebase.