Dear LPG,

I am a pensioner who came to England back in the 1950s.  Those were the days when many were offered the chance to come and help England to rebuild after the devastation of WWII, and everyone thought that the job would be done within a few years, at which time we would return home better off and having left a repaired England behind us.  But history shows that it was not quite that simple.

I, like many of those immigrants ended up staying, working, marrying, having children and making a life in England.  All too soon we got to retirement and some decided that this was the time to go home while others decided that it was better to stay in England where their real family ties are now rooted.

None of this is news really, but I am now seeing many of my friends taking a look at returning home where they often don’t have a lot of family left.  The first thing you need is somewhere to live and, many will have visited and found their spot while others will have inherited property back home, wherever that may be, and there is also the whole business of writing a will that will be recognised in some of these countries.

But I have been really appalled at some of the stories I have heard about the way some of them have been treated by the legal and other services when trying to settle long-distance transactions.   Choosing someone to represent you in England is a minefield ,when you can visit and see their offices and learn about their reputations; how do you start to find someone you can trust when they are based in an office which is thousands of miles away?

The stories that I have heard from more than one friend about how they have lost money and time without any result is quite frightening, and I have no doubt that many readers can tell such stories of friends, or even their own experiences. 

I am not saying that there aren’t some reputable ones to be found, but most of these lawyers can get away with treating their clients badly; both their local clients and those who approach them from overseas.  This has to be because there are very few regulatory bodies that their clients can turn to; organisations set up by their governments to ensure good service.

I read an LPG article which suggested that younger pensioners are the people that are in the best position to help to change any situation (►►►).  And I suggest that some of us need to write emails and letters with a view for putting pressure on those Government departments which could be doing a better job when it comes to dealing with providing fairer services where such organisations exist,  and also by contacting  such governments to protect their public by setting up some regulatory organisations where they don’t.   

In England so many aspects of consumer life are regulated; in fact, when I took a look at just one online list, I was quite surprised at the number of organisations we have over here. I have had my dealings with some of them in the past and have found some helpful and others not so much, but there is no disputing that consumers take notice of them, and the firms and companies that are governed by them are forced to observe certain standards when dealing with their clients if they want to keep their credibility.

I know that Europe is quite well regulated too, but sufficient letters and emails to the governments and newspapers in the countries where people are so obviously getting taken for a ride might make a difference, and it is easier to complain as an onlooker because the point will be made without jeopardising any situation that you are involved with.

So this is a plea to those who have seen friends and neighbours exploited by a foreign solicitor or lawyer; or indeed any other service.   Each complaint has to help to make a difference.

I have no doubt that some may think my message a little idealistic, but every ideal has to start somewhere if it is ever to become reality.

GD, Forest Hill.

GD offers an example of just how many regulatory bodies we have in the UK....

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