Daniel
Collected on:
Avoid – Poor Service, Unclear Expertise, Questionable Fee Practices
Terrible Experience – Look Elsewhere for Immigration Services
I had an extremely disappointing experience with Thompson & Cooke in 2025 and strongly urge anyone considering their services to look elsewhere.
Not the Immigration Expertise We Expected
We were referred to Thompson & Cooke as immigration specialists. In our experience, the advice we received did not reflect the level of expertise we expected. Their understanding of the relevant immigration processes appeared limited, and we later learned that we would not have qualified for the fee waiver route they advised us to pursue.
Questionable Fee Practices
We were charged £1,650 for the "preparation and submission of a fee waiver application." However, the application was never submitted due to serious errors in their draft documents that raised concerns about their competence. When we decided not to proceed, we requested a partial refund based on the incomplete service, which they declined.
We later reviewed their time records and saw that they had logged only £1,139.40 worth of work. Much of that time appeared to involve input that we had to provide ourselves, including corrections and clarifications. Despite the application never being filed, they insisted on retaining the full fee. We ultimately did not challenge the full amount due to contract terms that we felt limited our ability to seek a fair resolution.
Poor Customer Service
In our experience:
We were often made to feel like a burden rather than clients
Communication was slow, inconsistent, and difficult to maintain
Concerns were met with defensiveness rather than constructive responses
We had to chase them repeatedly and provide basic information ourselves to get anything done
Quality Concerns
The draft documents they prepared contained fundamental errors that should not have been overlooked by a qualified immigration solicitor. This significantly undermined our trust in their professional judgment and competence.
Inadequate Complaints Handling
We attempted to raise our concerns directly with the firm, but the response focused heavily on contract terms rather than service quality or addressing the substance of our complaints. It was only after escalating to the Legal Ombudsman that we received a meaningful reply. We also submitted a report to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, due to our concerns about their handling of both fees and professional standards.
Red Flags to Consider
In our view:
The advertised immigration expertise did not match our experience
Service was slow and at times unresponsive
Documentation contained avoidable errors
There was little flexibility when concerns were raised
Contract terms seemed more focused on protecting the firm than ensuring fair treatment for clients
Bottom Line
Based on our experience, this firm appeared more focused on protecting its position than on delivering high-quality legal service. The stress and time lost dealing with poor communication and questionable billing practices significantly impacted what was already a difficult immigration process.
There are other firms with genuine immigration expertise who communicate clearly, stand by their work, and treat clients with respect. We recommend finding one of them instead.
Save yourself the stress – look elsewhere.
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