Costs expert slams legal post service for overcharging firms

A Manchester cost-reduction specialist claims that he has successfully pursued a substantial number of claims for law firms for overcharging by monopoly legal postal service Hays DX.

BCR Associates director David Ballard says Hays DX has paid tens of thousands of pounds in rebates to law firms in the last five years. He says that every single case that he has handled has been successful.

Ballard analyses Hays' monitoring system, examines the number of letters sent and the firm's subscription cost. In the past year alone his actions have led to Hays having to pay out £30,000, £29,000, and £23,000 to three separate firms.

Ballard, who operates on a no win-no fee basis, told The Lawyer it was always a battle with Hays, but that he had never failed to win rebates for his clients. Letters posted with Hays DX are supposed to cost only 50 per cent of the Post Office rate, but Ballard says there are often miscalculations.

Hays DX claims to have around 97 per cent of the total law firm market.

A spokeswoman for Hays DX says: "We haven't been made aware of any problems with our lawyers.

"We are confident they are satisfied."