Where a customer disputes a claim in excess of £5,000, the process can be drawn out. A 'fast track' case may take 30 weeks or more to go to trial, while it can be as much as two years before a multi-track case is heard.
Similarly, costs will escalate the longer the dispute continues, and become much higher if the case reaches a full trial. Your solicitor is obliged to keep you informed of costs as you proceed, and to advise you of estimated (but not guaranteed) future costs.
Although you can claim legal costs if successful, you will have to pay your own costs as you proceed. Even if you ultimately win the case, you will probably have to pay some of your own legal costs, while if you lose - or if the judge decides that you did not make enough effort to settle the dispute out of court - you might have to pay all your costs, court fees, and even most of the defendant's costs.
Because of the costs and timescales, it is always a good idea to try to reach an out of court settlement at an early stage and to take legal advice throughout the process.
