A recent survey of the legal market has revealed that consumers who used a will writing service were most likely to be satisfied.
It also indicated that those who are dissatisfied with legal services are unlikely to do anything about it, despite the majority of consumers being happy with what they receive.
Commissioned by the Legal Services Consumer Panel, the survey indicated that 83% of respondents were happy with the result of any advice that they received, with four out of five consumers satisfied with the service of the lawyers they dealt with. Levels of satisfaction mirror those from last year’s research in a study conducted by YouGov.
Also the same as the results from 2016, the overall service and advice received was described as good value by approximately three-fifths of consumers. Seeing an increase, however, was the level of trust consumers had in lawyers, rising by 3% to 45%. The number of consumers who stated that they had been given a clear explanation of the legal issue also grew to record heights, indicating a greater focus on consumer needs.
The most likely consumer group to be satisfied was those who used a will writing service (95%) or those who used power of attorney services at 91%.
Whilst these figures indicate that the majority of consumers were happy with the legal services received, the survey also revealed that dissatisfied consumers were unlikely to do anything about it. This figure has seen a significant increase from last year reaching almost half of respondents (49%) compared to 35% in 2016.
Touching on this issue, the panel feel that the results indicate that the legal services market is finding it difficult to grow its consumer offerings. It stated that there is too heavy a reliance on reputation when it comes to choosing a provider, with just 27% of consumers comparing their options. Only 2% of consumers use comparison websites to weigh up their options.
Commenting on the results was Dr Jane Martin. The Chair of the panel stated: ‘The good news is that levels of satisfaction are high for many elements of service delivery. But our concern remains that a satisfactory service may only be available to those who can successfully navigate the sector. Questions should also be asked about readiness to complain when things go wrong.
‘The market appears to be at a standstill in important areas which are crucial for consumers’ decision making and competition.’
Also commenting on the figures, the Legal Ombudsman queried why consumers are failing to come forward when they have an issue with services received. Kathryn Stone, Chief Legal Ombudsman stated: ‘It is disappointing to see that people seem to have more confidence in complaining about poor service in supermarkets, banks and mobile phone companies than legal services.’
