Carpe Diem

Ayesha Rana

3 months ago

I had a deeply frustrating experience with this company, particularly with Maria Vonan. After taking full payment, she stopped responding to my emails and calls. No service was provided, and my property paperwork was returned by post without any explanation. I felt misled and ignored. What’s worse, instead of resolving the issue or offering a refund, they started sending legal-style emails trying to pressure me into removing my review. In my honest opinion, this is unprofessional and unacceptable. I believe potential customers deserve to know how I was treated. I would strongly advise others to be very cautious before dealing with this company.

Robert Czapla

a month ago

Strongly advise caution before using this firm. My experience has been extremely disappointing: . I was never provided with a proper Letter of Engagement at the start of the service. • My name was repeatedly misspelled in emails, and at one point I was even described as dealing with my "daughter" instead of my ex-partner - a serious and careless error. . A video call with the Independent Legal Advisor (ILA) was booked on a UK bank holiday. I waited for over an hour, nobody attended, and no prior notice of cancellation was given. • When the ILA meeting finally took place, I was not asked to provide ID until I insisted - highly unprofessional. No certificate of advice was ever provided. • I sent my bank details several times when requesting a refund, yet they kept asking for them again and again, delay the process. • I also noticed attempts to make me overpay SDLT (Stamp Duty Land Tax), which only stopped after I challenged the fee. In the end, I lost several months, considerable stress, and money, while the process with my ex-partner had to start over again. • Despite multiple reminders and even a final deadline given, my refund has not been processed. The company is not regulated and can not legally provide some services and charge for them. My last email I send my bank details for refund was ignored. Maria Elena Vonan only told me that she will be on holiday for entire month just to not issue the refund. Totally sick to my stomach about them. I am in process to open a case in: Small claim court Trading Standard Action Fraud for misrepresentation and financial harm HMRC for misreporting or non - submission of SDLT CILEx for fail Code of Conduct SRA for misrepresentation of supervision Legal Ombudsman I highly recommend do the same to all people who experiences similar issues. There is big possibility for Maria Elena to run from UK as she is Italian , there will be more hard for anyone get the money back. I don't care how much that cost me I will not let her walk away with my money easy. Responding to your comments: 1.This is indeed my number. I am living in China for last 5 years which you have been fully informed on the beginning. I have no messages or missing phone calls on my phone or my WhatsApp from you. Ironically my whatsap was ok to send bills to pay but now its a issue???????? 2.You never confirmed about the refund quote. My bank details has been send on 19 May 2025 5 August 2025 which you have confirmed then on the end your commend you asking to send again to another email????? It is joke or what ??????? 3. Name confusion , yes you did apologize but is still a fact about care less . 4.SDLT First invoice send 1495 GBP After few arguing emails the bill drop down to 156 GBP Which means you have attempted to overcharge me almost 10 times. Even so I have pay that , I still haven't receive SDLT5 certificate. So I believe that never been paid to HMRC The comment form you has been send by CarpeDiem Legal(Owner) The Owner of the company is Maria Elena Vonan which is currently not available to issue a refund due to her holiday ( must be on the moon or other planet in universe) And the fact that write your comment took more time than make a bank transfer is clear that you are not willing to issue the refund. Lets see what court say about that

Saumabha Mandal

2 months ago

Maria Elena Vonan is a complete fraud and a thief. I transferred her £20,000 over 5 weeks ago for a property purchase. She kept making excuses and then stopped taking my calls and replying to emails. Reported her to the bank and Action fraud, no sign of my money yet. Don't go near her. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Dhairya Anand

4 months ago

Extremely Dissatisfied – Money Taken with No Resolution. I am writing this review with deep concern regarding our experience with Carpe Diem Paralegal. My partner, Tenna, entered into an agreement with this company and has since been charged over £10,000. Unfortunately, the service was not completed, and all communication from the company -specifically Maria, who is the owner, has now completely ceased. Despite repeated attempts to reach out and resolve the matter, we have received no explanation or response. When we informed Maria that we would have no choice but to report this behaviour, her response was dismissive and unprofessional: “You’re more than welcome to do so.” We expect better accountability and integrity from service providers, especially those handling sensitive legal matters. This experience has been both financially and emotionally draining. I strongly advise others to proceed with extreme caution when considering this company. We are still trying to recover the money.

Tenna Vilhelmsen

4 months ago

Avoid at All Costs! Carpe Diem Legal is a complete fraud. I lost over £10,000 and the leasehold I'd spent four months trying to secure—all because I trusted this company. My business is now on the verge of collapse because I have no premises, and my savings are gone thanks to Maria and her team. From the beginning, both the company and Maria herself came across as professional and trustworthy. But as the process dragged on, the cracks became painfully clear. Gloria initially handled my case—she seemed competent, but I later discovered she was listed as an apprentice on Indeed, not a solicitor. One day, she simply vanished, leaving a message that I should now contact someone named Prateek. No formal handover, no introduction—just me chasing a new contact I’d never heard of. Maria reappeared briefly, only to pass me off to Prateek herself. To his credit, he seemed to try his best, but it all unraveled when I was finally due to collect the keys to the property. I was told the £6,500 deposit had been sent to the landlord’s solicitor, but they never received it. After a week of confusion and no answers, Prateek also disappeared. That left me dealing with Maria again. She claimed the funds had gone to the wrong account due to mismatched names and account numbers—something that shouldn’t be possible with modern banking checks. She then promised the money would be returned within three days. I didn’t trust her at that point and requested the remaining funds (nearly £4,000 earmarked for land registry tax) be returned to me so I could sort things myself. My partner left a review online calling her out as a scammer, which she didn’t appreciate. She contacted me, asked for the review to be taken down, and in return promised to refund all my money so I could hire a new solicitor. It took her two days just to process the so-called refund, and she claimed I’d have the money in another three days. It’s now the fourth day—I’ve received nothing. Two emails sent yesterday were ignored, just like so many before. I’ve been left with nothing: no money, no leasehold, and no functioning business. To make matters worse, trying to contact the company is nearly impossible. Phone calls always go straight to voicemail, and messages are never returned. Emails are routinely ignored unless it's convenient for them. Carpe Diem Legal operates under the illusion of being a large firm. A quick look at their Companies House listing shows just three people on record, yet Maria insists there’s a full admin and accounting team. Strangely, when you message the company WhatsApp, Maria suddenly becomes responsive to emails again. In my experience, this company is not just unprofessional—they are actively deceptive. If you value your time, money, and sanity, stay far away.